How do we remove the car battery in our 2008 Cadillac DTS?
What is your question?
We tried to remove the battery in our 2008 Cadillac DTS. Online videos only show the 2007 and 2009 models, where the connection is different. We mistook the cap of the post for a nut and tried to remove it, slightly shredding the cap (using vice grips, oops). We called a friend who is a mechanic and, once he looked at the battery, he told us to slip the battery cable up off the post. With a flathead screwdriver we jiggled it a little and it slipped up off the post. Maybe we should make a video to show others how to do it since there are no videos online for a 2008 Cadillac DTS.
What makes this problem better or worse?
We couldn't tell if the post cap was a removable nut or not.
How long has your 2008 Cadillac DTS had this problem?
RepairPal Certified shops can diagnose and repair your 2008 Cadillac DTS. They provide transparent pricing with a minimum 12-month or 12,000-mile warranty on repairs and services.
Never, ever use "vice grips" to remove your battery cable, or any other fastener. You may have stripped out the head of the fastener only to have to find some way to extract the terminal now. I find it hard to imagine that a 2007 and 2009 model would have different terminals than a 2008 -- right in the middle. Perhaps your vehicle has already been modified from factory condition?
This happens in "do it yourself" work -- if you don't have the right tools for the job, you can make more problems than you solve.
This is why we pay technicians to do work -- they're the ones who invest thousands of dollars for all the tools needed to perform the work on vehicles.
Seek help at a local shop near you; likely the only way you'll extract a rounded bolt head now.
www.repairpal.com/repair-shops
Hi DaveJM, Thanks for trying to answer my question. I edited my question after calling a mechanic friend who was able to help us remove the battery cable. It turns out the cable simply slipped up over the post with a little jiggling. The 2007 and 2009 videos showed removing a nut, so we were confused. Maybe we should make a short video and post it online.
Hi DaveJM, Thanks for trying to answer my question. I edited my question after calling a mechanic friend who was able to help us remove the battery cable. It turns out the cable simply slipped up over the post with a little jiggling. The 2007 and 2009 videos showed removing a nut, so we were confused. Maybe we should make a short video and post it online.