Thank you for this video, it was helpful, and installing the battery myself saved me over $100. In total i spent $107 on a maxx EverStart battery from Walmart and it took me almost an hour, really taking my time. A couple things i will point out: 1. I was able to swing the triangle bracket ever so gently without even loosening the 3rd bolt. 2. The lower bolt on the left side fender is easy to access from the inside of the door if you only have the door partially open (open all the way then close it to the first detent). You will be able to get straight at it with a regular ratcheting socket with a long extension. 3. Be careful to check the alignment of the fender when you put everything back together. Take note of the marks from the bolts and clips. Make sure the door will close without rubbing. And, of course, it should look properly aligned.
Thank you for doing this for us. Realized after fender off that battery wasn't coming through the swing arm not mentioned by others. Also, please amend tape to tell us new-be's which terminal comes off/on first.
Nice video. Appreciate the time you spent on showing us step by step. I actaully bought the same red top optima for my 06 sly solstice. After a long cold winter in wisco. Old battery didnt last long and it was 3 yrs + old
Listen!!! This video just saved me so much time and money. Thank you so much for making this video to help others fix their Solstice! I really appreciate you for making this.
Thank you so much for watching. Happy to say, my Solstice rarely breaks, so I don't make a lot of Solstice-related videos, but I appreciate that I was able to help you.
I didn't realize how much play here was in the triangle frame piece. I'm glad there were wax marks showing where the brackets went when I went to put it back on. Otherwise you should mark where that bracket matches to the body before taking it off.
+Brian Schottler VERY GOOD advice ... if that triangle frame doesn't return to its original place, the body panel will be off. GREAT addition to this video
I've changed my battery 3 times and never had alignment issues. Just swing the bracket back, tighten the "hinge screw," and the other two should be in the correct place
Great video, thanks. I watched several videos before removing battery from my 2008 SATURN SKY turbo. Similar, but Sky was easier, with a single bolt between door and fender that was easily accessible with socket extension. The triangular bracket in the Solstice is replaced in the Sky by an "L" shaped and does not have to be removed.
Thanks a bunch for this video. You're a lifesaver. Had to do it myself after the mechanics at Walmart couldn't. They said they needed a lift and the car was too low to the ground.
Dagoberto Chapa ha! Sam's club told me the same thing. Manager said it was a safety risk for his employees to have to raise the car off the ground. I asked him how they changed tires without lifting the car off the ground. So then he was like "we're not certified mechanics I can't help you"
ZanesFacebook .... LMAO. Great come back with how do you change tires without lifting the car. Lazy ass bastards. Lol or should I say dumbass?? On or the other or both. Lol.
Great video! Thanks for this. I have this chore ahead of me this weekend for my '07 GXP and I'd been sort of dreading it. But your tutorial makes it look very do-able. Have a great one!
Just wanted to THANK YOU for a great video. I just changed my 2008 GXP Battery today and it went virtually flawless DUE TO your video. Can't thank you enough. Having GM do it? ~~~ $315 (tax and labor included) ... YIKES! Thanks again :)~
+DeathScouter Very true indeed. I am an old guy and there are things that are beyond my capabilities. This was obviously not one of them. Someone even HINTS at take it to the dealership, my bank account begins to scream ... LOL.
It's true...a picture is worth 1k words or in this case a video. This is way easier than trying to visualize what the forum gurus are trying to convey in words. Gr8 job!
No doubt having a camera man would make a HUGE difference, but most of the time it's only me, and the LCD window on my camera is about the size of a postage stamp so most of the time, I'm aiming the camera blindly in the direction I want to shoot. I'll see what I can do about future videos. Thanks for watching.
Death Scout; Thanks for creating this video. By following your directions I was able to replace the battery on my Solstice. Much Appreciated. Just a simple suggestion concerning something you already have eluded to - the shakiness in the video. Your flip cam has a tripod mount on the base. If you purchase a cheap tripod from Walmart you can mitigate this issue. One of the secrets to shooting a great video is limiting camera motion. But, If you have to move your camera when it's running, do so very s...l...o...w...l...y. In fact more slowly than you would generally suspect. With the camera on the tripod you can focus in on the target, turn the camera on, and then move in with your personal commentary and action. Also, consider NOT moving the camera just to show a tool or a toolbox. The tools can be described and shown in the field of action thus avoiding, again, the undesired motion. Once the viewer is able to focus and concentrate on the picture field and not be distracted, the video quality and its effectiveness (not to mention educational value) will improve markedly. The viewer should be concentrating on what you're showing and what you're saying, so avoiding camera motion is critical. Thanks again for helping me change the battery. I never suspected one would have to remove the side panel.
Hi, question before we tried to jump start it, the key got stuck inside the ignition, after we jump started it lights flashed key came out but it still will not start. Is it possible that my battery may be dead?
There's nothing I can think of that would explain any connection between the key being stuck in the ignition and whatever you're doing with the battery. The best thing to do if you don't know if the battery is bad or not would be to take it to a place like AutoZone or AdvanceAuto because they do complimentary battery & alternator checks. You definitely want to do that before you go through the problem of taking the fender off just to change the battery.
DeathScouter hello, thanks for this tutorial. I have a question, about the rear speaker behind the seats, their pretty much dying out, how on earth do I change them out?
Odd this came up in my feed. Anyways to make your life easier switch to an oddessey battery. Pc480 I think. Get a mount and bolt it to the battery tray. Battery slips in and out of the available space.
GM has the worst engineers in the world I have this car and love it but there is a ton of none sense engineering in this car and in many other GM cars. Getting to the battery is not just a problem in this "small" GM car I've taken batteries in trucks and I need several tools. In my ford truck I use one.
![Pontiac Solstice: Battery retrofit [4K] Ep52](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/3hUBD_1d0ho/mqdefault.jpg)
![Pontiac Solstice: Battery retrofit [4K] Ep52](/img/tr.png)
Excellent video. Was more helpful than some other videos but you were on target. Thank you 😊
Doing the positive terminal first in this car...
Brave man
Thank you for this video, it was helpful, and installing the battery myself saved me over $100. In total i spent $107 on a maxx EverStart battery from Walmart and it took me almost an hour, really taking my time.
A couple things i will point out:
1. I was able to swing the triangle bracket ever so gently without even loosening the 3rd bolt.
2. The lower bolt on the left side fender is easy to access from the inside of the door if you only have the door partially open (open all the way then close it to the first detent). You will be able to get straight at it with a regular ratcheting socket with a long extension.
3. Be careful to check the alignment of the fender when you put everything back together. Take note of the marks from the bolts and clips. Make sure the door will close without rubbing. And, of course, it should look properly aligned.
Great video.
Thank you for doing this for us. Realized after fender off that battery wasn't coming through the swing arm not mentioned by others. Also, please amend tape to tell us
new-be's which terminal comes off/on first.
Thanks for the feedback. I would disconnect the negative side first since that is the side that electrons flow from.
Nice video. Appreciate the time you spent on showing us step by step. I actaully bought the same red top optima for my 06 sly solstice. After a long cold winter in wisco. Old battery didnt last long and it was 3 yrs + old
Thanks. I appreciate your feedback and am glad the video helped.
Welcome man!
Listen!!! This video just saved me so much time and money. Thank you so much for making this video to help others fix their Solstice! I really appreciate you for making this.
Thank you so much for watching. Happy to say, my Solstice rarely breaks, so I don't make a lot of Solstice-related videos, but I appreciate that I was able to help you.
I didn't realize how much play here was in the triangle frame piece. I'm glad there were wax marks showing where the brackets went when I went to put it back on. Otherwise you should mark where that bracket matches to the body before taking it off.
+Brian Schottler VERY GOOD advice ... if that triangle frame doesn't return to its original place, the body panel will be off. GREAT addition to this video
I've changed my battery 3 times and never had alignment issues. Just swing the bracket back, tighten the "hinge screw," and the other two should be in the correct place
Great video, thanks.
I watched several videos before removing battery from my 2008 SATURN SKY turbo. Similar, but Sky was easier, with a single bolt between door and fender that was easily accessible with socket extension. The triangular bracket in the Solstice is replaced in the Sky by an "L" shaped and does not have to be removed.
Joe, great feedback. Thanks for the update. I hope others benefit from it.
You don't have to remove the panel on the solstice either. Just the two bolts inside the door panel
Thanks a bunch for this video. You're a lifesaver. Had to do it myself after the mechanics at Walmart couldn't. They said they needed a lift and the car was too low to the ground.
Thanks for the note. I'm always glad to hear that my videos are helpful.
Dagoberto Chapa ha! Sam's club told me the same thing. Manager said it was a safety risk for his employees to have to raise the car off the ground. I asked him how they changed tires without lifting the car off the ground. So then he was like "we're not certified mechanics I can't help you"
ZanesFacebook .... LMAO. Great come back with how do you change tires without lifting the car. Lazy ass bastards. Lol or should I say dumbass?? On or the other or both. Lol.
You're better off. Last thing you want is idiots at Walmart fucking up your car!
Great video! Thanks for this. I have this chore ahead of me this weekend for my '07 GXP and I'd been sort of dreading it. But your tutorial makes it look very do-able. Have a great one!
Just wanted to THANK YOU for a great video. I just changed my 2008 GXP Battery today and it went virtually flawless DUE TO your video. Can't thank you enough. Having GM do it? ~~~ $315 (tax and labor included) ... YIKES! Thanks again :)~
+DaneWraith Fantastic. That's exactly why I do these videos. This stuff shouldn't require us to be bent over and abused at the dealer!
+DeathScouter Very true indeed. I am an old guy and there are things that are beyond my capabilities. This was obviously not one of them. Someone even HINTS at take it to the dealership, my bank account begins to scream ... LOL.
It's true...a picture is worth 1k words or in this case a video. This is way easier than trying to visualize what the forum gurus are trying to convey in words. Gr8 job!
No doubt having a camera man would make a HUGE difference, but most of the time it's only me, and the LCD window on my camera is about the size of a postage stamp so most of the time, I'm aiming the camera blindly in the direction I want to shoot. I'll see what I can do about future videos. Thanks for watching.
Having a friend do the camerawork would have made this more graphically helpful. You were technically right on with the installation.
Death Scout; Thanks for creating this video. By following your directions I was able to replace the battery on my Solstice. Much Appreciated.
Just a simple suggestion concerning something you already have eluded to - the shakiness in the video. Your flip cam has a tripod mount on the base. If you purchase a cheap tripod from Walmart you can mitigate this issue. One of the secrets to shooting a great video is limiting camera motion. But, If you have to move your camera when it's running, do so very s...l...o...w...l...y. In fact more slowly than you would generally suspect. With the camera on the tripod you can focus in on the target, turn the camera on, and then move in with your personal commentary and action. Also, consider NOT moving the camera just to show a tool or a toolbox. The tools can be described and shown in the field of action thus avoiding, again, the undesired motion. Once the viewer is able to focus and concentrate on the picture field and not be distracted, the video quality and its effectiveness (not to mention educational value) will improve markedly. The viewer should be concentrating on what you're showing and what you're saying, so avoiding camera motion is critical.
Thanks again for helping me change the battery. I never suspected one would have to remove the side panel.
Hi, question before we tried to jump start it, the key got stuck inside the ignition, after we jump started it lights flashed key came out but it still will not start. Is it possible that my battery may be dead?
There's nothing I can think of that would explain any connection between the key being stuck in the ignition and whatever you're doing with the battery. The best thing to do if you don't know if the battery is bad or not would be to take it to a place like AutoZone or AdvanceAuto because they do complimentary battery & alternator checks. You definitely want to do that before you go through the problem of taking the fender off just to change the battery.
DeathScouter hello, thanks for this tutorial. I have a question, about the rear speaker behind the seats, their pretty much dying out, how on earth do I change them out?
I've never had to pull that out but I will see if I can find some info on it.
Thanks, from what I hear you have to take the panel off, but people are saying that its welded on or something.
I don't see how you done all that, one handed, holding your phone 🤗🛠
Gheesh' how much was that' battery ?
What kind of stupid engineer would put a battery in a place like this. They must have thought that car won't last longer than battery.
How has the car been for you as far as reliability? You still have this Solstice?
Odd this came up in my feed. Anyways to make your life easier switch to an oddessey battery. Pc480 I think. Get a mount and bolt it to the battery tray. Battery slips in and out of the available space.
GM has the worst engineers in the world I have this car and love it but there is a ton of none sense engineering in this car and in many other GM cars. Getting to the battery is not just a problem in this "small" GM car I've taken batteries in trucks and I need several tools. In my ford truck I use one.
LMFAO who designed this car?
I feel bad for Pontaic being axed, but I can see why.
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