I took my X into the shop friday to get front brakes installed along with an oil change. They asked me if i wanted the battery service too. Since it was only $10, I said sure do that too. (Battery service consisted of cleaning the terminals and cables- no big deal). I picked up my X after work, and drove it 2 miles to my house. Went upstairs to change, came back down to leave for the Phillies game, and my battery was dead. Luckily I could kick start it, and made it to the game. Came out from the game- dead again! I took it back to the place that did my "battery service" and they told me it sometimes kills the battery when it gets cleaned. Granted it was the stock battery, and i just passed 50K miles, but this sounded like BS to me. What do you all think? Can cleaning it kill the battery? The mechanic said something about distilled water not being used, etc. I think I got shafted. I bought and installed the new one myself- I wasn't about to let them do it, that's for sure.

That is about the time mine died on both of the X's I have had. One was at 47,000 the other at 53,000.

It just seemed like too much of a coincidence to me. If it had died at any other time, I would have had no problems buying another battery. It just felt like they killed it on me.

They may have killed it. Or at least just speed the process up. If they shook the battery, then any sediment could have moved around and shorted out the cells. The sediment was there before just waiting for more to get between the cells and short them out or when it gets moved around, it is now shorting them out. It was just a matter of a short time anyway.

If you don't have a sealed battery cleaning can definately kill it if done impoperly, it all depends how they cleaned it and what they cleaned it with. Usually to get the corrosion and acid off you wash it with some kind of neutralizing agent (at home I use baking soda and water). If the mixture gets past the caps it can neutralize the acid that you want to keep (in the battery).

They'd have to be pretty sloppy to completely kill a battery but if it was already half dead it wouldn't take much more to finish it off. Having the battery die right after they cleaned it isn't a coincidence, tell them you want the cost of the stock battery credited to you and use the money to help buy an Optima sealed battery.