Novice Question - Why the Battery Location in VF SS Commodore

[Jake Wilson]

Hey guys,

Foreword - I'm a brand-new novice in the world of cars, but hoping to learn, and to probably begin to modify my VF SS in the coming months (also looking for suggestions on where to start with that - performance and handling, not just lowered with an exhaust haha). So forgive me if my questions seem a little daft.

I just bought and installed a genuine Holden boot liner for my 2014 Series 1 VF SS Commodore Sedan. I purchased it from Peter Page Holden and did clarify with them prior to purchase that it would fit (no refunds, hence the next part).

When I got it home it would have easily fit, but on the back right-hand side, there was a plastic guard I had to remove (easy), which revealed the car battery (mounted properly on a genuine Holden mount and properly attached to the car itself). Its placement interfered considerably with installing the boot liner. In the end, I just chose to cut out a large enough section of the boot liner to allow a reasonably flush fit and replaced the guard.

I'm happy with the end result, as it achieved what I was looking for, but I can't see why the battery is located there. I checked the engine bay where there appears to be space for the battery in the normal location. All genuine or aftermarket boot liners I looked at, that were designed to specifically meet the specifications of the boot space did not account for the battery location, and to be honest I didn't foresee the problem prior to buying the part.

Is this normal for the battery to be located in the boot of the car in Series 1 VF SS Commodores, or has someone made modifications to this vehicle prior to my owning it? I bought it second hand from a dealership with a full warranty, etc., but there was no mention of modifications, etc. I'm not overly concerned, but I'm just wanting to learn if there's a reason for this.

Cheers for any help.

 

[KING46Calais V]

I'm pretty sure all VF batteries are in the boot. Prob a space saving measure in the engine bay.
I also have a genuine Holden vf sedan bootliner that fit perfectly with no cutting so they may have supplied you the wrong part.

 

[Sir Les]

All VF's have the battery in the boot -- but on the left hand side. Police vehicles have an extra battery on the right hand side because of the extra electrical load with all the equipment they carry. So your vehicle is either ex-police, or someone fitted an extra battery for some reason.

Having the battery in the boot is actually quite a good thing, as a) it aids in achieving a more even front/rear weight distribution, and b) it extends battery life as it's subjected to less heat and vibration compared to the more normal position in the engine bay.

Have a check -- you should have a battery in the left compartment as well as on the right!

 

[Forg]

Battery in the boot is considered Better, in terms of stuff like weight distribution ... for example it’s a common race car thing.

It’s part of Holden designing the VE to punch above it’s weight in so many ways.

 

[tml678]

Whether or not you have one or two batteries, make sure they are appropriately vented. There should be a clear tube from one end of each leading down to a hole in the respective guard. This hole should have a rubber grommet. Last thing you want is potentially two batteries venting into your boot space/cabin.

 

[VFSV6FORME]

I still have the Original battery in my Caprice V and the car was built in Nov 2013 and it cranks his head off when starting the L77 V8. Wonder how long these Calcium batteries last?

 

[HarryHoudini]

I still have the Original battery in my Caprice V and the car was built in Nov 2013 and it cranks his head off when starting the L77 V8. Wonder how long these Calcium batteries last?

Like the exhaust they were designed to last a minimum 5 years for the extended warranty that was around at the time.My 2012 Battery lasted over 6 years,still ok then but if it wasn't driven everyday the voltage dropped away quickly.
I would say 7 years on yours is probably getting close to where its performance starts to drop off so you will soon know.

 

[Anthony121]

While designing the VE, there was not enough space under the bonnet for the battery under the bonnet dues to the extra space the HVAC took. It was also designed for both right and LHD so they had engineer the battery in the boot and run a very long battery lead to the front of the car.

 

[Holden17]

I still have the Original battery in my Caprice V and the car was built in Nov 2013 and it cranks his head off when starting the L77 V8. Wonder how long these Calcium batteries last?

Don’t give up on that battery yet. There’s a fairly recent thread on here that discusses battery life...where I’ve mentioned the CalaisV I look after for another family member was purchased in Dec’13. Hadn’t been driven since about Easter last year until I had a chance to look at it in December. Battery absolutely flat...nothing working such that in a very tight garage situation I had to stretch from the driver’s seat over into the backseat, drop the armrest and pull on the manual boot release just to gain access to the battery.

I did this while I waited for the RACQ to arrive...I had every intention of buying a new battery from them as I knew they stocked what I needed. When he arrived he insisted on testing the battery from the posts under the bonnet (which gave him nothing reliable) and then the battery connections directly. Using his heavy duty battery (the standard one he tried first didn’t work) he got the car going and then we watched the readings as they battery started to come to life. At his suggestion I bought a smart charger from him, put it on charge for about 36hours from memory and it hasn’t missed a beat since.

In fact just this morning I decided to start it again for the first time in about a month and not a problem. Will socially isolate in the cabin and run it up and down the highway and around locally for a couple of weeks before tucking it away again. Incidentally, best fuel consumption is reading 8.3 and I currently have it on 8.7 (500km)...it’s a V6 btw. The daily Mazda 3 sits constantly on 8.3....and is bare bones by comparison and as noisy as all hec to drive.

 

[Brettly-2008]

As others have said, the battery in the boot (LHS) is to aid forward-rear weight distribution and right-left given there's always a driver on the right hand side. The central-mounted saddle fuel tank and placement of the bulk of the engine-trans behind the front axle are other measures. Basically Zeta (VE-VF) was designed to be a great handling RWD car from the very beginning. Yet people still say Commodores don't go around corners...