Hi all.

Does anyone have any info as to why the battery boxes were deleted from the magna range. Apart from cost cutting as my explanation, it dosent heat the battery up too much does it?? Im looking at sourcing one for my TJ VR-X.

Im pretty sure they had problems with the battery getting too hot so simply removed the cover.

When I had my Ralliart repaired, the smash repair place got one of these Battery Boxes, with the lids from the wreckers.

I saw it as an improvement as the engine bay looks so much neater but then started to wonder about why they changed too.

I did a fair amount of searching here on AMC and from what I found... Mitsu had a few Battery longevity issues possibly due to the batteries getting hotter. No issues of any danger - just Battery lifespan, etc.
So they ditched the lid. However, lots of others also said they had experienced no lose of Battery function or lifespan.

cheers for that. Yeah im thinking along the same lines, as I agree, with the lid it does enhance the presentation of the engine bay. I dont drive my car awhole lot, I mean its a 2002 model and ive only just hit 50k, so im thinking battery longevity might not be an issue. My VR-X dosent have a battery box at all, so yeah thats why I asked the question as I had seen them on series 1 TJ's before.

The newer designs that i have seen still have the box, but it just has no lid. I'd say this was to keep temperatures down, but it wasn't a recall so i can't imagine it being dangerous, but like puck said might affect battery life.

Well i rang a few mitsi dealers here in Adeladie and they all say it was a cost saving exercise really, so im off to see if I can source the complete kit. i really cant see it affecting the battery too much. thanks for the replies guys

Yeah, that's what I found out - a cost cutting exercise.
Save a few dollars by not making/fitting a lid and a few dollars by not replacing a few Batteries under Warranty.

As the others have said, basically what was happening was that hot air was getting in under the box and not having a way out and was affecting the battery life in some cars, so they removed the box to prevent this from happening. The battery box was originally meant to keep the hot air from th engine away from the battery, but did not work.

I have put a Battery box into my TJ as I prefer the aesthetic value over the risk to the battery, and it has been there nearly two years without any issues so far. So if you want to put one in, dont stress too much about the battery's shelf life.

all about cost

many european cars have a jacket insulating the battery from cold, but are they removed when sold in aus? Nope!

although i did manage to boil the fluid in my battery, but that was even still with no lid... YAY superchargers lol

might effect the performance if you have an old lead acid from the 20's but drycell gel cell etc.. will be all good as well as most modern sealed items too

I tried transplanting the battery box from my KH to my KL. Oh no, it does not fit at all due to the TL/KL modified nose job. :shock:
I agree having a lid makes it all look so much neater, and it even has a symbol on the lid to tell the plebs that its a battery :nuts: