[Patrick G.]

Right after we took delivery of our Ascent, we left for vacation (without it). When we returned eight days later, the battery was dead. Although I’m fairly certain now the reason it was dead was because one of the kids left a light on in the back, I did notice something unusual when I was jump-starting the vehicle. As you can see in the attached pic, there is a white milky substance, which I immediately noticed when I removed the terminal cover. Is this normal? I haven’t had any issues since jump-starting it a week ago, but wanted to follow up on this.

 

[Janner]

I had to jump mine for a similar reason. I have the same stuff on my battery. I just assumed it was some type of corrosion prevention.

 

[Stillmotion]

I had to jump mine for a similar reason. I have the same stuff on my battery. I just assumed it was some type of corrosion prevention.

You are correct. That is exactly what it is. Prevents corrosion build up. I went to apply it after purchasing the vehicle and came to find it was already on there... Nice gesture by Subaru.

 

[Patrick G.]

Whew! Thank you!

 

[shivak7]

I noticed the same thing in my then brand new Subaru legacy a few years ago. Drove it back all fine from the dealer, but would not start the next day. Finally had to call SRA to jump start it. Later, I read that sometimes at the dealer, they top off the battery of cars with distilled water and too much can actually cause the battery to short/fail?

 

[Carl Abrams]

Later, I read that sometimes at the dealer, they top off the battery of cars with distilled water and too much can actually cause the battery to short/fail?

Uh, no. Popping the battery open isn't part of any PDI.

 

[pilot1226]

I'm pretty sure most modern car batteries are all maintenance free now, aren't they?

I use a product call CRC Battery Terminal Protector, it has a red dye in it. It's usually good for around 3-4 months and I just give it another shot on the terminals and repeat as needed.

 

[Trey T]

It's likely dielectric grease and it's applied after the terminals were secured. Do not apply the grease between the battery post and terminal. Another word, if you remove the terminal, be sure to clean off the grease prior to securing.