Connected battery terminals wrong way round!

[ZeeSaffa]

Yep, you read it right... I'm a dumb**s!

Replacing my battery on my A3 8P today.
The info leaflet that came with it said that if you want to avoid losing any settings (trip computer, stereo, etc) then hook up another battery via jump leads to the leads / terminals on my car - so that when I disconnect my leads from my old battery the car keeps getting current from the other battery (simples I thought).
So, I got my wife's car.
Clamped her positive terminal (I meant to clamp negative! I don't know what happened in my brain at that moment but anyway...) - and connected it to my negative. No sparks.... yet.
Then clamped her negative and connected to my positive. SPARKS for about 2-3 secs before I realised what I was doing and disconnected it.

Bear in mind the whole time my car's leads are still attached to the battery.

My car started okay with the new battery... No warning lights or anything.
But I'm paranoid to hell that I've probably frazzled or at least shortened the life of some circuitry that is likely to go pop at any moment.

I'm really annoyed at myself for being such an idiot.

Please tell me it's all probably going to be fine!??

Thanks!

 

[Ian 2.5]

surely you'll blow fuses before any equipment?

 

[ZeeSaffa]

You would think so... But a quick Google shows up all sorts of horror stories!

By the way - a simpler way of explaining what I did above is to say I essentially jump started it with the terminals the wrong way round.

 

[Graham89]

If it's all working now as it should then you will be fine

 

[ZeeSaffa]

Yeah it seems fine.
Thanks... I just needed some reassurance :-/

 

[MartayMcFly]

There was a video/pics not long ago of what happens when you jump a car with the leads the wrong way round - entire car burnt out. The leads overheat very quickly and then you're screwed trying to disconnect them even before any fire shows up, but once it starts burning that's the end of that car.

Lucky escape, and surely a mistake you won't be making again in a hurry!

 

[FranA3]

seen this happen a few times in work sounds like you got off lightly matey on one car it happened on the engine's ecu went bang so needed a new one lol

 

[NHN]

Scan the car & see if its got any residual aftereffects, plus check all fuses.

 

[paddy]

Reversing the polarity may cause the sat nav to point South when heading North !. Switch you wipers on for a while and then check they are going left, right left and not right, left, right. You could also check your heater still blows and doesn't suck and you lights shine forward and not back, in to the car.
HTH ?

 

[mike foster]

Reversing the polarity may cause the sat nav to point South when heading North !. Switch you wipers on for a while and then check they are going left, right left and not right, left, right. You could also check your heater still blows and doesn't suck and you lights shine forward and not back, in to the car.
HTH ?

LMAO - tee hee, you couldn't wait for April 1st could you ?!!!!!!!

 

[NHN]

Good old Paddy, started my morning with a lmfao

 

[amar06fbr]

LMFAO!!!

 

[warren_S5]

With luck like that you should start doing the lottery!

 

[BlueSpark]

Reversing the polarity may cause the sat nav to point South when heading North !. Switch you wipers on for a while and then check they are going left, right left and not right, left, right. You could also check your heater still blows and doesn't suck and you lights shine forward and not back, in to the car.
HTH ?

LMFAO, my work collegues think i'm going mad now laughing to myself! lol

 

[c_w]

You don't lose many settings when disconnecting the battery, the radio should keep it's stations. The DIS resets the long term figures (2) and the trip does too.

 

[ZeeSaffa]

Funny guy Paddy

To be fair I deserve any stick I get!

 

[S3lvo]

MartayMcFly,

Hope you're well! Sorry to hunt you down like this, but I think I have your old car!! Then i saw your post saying it's dying - which obviously scared the bejeezus out of me! You might be happy to know it's not dying, thank god! I had the Haldex done and it seems to have sorted the skiping of the rear tyre and also the turbo was sorted by the garage - it was missing a bolt in the casing, hence the ticking noise. It's got a wee problem with the thermostat at the moment which I'm sorting out and hopefully she'll be good as new soon!

Would love to have a chat with you about what you did with the car etc so I'm fully up to speed. I do absolutely love her, and will be donig everything I can to make sure it's looked after completely - it's just good to find you on here and see that you're equally as much of a petrol head as it does give me reassurance that it wasn't abused. Although looking at the receipts and engine re-builds etc from the owners before you, I can't say as much for them.

All the best,

Matt

 

[MartayMcFly]

MartayMcFly,

Hope you're well! Sorry to hunt you down like this, but I think I have your old car!! Then i saw your post saying it's dying - which obviously scared the bejeezus out of me! You might be happy to know it's not dying, thank god! I had the Haldex done and it seems to have sorted the skiping of the rear tyre and also the turbo was sorted by the garage - it was missing a bolt in the casing, hence the ticking noise. It's got a wee problem with the thermostat at the moment which I'm sorting out and hopefully she'll be good as new soon!

Would love to have a chat with you about what you did with the car etc so I'm fully up to speed. I do absolutely love her, and will be donig everything I can to make sure it's looked after completely - it's just good to find you on here and see that you're equally as much of a petrol head as it does give me reassurance that it wasn't abused. Although looking at the receipts and engine re-builds etc from the owners before you, I can't say as much for them.

All the best,

Matt

PMd

 

[audicruiser]

I did this on a Mk4 Golf... All was well until the battery went flat whilst driving. Turns out the alternator fuse had blown when the sparks flew. Not sure if the A3 has such a fuse but I would check!!