Therm-ic boot heater battery replacement
So my boot heater batteries have been slowing down recently and last week died completely. I figured Dec highs in the 40's can't last and I needed to fix the situation. A quick google search revealed you can buy replacement battery packs for $75, each! Now I knew they were just NiMH batteries so this can't be too hard. The packs at first glance appear to be completely sealed but a little prying with a big flat screwdriver revealed they are really only glued/welded at the corners. It's pretty easy to just pop them open with little damage. Start at the lugs that hold the metal clip. Unsolder the two wires that connect the pack and off to the web for replacements. I used all-battery.com to order 8 AA NiMH flat top with tab batteries. Solder the tabs together to make a new pack of four, insulate with some tape, and use some double stick foam to secure in the pack as the factory did. Voila! As a side bonus the chemistry of these cells has been improving so my old 1700mAh batteries are now 2000mAh ones. All this for the princely sum of about $12 plus shipping.