For a long time I had a hard time with the plastic battery cover with the 3 wacky fasteners on/in it.

The other day, I approached it calmly, with the intent of understanding why it won't play nice - all 3 fasteners will not lock / line up simultaneously.

So, this big black plastic box kind of thing is pushing up against the back of the battery - against the thing that holds the battery down, actually.

This plastic thing holds 2 of the 3 receiving ends of the fasteners on the battery cover. The battery holder thing hits the front "wall" of this plastic housing dead in the middle. It is bowed like a champ. Hence, the battery cover's fasteners won't line up with the two receiving ends in it - those ends are pushed toward the front end maybe half-an-inch. The weird thing (to me) is that behind the bowed wall of this black plastic housing is an empty rectangular space - a few inches wide, maybe a foot long (parallel to the battery - lengthwise), and maybe 10-12 inches deep. It really looks like something should be in there. A big college textbook or a hard-cover dictionary, or an air filter, would fit right in.

So, what's up with the bowing and what's the deal with the "black hole" ?

Since CarMax is still on the hook for bad things, and this is not wear and tear or normal maintenance, I'm curious about what it is that they will soon be replacing.

I apologize if my technical references have gone over anyone's head.

Any replies - from conspiracy theories to "I had that exact same thing" or anywhere in between - would be greatly appreciated.