Your Opinion Please

[jennyjoan]

Last Sunday I picked the sister up and she needed to go into a shop for minutes. I had had the car lights half on and being on the road I flashed the warning lights but turned off the engine.

Sister was literally in 5 minutes but when I tried to start my car the battery was dead. I was lucky enough to get a couple of lads to give me a start push and finally I was off.

The car has been ok since.

But I am wondering do I need a new battery as myself and a few friends do think the battery should not run have down as quick as it did. What do you think. Thanks for any answers.

[ToraToraTora]

I doubt the battery is the problem, it's the short journeys.

[ToraToraTora]

[ToraToraTora]

oops wrong thread ^^^^

[bednobs]

yes JJ it charges on an android charger. It's useful for if you need to charge something when you are out too because it can be used as a temp charger

[davebro]

A failing or inadequately charged battery would show continuing problems - particularly with cold starts - not the one-off incident that JJ experienced.

[bednobs]

perhaps the problem experienced by JJ is the start of ongoing problems?
i know why my battery is temperemental - i only do very short journeys, plus the battery i have is not big enough for my car :)

[Hopkirk]

Yes but each problem (and this may be the first of many) can cause huge problems.
The battery is so old that JJ can't remember its age.
Just change the battery.

[davebro]

//Just change the battery.//

But if there's nothing wrong with the battery.....

Might as well say "just get a new car"!

[jno]

happened to me a while back. I eventually got through to the AA and the lady said "try it again" so I did and it worked after umpteen times of not working. Maybe it just liked hearing her voice. I suppose yours might have recovered too it you'd waited longer. Anyway, mine's been okay since then too and that was a year or more ago. It will need replacing some day, but in the meantime if it's working it's working.

[tobytronic]

You can:
Buy a multimeter and test your battery, charging system and a whole lot more with such a tool. They are silly-cheap. Tool Station & Screwfix have decent ones for around £7.00 and are endlessly useful.
Look for a YouTube video on using one to check your charging system/battery. It should be able to maintain around 13-14.6 volts, lights on main beam, heated rear window on, engine idling on a Modern Car.

Get your battery tested at Kwik Fit or Halfords for either free, or a fiver dependent on current offers. But, do NOT buy from either place. The former will in my experience be low-quality, but fairly cheap. Halfords will be of decent quality, will be fitted for £6, but way too expensive. Easily Double+ in comparison to one from a local car accessory shop.

The Bottom-Line Real-World answer, without going into the endless possible yet unlikely scenarios of why you needed to push-start your vehicle is:
When you got home, the next time that you tried to start the car, did it start?
Easily?
If so, it is 95% certain that it's simply the battery. You need a new battery.
Or, was the battery even more flat?
If so, you have a charging system fault. Meaning that about the same odds of around 90% either the alternator is defective or the alternator's drive belt is loose/broken.
Buy a battery mail order from eBay, giving you reg number to cover youself if the wrong part arrives. Exide, Lucas, Bosch, Hella are all decent makes.
45 years experience as a motor mechanic. Time served City & Guilds qualified with HND in Electronics & Electrical Engineering. Own garage business as a Citroen Specialist.
The bottom line is, it will be the battery. If you managed to get home, the altenator's charging. Buy a new battery.
It was 1998 that I last came across a car that did not fall into the two scenarios. Modern cars are in some ways a paragon of dependable machinery.
Good Luck x