Battery disconnected

[babylilo]

I took my car to the garage the other day cos one of my tyres was goin down. I thought i might have to buy a new tyre but the guy said it was just the valve so they changed it for me. They took a really long time to have a look at the tyre. Anyways i went home and noticed that there was a twig from a tree stuck under the bonnet, so i opened it to take it out. Then a couple of days later(that being today) i went out to the car to go to work and the car wouldn't start!! i went to work and i got a call from my mum saying she had looked under the bonnet and they had disconnected the battery! the reason why the car would start was because the battery hadn't been charged and so she connected it up and recharged the battery. I am really angry because i could of stalled this car anywhere and might not of been able to start it again! just lucky it was in the drive and not in the middle of nowhere! the car is now working fine and will never being going back to the same garage!!

[Postdog]

Am I alone here? HTF did the car go with a disconnected battery?

[caslass]

Please tell ,what garage was this. Why don't you report them to trading standards.

[babylilo]

Much better lol!! the car still had battery in it! it just ran out over the last couple of days..

[babylilo]

FARMERS in Livingston but i would just stay clear of all of them

[cherrychapstick]

surley it wouldnt have started at all if battery was disconnected,so hope it is yourself you are annoyed at because you probably disconnected it when you got home and removed twig they have done nothing wrong (if i am wrong and a car runs without the battery connected i will apologize )

Cherry

[babylilo]

The battery was only removed at the negitive end!! and it cannot be disconnected by takin a twig out its bolted on!!!!!!!

[cherrychapstick]

no your not alone postdog sorry hadn't seen your post before answering

[cherrychapstick]

right so where you there when they fixed your puncture!!!

you need both positive and negative on to start a car as far as i am aware and sticking to that

[babylilo]

Ok so it was really loose but still not fully connected so not charging battery!! but it doesn't just come loose from takin a twig out with didn't even go near it....

[dustypuss]

doesn't your battery warning light on the dashboard work

[LCDMAN]

A car WILL NOT <i>start</i> without the battery connected - no chance, none, zip, nada. The ignition circuit and starter motor need it. There is absolutely 0 chance the car could ever start from the key without it connected. (It will bump start however, from a push or tow)

It WILL <i>run</i> without the battery connected (or flat) - the alternator (spun from engine) provides enough for the spark plus (petrol engine) and other electrical ancillaries (fuel pump etc.) that the engine requires for it to function. (that's what happens from a bump, or tow, start - the moving car spins the engine and the spinning alternator provides power for fuel pump/spark etc.)

[babylilo]

a don't think there is one......? but if it was still slightly connected it probably won't say anything......

[cherrychapstick]

thank you lcd ,i have learned something new ,sorry babylilo ,but still want to know why the garage would go under your bonnet to change your tyre?

[babylilo]

why would they even go under the bonnet then???? they had been under the bonnet once it had been in..... and they would go under the bonnet to tamper with the battery so you think it needs a new one and they can charge you £100 for nothing!! when all it need was a new valve which they didn't charge me for so i would go back if there was anything else wrong....

[babylilo]

cherry, thats what i was concerned about because they didn't need to be under the bonnet but they had been....

[cherrychapstick]

i think they would have told you it needed a new tyre if they were just after your money! and still fiddled with your battery if this was really the case which i very much doubt