ChatterBank1 min ago
Battery will not start car, but it is ok!
7 Answers
My Renault Scenic has been no problem until recent cold/wet weather. On two occasions it would not start car and I had to start it with leads.
Local garage checked battery which is nearly new and fine they said and also so was the alternator which was charging at about '16 something'? whatever that means!!
He said it was because I am not using it enough.
As I have been hospitalised I have only been using it once a day (sometimes not at all some days) to go to the local village - a return journey of about a mile and a half and have been using my heater and wipers. Could this be the problem?
Should I go to the car and start and run it for say 10 mins if I do not plan to drive it?
Never had this problem in the past - but then I was doing about 15 miles each day.
Thanks all
Local garage checked battery which is nearly new and fine they said and also so was the alternator which was charging at about '16 something'? whatever that means!!
He said it was because I am not using it enough.
As I have been hospitalised I have only been using it once a day (sometimes not at all some days) to go to the local village - a return journey of about a mile and a half and have been using my heater and wipers. Could this be the problem?
Should I go to the car and start and run it for say 10 mins if I do not plan to drive it?
Never had this problem in the past - but then I was doing about 15 miles each day.
Thanks all
Answers
He is right, your not getting enough mileage to start the engine.
It takes about 10 miles to charge the battery up to what it was before you started it.
If you run the engine for ten minutes it will not improve anything, probably make it worse !
get a trickle charger.
If you run the engine for ten minutes it will not improve anything, probably make it worse !
get a trickle charger.
17:15 Tue 01st May 2012
Your local garage mechanic is right: you have not used your car enough to keep the battery charged. Plus, when you have used it (for only short trips) you have put a heavy demand on the electrical system by using heater and wipers. Solution: take it out for a long run (about an hour, without stops), then back again. Do that about twice a week, and it should help.
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