Bought car today, flat battery on way home!

spacey2012

Describe what happens when you say it wont start, click nothing or does it turn over but not fire up.

23rdian

It prob. just needs a good run or a new battery.

Not the end of the world. To check the battery, get a charger and if the amps drop off while charging, it should be okay.

Worse case scenario is alternator etc is kaput. But it's prob. just the battery (a consumable)

Alibuster01

It turns over but doesn't start up, it makes the 'ggggrrrrr-ing' noise when you turn the key but then it doesn't fire up. I managed to get home (stopped twice) - about 3 hours. Stopped at home to get changed. Drove to work, drove home about 4 hours later. Picked some stuff up for the tip. Drove to the tip - dumped stuff. Car wouldn't start. Went and had a fag and stamped my feet for 10 mins. Then the car started fine. Went to collect my friend, drove to the coast and back. Fine. I don't understand! I'm going to get a mechanic to give it a once over.

Alibuster01

custardy wrote: »

Does the battery light come on with the key?
Does it go out when the engine ran?
Does it stay off while its running?
If so its likely a battery on its way out or at least needing a good run to charge it

Yes
Yes
Yes

Is 6 hours over 2 days a good enough run? It seems so random when it stops.

Strider590

Just change the damn battery.......
I'm seriously sick of these posts, people trying to get old duff batteries to work again, looking for all sorts of other more expensive problems, when the battery has simply had it.

If that car has been sat around largely unused, moved up and down the street occasionally, the chances are the battery has been run down to a low level for long enough to cause it damage. So just change the damn thing.......

Store a used car battery at full charge, usually it'll be fine for over 6 months, but store it at 10% charge for just 1 week and you might as well kiss it goodbye.

Alibuster01

Strider590 wrote: »

Just change the damn battery.......
I'm seriously sick of these posts, people trying to get old duff batteries to work again, looking for all sorts of other more expensive problems, when the battery has simply had it.

Sorry to make you sick. I don't know the first thing about cars and I was responding to kind/interested people's questions. I only bought it yesterday, and tomorrow will be the first opportunity I get to buy anything - battery included.

I hope having a go at me made you feel better...

prowla

Normally an hour's run should be plenty to charge a battery.
So either it's duff or there's a bigger issue with the car.
I guess you're not in the AA/RAC, because they can diagnose pretty quickly what it is.
Alternatively, get a jump start and head off to your local tyre & battery place; they'll be able to advise.
If it is just the battery then at least it'll not be a huge amount of money.
(But I'd be looking to get the dealer to stump up for it.)

Buzby

Charging means nothing if the capacity is diminished. A new battery will put that issue to bed - or throw up the real problem.

So if this is not done, we can hypothesise until the cows come home.

Strider590

Alibuster01 wrote: »

Sorry to make you sick. I don't know the first thing about cars and I was responding to kind/interested people's questions. I only bought it yesterday, and tomorrow will be the first opportunity I get to buy anything - battery included.

I hope having a go at me made you feel better...

Not having a go at you, it's other people that wind me up just as much.
Time after time people come here with the same issue and time after time we have people saying "get the jump leads out" or "just needs charging".

I have personally had a car battery explode and shower my garage and car in hot sulphuric acid (it burns nice holes in your paint work), all because of poor advice to keep recharging and jumping it, since then I made it my business to KNOW lead acid batteries. The one concept that people (even mechanics sometimes) can't seem to grasp is that a battery can measure 12v and still be no good.


As a rule now, if a battery is more than 3 years old and dies on me, I don't mess about, I replace it.

Ratboy

My experience of car batteries is that modern ones, 5 years or older, can be tested, shown to be fine, but are in fact useless, and cause all kinds of strange faults when they do tip over the edge. Any battery that is run down, for a period of time, will not take a charge well, if at all.

The OP states that the headlights were dim when driving (and the rear wiper doesn't work - as I predicted - more faults), which would indicate a faulty Alternator AND/OR faulty battery. The Alt being the most important to test/replace/repair. There are places that test/recon them. And also fit them for a modest fee.

Like I stated, it sounds like a pup, as others have stated, TRY to return it under sale of goods act or something, not fit for purpose. Hope you sort it.