Car not starting, no breakdown cover?

spira9

Hi my car wouldn't start today It's been taking a few seconds longer to start it than usual the past few days and today it wouldn't start. So I'm parked on the street outside my house broken down I guess. I haven't got any breakdown cover as it I only used the car for short drives in my local area.

I think it's the battery as the all lights come on and the dashboard ticks go crazy for a few seconds. I called the greenflag to sign up and they told me to check local garages for a car recovery service. So I called a bunch of places and only one said they might be able to do it as I'm 5 minutes away from them. I waited around and they didn't bother contacted me, eventually I had to go to work. A parking inspector came in the time I was waiting and said if the car wasn't moved by tomorrow I would get a ticket. I had to work late as well and got in an hour or so ago.

So now I'm not sure what to do. Should I pay for the emergency call out to get my checked and battery replaced it that is the problem? Or try to find someone who will tow my car to a garage the same day. I got to do all this by 11am tomorrow as that's when you couldn't park there.

I've looked at AA's website and they have a car battery replacement service in which they come to your house and check to see if the battery is working and then replace it if that's the problem, which would cost around £137..

Any advice is much appreciated.

chrisw

Do you have a friend or neighbour with jump leads who could jump start it to at least get it moved? (Assuming it is the battery).

forgotmyname

If you cannot check it yourself or swap the battery yourself or with a friends help, then paying a mobile mechanic or garage to come to you is the only option.

Whether they can come out and move it before 11am will depend on how busy they are and how much you want to pay.

Not having breakdown cover is a risk you take, Even though i can fix most things myself i still have breakdown cover just in case its something bigger.

Ignoring warning signs of a weak battery was another mistake.

peter12345678910

Basic RAC or AA cover would not work right in front of your house, I think you have to be ....maybe? 2 miles away. But all you need is an extension and a battery charger, very cheap.

reddwarf2002

Sounds like the AA option is quite expensive. If I was you I would remove the battery from the car and take it to Halfords for a free check. If it's faulty then buy a new one - if not then it saves you shelling out for one.

The other thing I would do is find someone with a code scanner and get it scanned.

reddwarf2002

You didn't say what car it was as someone might be able to help you further...?

spira9

Thanks for the replies. The car is a seat ibiza 2006 1.4

I'm useless with cars. So taking it out and stuff like that is out of the question as there's no way I can do all that by 11am tomorrow and before work.

I don't know if it's the battery. When I start the car all the dashboard lights and the dials go crazy for a few seconds. Then it will stop and the red handbrake light will flash and make 3 beeps. I think the car thinks it has started and the handbrake has been left on. Past few days the car has been taking a little longer than usual to start. I don't travel far at all and rarely use the car so I think the battery is drained.

I think my best option is to try and find a mobile mechanic to jump start the car or diagnose the problem. And then drive to halfords to get the battery check and replacement done. But what would happen if I stop the car and it stops working again? I would be screwed.

slink85

likely to be just a flat battery if you just use it for short runs. not enough time to recharge what you've used for starting, so over time the battery becomes less and less charged, until it just wont have enough power to start the car

get someone you know with a car to take you to halfords / euro car parts or a motor factors to buy a set of jump leads for a tenner, connect your cars up, their positive to yours, their negative to a metal point on your engine / frame, start their car and let it run for a couple of minutes, start yours and let both run for a few minutes, and then just run or drive your car for about 45 minutes which will put some charge back in your battery.

or get some basic breakdown cover, always worth having, and for the price its a wonder why some people don't have it, RAC is £27.99 for the basic roadside and 10 mile recovery, and you can get some cashback, register it at your parents house, and then you effectively have the 'home start' option if you breakdown at home for free you can join and get a call out for the 'roadside' bit within the first 24 hours, so if you've registered at a friends / relative youll be on the roadside at home.... if worst comes to worse, and your battery is completely dead, they will fit a new one, albeit for a bit of an inflated cost

peter12345678910

RAC is much cheaper, even on the cheapest option 27.99 which does not cover a breakdown outside of your own home.

It does not matter if you know nothing about cars as when you buy a battery from RAC they fit it for you for free. Though a mobile mechanic will charge 20.00 at least for Labour, RAC charge 10.00 for non members:

http://www.racshop.co.uk/car-battery.html?Action=Cookie

onomatopoeia99

reddwarf2002 wrote: »

Sounds like the AA option is quite expensive. If I was you I would remove the battery from the car and take it to Halfords for a free check. If it's faulty then buy a new one - if not then it saves you shelling out for one.

Without a working car, that's not a trivial exercise. Car batteries are not like those for a TV remote control, they are heavy things to carry any more than a few yards and I certainly wouldn't fancy taking one on the bus to Halfords!

Le_Kirk

What happens when you try to start it after you have switched on the ignition? Can you hear the engine turning over or just a click. If just a click, then it is likely to be as slinks answer.