Car not starting, no breakdown cover?

reddwarf2002

spira9 wrote: »

Okay so I got the parking ticket. He put it on my car at 2.30pm.. couldn't even let me off even though I put a note in the car explaining this.

I did want to buy breakdown cover yesterday but Greenflag convinced me not too! I did buy the cover today and they said it will be active by midnight. So I will call one out tomorrow if needed. I knew I should have bought the breakdown cover. I just never got around to it as I rarely drive the car and spend more time moving it about to avoid parking tickets than I do driving it.

I don't know whether to dispute the parking ticket or just pay the £35.

If you could get hold of a receipt from the breakdown company then you might stand a reasonable chance. However, strength of your case is reduced because of the breakdown attendance not being on the same day as the ticket.

spira9

Just tried to jump start it and the engine comes on and everything but when I try to add gas and get the car going it shuts out?

straighttalker

Might be your alternator which is at fault. This won't be charging the battery properly. Running the battery until it's completely flat will probably kill it.

Green Flag should be able to test both the battery and the alternator to see whether one or both are gone.

I had a Range Rover last year where the alternator went. Wouldn't start and when it was jump started all sorts of warning messages lit up on the dashboard. Got it home, charged it overnight and the AA followed me to my friend's garage the next day to make sure I got there ok. Changed the alternator and the battery was ok.

spira9

Okay so another update.. So we tried it again and it started, but the engine yellow light was on. We drove it to a garage to leave outside as there's no where else to park around here. And the engine light went off and the car was running okay again. So I drove it around for about 30 miles to charge the battery. I will take it to halfords tomorrow to get it checked.

The battery is only 1 year old, so I'm wondering what the problem really is.

reddwarf2002

spira9 wrote: »

Okay so another update.. So we tried it again and it started, but the engine yellow light was on. We drove it to a garage to leave outside as there's no where else to park around here. And the engine light went off and the car was running okay again. So I drove it around for about 30 miles to charge the battery. I will take it to halfords tomorrow to get it checked.

The battery is only 1 year old, so I'm wondering what the problem really is.

You really do need to get the car scanned with a code reader.

forgotmyname

Several faults can appear after a weak or flat battery.

Richard53

reddwarf2002 wrote: »

You really do need to get the car scanned with a code reader.

Not sure that is necessary at this stage. All the symptoms say to me that it's a flat battery after frequent starts and short trips, combined with the time of year. (Always some battery threads when the weather turns cold!) I'd be checking the battery and replacing if necessary, and checking that the alternator is charging OK. I'd only go to the expense of a diagnostic if there were further problems down the line. OP, you need to get yourself a battery charger and put the battery on charge if the car isn't being used much. Would save you a lot of hassle.

straighttalker

As I've said earlier, a flat battery on my Range Rover caused loads of errors to come up from gearbox, parking brake, suspension and other stuff showing errors. They all cleared once the battery had been charged.

OP, if you don't want to spend a lot, charge your battery up and then take it to Halfords or a local motor factors who will check your battery and alternator, usually for free.

Nodding_Donkey

Something like this http://www.amazon.co.uk/cars/dp/B00AC1LLQY will help keep the battery in good condition if the car isn't used much.

Norman_Castle

spira9 wrote: »

Okay so another update.. So we tried it again and it started, but the engine yellow light was on. We drove it to a garage to leave outside as there's no where else to park around here. And the engine light went off and the car was running okay again. So I drove it around for about 30 miles to charge the battery. I will take it to halfords tomorrow to get it checked.

The battery is only 1 year old, so I'm wondering what the problem really is.

Engine management light can light up due to a low battery.

The problem is likely to be too many short journeys including moving the car to avoid parking tickets.