Car won't start

bobobski

I've just tried to start my car and it won't go. It tries to start, you can hear the engine trying really hard to turn, but then it dies. It almost did this last weekend but once I got it running again it was fine. It's kept in an underground car park, so not outside, but it is cold down there.

Turns out past-bobobski was stupid and didn't get homestart. Any ideas of what I should do? RAC said I can upgrade but it'll cost £63 - I think that may be my best option but I'm certain they'll charge more than that...

cajef

bobobski wrote: »

Any ideas of what I should do?

Buy and fit a new battery?

AdrianC

bobobski wrote: »

you can hear the engine trying really hard to turn, but then it dies.

Battery. 100%.

Can you get a friend with jumpleads to get his car near to yours?

liveyoung

Might be the alternator. Battery is an easier fix (so hopefully that's all it is), but will not help in the long term if there is an issue with the alternator.

NiallB

It's the flux capacitor, I can tell from here.

dannyrst

NiallB wrote: »

It's the flux capacitor, I can tell from here.

Will be tough to push it up to 88mph to get it to jump start.

force_ten

dannyrst wrote: »

Will be tough to push it up to 88mph to get it to jump start.

you dont need to Mr Fusion powers the time circuits and the flux capacitor, But the internal combustion engine runs on ordinary gasoline

you only need to get up to 88 miles per hour when you want to go back to the future

forgotmyname

dannyrst wrote: »

Will be tough to push it up to 88mph to get it to jump start.

Modern electric or diesel trains will get it to 88mph.

bobobski

Thanks guys. Sadly no luck with the flux capacitor, I couldn't even find it. (I'm never sure if jokes come through properly on t'internet).

It was the battery in the end. Sadly no friends with cars but I chose to be ripped off by the RAC just to get the job done. £63 to upgrade my membership to include homestart (I had a funny feeling when I bought my membership that I should include this but I was just too stingy) then another £90 for the battery. Could have got the battery for less but this was far less hassle and comes with a 5 year guarantee instead of 3.

So not a great use of all the pennies I've been trying to save, but job done. Because the battery is deliberately more powerful than the old one, I feel like I'm going to take off when I start the engine now. I turn the key and my car's like "I'VE HAD MY RED BULL, LET'S GO". Weird for a French car.

PCMcGarry

Euro car parts do batteries with a 5 year guarentee.

bobobski

Good to know, thank you. The decider was that I didn't have time to take it to a garage today and the RAC man was already there - he said if you call them out again for an issue you said you'll deal with, they will charge you extra. So it was a lot of money, but a fixed amount. And bobobski likes certainty.