Urgh, car battery gone and just out of policy!

ac81

Hi everyone,

Arrghh, i've got myself into a right pickle.

Our RAC membership ran out in December (personal cover for me and my mum and we have two cars), it's a long story but it was all under my late mothers name who passed away in August 2015. The RAC were notified of her passing, and details changed under my name. Anyway, i didn't respond to any correspondence from the RAC, just because December was a bad month for me mentally being the first christmas without mum (i didn't even think it'd be to renew). Anyway, not really a good excuse but whatever.

Today, my mums car wouldn't start, it's at our house. I'm not a professional but i'm thinking it's a battery problem. I was looking through these letters looking for my membership number to call RAC out but then realised that the membership had expired.

I explained the problem today to RAC CS and they advised me to just start my own policy instead of renewing the old one and i'd have to wait 24 hours before making any call outs- which is fine, it's not urgent for it to be fixed.

I found some good cover deals online and when i called up the CS again just to ask a few questions about what some services meant, i explained the situation again and the advisor said that i wouldn't be covered because the problem occurred BEFORE i would have started the cover. He said that I would have to set up a basic membership on the phone (which wouldn't include the online deals) PLUS pay a surcharge because it's a problem which occurred outside the membership which would all cost around £180. Then, i could add any extras to the policy (adding my brother as another personal cover), which would bring it well over £200. PLUS if it is a battery problem, i'd be paying another almost £100 for the battery??!!

When if i was able to just buy my cover online it'd be £140 (i'd also get around £60 cashack through quidco). It's so cheeky!!! Arghh, kicking myself really, i should have opened the letter in December. Ah well.

So my question is .... does anyone know of any breakdown companies which would allow me to just start a policy and then get them to come and look at the car (remember it's not urgent so i don't mind if i have to wait 24hours or whatever). OR, what's the alternative? Do I get a local mechanic to come and have a look?

Sorry for the silly questions, i've never had to sort this kind of stuff out, so i'm a bit clueless.

Thanks for your time.

ilikewatch

Why not get a local garage to come out and take a look? From my experience roadside assistance companies charge a huge premium for average quality batteries anyway (if the battery does need replacing). If you get a decent local garage (who don't have to travel too far) you may end up paying less money for a better battery anyway. Then you can join a roadside recovery service on your own terms.

If the car hasn't been started for some time the battery may just need charging - you could buy a budget charger for about £15 and try charging it yourself first - you've not lost much if it doesn't work.

colin79666

If the car has been sitting for weeks without being started then the battery is probably just flat.

I'd go an buy a charger and give that a go. Ideally not a really cheap one but rather one that will measure the stage the battery is add and charge appropriately. Something like this:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/CTEK-MXS-5-0-Temperature-Compensation/dp/B00FC42HAA
It really is idiot proof to connect up (it will sense if you do it the wrong way around for example) and kinder on the electronics than jump starting.

ac81

Thanks guys.
The car has been used regularly... at least every other day. Not on long journeys but it's been used to go into town and back so a good few miles each time.

yeah i will try a local home visit mechanic, i've put a post on my FB asking if anyone can recommend anyone.

I don't think i have the courage to do anything myself to be honest :-/

Strider590

Changing a car battery is not rocket science, my GF did hers herself, she works in an office all day and barely knows the difference between a spanner and a wrench, but she still did it.

OP I think your making too much of a drama out of this. Please don't listen to those annoying Halfrauds TV/radio ads that tell you your too stupid to do anything yourself.

I'm guessing it's not a large car, in which case a battery can be bought online for less than £50. But if your not using the car, you'll need to keep it disconnected and/or possibly put it on a charger once in a while, otherwise the new one will drain too. A car battery deteriorates faster at lower states of charge and if allowed to fully discharge is probably ruined for good.

ac81

Strider590 wrote: »

Changing a car battery is not rocket science, my GF did hers herself, she works in an office all day and barely knows the difference between a spanner and a wrench, but she still did it.

OP I think your making too much of a drama out of this. Please don't listen to those annoying Halfrauds TV/radio ads that tell you your too stupid to do anything yourself.

I'm guessing it's not a large car, in which case a battery can be bought online for less than £50. But if your not using the car, you'll need to keep it disconnected and/or possibly put it on a charger once in a while, otherwise the new one will drain too. A car battery deteriorates faster at lower states of charge and if allowed to fully discharge is probably ruined for good.

Hi Strider,
Thanks for your response. Yeah i know what you mean, i'm sure i could do it myself if i set my mind to it, i'm actually quite intelligent, and i've pushed myself before to do things out of my comfort zone like putting up shelves, tv mounts (yaaay go me), BUT if i was to make any slight error, it could have a huge impact on the car and i don't want any other further problems with it caused by that.

The car is driven regularly, not as regularly as it used to, but it does get driven every other day or so.

I have found a recommended local mechanic who is very reasonably priced, who is coming to look at it. It might not even be the battery, that was just my hunch. I guess it does need diagnosing either way. If it does need a battery change i'll watch the guy and see how he does it and hopefully next time (although i'm hoping it won't be in the near future) i can do it myself.

Bottom line is, i'm happy to pay out and additional £25 or whatever to a mechanic for his labour just to give me peace of mind that it's been done by a professional. He already said if it is the battery and it does need replacing it'll cost around £55.

Marvel1

Do you have a family member/friend/ neighbour to jump start you? Once running drive straight to a garage for a new battery.

benson1980

When you say its not starting what is I doing? Is it turning over but not firing up? Or is there just a rapid clicking noise?

Ebe_Scrooge

cjdavies wrote: »

Do you have a family member/friend/ neighbour to jump start you? Once running drive straight to a garage for a new battery.

I was thinking exactly the same thing - or even bump-start it like we used to in the olden days ( assuming it's not an automatic ).


But I see the OP has now got a local mechanic coming out, which is probably the best and easiest solution if they're not at all mechanically minded.

Ebe_Scrooge

ac81 wrote: »

He already said if it is the battery and it does need replacing it'll cost around £55.

Is that just for the battery, or does it include labour ( not that there's much labour involved, but he's entitled to charge something for his time ). Either way that sounds a very good price - sounds like you've found yourself a good-un there :-)

AdrianC

ac81 wrote: »

The car is driven regularly, not as regularly as it used to, but it does get driven every other day or so.

OK, so the battery doesn't just need to be recharged, assuming nobody's done something silly like leave the lights on...

First off, let's look at the symptoms. It won't start - but is it "trying"? Is the engine spinning on the starter motor at the normal speed? Or much slower? Or not at all? If you put the lights on and try to start it, do they dim?

Has the charge warning light been on lately?
Is the car mostly used for very short journeys?

It might be that the battery itself is just incapable of holding much charge for very long - in which case, replacing the battery will fix the problem - or it may be that the flat battery is a symptom of a charging system problem, or simple insufficient use to charge it.

The quickest and simplest way to get it going again is a set of jumpleads.