Car shut off now won't start plus battery replacement advice.

born_again

Brie said:

My VW up automatic ran well at the end of December after being left on the drive for a couple of weeks.  A couple of days later it wouldn't start - but the radio would come on and there was a ticking noise, but no slight rev of an engine trying to start.  Lots of things were suggested here including trying to jump the battery - couldn't do it in the end as I didn't know anyone with cables and a car that could be used to do the jump.  

10 yo car and I've not replaced the battery in the nearly 8 years I've owned it so I got Halford's mobile mechanic to come out with a new battery.  (join the Halford club for a discount) I went for one of the mid price batteries (HCB202 12V Car Battery 4 Year Guarantee) on the thought that I might sell the car in the next few years so nothing better was required.  Turned out that they no longer stock these so I was given one with a 5 year warranty instead.  Zero fee for coming to you if you book well enough in advance and go for the 8am - 8pm range.  I waited until the day before to book this and there was a £3 fee.  There's other fees depending on how popular the time of the day is.  Chap was speedy, efficient, no mansplaining of the problem.   Full price just under £100.

The mechanic did say that it wasn't just the age of the battery that seemed to be the problem but the fact that I only use the car now for very short journeys, under 5 miles, often less.  10 miles seems to be the best to aim for to get a proper recharge.  So if you are in a stop/start vehicle the recharge isn't likely to be happening.  Maybe if you've not been running it for a while you should turn that option off (if possible) to keep the battery topped up?

Then search out how to stop them taking funds each year 🤣Plenty of threads on that subject.

wazza2004

Update. Had the original battery replaced by Halfords fitter. There were old code when he plugged in the OBD device which he cleared. The car does not need programming to the battery. Before he came we changed the key fob batteries on both keys. The car won't start. According to the mechanic it seems like there is no fuel going through to the engine. Tried both keys. There is fuel in the car.  Any idea what it can be? Mechanic is only allowed to fit the battery and can't work on the car to get it started.

Ayr_Rage

Do the fobs work as normal?

Does the engine crank normally now you have a new battery?

Do all the lights and accessories work?

Time to check the all the fuses especially the one relating to the fuel pump.

wazza2004

Ayr_Rage said:

Do the fobs work as normal?

Does the engine crank normally now you have a new battery?

Do all the lights and accessories work?

Time to check the all the fuses especially the one relating to the fuel pump.

Yes key fobs do work. 

Engine cranks but does not catch fire. 

All lights etc work. 

Will check the fuse for the fuel pump tomorrow. 

Thanks

paul_c123

I fixed a car with the same symptoms yesterday. It was low fuel pressure. I would start by checking the fuel pressure during cranking, there should be an actual pressure and a required/desired pressure. If its direct injection, required pressure is probably ~300bar.

wazza2004

Update. The breakdown service found there was no spark at all the plugs. Ignition coil pack replaced and is now working.

Can anyone recommend a decent OBD reader?

Thanks for the replies

Arunmor

I'm sure everyone will have their favourites, do a bit of googling for reviews but at the end of the day they will do much the same. Do you want an all in one or one that connects to an app? For basic stuff a cheap all in one will suffice.