The motor vehicle questions and answers thread

[Accy cyclist]

Buy a big bag of cat litter instead and either fill an old sock up with it or fill an open flat container and place it in one of the footwells.

Yes,but suppose when i open the car door a cat sneaks in and has a big shoot in my car!!

 

[Gunk]

I also switch the aircon on too during the colder months. Tuning the heater on full whilst the aircon is on will dry the air out and will clear steamed up window faster. It also helps in keeping the seals in the air con system from drying out which in turn prolongs regasing intervals.

You should leave air con on permanently. It’ll keep the humidity levels down during the cooler weather and stops the car misting up.

 

[screenman]

You should leave air con on permanently. It’ll keep the humidity levels down during the cooler weather and stops the car misting up.

Sadly it increases fuel consumption, also I find leaving it in too long dried my eye's and throat out. Mine does get used daily though.

 

[Smokin Joe]

Sadly it increases fuel consumption, also I find leaving it in too long dried my eye's and throat out. Mine does get used daily though.

Jesus, I bloody hate aircon. Some shops seem to have turned to the max, after two minutes my eyes are streaming and I'm coughing like a chimney and have to leave.

 

[Accy cyclist]

Well the battery's definitely fecked! I was intending going down my local pub for a pint,but i turned the key and i could tell straight away it wasn't going to start. I didn't keep trying it like i did 2 weeks ago,as that time i completely flattened the battery and that's when the windows wouldn't go back up. As i closed the door they went back up that centimetre or so. Is it worth putting the battery on charge or not? I'm just glad it wouldn't start where i normally park and not after i'd been in the pub. At least it's safe where it is. I was in it last night,but that frost during the night must've flattened it.

 

[Accy cyclist]

I might as well buy a battery from the car accessory place in town. I think that if i ask them nicely they'll bring it up to where my car is and maybe even fit it for me. I could shop around for 'bargains', but it'd take days for one to be delivered. I can't go and get one myself for obvious reasons.

 

[johnnyb47]

Bite the bullet and get another battery Accy.. Life's to short to be messing around trying to resurrecting a duff battery.
I've always found varta/bosch silver seal battery to be good. I've always had big old diesel engined cars and they've never let me down with these fitted.

 

[Accy cyclist]

Bite the bullet and get another battery Accy..

I might even bite the bullet twice and ask the bloke who owns the BMW repairs and MOT place across the road to order me one. No one round here uses his garage because he takes our parking spaces,but maybe it's about time i did. After all i couldn't be any closer to a garage that specialises in BMW and Mini repairs.

 

[johnnyb47]

Another thing to bear in mind is do not persist in trying to start the car hoping it might start. On some cars a flat battery can scramble the rolling code between your key and immobiliser causing you grief when a new one is fitted. Leave it well alone until a new battery is fitted buddy. As said this may not be the case with your car but don't chance it just in case

 

[Accy cyclist]

As said this may not be the case with your car but don't chance it just in case

That's what i thought. if it doesn't start the first time why would it start the second, then the third time i told myself. I'll go out in an hour and see if those windows haven't dropped. The driver's one did 2 weeks ago after i tried the ignition the following day. Again....why would it start the second and third time if not the first.

 

[johnnyb47]

I remember a few years back i had a parastical drain on my car. I checked everything to find it with no joy what so ever. Eventually after some head scratching i finally tracked it down to the boot light. It would not switch off once the boot was closed. Obviously this was hidden from sight once shut. The boot light switch turned out to be faulty. Eversince that I've always removed the boot light bulb from cars so it never happens again in my cars

 

[johnnyb47]

Battery's can lose alot of cranking power when the temperature drops. Also on modern cars if the battery drops below a certain voltage the electronics will stop a car stone dead from turning it over to protect the delicate electronics. Sometimes when the weather warms up the battery will recover enough to allow the car to start. Years ago a failing battery on an old car could be heard by the the starter motor turning slower and slower. Nowadays with protection circuitry of modern cars they either start or or they don't.
I'm sure your woes are just a simple knackered battery. If there was problem with the alternator you would of no doubt of seen warning lights on the dash

 

[Accy cyclist]

Eversince that I've always removed the boot light bulb from cars so it never happens again in my cars

You've got me thinking now that it could be my boot light that's flattening the battery!

 

[Accy cyclist]

Sometimes when the weather warms up the battery will recover enough to allow the car to start

That's why i didn't try and start it this afternoon,when it was still frosty. Tonight it was quite mild,but no luck!

If there was problem with the alternator you would of no doubt of seen warning lights on the dash

What does a alternator warning light look like? There's a battery symbol light that comes on then goes off a few seconds after the engine starts up. I thought that was warning me the battery's not fully charged.

 

[johnnyb47]

It could be Accy but it's more than likely a knackered battery. They take some hammer over there life and this time of year is when a weak battery shows it self. If you want to put your mind at rest though just drop the rear seat down and see if the boot light is on (with the boot and doors shut of course) but as i said its probably not that is the problem.