People I'm a mechanic, I see it so often. There's been days we have 2 or 3 tow ins and the diagnosis is a dead battery. It's not hard to jump a car, just save yourself a couple hundred dollars, I believe in you. Before you tow, try a Jumpstart. Once you jump it you can drive it to us or even the parts store. We don't make much on batteries so we don't care. I believe in you!

2011 bmw 328xi 80k miles

I was cleaning my bmw to list it. There was dust under hood from body work to the fender. I spray water with a hose all in the engine bay. I know I shouldn’t have done this. The car was off too smh. After I was finished I tried to start it and small crank but no start. I let it charged thinking it’s a dead battery. later I tried to start it again this time no crank no start. ”SERVICE” light popped up. And a bunch of other lights on the dash are showing. I will post a picture or video of the lights. any advice? Did I perm damage my car by trying to start it after hosing That area. any advice on what to check? I bought a multimeter and will try checking fuses but don’t know what to check for or diagnose. i really need some help it’s been sitting there :/. I tried to let It dry a few days still doesn’t start. It’s been few weeks now.

EDIT: videos-attempting to start it that day. Also some oil/water in coil. after seeing 3 videos lmk what you guys think.

https://v.redd.it/bwwgrgpfxiae1

https://www.reddit.com/r/MechanicAdvice/comments/1hrnj0y/water_hose_engine_bay_area_of_my_2011_328xi_car/

https://www.reddit.com/r/MechanicAdvice/comments/1hrnvry/part_3_video_of_the_forbidden_water_hose_in/

Does anyone have any idea what kind of damage this is and how much it will cost me , on a tight budget and I want to have an idea of what it is before I bring it to an auto shop.

Thank you so much

Bought a new battery from Walmart for my Civic and I was obviously looking for the freshest battery. Didn’t realize 11/24 was in the future till I got home.

I have a 2010 Chevy colbalt. We got it for dirt cheap from a friend, and I assume it has a cheap battery that ought to be replaced by now.

My car battery is just under 3 years old and i went on a trip for 3 weeks and came home to it dead. Jumped it and replacing soon.

Conspiracy thought is you know how many markets deliver semifaulty equipment to constantly sell replacements? Example light bulbs that can virtually last forever in the early 1900s but given 1,000 hr cap by the top companies. Idk we seem too advance to have something so simple lacking.

Curious what the answer really is.

The tldr - is 3 hours a ridiculous amount of time to run a car after a jump start? Or is 30 min ok?

The longer story:

My sister just got her 2014 Honda civic jump started. We think an interior light was maybe left on overnight last night, and it’s currently around -20C/-4F here and was colder overnight.

She asked the CAA guy how long to run it and he gave some runaround answer about “not being able to give a timeframe for liability reasons” so she randomly threw out a number - 3 hours. He said “that at minimum should be enough but again I can’t give an exact answer”.

Is that an insane amount of time to idle/leave a car running? I’ve always done either 30 min or just until I’ve driven to my destination.

Anyone able to narrows down what's happening? 09 ford focus

Does anyone know what is causing this? The car eventually starts after a couple tries. This happens randomly.

What do you guys think of my test results? Is the test reliable? How long can I survive before I really need to change? It’s a Mazda 3 2020 Sedan if it helps. TIA

Hey all, I'm not a car person at all I've come online for help. My car started smoking from under the hood while I was driving home the other day. I pulled over, turned the car off, and took this video. I'm a bit confused on what exactly is happening, I know the smoke is coming from out adjacent to what I assume is my radiator, but that's all I understand of what I see. After getting back in the car, it wouldn't turn over, and so I had to get a tow home.

Can any car guys explain what's happening in my video please? I don't need the "why" at this point, just the "what".

For context, I have a 2008 Toyota matrix with 200k+ miles on it.

Are those battery terminals for new battery cause for concern?

My car battery died this morning and the AAA membership expired yesterday. Is the battery easy enough for me to replace? Or should I just renew my membership?

If I do replace it myself, is there a specific type of battery that’s recommended to buy?

I have. 2019 Honda Accord 2.0 sport

Edit: thank you everyone for the advice, I went ahead and changed the battery myself and it was super easy. Car works as perfectly fine now and I will get it tested for a possible bad alternator.

This little chip was taken out of my car in the white spot and the person took the replacement for it too. When they're not there my car won't start. Is it possible for me to get a replacement? I don't know what it's called or where to start looking. Please I need some help, thank you.

So for the past year my new car battery keeps draining if I dont drive the car for about 1 week.

I bought a battery tester and the battery passes the tests, charge is at 100% and within acceptable CCA range.

I tested with a multi-meter for power draw with the car off and my meter read 0 Amps draining when off.

I'm not sure where to go next, any ideas?

This issue does not happen if I drive the car every couple of days.

For reference my car is a 2007 Acura TL, and the battery was the cheapest one I could find at walmart

This car is not my main daily driver.

Had auto zone check and they stated my battery is bad, already had to get a jump twice this week and I’m looking to replace the battery today. I need to make a decision in the next hour and I can’t decide on which brand to get. Would you go with Costco interstate brand, or Walmart ever start?

Both 24F-AMG, both $179 before refundable core charge. Costco had 3 year prorated warranty, Walmart has a 4 years free replacement warranty. Walmart seems like the better option but I’ve heard negatives about both that make me nervous. Which would you personally go for ?

Have had some intermittent issues with my truck starting. Battery is good, starter and alternator as well. Ran a scan today and this code I’ve never seen popped up. It says “Start Button Signal Stuck High”. Can anyone tell me if this is an easy troubleshoot or should I take it to a pro?

Hello. Two days ago, I changed a corroded battery after my truck wouldn't start (I was charging my laptop with the 120V without having the ignition on, dumb). After the new battery, truck started, however now when I turn it off, everything shuts down. I can't even lock it. No internal lights. It is basically dead. But it still starts. I can still drive it. I thought it was the alternator but the mechanic I called said if the alternator was bad it wouldn't be able to start without jumping the battery. I have an appointment for Friday but I wonder if any of you have seen this issue before, or any hypothesis for what could be causing this.

Hi! I’ve really never worked with cars, and this is the first time I’m really having car troubles. I drive a 2000 Toyota Solara v6. I haven’t been able to drive it because the department of licensing lost my plates in the mail and never got them to me, and have effectively ignored my attempts at asking for replacements. Since I have no plates, really haven’t wanted to run the risk of getting pulled over.

Since I haven’t driven it, the battery died. I was trying to jump it today, and wanted to get some advice as to what problems I’m looking at. Basically, the jumper I used has a boost button to send extra electricity into the battery. When I turn my car on during the duration of the boost, it turns on like a charm and sounds totally normal. Then, once the duration of the boost ends, it dies instantaneously.

Is it most likely that my battery is just super dead? Or is my alternator probably bad? If it were my alternator going bad, would it be easy to tell via sound or anything? I don’t know what kind of beast I’m facing here.

I came out on my work break to sit in my car and it won't start. Everything works including the windows, radio etc, but no start. Tried jumping it, didn't start. I want to say the battery is the cause but I want to hear what other people think. Also I have video of what was happening upon attempted start.

I'm sorry I'm laughing because there were definitely signs, I just wasn't paying attention 🥲

I came to the library today to do some work. I parked, but was kinda hungry so I tried to start my car to go pick up something to eat and come back, but it wouldn't turn over. Not in the traditional movie way since it's a push to start, but it just kept clicking.

On the other side of this library there's an AutoZone. I know they can test battery health for free, but can they charge batteries or give me a jump? I have no idea how to jump a car and I don't wanna kill myself trying to learn on the spot lol.

I just went inside to the library to do a little work because I can't deal with that right now lol it was overwhelming me. But eventually I need to leave here, so can anyone give me a few good practical next steps?

Ok I’ll do my best it’s my partners car and I’m not vehicle inclined

2007 Pontiac vibe Fresh alternator Fresh battery Needs to be jumped for every start after filling gas while tank is relatively full

First we thought the alternator had killed the battery as a couple months ago that went and took the battery with it. Both have been replaced but this issue remains. We’ve even tried unplugging any and all accessories to eliminate parasitic draw from them, no luck

Thanks guys we appreciate it