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The title pretty much says it all. New battery, car not driven for months. It needed to be jumped, but the battery did not stay charged. However, the car was driven only long enough to move it. Will actually driving it around help, or does it just need a new battery?
You probably need to charge it more. It takes a little while for the alternator to charge a dead battery. Jump it again and drive it around for a while. if you're still concerned take it to Auto
Zone and they will check it for free.
You probably need to charge it more. It takes a little while for the alternator to charge a dead battery. Jump it again and drive it around for a while. if you're still concerned take it to Auto
Zone and they will check it for free.
Which check will be worth about what you paid for it.
I bought a brand new battery a few years ago thinking I had a problem with the battery but it turned out to be a parasitic drain from the cars audio amplifier, which was fixed by swapping for a new one.
I put the brand new battery on a trickle charger to keep it topped up. It stayed on the trickle charger for nearly 2 years, until I had a neighbor who needed a jump. I took the 'new' battery out and tried to jump the car. It was virtually dead and would not even turn the car over. I tried to charge it on a full power battery charger and it would not take a charge. No idea what the issue was but I took the battery back to the store and got a new one as it was just inside the 2 year warranty. I have not used the new one either, but it was just the principle of the fact it died with no real use....
Just sitting, a battery will discharge about 7% each month, and if there is some small drain, like a radio memory, it dies even faster. As the battery voltage drops, the plates begin to become coated and it is harder to get the battery back to full potential. Battery shops can put a high charge on them to burn off that coating but most home chargers will not do it.
If you live in a hot climate, the heat doesn't help the battery life either.
Which check will be worth about what you paid for it.
Don in Austin
I took my Tahoe and they checked the battery ... they said all it needed was a charge or to drive it for a while
I followed their advice and they were right. The battery was good and once I ran it for a while the problem was solved. I don't know what you're poppin off about. That was 3 years ago and my truck still starts just fine on that same battery.
Just sitting, a battery will discharge about 7% each month, and if there is some small drain, like a radio memory, it dies even faster. As the battery voltage drops, the plates begin to become coated and it is harder to get the battery back to full potential. Battery shops can put a high charge on them to burn off that coating but most home chargers will not do it.
If you live in a hot climate, the heat doesn't help the battery life either.
^^^Agree with this info. And a lot depends on the type of battery you have too, sealed or water filled.
^^^Agree with this info. And a lot depends on the type of battery you have too, sealed or water filled.
Yes very informative, but if she's like me, she's like huh? I just want my car fixed. I don't care what makes it work... I just want it to work. Anything beyond my understanding gets shoved at my dad or brother.
Which check will be worth about what you paid for it.
Don in Austin
Quote:
Originally Posted by Sydney123
I took my Tahoe and they checked the battery ... they said all it needed was a charge or to drive it for a while
I followed their advice and they were right. The battery was good and once I ran it for a while the problem was solved. I don't know what you're poppin off about. That was 3 years ago and my truck still starts just fine on that same battery.
It was the typical "Everything about Autozone is bad" response. Autozone has the same hand-held battery/charging system tester that your mechanic does, it will test your battery just fine.
Every once in awhile you'll get some flunky who doesn't know how to run it (which is especially lame because there are maybe three steps and they're usually printed right on the unit), when that happens just thank him for his time and head to the next place.
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I don't care what makes it work... I just want it to work. Anything beyond my understanding gets shoved at my dad or brother.
