Is this the end?

[Scruff]

In fact, as batteries are relatively cheap, I always have two car batteries, one always charged, ready and waiting. It takes less than a minute to swap and is especially useful when driving in winter and snow conditions away from home.

If your car has Auto-Start, then this won't work, since the batteries have to be "coded" to your car when you change them!

[BR14]

If your car has Auto-Start, then this won't work, since the batteries have to be "coded" to your car when you change them!

I doubt this is relevant to the OP.

[DealorNoDeal]

Got a new battery fitted at short notice from the lovely chaps at Kwik Fit (my car has a 'special' battery; none of that universal, find one anywhere types common folk have). It seemed plausible that it had died, the last battery change was over 5 years ago.

If the car is only used occasionally, and you don't recharge the battery regularly or hook it up to a trickle charger, you were lucky the battery lasted 5 years.

My wife used to have an MX-5 and, according to the dealer, that also needed a 'special' battery. However, our local independent garage was able to shoehorn a universal one in which worked perfectly fine for a fraction of the price.

Personally, I'd never use the likes of Kwik Fit. Don't trust them not to oversell stuff. I now only go to our local garage for servicing, MOT, tyres, batteries etc.

[DoctorStrangelove]

If your car has Auto-Start, then this won't work, since the batteries have to be "coded" to your car when you change them!

Stone me:

Does a car battery need coding? | MBClub UK - Bringing together Mercedes Enthusiasts

Is there no end to this insanity?

[ladymuck]

Appreciate some people don't like Kwik Fit but, on a Saturday afternoon, needing to get my car running, they were the only people who had one in stock ready to fit. My local garage closes at lunchtime and I couldn't get there until the RAC turned up to jump start me.

The RAC chap didn't have a battery of my type on his van - he had nine types but not one suitable for my car.

[Mordac]

Go back to Kwik Fit and ask them to test the alternator, they should have done this when you first went in. It only takes them a minute to put the tester on the battery and then start the car to see if the alternator is charging or not.

Kwikfit have a nasty habit of unnecessary upselling. They'll probably try and flog you a new battery, so take the receipt for the one you just bought.

[NickFitz]

My brother is going to recommend one of those home jump starter things which I suspect will come in handy until I can get it fixed. Limited time available to get it seen, but may abandon the car at my parents' place as I'm due down there in a couple of weeks and it'll give my Dad something to do in arranging for it to be fixed.

Some years back my Orion had a defunct battery but one of the bolts holding it in place had rusted solid. For several weeks, until I managed to get the bolt out, I used one of those jump start battery pack things. It’s no more than a minor hassle once you get used to it, particularly compared to the good old days of cranking the starting handle

I did find that when filling up at the petrol station, it alarms the people behind you when you open the bonnet and they think they’re trapped behind a broken-down car, so I made a point of using the pumps at the outer edges where they can get past.

[DealorNoDeal]

Kwikfit have a nasty habit of unnecessary upselling.

This. I now only trust my local garage where I've built up a relationship with the lead mechanic.

For example. The ABS pump on my Audi packed up. Main dealer wanted nearly two grand to replace it. My mechanic said a new Audi pump alone was £1,500, and to go and get a reconditioned one off eBay. Picked one up for £250, and the garage fitted it for £70 (2 hours labour).

[darmstadt]

I don't use my car too much at the moment, sometimes it'll sit in the garage for a couple or more weeks without being used and always starts up fine. Car is about 5 years now so there should be no problem with the battery and wouldn't like to replace it as it's a Li-ion battery and costs €890 not including fitting and coding...

Edit: just checked, gone up in price: Lithium-Ionen Starterbatterie 69AH (61218047221) - leebmann24.de

[northernladuk]

Appreciate some people don't like Kwik Fit but, on a Saturday afternoon, needing to get my car running, they were the only people who had one in stock ready to fit. My local garage closes at lunchtime and I couldn't get there until the RAC turned up to jump start me.

The RAC chap didn't have a battery of my type on his van - he had nine types but not one suitable for my car.

Yup. It's a beast of a battery for the 350Z's. Had to shop around a bit when I replaced mine. The RAC man will have all the diddy ones for the little girlie cars after they left their lights on and the like.