Need some advice re my car - would be grateful for any help!

[sunnysunsun123]

Evening all

Yesterday I got into my car, tried to start it and it wouldn’t start. It’s keyless ignition. I changed the battery in the key and still nothing. Infact I couldn’t even open my car when I put a new battery in the key - I had to put the old battery back in. I am thinking it may be the car’s battery that has gone flat.

I don’t have breakdown cover with my insurance policy.

What would be my best option?

1. buy emergency breakdown cover
2. arrange for someone to come look at it

I am clueless when it comes to fixing cars!

If you get breakdown cover you’ll probably have to wait 24/48 hrs before you can use it without extra charges
don’t tell them you have broken down when you buy the cover
get relay cover as well as home start it will save you money if you break down away from home

That happened with my husbands Renault Scenic which is keyless. Tried all sorts to get in to the car eventually opening the door manually by removing cover on key fob. We changed fob battery and tried all sorts of fixes suggested by handbook but nothing worked so eventually we called out RAC who said it was the car battery and jump started it. Strangely though he said the battery was actually healthy and charging and we put it down to bike rack which was on it at the time and thought the electrics were draining it.

You need breakdown cover in case this happens again,

The majority don’t need programming. OP’s isn’t likely to at that age. (My 66 plate Skoda doesn’t, although they like to pretend it does.)

Cars with stop start options sometimes need the battery to be programmed to enable that.

Can't you phone the garage who usually service the car to see if they can offer advice or come out to check it over?

Strange for it to need a new battery without warning, as it's usually part of the annual service for the garage to check the battery with an electric meter. Our cars have typically had the battery failing flagged up around 8/9/10 years in the service which for us seems to be the average lifetime of a battery.

Do the interior lights come on with the door open? Do the hazard lights work? If neither work then the car battery is definitely flat.

I’ve never had the battery tested as part of the service.

common for batteries to deteriorate faster if only short journeys as there isn’t the opportunity for them to recharge. Any tracker/immobiliser/dashcam will drain power whilst parked. One of my cars’ batteries will need recharging if it stands for a week.

You obviously drive an older car.

I have one on a 55 plate, one on a 66 plate and one on a 73 plate.

The 66 plate flags as needing reprogramming on websites when you buy a new battery but it didn’t. That was in the last 6 months.

The 55 has had about 6 new batteries due to being a high powered sports car with a Nissan micra battery. No bells and whistles on that so just drop the new battery in.

The 73 obviously hasn’t had a new battery yet, but I anticipate it being a total PITA just due to the way cars are manufactured these days.

Wow, there's some confusing stuff going on here! OP has only said "car wouldn't start", not sure if that means the engine wasn't turning over at all, or turning over as normal but not firing. Everyone is saying get a new car battery or try a jump start but the battery's not going to go from fine yesterday to dead today. Agree with those pointing the finger at the remote, especially as the OP tried a new battery and it didn't work at all (so what was the old one doing?). Upsidedown battery definitely possible! (been there, stupidly done that)

AIUI Its not the battery that needs reprogramming but one or more ECUs need telling that the battery has been changed.