Car won't start...help!

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We have a very old but normally super reliable 1998 polo 1.4 cl which suddenly will not start. I think it is due a flat battery but not sure, if I explain the symptoms can someone help diagnose my poor car?

Not driven much recently as planning to sell it (second car). DH was washing it so had the radio on and doors open for about an hour. We then tried to put it in the garage but when we turned the key it made a strange whirring sound, then nothing. Except the hazards kept flashing every now and then and the central locking doesn't work.

Does this sound like flat battery or immobiliser problem?

So typical that is has broken just as we wanted to sell it!

TIA

Battery! We have a new car but my husband still won't use the radio if the engine is off!!

Can you get a jump start, then it'll get you to the garage.

I had this last week. My car had sat in the carpark for a week and wouldn't start. Got some jump leads and started it that way, has been fine since.
Goodluck

Flat battery - cold weather and being left for a while does them no favours, and then having the radio and internal lights on without the engine running will compound the problem.

You can buy a battery charger from Halfords for under £30, but it might be just easier/cheaper to buy a replacement battery - you can then put that in the advert as a plus point. A Polo battery is £35 to £70 online www.carbatteries-online.co.uk/carbattery063.html; expect to get fleeced by a dealer (especially a VW dealer).

You don't need the expense of a new battery. If you jump/bump start the car and drive it for a few miles the battery will recharge and you'll be fine.

PhyllisDoris

That depends on the condition of the battery - if the electrolyte has turned to water then chances are it's unrecoverable, no matter how much driving/charging you do.

And I wouldn't say £35 is a great expense in the grand scheme of running a car.

Thanks for the replies! Think we will try charging or jump starting and if that doesn't work I guess we'll have to try buying a new battery.

Charging will be the best bet in that case. It's best to remove the battery to charge it, but not essential. Let it charge for at least 12 hours, preferably 16, and don't necessarily trust the charger's "battery ready" light.

Once back in the car, try it, drive it (if it starts) and then leave it overnight and test the follow morning; if it's dead it could hold enough charge to start once, but then release it all within a few cold hours and then won't start the next day.