Help! Car not used for a few months and now not starting...

[Mocked]

Hi

We got a company car recently so my dh's old car has been parked in the drive and not been used. I knew I should start it and take it out for a drive but life kept getting in the way! I just went out and it won't start. All the dials flicker and it won't even turn over. (It is a Ford Focus if that matters at all).

Please can anyone tell me what I can do? What is it likely to be? Argh, SO angry with myself at the moment!

It's probably just the battery - do you have jump leads?

Flat battery I would have thought. HAve you got a charger? Or it might need a new one. Do you belong to AA etc - they'll come out and check it for you. Might even be able to get it going so that you can take it for a long drive and give it a boost.

do you have breakdown cover? Could be the battery if it hasnt been used for a while (has happened to mine before and the breakdown guy came and charged it back up for me)

Are you friendly with the neighbours? It simply needs a jump start. If not, wait til DH gets home and use his car. Jump leads are about a tenner

Phew, thanks all! We have jump leads SOMEWHERE but I can do a long drive tomorrow so, rather than get the AA might just wait till DH comes home (and face the music about not taking it out...).

Or maybe I should call the AA out while he's at work? Hmmmm, not sure who I would be most embarrassed to admit it to!

Thanks all for your speedy replies. I KNOW I should have taken it out! but time just flies. Feel so guilty so very glad it might just be battery.

Ahem. to you all.

You can buy a battery charger very cheaply at Halfords or even Tesco. No need to get an expensive one. Even a 4amp charger will fill a battery overnight and the battery should stay charged for a month. You will probably need an extension lead to plug it in. Lower the bonnet gently to keep rain out, and off the plug and socket. It costs less than driving the car for an hour and does not take up your time.

Read the instructions carefully. The absolutely vital thing is to connect the red wire to the + terminal on the battery. To avoid a mistake you can paint a + on it with red nailvarnish. Don't try to start the engine with the charger connected.

I'd just get the AA out if you have a membership anyway. It won't take long to give it a bit of charge and then give it a bit of a run. I do find that they always recommend a new battery though.

It might also be the petrol, as that can go off over time, and won't produce the spark required to get the engine going. The AA or whoever would need to pump it out and give you a can full to get you to a garage if that was the cause.

Buy a new battery?

So so easy to install on most cars.

You say you have jump leads somewhere.

The only place to keep them where they will be any use is in the car.

If the spare wheel is in the boot under a board, that's a good place to put them. If you have a big car with very thick leads, they will often fit in the hollow of the wheel, or round is, in a coil. There is probably enough room for a red triangle and yellow jackets and a torch.

PeterParkerSays

It might also be the petrol, as that can go off over time, and won't produce the spark required to get the engine going.

The petrol has nothing to do with producing a spark, and has absolutely no effect on a battery's ability to turn the starter motor before the engine has even started.

Quite right

Standing for a few months + All the dials flicker and it won't even turn over is 100% indicative of a flat battery that needs charging.

If it is likely to be left standing again, a monthly trickle charge will do it much more good than running the engine for short periods.

Thanks all. It was a flat battery. Phew. Piglet, the jump leads were in my dh's car so all well and good, thanks.