Help, car is dead as a dodo....
Discussion
So I've tried to unlock the car this afternoon and nothing.
Blipper is doing nothing and putting the key in the lock is not activating the central locking. I've tried using the spare as well, nothing. Hmmmm.
Is it as simple as a dead battery? I've not really had any signs it's on the way out though.
Car is a 2002 5 series.
Thoughts / suggestions?
Blipper is doing nothing and putting the key in the lock is not activating the central locking. I've tried using the spare as well, nothing. Hmmmm.
Is it as simple as a dead battery? I've not really had any signs it's on the way out though.
Car is a 2002 5 series.
Thoughts / suggestions?
Edited by Matt UK on Saturday 20th November 14:40
dead battery, dead alternator not charging the battery, lights left on.... etc. Could be something really trivial like a loose battery lead.
Get a multimeter on the battery, should be at least 12v. If not, get it out, get it on a charger, pop it back in and see if you've left any lights on or the stereo etc.
Get a multimeter on the battery, should be at least 12v. If not, get it out, get it on a charger, pop it back in and see if you've left any lights on or the stereo etc.
fido said:
hondafanatic said:
Genuine question: How does one open the boot or bonnet when the doors can't be opened? Apologies if I'm being a bit thick here...
It happened on my 968 and the AA stuck a power unit onto my alternator!Ta muchly.
Sounds like a flat battery. Be very careful how you open the car though - I had a flat battery in my key fob of a 3 series once and tried to open it via the door with the alarm still activated. The alarm locked itself out and it cost me £500 
Based on that experience, if it were me I'd ring a friendly dealer for advice. Obviously the way in though if you want to go ahead is to open the driver's door with the key and go from there (you don't need the central locking).
Based on that experience, if it were me I'd ring a friendly dealer for advice. Obviously the way in though if you want to go ahead is to open the driver's door with the key and go from there (you don't need the central locking).hondafanatic said:
fido said:
hondafanatic said:
Genuine question: How does one open the boot or bonnet when the doors can't be opened? Apologies if I'm being a bit thick here...
It happened on my 968 and the AA stuck a power unit onto my alternator!Ta muchly.
), would this not risk damaging an ECU or something else?I'm genuinely curious as it's not something I've thought about and now I'm sat here wondering.
In simple terms a cars battery will have a direct live connection from it to the alternator and the starter motor.
Connecting to these terminals with the +ve of another batt and then onto the chassis -ve is just the same as connecting to the original batt with jump leads, remember the batts are connected in parallel so remain 12v, only the current that can be provided increases.
Connecting to these terminals with the +ve of another batt and then onto the chassis -ve is just the same as connecting to the original batt with jump leads, remember the batts are connected in parallel so remain 12v, only the current that can be provided increases.
Thanks for the replies, much appreciated.
I don't have a multimeter so think I might just get Greenflag out, may as well get some use from the premiums.
I used the car all day Friday and no signs of problems.
Luckily the battery is in the boot. I can use the key to open the boot as it's mechanical. But putting the key in the drivers door yields nothing at all and the bonnet is opened from the inside, so a stroke of luck there.
My thinking is a dead battery, dodgy connections, or possibly the central locking fuse has gone. Either way I'll get the recovery people put for a look/see and take it from there.
Thanks,
Matt
I don't have a multimeter so think I might just get Greenflag out, may as well get some use from the premiums.
I used the car all day Friday and no signs of problems.
Luckily the battery is in the boot. I can use the key to open the boot as it's mechanical. But putting the key in the drivers door yields nothing at all and the bonnet is opened from the inside, so a stroke of luck there.
My thinking is a dead battery, dodgy connections, or possibly the central locking fuse has gone. Either way I'll get the recovery people put for a look/see and take it from there.
Thanks,
Matt
If it's an auto, next time you go out to the car, before you unlock it, look inside and see if the little lamp next to the Park indicator on the gear shifter is lit. It should go out about 30 minutes after you lock the car when the electronics "go to sleep". The hedgehog failure keeps the blower running at a tiny, tiny speed (inaudible speed) and the electronics stay awake, draining the battery.
Fortunately it's a £30 / 30 minute DIY fix.
Fortunately it's a £30 / 30 minute DIY fix.
the AA man or anyone else assisting with a flat battery should always give the new power supply a few minutes (5, maybe 10) to equalise readings throughout the car before adding "zap" to a resting ECU and other stuff
So he should connect up
chat about the weather
what he saw on telly the last time he had a Saturday eveing off
to waste time after putting power in*
Then and no sooner he should go through the "open with the blipper, or key" to set the system up to GO without a shut out
Then he (or you, 'cos you have guessed I'm telling you by now) should open the bonnet and put the jump leads on to the battery as per what your dad used to do
but remember red to positive - black to negative earth (engine casing is favourite) if you have positive earth you aren't VERY likely to have a computing ECU to worrit about
never connect the last croc clip to the battery, batteries breathe hydrogen-sparks LOVE hydrogen
Of course if you CAN get higher up inside the engine the alt power wire is another good place to feed a battery from...
HTH
edit to add disclaimer
BE VERY CAREFUL OUT THERE IT CAN BE BLOODY EXPENSIVE TO GET THIS WRONG AND YOU CAN PROLLY JOIN AA RAC OR GREENYFLAG FOR NOT TOO MUCH MONEY IF YOU ARE STUCK
So he should connect up
chat about the weather
what he saw on telly the last time he had a Saturday eveing off
to waste time after putting power in*
Then and no sooner he should go through the "open with the blipper, or key" to set the system up to GO without a shut out
Then he (or you, 'cos you have guessed I'm telling you by now) should open the bonnet and put the jump leads on to the battery as per what your dad used to do
but remember red to positive - black to negative earth (engine casing is favourite) if you have positive earth you aren't VERY likely to have a computing ECU to worrit about
never connect the last croc clip to the battery, batteries breathe hydrogen-sparks LOVE hydrogen
- my favourite place to power up was a reversing light plug
Of course if you CAN get higher up inside the engine the alt power wire is another good place to feed a battery from...
HTH
edit to add disclaimer
BE VERY CAREFUL OUT THERE IT CAN BE BLOODY EXPENSIVE TO GET THIS WRONG AND YOU CAN PROLLY JOIN AA RAC OR GREENYFLAG FOR NOT TOO MUCH MONEY IF YOU ARE STUCK
Edited by perdu on Saturday 20th November 23:04
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