Flat battery

[John_j]

Yep, only bad if it goes below 12

No.

[Paul]

The hardware store that I expected to still carry the transformer type, they're all smart chargers now.

That store is normally "technology averse". I think I even tried them before buying the smart charger I got, and they didn't have anything. But their web site is also a bit of a chore to use, and you have to use just the right search terms to see product. If you try searching for "hoses" there, you can miss categories of hose.

This one appears to be a transformer one, as it weighs 40lb, but it's not cheap.

I did find some items which not only had the traditional "vented metal cover", but the manufacturer removed all the modern indicators - to make it look like the transformer type, but it turned out to be a smart charger inside.

I understand why this is, with the cost of copper, the temptation to wind things with aluminum wire etc. The last microwave oven I got, was the inverter type, no longer with the largish transformer inside, and I can see the attraction from a quantity-of-copper perspective.

The last time I priced copper, a 1 foot long section of 3" diameter copper pipe was $30.00. So the stuff is like gold. There's a good incentive to stop making transformers the traditional way.

Paul

[Dave Plowman (News)]

Voltage readings mean very little - especially just after charging. 12.5v is just fine after sitting a while.

[Bert Coules]

Many thanks for all the latest replies and advice.

I'll not need to use the car again for at least four or five days but I'll check the battery daily and keep an eye on the situation. From what I've seen, other cars in the vicinity are also only being used once a week or so and nobody else appears to have had similar troubles.

[Dave Plowman (News)]

Most cars are OK being left for 3 weeks unused. Like at an airport car park when going on holiday. Many will do a lot longer. This assuming the battery is good.

[T i m]

I believe I do but then I'm also the one that's going to fix it if it goes wrong (I think that bit makes a difference).

eg, If you just put your car in for servicing you would leave all that sort of thing up to someone else.

I feel I glance at 'everything' when checking anything, even clearing leaves out the air vents and gullies.

Same with looking at the tyres (for obvious under-inflation / sidewall damage, wheel trims etc), mirrors or bodywork for damage etc.

Battery terminals, fluid leaks in the engine bay, on the ground ... coolant, washer, brake fluid levels, lights when leaving it parked at night, brake lights / headlights off reflective surfaces, number plates, bee sting antenna, listening for new clunks or rattles when on the move etc.

Cheers, T i m

[Bert Coules]

A big difference. Beyond this present business with the battery (and only that with help from everybody here) I have no idea at all about the mechanics or electronics of a car and as a consequence tend to take it for granted and simply assume that everything will always work the way it's meant to.

[Jim GM4DHJ ...]

big mistake ...

[T i m]

Quite.

And why should you?

Indeed, as more and more people are doing these days, as motor vehicles get more complicated, requiring all sorts of kit to be able to work on them fully.

However, that said, there are still some things we can (and should) keep an eye on (oil / coolant / washer levels, tyre condition and pressure, clean windscreen, functional lights etc) and maybe even do things like an oil and filters (air / pollen) change (if we want to keep the servicing costs down and if allowed by any warranty / lease etc). [1]

When I was at college (15) I had to give a presentation and chose 'The four stroke internal combustion cycle'. My English teacher stopped me and wanted me to clarify that there was fire going on under the bonnet of her car. ;-)

When I was presenting PC hardware courses (A+, Netware), some would apologise for not being experienced in such matters. I suggested they wouldn't be on the course if they did and if they felt the need to apologise about that, why not that they couldn't speak another language or weren't a good cook or carpenter. ;-)

Just because some of us are into lots of things (especially here), doesn't mean that's normal for the vast majority.

For some of the older generation it was 'needs must', 'make do and mend', often mentored by other family members. For the younger generation there isn't that same need or the same opportunity to exercise much of it, no shed full of Dads tools or place to do it (garages now full of stuff or converted to rooms).

How many of us here have changed a gearbox in the road for example (when doing so would have been considered acceptable). ;-)

Cheers, T i m

[1] And to make sure they are actually done! ;-(

[T i m]

I remember them. I might still have one (A Sharp) in my Messerschmitt. ;-)

Yup. ;-)

Cheers, T i m

[Jim GM4DHJ ...]

didn't bother vacuum wipers as well ...tee hee

[Jim GM4DHJ ...]

some BMW cars don't even have an engine dip stick ...never mind auto boxes

[Bert Coules]

Well, quite. Though I take your point about basic awareness, I can no more repair my car if it develops a fault than I could my telephone, my TV, my DVD player, and a number of similar items, and though it might be useful (and money-saving) if I could - and though I accept that this is a DIY group - this situation doesn't particularly worry me: I'd much rather have such matters attended to by a professional.

[Jim GM4DHJ ...]

I would rather an enthusiastic amateur worked on mine...me

[Jim GM4DHJ ...]

but then again I'm cheap

[T i m]

;-)

I have generally done all my own 'wrenching' from a kid and across all sorts of vehicles and machines (from RC model engines in model boats, cars and planes to the Ford V6 in my LWB Bedford CF Camper). ;-)

Ex BT here. ;-)

Several.

Not much you can do with them unless a lens clean or it be a general PSU / electronics / fuse failure.

In my world, nearly everything is 'similar items', eg, it's a practical issue.

Often it can be, but it can also be very convenient and rewarding. It can also be very time consuming and frustrating of course but that's often the bit where you are learning new things or new limits. ;-)

As we said, why should it.

And ironically (for many here in this d-i-y group), we would rather

*not* leave things to those you refer to a professional because we wouldn't except that level of work. Now that's not being disrespectful of the skills of such people, just that they are often trying to balance the cost of the labour to the value of the job and picking something that you would go for, if you were able to do it yourself or get someone cheaper in. [1]

A mate runs (ran?) his own car repair garage, was happy to leave other work to the professionals and wanted to pay someone else to tile his bathroom. Not one of the 3 people he was recommended was willing to attend to the details he requested (like not cutting a tile across when making an 'L' around a window corner), no price was ever discussed and so reluctantly, he did it himself.

Reason? Probably they couldn't be bothered with something that wasn't straightforward, whatever the value / rate ... in and out and onto the next easy earner.

Cheers, T i m

[1] I've had instances where I've suggested tradesmen 'don't rush', 'I'm happy to pay a bit more if it takes you longer' but still ended up with something worse than I could have done myself. ;-(

[Dave Plowman (News)]

The sort that stop working when you need them most - like when you put your foot down to overtake a lorry, with spray everywhere?

Brilliant bit of design.

[Dave Plowman (News)]

Do you have a dipstick for the petrol tank?

If not why not?

[Dave Plowman (News)]

In the good ol' days, you'd have been ostracised on this group for saying that. ;-)

[Jim GM4DHJ ...]

I know had them on my thames van..great fun