Today's challenge

I would have called the AA at 9.18 am. Whenever DH says the battery is flat and he is going to charge it I've usually called the AA before he has plugged the charger in because they have a much more powerful set of whatever it is they use . This is an annual event chez nous.

That Bags here's how to do it, tell the silly man to think what he is doing next time. Go indoors, put the heating on, treat yourself self to hot cup of whatever you fancy and plenty of cake put your feet up. Then let the silly beggar who caused the problem in the first place sort it out.

On the subject of men and car keys, Mr P once went off carefully locking the front door behind him, with BOTH sets of keys in his pocket, meaning that I was locked in the house!

I like your thinking bags

Red is positive + and black is negative -. If you get them the wrong way around it can blow the alternator so I think you're right, it's much better to leave it for BB when he gets home tonight!

That'l be a new battery tomorrow then

Norty Bags!

I could ring the AA. That's what we had to do last time because we only had one car then and no charger. But I think BB needs to do this job out in the cold and dark this evening. It might even rain.

Got the bonnet open. You have to use the key in a keyhole that is hidden behind the Ford badge at the front, and you have to turn the key left and then right to unclick the lock. Manual suggests that you then remove the key and put it somewhere safe. Funny that. It's BB's not removing of keys from ignitions that causes this problem.

Then it was a case of finding the battery. Everything under the bonnet has a cover nowadays, not like my old Fiesta where it was obvious what was what and which was which.

I think I ascertained which was the battery, mainly because this was the only lid I could take off and because of its size and how it was strapped in so it didn't jiggle about.

Next up in the battery charger instructions: connect the red clip to the red battery terminal. Er.... what red battery terminal? I see no red anything.

The car instruction manual only tells you how to charge up from another car. Fat lot of use, etc.

Close bonnet. Go and do some gardening. It's a chilly day. I was warm while I was wielding the hedgecutter but, even wearing five layers of clothing I soon cooled down once I came indoors so I've lit the stove.

BB can do it when he comes home. I will watch so as to be prepared for next time

Additionally, the colder it is (and I do believe winter is nigh) the less voltage a battery will provide, so a knackered battery will fail on those cold mornings, just when you don't want to be fiddling around with chargers.

Most batteries are guaranteed for 2-3 years, oddly they often fail just after that period, milage has little to do with them failing. In fact an unused battery will fail faster, unless it is regularly charged.

The charging equipment I have depends on being attached to another car with a working battery. As I don't have a spare car, I summoned the AA who deemed the battery defunct - it had done 96,000 miles with the car from new - and installed a new one. I hope your charger is more sophisticated, bags.

The wink was for pompa. Not Kitty.

On a similar theme, bags,in the days before I insisted that we always have two keys for every car, DH seemed to take my car keys as well as his own to work at least once a week. Eventually, I sent a taxi to collect them and made him pay for the flipping taxi. That stopped him!!!!

Could you call a repair company and send him the bill?

What do you think we keep you lot for?!

pomps - just tell her how to open the sodding bonnet!

Sounds like a new battery is top of the list, if it drains that quickly it is probably knackered.

When I bought a new vacuum cleaner I emailed my brother to say I was having problems putting it together (he lives in Australia so couldn't pop round to do it for me). His very helpful reply "Do not in any circumstances look at the instructions"

When I had car battery trouble, I kept on having to charge it up after a day or so not using it. This puzzled me because it was quite a new battery.
I took it to the garage and was told when it was flat it needed at least 12 hours to fully charge it. Otherwise the charge didn't last, despite driving around. Charged it for about 20 hrs and didn't have the problem again!

I should have paid more attention in Physics lessons! X

No worries, charley

gaga

Sorry, stupid me did not realise that you could not start the car at all.

We got a new vacuum cleaner yesterday after the 15 year old one gave up the ghost. DH stood there with the instruction book in his hand and said "Where does that bit go"

Me "I don't know - look at the picture. You've got the book"

DH "I haven't got my glasses on"

GRRRR!

kept

nfk, yeah... well. Sniff. When DD1 was wee her dad once called her an incompetent baffoon (in a nice way). She said: "I not a compit in a boon! I a compit in a shroudies!" very assertively. Shroudies were trousers.

We ket the word compit and still use it.

BB is a Compit. He's done this before. This is why we have a charger.

I'd do that if I could start the car at all, charley.