tskeeter
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Post by tskeeter on Oct 29, 2014 16:03:26 GMT -5
Again, why are people towing cars with a dead battery? That makes no sense to me. Because you don't necessarily know why the vehicle won't start. And tow trucks aren't usually equipped to load test a battery to diagnose if the no start is caused by a dead battery, or another type of malfunction. And because certain types of malfunctions (a bad transmission position sensor on my Jeep) act very much like a bad battery.
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NoNamePerson
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Post by NoNamePerson on Oct 29, 2014 19:37:49 GMT -5
You pay for AAA... how very un-YM? You should know that 5 year old Hondas that you buy for $2k never break down before 250k miles, so why are you paying for roadside assistance? I know that $45 per year compounded at 11% would have netted me mega bucks toward my early retirement. But then again I would still be broken down on the interstate waiting for someone to help me and hope that help isn't in the form of Jack the Ripper. Guess my biggest mistake wasn't buying the $2,000 5 yr old Honda ETA: I've never had a car towed for a dead battery. That's why I call AAA - they send out a guy - not a tow truck. He jumps it off.
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NoNamePerson
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Post by NoNamePerson on Oct 29, 2014 19:42:00 GMT -5
This ignores the long term cost of replacing batteries more often instead of getting the full life from them. My wife's car is 10 years old. We just put a new battery in it a few months ago. My car was 9 years old when we got rid of it, still had the original battery which still worked just fine. If you're buying a new battery every five years you're only getting half the usable life out of it, or put another way, you're purchasing twice as many car batteries as you actually need over the course of your driving life. I agree with this. I just let the dang thing die then replace it.
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NoNamePerson
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Post by NoNamePerson on Oct 29, 2014 19:50:56 GMT -5
I'm surprised by this. I've only had to call for a tow truck maybe three times and all three times they had battery tester (is that what you call it) on their trucks. That's the first thing they did was try to charge the battery - failed - then got towed. Lordy me, I can't believe I am posting on a car thread - I don't know diddly about a car except when it doesn't start something is wrong
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gacpa
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Post by gacpa on Oct 29, 2014 20:10:30 GMT -5
I guess I worry too much about what "could happen". Why takes chances when she has the money to take care of things that need to be done?
Obviously, my thoughts are in the minority. I am too much of a control freak.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Oct 29, 2014 20:29:03 GMT -5
You could take the battery to an auto parts store or a battery shop and have it tested. I don't see anything wrong with buying your mom a new one. For an older lady out on the road by herself, it might be worth $70 to avoid having her stranded somewhere. Sure a strappin young man might be alright, but not an older lady. except you have to wait around until someone is available to take you, remove the battery yourself, install the new battery yourself, and if the battery isn't the problem you still have to get towed to a shop. much easier to call AAA and let them figure it out.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Oct 29, 2014 20:34:39 GMT -5
I can't believe the angst over a battery. If it dies, get it jump started. Drive to Walmart have them put a new one in if you don't want to get your hands dirty and be done with it.
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cronewitch
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Post by cronewitch on Oct 30, 2014 1:57:27 GMT -5
I have a jump starter I keep in my truck so I can jump start it myself if needed. Most times they die at home or at work not on the freeway. Last time my car didn't start it was in the garage, so I drove my truck, called my ISO and told him my car was broken. I would change a battery that was acting up but not based on age.
I am sometimes cheap, a lot of times cheap. I was trying to live on half my pay to save for retirement. My carpet has been bad for years maybe 10 years, a cat or two made it smell. I waited for the cats to die but then didn't want to spend the money. I tore out the carpet leaving bad hardwood floors. Now I think they smell ok but no carpet. This year I hired a handyman who is doing things for me but leaves saw dust everywhere and dust so I don't want new carpet. He wants to refinish the hardwood, I am afraid it is too far gone to fix but he wants to. I think I will let him sand them and chop out any bad wood replacing it with some pieces from closets. If he does a bad job it is a total waste of money and I will just cover in carpets. I am getting all new doors one left to put in and they are too long for carpet so if I get carpet he needs to cut the doors off at the bottom. I don't want to do this I rather live with the ugly floors but my handyman needs the work and I should do it. So I will put this off, have him paint all 4 rooms that got new doors and a hallway then let him sand the floors. I am tired of shopping for paint and doors and things and want to ignore my house. I only got a new furnace because the gas company man put a red tag on it and told me to call a furnace company, they gave me free CO2 detectors.
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gacpa
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Post by gacpa on Oct 30, 2014 10:19:54 GMT -5
You are doing good, Cronewitch. Sounds like all the work is needed and you will enjoy it when it is finished.
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gacpa
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Post by gacpa on Oct 30, 2014 11:45:56 GMT -5
Yep, just me, I don't like to let stuff go too long. I don't want to deal with the aftermath.
I guess it is personal preference really, but I have done without AC because it is broken. I have had the battery die on me in the car. Thank goodness the car was in the garage, and not while I or my hubby was out traveling alone somewhere.
I guess my point is I don't want my mom to take the truck out somewhere and have problems with it that turn into more and bigger problems. She does have a cell phone that my sister has provided for her, so she could call somebody if there was trouble.
House maintenance is the same issue, letting a small issue become a big issue over a small amount of money. I will have to strike a balance in my attitude somewhere.
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zibazinski
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Post by zibazinski on Oct 30, 2014 16:06:13 GMT -5
AAA now comes out with batteries to sell you when they come to give you a "jump" for a dead battery.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Oct 30, 2014 17:00:19 GMT -5
AAA now comes out with batteries to sell you when they come to give you a "jump" for a dead battery. they always have, it's nothing new.....and I for one was very happy they did as my battery was so dead that it couldn't be jumped.
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zibazinski
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Post by zibazinski on Oct 30, 2014 17:03:20 GMT -5
They haven't always. Or at least it was a very new experience for me. But I knew what I had done so it was no biggie. Didn't need a new battery.
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NoNamePerson
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Post by NoNamePerson on Oct 31, 2014 8:03:10 GMT -5
They haven't always. Or at least it was a very new experience for me. But I knew what I had done so it was no biggie. Didn't need a new battery. I know they have for years here, but when talking with AAA person I would tell them I think it is dead battery and they send out "battery van" But this last time I said probably need a tow and they sent tow truck but he did drag out battery charger to check battery first then towed me. I think it may depend on what you tell AAA. Maybe it's a regional thing!! cronewitch said: It wouldn't be cost effective for me to keep an extra vehicle, insurance, etc just to have another vehicle to drive if one has a dead battery.
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