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My car is not starting... this time nothing (i.e. lights etc) were left on... my brother charged it with his V8 Durango for about 25 minutes, no luck. The windows and other electrical components work, but the car just makes a ticking sound when it is cranked.
The battery the car came with was an Interstate battery. This might be the root of the problem.
Does anyone feel it might be something more? How much does a new battery cost when puchased from the dealership? Thanks,
you dont need to buy a battery from the dealer... just got get a performance one if your going to buy one anyways... and yeah my guess is the battery is totally drained...
Take it to Autozone/Oreillys/etc. and have it load tested. Most do this service for free. If/when you take your battery out, check all the terminals at the end of the wires for corrosion, loose wires, etc.
One thing, turn the headlights on and try to crank watching the headlights. If they REALLY go dead with the click, you may have a bad starter. I wouldnt think so on a 7 year old car, but weirder things have happened...
__________________
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I am going to my local sears after work and will buy a Diehard battery (no local Douglas suppliers near me). The battery will cost me $115.
Hope this solves the problem....
My OE Battery died last October after 7 years of faithful service, and I dutifully replaced it with the Sears "International" battery. They charged me extra for installation ($30) because of the trunk-mounted configuration of the E39. Altho it was priced nominally at $109.99, it ended up costing me $145.48 out the door with installation & tax and everything (I have the receipt right in front of me).
Actually, I read on Roadfly that the Sears battery blows as does the Dealer-sourced battery (apparently not the same maker as what the cars originally came with). If I had to do it over, I'd go with Interstate. They make the best batteries overall, IMHO, and got high ratings on Roadfly and (I think) in Consumer Reports. Besides, how much more than $148 could it possibly cost?
__________________ <span style='colorurple'>Eric S.</span>
2006 Honda Odyssey EXL-RES
2006 Honda Accord V6 EX-L Sedan
1999 BMW 540i 6-Speed (Sold to M3UOND on 9/21/06)
1991 Honda Civic Si - Occasional Beater
Go with douglas if you can (as recomended by bmwtips.com). My mechanic friend told me the same. I just didnt have time so I went with a diehard.
Next time, dont pay for installation. Its pretty easy, all you do is take of 2 screws, disconnect the terminals, and lift out the old battery and pop in the new battery and reconnect everything (remember to reconnect the vent hose also)... takes 15 minutes, max
Go with douglas if you can (as recomended by bmwtips.com). My mechanic friend told me the same. I just didnt have time so I went with a diehard.
Next time, dont pay for installation. Its pretty easy, all you do is take of 2 screws, disconnect the terminals, and lift out the old battery and pop in the new battery and reconnect everything (remember to reconnect the vent hose also)... takes 15 minutes, max
I hear ya on the installation - I had no choice as my battery's death occurred on my way to work (I had to use the charger to jump it in order to get out of the driveway and bought the battery on my way to work).
__________________ <span style='colorurple'>Eric S.</span>
2006 Honda Odyssey EXL-RES
2006 Honda Accord V6 EX-L Sedan
1999 BMW 540i 6-Speed (Sold to M3UOND on 9/21/06)
1991 Honda Civic Si - Occasional Beater
The event that started this post was my wife taking the 540, along with my brother taking his durango to pick up my sister, her husband, and her kids.
My brother-in-law, who had just gotten off a plane from Pakistan, finds my car isnt starting and had to wait with my brother (who has never driven manual transmission before) for a tow truck. (my wife drove the 540 to the airport, but went back home in the Durango). When the tow truck came, he first tried to jump it, and started w/out a problem.
My brother turns to my bro-inlaw and goes... what do we do now? I can't drive stick! lol my bro-inlaw is like... well I havnt driven stick, actually I havnt driven at all for about 1-2 years (he has a driver the Pakistan) but he gave it a shot.
Now he wants a BMW. My 540 might have given a bad first impression by not starting, but I sure couldnt tell, esp with him raving about how great the car drove and shifted
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Car not starting! :( 
urple'>Eric S.</span>
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