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TheMasterBaker01 OP t1_j1t0469 wrote

Reply to comment by Solid-Question-3952 in LPT: After every mechanic visit, drive your vehicle around for 10 to 15 minutes extra before going back home. by TheMasterBaker01

I'm speaking from the experience of having this happen twice now that I've either gotten my car back with a weak battery or dead altogether. Last time I was there they had to jump me. It's just a part of the job that they can leave doors open or stuff going while they're working. I'm not holding that against all mechanics or saying they're bad for doing it, just that if you go to the mechanic, give your vehicle some extra time on the road to be safe and sure as possible. Otherwise you end up like me having to jump my car on Christmas in >10 degree weather.

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Solid-Question-3952 t1_j1tw9nt wrote

You probably have a battery issue. Unless your car is 20 years old (and maybe it is) if they leave a door open, your car will automatically cut the power and all the lights will go off and stop using your battery. You can leave your car door open for 3 days and start it perfectly. Thats how cars have been designed for years. If you needed to be jumped when you left a mechanic and they didnt try to figure out why or suggest you need to replace a battery (or alternator) please dont go back there.

You dont know how to fix your car, so you bring it into people you must trust to do the job for you. And you are assuming these people who know more about cars than you, dont think about or realize what drains the battery and what that will cause? Im sorry you had it happen to you so many times but this isnt something that happens on a normal or even semi-normal basis for people.

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Crepuscular_Oreo t1_j1wktgd wrote

>Unless your car is 20 years old (and maybe it is) if they leave a door open, your car will automatically cut the power and all the lights will go off and stop using your battery.

I wasn't going to comment because I was a mechanic back when cars were not rolling computers and there weren't so many power-sucking components. I haven't kept up on the technology over the years.

I did the math once (back then) and calculated you would have to run your radio and dome light for something like a week to use the same amount of power you use to start your car once. I don't remember the exact numbers, but it was a long time.

Most cars can start the engine multiple times in rapid succession. Think about when you park at a store, shut off your engine, and find yourself too close to a pole to open your door so you start it up again and move a few inches and try to get out again. Then you get back in the car and start the engine to drive to the gas station next door, shut the car off and fill up, then start the engine again to drive somewhere else. If your car won't do that, you need a new battery.

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NecessaryPen7 t1_j1wayj4 wrote

That means your battery was shit or dead.

Virtually zero mechanical shop is going to have any effect on a newer battery.

Obvious life tip: find a good mechanic

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