# Car mystery: six week old car battery completely dead **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 14, 2015, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/car-mystery-six-week-old-car-battery-completely-dead/712654 "2015-02-14T18:30:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![GreasyJack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/df705f/32.png) [@GreasyJack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreasyJack)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2015, 7:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/car-mystery-six-week-old-car-battery-completely-dead/712654/21 "2015-02-16T07:18:33Z")
> [@Rick](#): > > Now I realize checking the position of the headlight switch is a highly technical diagnosis the kind that is usually left to highly trained professionals. I know this is complex but try to follow along. If the parking lights came on when power is restored to the vehicle you need to find out why. Now to find this out you could start at the headlights and follow the harness back to the source of the fault or you might take a leap of faith that the professionals know what they are talking about and check the position of the headlight switch first. Oh, sure, that’s exactly the sort of thing you elitist professional mechanics always say. The equally-valid shadetree approach states that since you’re saving so much money on labor, there’s no need to verify if the part is actually bad before replacing it. Since we don’t have your fancy dealer-only headlight position checking tool, we’ll just change the battery, alternator, relays, bulbs, maybe some of the wiring, and then the switch itself and it should be good as new! ---
**Author:** ![Rick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9f8e36/32.png) [@Rick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2015, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/car-mystery-six-week-old-car-battery-completely-dead/712654/22 "2015-02-16T17:09:07Z")
I do highly recommend the factory headlight switch position detection tool #999-OU812 However for the shade tree guy you can just beat on the switch with a BFH\* until the switch breaks. Then when replacing the switch, you can note the position before installation. \*BFH= Big Fucking Hanmer ---
**Author:** ![flano1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f14d63/32.png) [@flano1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flano1)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2015, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/car-mystery-six-week-old-car-battery-completely-dead/712654/23 "2015-02-19T01:48:20Z")
had this problem. turned out the seat goes up seat goes down thingy motor was constantly running. new motor and $200 fixed the irritation. ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2015, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/car-mystery-six-week-old-car-battery-completely-dead/712654/24 "2015-02-19T01:56:43Z")
motion sickness cause you to fix it? ---
**Author:** ![dauerbach](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c2a13f/32.png) [@dauerbach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dauerbach)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2015, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/car-mystery-six-week-old-car-battery-completely-dead/712654/25 "2015-02-20T19:31:41Z")
I had a car that would happen to intermittently. I never could track it down, but ended up disconnecting the battery cable everynight. It was a pain, but I got used to it. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2015, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/car-mystery-six-week-old-car-battery-completely-dead/712654/26 "2015-02-20T21:15:59Z")
> [@Gary\_T](#): > > If you’re referring to **Rick’s** response to **RivkahChaya’s** post, it’s not a matter of different approach, it’s a matter of actually being factually wrong. I thought he was referring to **Isilder** ’s post: > [@](#): > > But anyway it takes an autoelectrician to sort it out … Something has to be fixed and its not for you to make wild guesses with ! Anyway, I’m not sure about this one: > [@](#): > > Car won’t start because it was unlocked with key rather than remote? Horsecrap. Most recent Hyundai models come with immobilizers. The alarm should have sounded if the immobilizer was active, though. ---
**Author:** ![Rick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9f8e36/32.png) [@Rick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2015, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/car-mystery-six-week-old-car-battery-completely-dead/712654/27 "2015-02-21T17:09:10Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > I thought he was referring to **Isilder** ’s post: > > Anyway, I’m not sure about this one: The OP doesn’t own a voltmeter and has few technical skills. I’d say that telling the OP to take it to someone that knows what they are doing is pretty close to right on. > [@](#): > > Most recent Hyundai models come with immobilizers. The alarm should have sounded if the immobilizer was active, though. Lots of cars come with immobilizers. What’s your point? The description in the OP in no mirrors what happens in a car with immo issues. This is not am immo issue. Period. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/car-mystery-six-week-old-car-battery-completely-dead/712654.md?page=1)