Car won’t start - street cleaning day

Submitted by kyleg5 t3_z6wm8f in baltimore

Battery is dead, unfortunately the second time this week so now I know the battery isn’t the issue. Is there anything I can do to report to the city so I don’t get ticketed? I left a note on my car but would like to do something more formal.

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Expendable_Red_Shirt t1_iy3giai wrote

I don’t think you’re allowed to keep inoperable vehicles in the street. Either jump it to drive it to a mechanic or get it towed.

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mickeyflinn t1_iy3pcw0 wrote

Either something is on that is draining the battery or your alternator is dead. Pretty much any tow truck can determine that when they give you a jump.

As far as notifying the city, there isn't anyway to avoid the ticket. You have to move the vehicle.

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Shiny_Deleter t1_iy3ll6f wrote

The ‘formal’ step to take is to fix it.

Advance might be able to diagnose. They can check the alternator and starter (for free I believe).

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beachie841 t1_iy3qkww wrote

Call AAA - you can sign up for a membership and they can send a truck out asap. Get it towed to a mechanic and get the issue diagnosed there. I had to have my suv towed last year when it wouldn’t charge - turned out to be an electrical issue, not the battery. I didn’t have the street sweeping deadline, just needed my car. I think it was 6 or 7 bucks to sign up and they towed to my preferred mechanic because it was close. Good luck.

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Tim_Y t1_iy47w3i wrote

Before you call AAA - check with your insurance carrier to see if they offer towing. They usually tow within a certain area for free, 50 - 100 miles - something like that. Get it towed to a shop and have your car fixed.

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Beneficial_Pear9705 t1_iy4cfpo wrote

Also cell plan. Back in the day some included roadside assistance, you’d be surprised how many people still have the benefit

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FlimFlamMagoo728 t1_iy5d9zg wrote

Also also credit card, I can technically get free roadside assistance as a Chase cardholder with one of my cards

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Spherest t1_iy3hd6m wrote

Get it towed to a mechanic

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[deleted] t1_iy3syol wrote

What makes you say the battery isn't the issue? Did you replace the battery? Once modern car batteries die once, they usually need replacement.

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kyleg5 OP t1_iy485gs wrote

Thanks for all the comments. Unfortunately the reason i was asking is because I knew I couldn’t get it towed in time—ticketing started at 8am. The good news is nobody showed up to ticket today, so I’m safe until next week which is more than enough time to resolve the issue.

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chloebenez t1_iy4bfxt wrote

It sure if your mechanically inclined or have a buddy that can help out.

Take out the battery , go to your local auto zone , advance , orielys that can charge the battery.

Once charged install it back but do not connect the terminals only until street cleaning comes connect it and park on the other side. then disconnect and repeat to prevent battery from getting drained

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freecain t1_iy3ream wrote

Call AAA - it's not cheap, but you can have their services come out even if you're not a member (you may have to join). My parents canceled their family AAA membership without telling me and I got a dead battery - I was still able to get the battery service to come out, albeit for an additional charge.

A bad battery with a few dead cells will still operate a vehicle, but won't hold a charge for very long, possibly resulting in it frequently dying. You should still be able to jump it - though I would get the battery tested ASAP. I jumped my last car a bunch of time, and it can damage electrical components over time.

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dumbledorediess t1_iy47h1l wrote

Can you push it across the street? (With some help)

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bellyflop2 t1_iy4s0h0 wrote

If you do get a ticket, go please the case in front of the judge. It’s super easy (zoom) and they are usually very lenient…especially if you can provide any kind of documentation.

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MosxDef t1_iy43kc2 wrote

Why you gotta do something more formal?

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FlimFlamMagoo728 t1_iy5dgzb wrote

Fwiw, they rarely seem to actually get out there and ticket cars so before you spend tons of money for an immediate fix, ask yourself if the odds of getting ticketed X the cost of the ticket make letting it sit there OK

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Shoddy-Ear-579 t1_iy7v3st wrote

This happened to me once when I was about to jump in my car and go to work one morning and discovered I had a very flat tire. In the 30 minutes I was waiting for AAA inside my apt, I got a ticket. You better believe I went to court and fought it- and won!

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Sufficient-Way-4795 t1_iy5fe3x wrote

one time i helped my roommate push her dead car across the street (side street) bc of street cleaning day. the street cleaners wait for no one.

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dailysoaphandle t1_iy4gfmi wrote

Get a simple battery kill switch. This will save you lots of headache.

Typically on newer cars, there is always some feature drawing power. Or if you have accessories like anything Bluetooth or app connected, that will also draw power. If you don’t start the car for a few days to a week, the battery will die.

If you don’t run the car for more that a few days at a time, get a kill switch. If you’re really handy, you can wire/mount it hidden in the cab so you don’t have to pop the hood everytime you start it.

It’s also a good anti theft deterrent as a crook is not going to take more than 3-5min to try and start your car.

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dailysoaphandle t1_iy4izag wrote

Get a simple battery kill switch. This will save you lots of headache.

Typically on newer cars, there is always some feature drawing power. Or if you have accessories, like anything Bluetooth or app connected, that will also draw power. If you don’t start the car for a few days to a week, the battery will die.

So, if you don’t run the car for more that a few days at a time, invest a kill switch. If you’re really handy, you can wire/mount it hidden in the cab so you don’t have to pop the hood everytime you start it.

It’s also a good anti theft deterrent as a crook is not going to take more than 3-5min to try and start your car.

Once batteries die, they might not be the same again. Sealed batteries will need to be replaced if they don’t hold a charge, unsealed batteries have a cap you can open to add battery acid if it’s low.

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