Without that initial jolt, your car might as well be a multi-ton paperweight.
No Door Chime, No Headlights, No Battery?
In some cases, the lights may still turn on, although they may seemdimmer than normal.
Lifewire/Maddy Price
If you notice that some things work and others dont, then the battery probably isnt at fault.
Does the Engine Fail to Crank or Turn Over?
When your car battery dies, the most obvious symptom is that the engine wont start.
However, there are many, many different ways that an engine can fail to start.
To help narrow things down, youll want to listen carefully when you turn the key.
To verify that the battery is the problem, you or your mechanic will want to check the voltage.
Does the Starter Motor Sound Labored or Slow?
So continuing to crank the engine may cause serious damage.
What If the Engine Cranks Normally but Doesnt Start or Run?
So an engine that cranks normally and just fails to start or run indicates a totally different problem.
How Can a Car Battery Be Dead in the Morning and Fine Later?
In most cases, replacing your battery with a new one will fix this issue.
What Really Happens, on a Chemical Level, When a Car Battery Dies?
In those cases, fixing the unrelated problem and fully charging your battery will be the end of it.
However, the reality of the situation is that every time a battery dies, it suffers irreversible damage.
This is a reversible process, which is why its possible to charge and discharge a lead-acid battery.
At the same time,hydrogen is also released.
While the process is reversible, the number of charges and discharge cycles is limited.
The number of times the battery can totally die is also limited.
Discharging below this point can permanently damage the battery.
This buildup cant be broken up by a regular battery charger or the current from the alternator.
Eventually, the only option is to replace the battery altogether.
