# Any ideas what may be wrong? **URL:** \ **Category:** Maintenance/Repairs\ **Created:** [May 14, 2016, 10:15am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/any-ideas-what-may-be-wrong/93291 "2016-05-14T10:15:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![txguy80](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3ab097/32.png) [@txguy80](https://community.cartalk.com/u/txguy80)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2016, 10:15am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/any-ideas-what-may-be-wrong/93291/1 "2016-05-14T10:15:28Z")
I have an 06 Kia Optima. Last year, I went on vacation and left the car parked for a week and a half with the phone charger plugged in. I had always left it plugged in so didnt think it would cause a problem. Thats when it started. Every once in a while, I would go to start the car and get nothing. No noise. Nothing. It almost never takes more than three tries to get it started. I never know when it will happen but generally it happens first thing in the morning when the car has been sitting all night. About 80% of the time, it starts fine. I havent heard any unusual noises or seen any warning lights and the battery, alternator and starter were tested and are fine. For several months, it wasnt doing it and I made sure to unplug the car charger when I wasn’t using it. Then last November, I forgot to unplug it and it started happening again. I am skeptical to take it to a mechanic and end paying a ton of money and them still not be able to figure out whats wrong. Any suggestions? ---
**Author:** ![bing](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/bing/32/4619_2.png) [@bing](https://community.cartalk.com/u/bing)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2016, 11:34am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/any-ideas-what-may-be-wrong/93291/2 "2016-05-14T11:34:06Z")
My first guess would be that you have a battery going south. No longer able to hold a deep charge so when it sits with any kind of load on it, it goes flat. The time when it is starting ok is maybe after its been driven a little and the alternator has given it enough of a surface charge so there are no starting problems. If its a few years old I’d just replace it but you could have a test done to determine the actual cranking amps it has compared to what it should have. ---
**Author:** ![BillRussell](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/billrussell/32/3179_2.png) [@BillRussell](https://community.cartalk.com/u/BillRussell)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2016, 2:51pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/any-ideas-what-may-be-wrong/93291/3 "2016-05-14T14:51:58Z")
When it doesn’t start, what do you do? Do you wait and later it starts? Or do you get it jumped from another car? ---
**Author:** ![insightful](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/insightful/32/2732_2.png) [@insightful](https://community.cartalk.com/u/insightful)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2016, 10:42pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/any-ideas-what-may-be-wrong/93291/4 "2016-05-14T22:42:11Z")
Is the accessory plug “hot” with the ignition key out? ---
**Author:** ![George\_San\_Jose1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e5b9ba/32.png) [@George\_San\_Jose1](https://community.cartalk.com/u/George_San_Jose1)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2016, 6:51am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/any-ideas-what-may-be-wrong/93291/5 "2016-05-19T06:51:51Z")
First off, clean and tighten the battery terminals. Still happening? Ok, try an experiment, charge the battery with a battery charger for 2 hours before the first start of the day. Charge at the lowest charge rate, usually 2 amps. That should give the battery an extra 4 amp-hours of charge. Does doing that help? ---
**Author:** ![galant](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/77aa72/32.png) [@galant](https://community.cartalk.com/u/galant)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2016, 7:40am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/any-ideas-what-may-be-wrong/93291/6 "2016-05-19T07:40:31Z")
If the charger is still getting power when the car is off, I would keep the phone unplugged. I will also change the battery despite the test. I have lost faith in battery testing. My last few “slow cranks” have lead me to an immediate drive to the store for a new battery and another 3-5 yrs of good starts.