# Battery is Black **URL:** \ **Category:** Maintenance/Repairs\ **Created:** [October 15, 2019, 9:19am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/battery-is-black/150763 "2019-10-15T09:19:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Morgen\_Porter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eb8c5e/32.png) [@Morgen\_Porter](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Morgen_Porter)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2019, 9:19am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/battery-is-black/150763/1 "2019-10-15T09:19:34Z")
hi there, just a quick one i am not the best with cars at all so i have had trouble starting my car the last week and i am waiting until Thursday for it to be repaired .this morning i went and looked at the battery and where the light shows whether the battery is green or red is completely black i have never seen mine like this however lights ignition and everything is coming on. does this mean i need a completely new battery? thanks ---
**Author:** ![common-sense-answer](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/common-sense-answer/32/716_2.png) [@common-sense-answer](https://community.cartalk.com/u/common-sense-answer)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2019, 10:41am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/battery-is-black/150763/2 "2019-10-15T10:41:25Z")
**Hi! Please introduce your vehicle…** **Make:** **Model:** **Model-Year:** Are you referring to a _“light”_ (window to electrolyte) that is **right on the battery itself** and not one that is inside the car on the dashboard? **Also, how old do you suppose the battery is?** **Is it the original?** **Have you ever replaced it?** _ **CSA** _ 🌲🕶🌲 ---
**Author:** ![Morgen\_Porter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eb8c5e/32.png) [@Morgen\_Porter](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Morgen_Porter)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2019, 11:09am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/battery-is-black/150763/3 "2019-10-15T11:09:41Z")
hi thanks for your reply . its BMW, 320D 2007 and yeah the light i cant see 1 not even the red meaning it has low battery it was replaces about 5months ago but do not have the receipt sadly.thankyou ---
**Author:** ![common-sense-answer](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/common-sense-answer/32/716_2.png) [@common-sense-answer](https://community.cartalk.com/u/common-sense-answer)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2019, 11:32am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/battery-is-black/150763/4 "2019-10-15T11:32:26Z")
> [@Morgen\_Porter](#): > > hi there, > just a quick one i am not the best with cars at all so i have had trouble starting my car the last week and i am waiting until Thursday for it to be repaired . Can you describe the trouble when you had trouble starting it? Did the car turn-over (engine cranking sound)… rrrr…rrrr…rrrr… ,but fail to start and run? **Or** Did it just click and not turn-over (crank) or not even click? _ **CSA** _ 🌲🕶🌲 ---
**Author:** ![Morgen\_Porter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eb8c5e/32.png) [@Morgen\_Porter](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Morgen_Porter)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2019, 11:58am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/battery-is-black/150763/5 "2019-10-15T11:58:15Z")
hi, i love the use of onomatopoeia haha. But yeah i went in to a shop[ i saw i left my headlightts on when i was paying for my things then i went to start the car and it didnt even try to turn over , ignition andlights all came on but the car itself didnt turn over not one bit ---
**Author:** ![common-sense-answer](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/common-sense-answer/32/716_2.png) [@common-sense-answer](https://community.cartalk.com/u/common-sense-answer)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2019, 12:03pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/battery-is-black/150763/6 "2019-10-15T12:03:15Z")
> [@Morgen\_Porter](#): > > does this mean i need a completely new battery? Not necessarily. It’s possible, but there could be a problem involving the car’s charging system which is responsible for keeping the battery charged, a problem with a wire or cable, or all of that is working okay, but something else is draining the battery. A light (like an interior light, light in a glove compartment or trunk), or other electrical device left on by accident or by a fault in its system can drain the battery. This is called a parasitic draw. Your mechanic should check for any of these possibilities to assure that the correct solution is performed. _ **CSA** _ 🌲🕶🌲 ---
**Author:** ![Morgen\_Porter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eb8c5e/32.png) [@Morgen\_Porter](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Morgen_Porter)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2019, 12:06pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/battery-is-black/150763/7 "2019-10-15T12:06:49Z")
okay perfect thankyou very mucch! ---
**Author:** ![common-sense-answer](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/common-sense-answer/32/716_2.png) [@common-sense-answer](https://community.cartalk.com/u/common-sense-answer)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2019, 12:07pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/battery-is-black/150763/8 "2019-10-15T12:07:10Z")
> [@Morgen\_Porter](#): > > hi, i love the use of onomatopoeia haha. Pow! Boom! You just took me back to my Linguistics 176 or 177 class! _ **CSA** _ 🌲🕶🌲 ---
**Author:** ![VDCdriver](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/vdcdriver/32/48514_2.png) [@VDCdriver](https://community.cartalk.com/u/VDCdriver)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2019, 12:34pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/battery-is-black/150763/9 "2019-10-15T12:34:29Z")
[quote=“Morgen\_Porter, post:3, topic:150763”] it was replaces about 5months ago but do not have the receipt sadly. [/quote] I know from experience that _Auto Zone_ retains an electronic record of your battery purchase, and it is possible that other retailers do, as well. So, if the battery does need to be replaced, it is possible that your lack of a receipt won’t prevent you from getting a new one, gratis. Where did you purchase the battery?