I left my lights on yesterday and my car battery died. My key fob would not work even. I manually unlocked the car and tried to start the car, at which time the alarm went off and thankfully the alarm responded to the key fob then. Also, the only dashboard light on display was the oil indicator.
Today my neighbor jumped the battery but nothing happened. No crank, no start, and the same oil indicator lit up - none others.
Is it likely this is only the battery or something else?
When you try to jump start a battery that is completely dead, the donor vehicle may have to idle up to 15 minutes before vehicle being jumped will start.
Tester
Oh! That’s helpful. It was only charging for about 5.
Out of curiosity, did the alarm sound strong when it went off or weak.
if the battery was really weak the alarm would also sound weaker than normal.
I do not recall the noise level. It happened rather quickly.
Your best bet is to recharge the battery overnight using a battery charger. Jump starting can damage your car’s electronics, as well as the car giving the jump.
The basic diy’er test for the battery /charging system: Before the first start of the day the battery should measure about 12.6 volts; then immediately after starting the engine, 13.5 - 15.5 volts. What do you measure?
When you accidentally leave the lights on, doesn’t your car make an audio alarm if you attempt to open the door or remove the key before turning the lights off?
That only occurs if the person who is jump starting the vehicle doesn’t know what they’re doing.
Tester
The first step in this situation is to always remove your battery cables from battery and clean them. Then if you have time, charge the battery and load test it. Then reattach cables. The radio code will have to be reset afterwards.