If you're having starting problems, perhaps there's something else wrong with the car.
1- If your mechanic says your battery is bad, it is. If it is only three days old, the new one should be free.
2- The guy from AAA may or may not be a "real" mechanic. Most likely not, but still a very informed "shade tree" mechanic, like myself.
Charge the battery at two amps for six hours or overnight and the battery will be just like new again and will last for several years.
part II (sorry) the rest of the information
when i tried to start it wouldnt start,but the auto club came,and got it going and they said my battery was good, but he saw some alternator problems, He said please take it to the mechanic, as he was letting it run for a while, i noticed he reached inside and turned my light switch forward----there was no light on as far as i could see----so i said DID I LEAVE SOMETHING ON? DID I DO SOME DAMAGE? HE SAID OH NO , ITS FINE, YOUR BATTERY IS FINE---JUST GO TO THE MECHANICS BECAUSE YOU WILL NEED AN ALTERNATOR. I guess he was saying even if you left the light on, it doesnt matter----i never saw any light shining against my parking space, so it had to be very dim if it was on.
I go to the mechanic with my car running fine----and my mechanic (who is very trustworthy,) says you dont need a altenator, its your battery that is defective, that it failed a TEST LOAD, its your battery, (My mechanics has excellent reviews on Yelp for being honest and straight with people for many years)
My question is am I to blame is a battery is labeled defective (if i left my lights on) or is it a manufacturing defect--that is inherent in the battery,and can i make a case for reimbursement?
I already had the battery changed by mechanic, but i wanted to take the old battery to triple A and prove to them that it was their fault not mine. My mechanic did not have a diagnostic machine only a test loader or whatever it is.
by the way are those guys who come out from triple A real mechanics?
Three weeks old battery. Damn girl. The battery is brand new. You still got three to four years life in it. If you leave your dim light or radio on in the car while it's not running the charge will diffenately drain.
Car batteries will self discharge when not in use. If it is connected to your car it could also have a small load from accessories or car computers that will draw current from the battery which also aid in draining the battery when the engine is not running. In general an AGM, or lead-acid car battery self discharges at a rate of three percent per month. This rate increases when ambient temperature exceeds 20 degrees Celsius (68 degrees Fahrenheit). The more cycles a lead acid car battery has experienced will also start to reduce the capacity of the battery and eventually even slow discharging rates or small loads could cause the battery to go flat. Bad cables causing short circuits and bad alternators which don’t effectively recharge the battery r sometimes the culprit.
You need to give us more information. Were you able to start the car the next morning. Did the battery recharge when put on a charger. To determine the status of the battery you need to have it put on a battery tester, any garage will have one as well as several auto parts stores and the stores will usually check it out for free. You will have a very hard time proving that the battery is defective after you left the lights on overnight. If the battery was completely discharged and now will not take a charge, it can be very successfully argued that your actions caused the battery to go bad.
I'm a female and know nothing about batteries--if i left like the small sidelights on by accident overnight, ....does that mean that the battery is no longer reliable, or is it still salvagable? Does that drain the battery completly?.Will I need a brand new one It is a triple A battery-
How do you know if a battery is defective in workmanship---what machinery determines that?
Can triple A determine that by that machine they bring on Roadside service?
