Re: battery question (E36)

[alex.fadeev@xxxxxxxxxxx]

Brendon Macaraeg <brendonm@domain.elided> wrote:
> I recently replaced my battery with the stock ones from
> the dealer.  I left my dome light on by accident the other
> night. Would that be enough drain to suck out a significant
> amount of charge?

Bendon,
Does the car start after leaving the dome light on overnight?
If yes, than the battery is not entirely drained. If not, it is.
It sounds like it is the latter, or you would not be telling us this story.
One contributing factor to a discharged battery could be a that was not
properly charged in the first place (sat abandoned on the dealer's shelf
for months). Another could be marginal charging system (alternator/voltage
regulator) in your car.

> Also, can these batteries be recharged?

Absolutely.
1. If you can jump start the car, drive around for an hour or so to
re-charge the battery and than go to a car parts store (AutoZone, Pep Boys,
etc). They will test both the battery and the charging system gratis and
you will get your answer.
2. If you can not jump start the car, bump a ride to WallMart and buy a
battery charger. Charge the battery until the car starts and go to part
(1).

HTH,
alex f

------------------------------