I'm not sure what is going on with the car at the moment. I came into our driveway just a little quicker than usual, not much faster, but enough that the 'bump' of hitting the driveway was a bit more noticeable than it would otherwise be. Anyway, a fraction of a second later, the engine just died completely, along with most electricals, before I'd even had a chance to straighten up the car properly (since I was turning it to park parallel to the road).

There is no response at all when I turn the key now, all that happens is the dash warning lights go dim while I'm holding the key on 'start'. The stereo does not work either, or the headlights, but the interior light does work, as do the dash warning lights.

Obviously something electrical has done something a bit weird, but I've no idea what it might be. The fuses all checked out, but I'm not sure what the deal is with the fusible links, I've not had anything to do with them previously. Any ideas on what could have caused this, how I can check for sure, and how to fix it? The car was running just fine until I hit that bump, with zero signs of any trouble at all.

Or is it something crazy like the battery was on its last legs, and the bump was enough to dislodge something internally and it failed completely? I did manage to drain it a few weeks back from leaving the lights on, and having only had the car a few months I've no idea as to its history. I just checked it and got 12.65V, but I would have thought that was still okay (the Haynes manual just says 12.6V or higher). But if that's not it, then I have no idea at all. Any assistance would be hugely appreciated, as I'm getting married next weekend and we need the car to get there! :confused:

Sounds like your battery is rooted man. There'd be enough charge in it to get the interior light on, but not much else (ie starter motor). Happened to mates cars a few times.

Bit strange that it died on you though... might wanna check the alty?

i would check the levels in the battery may need a top up, give the fuse boxes a quick smell and overlook, make sure everything in sight is connected, otherwise i'm stumped

yep agree
it might be a dead battery
may seem ok but wont have enough power to turn the starter motor over
i remember when my last battery died couldnt even jump start the car :nuts:
also check the connections on the battery to see if they have come loose

Battery volts only need to drop to around 11v for starter to not even move at all. A good
12v battery should hold charge at 13 to 14 volts.

Yeah very similar thing happened to me and all that happened was that the positive connection came of a bit but didnt notice straight away because of the connection protector (red rubber glove thing).Easy fixed ha. Soon after my battery carked it completely so its prob just weak aswell?:confused:

It was 12.65V last night. Now it was 10.6V when I first checked, which dropped to below 2V when the ignition was turned on, and then only came back up to a bit over 9V when the ignition was off again. That is one very dead battery! I'd say it just had a ****load of deposits on the plates, and the bump was enough to shake it loose and kill the conductivity. Now I just need to now where the money is coming from to replace it, lol. :D

Undo the battery terminals and remove then refit and re tighten. Also check behind your alternator make sure the terminal is tight. Do this after you remove your battery terminals first you dont want to short with a tool. Also check your startermotor connections. Sounds like a loose terminal. I would be suprised if its the battery only reason i suggest this is that it was fine before you hit that bump...

Regards

Check that the plug on the regulator hasn't popped off. I've had this happen to me before and it slowly drained the battery until everything literally died like you described. It happened to me right in the middle of peak hour on the M4 might I add, so consider yourself lucky. I couldn't even run the hazard lights! The RTA had to tow rope me to safety! :rant:

I replaced the battery today, and all is good with the world once again.

The verdict on aus.cars was solidly in favour of a collapsed cell, and that certainly seems to fit the bill. The battery was definitely the problem, as even out of the car it was giving some highly dodgy readings.

And yes, it is quite possible for a battery to just go like that after hitting a bump. It all depends how thin the thread was by which it was still hanging on to life...and in this case, the answer was 'not very'!