[martini015]

Hey people, ive got a serious "situation" with my car. My battery has died, and I cant unlock the car. The emergency key doesn't work, which literally means im STUCK :crazy: It's a (2003 Renault Megane DYNAMIQUE VVT 1598)

Some info..

* I haven't been driving my car for a while now (nearly a month now), since the insurance has been canceled. Several days ago i've tried starting my car, but the battery was completely drained, which has lead to me being unable to lock my car.

* I've managed to get a pair of "jumpstart leads" and get my car up and running again. Once Ive managed to start the car, i have left the engine running for approximately 10-15 so that the running engine charges the battery. I've managed to lock my car etc. and everything seemed to go back to normal.

* However, the next morning Ive realized i cannot unlock my car as the battery completely "died :crazy:" again...For some mysterious reason.. Ive done a lot of reading online, and tried many different ways to unlock it but nothing sm'd to work. I have also tried using the emergency key which hasn't helped at all.

* My last option before I turn to " R. dealers" is accessing the car battery from the bonnet ! Ive done some research and it found out that there are ways to open the bonnet and access the battery from the outside. Ive read something about removing the front grills and looking for some sort of cable to pull which would release the bonnet from underneath. However, i cannot seem to find it, so i cant release the bonnet from the outside !

So can somebody please help me with this, how could I access the battery from the outside !? Or is there any other way I could resolve this problem. Thank you :surrender:

 

[VelSatisfied]

Hi there and welcome.

Locksmith or breakdown cover with homestart (if you have it) would be my suggestions.

HTH

Paul

 

[costeau]

I agree with locksmith or breakdown assistance, as long as the car isn't double-locked/deadlocked.
They'll be able to get you access to the interior, and you can pop the hood from there.

When the battery has been discharged over a period (for whatever reason, e.g. longer vacation,
or – as you state – been off the road due to insurance cancellation), it needs to be reconditioned.

That means that once you got the car jumpstarted, you should take it for a few hours on the motorways or dual carriageways in your area,
just to let the engine run on medium to high revs over a bit of time, so the alternator can put a bit of juice back into the battery.
This would of course mean get the insurance sorted before you start jumpstarting.

If you live near a ring road motorway of a medium-sized city, driving the entire ring and coming back should be sufficient.

 

[martini015]

Thank you :d

Hmm..well break down cover isn't an option since the car isn't insured :loser:

Could try a locksmith however..
Haha, Im the type of person that tries all the options out 1st before turning to alternatives. So ATM im really determined to open this bonnet ! Tnx for your help anyways, I will definitely consider a locksmith if anything :iagree:

 

[costeau]

Locksmith with automotive experience would be the place to start, then,
and a mains-powered charger for car batteries would be the second step.

 

[martini015]

I agree with locksmith or breakdown assistance, as long as the car isn't double-locked/deadlocked.
They'll be able to get you access to the interior, and you can pop the hood from there.

When the battery has been discharged over a period (for whatever reason, e.g. longer vacation,
or – as you state – been off the road due to insurance cancellation), it needs to be reconditioned.

That means that once you got the car jumpstarted, you should take it for a few hours on the motorways or dual carriageways in your area,
just to let the engine run on medium to high revs over a bit of time, so the alternator can put a bit of juice back into the battery.
This would of course mean get the insurance sorted before you start jumpstarting.

If you live near a ring road motorway of a medium-sized city, driving the entire ring and coming back should be sufficient.

It's interesting because when we got the car up an running again it seemed to work completely fine. The main goal was literally to lock the car for the night so that nothing gets stolen (our area is kinda ruff you knw). We were planning to drive around on local roads to get the battery fully charged, but as you can see we've managed to lock our selves out :loser: But thanks for your tips anyways, much appreciated

 

[VelSatisfied]

Problem is, once a battery drains fully, its never quite the same again.

That happened to my van, when it wasn't getting used for weeks at a time, due to me having a broken leg.

One of the cells just failed - probably the same has happened to yours.

HTH

Paul

 

[pigeon]

Thank you :d

Hmm..well break down cover isn't an option since the car isn't insured :loser:

Could try a locksmith however..
Haha, Im the type of person that tries all the options out 1st before turning to alternatives. So ATM im really determined to open this bonnet ! Tnx for your help anyways, I will definitely consider a locksmith if anything :iagree:

a car does not have to be fully insured to recieve breakdown cover as long as you have homestart on the policy you should be ok. be carefull getting a locksmith as most cowboy locksmith tend to like there trusty drill to pop the lock so you will have to pay twice, aa or rac or ever greenflag will be your best bet.
have you no family or friends that has a policy in there name that could help and save you money. id give u my membership number to help you but iv covered mine as vehicle only as my scenic is driven by me and 2 other nuggets

 

[martini015]

a car does not have to be fully insured to recieve breakdown cover as long as you have homestart on the policy you should be ok. be carefull getting a locksmith as most cowboy locksmith tend to like there trusty drill to pop the lock so you will have to pay twice, aa or rac or ever greenflag will be your best bet.
have you no family or friends that has a policy in there name that could help and save you money. id give u my membership number to help you but iv covered mine as vehicle only as my scenic is driven by me and 2 other nuggets

Theres 3 cars in our household..My parents are sharing one, and my bro has got car aswell.. I never actually knew i can use their membership number to sort my car out. How does it work !? LOOL

 

[Guest]

Does the emergency key spin the lock? There are a number of posts on the forum about this, and if iirc it is supposed to and some perseverance may be required.

There have also been some conversations on the forum, on powering the car with jump leads via the + terminal on the starter motor...might be worth a forum search to see what you can dig up.
Obviously if you go down this route, make sure that you take any necessary safety precaution not to run yourself over should the starter engage

 

[martini015]

Does the emergency key spin the lock? There are a number of posts on the forum about this, and if iirc it is supposed to and some perseverance may be required.

There have also been some conversations on the forum, on powering the car with jump leads via the + terminal on the starter motor...might be worth a forum search to see what you can dig up.
Obviously if you go down this route, make sure that you take any necessary safety precaution not to run yourself over should the starter engage

Erm..As a matter of fact it does, the lock just spins and it makes a clicking noise ! And yeah, the terminal and started thing sounds interesting, might need to check that out

 

[HeatherJ]

I drained my battery completely, it was so bad that I couldn't get enough power to jump the car from my dad's, but my doors still worked with the key card!!

 

[hoochy]

on the left side grill when you pull the bonnet relase there is a small black pull lever that just shows inbetween the slats id take the grill out and see if you can get your hand up and pull the bonnet release catch till the bonnet pops open a bit then pull on the small black strip that opens the bonnet fully or spray wd40 down the em key hole and keep wiggling it about in the hope it may catch oh and when you do get it open replace the battery for a good 1

 

[VelSatisfied]

Obviously if you go down this route, make sure that you take any necessary safety precaution not to run yourself over should the starter engage

Probably an idea to jack & secure both front wheels off the ground, one reason is for access, the second is in case the car has been left in gear...

 

[HeatherJ]

If you do get the bonnet opened with out unlocking the doors, the car alarm may go off.... it did on mine! I have no idea how because the battery was totally disconnected at the time! I did stupidly have the doors locked :loser: when I first went to take my battery out so had to reconnect the battery unlock the doors and then I was able to change the battery! Maybe something to watch out for!

 

[Azurael]

Alarms tend to have internal backup batteries, else it would be rather easy to silence them when breaking in...

 

[pigeon]

Theres 3 cars in our household..My parents are sharing one, and my bro has got car aswell.. I never actually knew i can use their membership number to sort my car out. How does it work !? LOOL

usually aa offer 2 lots of breakdown cover one is the car membership were the car reg is on the membership card and the other where the person is on the card but if you breakdown if someone in the car travelling with you or is at your home if homestart is on the policy) you could ask them politely if you could use there breakdown cover (simples)

 

[JonnoSkye83]

depending on the location of certain components...

jack the front of the car and chock the back wheels so it cant move, take trusty battery charger or jump leads and slide under the car. earth the black one out on the chassis / engine somewhere and attach the red one to the big wire on the starter motor (if you can get to it)
this should put power to the battery terminals thus enabling you to unlock the car...

worked once for me

 

[costeau]

jack the front of the car and chock the back wheels so it cant move

I'd put the car on axle stands, for further safety, rather than relying on the jack to hold the car up while you've got your head under there. :nonono:

 

[JonnoSkye83]

:iagree:

completely agree with that, just forgot to mention it