hi im new to the forum and having a bit of trouble navigating round it. i have a 2013 1.2 panda no stop start used it all day yesterday gone to out in it today and when i put the key in the ignition the dails light up briefly the clocks dont move and the car is just clicking sounds like its come from the fuse box area does anyone have any ideas please

Battery is flat.
Or either the main or earth cable is broken, often inside its insulation, or has a poor connection. Battery is favourite.
Modern batteries die suddenly. Especially if they've had a period of being left discharged. If you bought it used, the time spent on the seller's forecourt may well have been allowed to go flat. Even a 'new' car can suffer, if held in stock for some time before sale.

thanks for that nigel. i will have to try checking the battery with my husbands multi meter thing although i am not sure how to do this and he is away at the mo. i have had the battery on charge for a few hours today. i bought the car new and had to wait for it to arrive so would not have thought it would have been sitting around uncharged but i have never charged it since i had it. just funny how yesterday i used it to work and back twice 20 miles each time and then popped to shops last night and yet today wouldn't work no warning lights or any visible indication it was dying. i did have a towbar fitted last week but that should not have affected it should it i have not used the towbar since it was fitted was planning on pulling a small fibreglass trailer when we go away to carry luggage in. many thanks regards sue

sue starkey said:

thanks for that nigel. i will have to try checking the battery with my husbands multi meter thing although i am not sure how to do this .
i did have a towbar fitted last week but that should not have affected it should it i have not used the towbar since it was fitted . many thanks regards sue

Click to expand...

Hi Sue,
with your meter;
set it to V - Volts the "20" range will be fine, as you'll be looking for between 10 and 15 volts

put the RED meter lead to the + Positive battery terminal ( has a bunch of RED wires)
put the BLACK mater lead to the Black "-" negative battery lead - (normally a single thick black cable)

in a good state..it should show @12 Volts when touching test leads on the battery terminals.

the fitting of ANYTHING to a car that has behaved perfectly for years.has to be considered as a potential cause of your issue

a friend had a LOT of this kind of stuff,
through a badly fitted towbar ( and alarm) - poorly made wiring connections.

Charlie - Oxford

Hi Charlie thanks for that i will give it a go. The towbar was fitted on the 4th aug by a reputable company but i did notice the wire from the electrics on the towbar come out into the fuse box in the car so i thought i would mention it although the car has been perfectly fine ever since till yesterday. It is used daily. I have the battery on charge again today do i need to disconnect it from the charger before doing the meter test. cheers sue

you want to see what's in the battery - not the charger

so disconnect from the mains before testing the voltage.

the fact you never use stop/Start ... could mean any warnings of it becoming "unavailable" due to lower battery voltages have been missed..,

Charlie

Hi Charlie i do not have stop start fitted tested the battery and it showed hardly anything struggled to make 4 guy up the road hooked his power pack to it and she started but when i turned her off she would not start again. im going to get a new battery tomorrow and get man back who fitted towbar to check his electic connection to see if thats draining the battery i defo think new battery needed what do you think thanks a lot sue

sue starkey said:

Hi Charlie i do not have stop start fitted tested the battery and it showed hardly anything struggled to make 4 guy up the road hooked his power pack to it and she started but when i turned her off she would not start again. im going to get a new battery tomorrow and get man back who fitted towbar to check his electic connection to see if thats draining the battery i defo think new battery needed what do you think thanks a lot sue

Click to expand...

the modern batteries don't last as long as the tradititional style.

the car SHOULD have stop / start..it requires a special battery.. so a bit more expensive,
look on Eurocarparts as they've got a sale on,
and can deliver..,

Charlie

hi mine is the basic 1.2 panda pop no stop start fitted can you please tell me do i need a battery with a higher amp now i have a towbar fitted my original battery is a 40ah but i notice most of the new ones are 50ah sue

Always fit the highest value battery you can in terms of AH and Amps, go for good makes which have a good warranty. Site below should help you choose a good one and they are pretty cheap too. Used them on a few cars:

https://www.tayna.co.uk/Fiat-Panda-Car-Battery

When you click on the size i.e. 002L next to the car you have, it will default to their preferred choice, just MAKE SURE to click on the size battery again at the top to see the others they sell in that range and there capacities.

sue starkey said:

hi mine is the basic 1.2 panda pop no stop start fitted can you please tell me do i need a battery with a higher amp now i have a towbar fitted my original battery is a 40ah but i notice most of the new ones are 50ah sue

Click to expand...

Hi. 40 should still be fine.
that actual width by depth"footprint size"
is the crucial bit..and the battery poles..or it wont fit..

Charlie