1998 vw beetle clicked when tried to start thought it might be starter pushed started it brought it home starts up now thinking battery or maybe alternator not charging complete or weak
2 Answers
um .. right james.. so all sarcastic answers aside .... A clicking noise would indicate a dead battery. If it started when you got home the alternator is most likely charging correctly and would indicate you need a battery replacement as it is no longer maintaining a proper charge over periods of idle time. How old is the battery ? if it lasted over 5 years you had a good battery that lasted past its time. Go to the vw dealership and ask them for a swap they will offer you a brand spanking new battery for about 125$ roughly in canadian and they take your old battery to boot. this should prevent any future incidents tho it would not hurt to have the alternator bench tested. If you have a obd with a voltage checker you can do it yourself tho with out having to remove it.
for safety have the starter and alternator tested while you busy with it.
