getting some body damage repaired and battery was disconnected. when the shop connected everything and test drove it, the battery and brake lights came on. has this happend to anybody after their car has sat for an extended period of time? i'm wondering if it needs to be driven to "shake off the rust".

 

on my 3rd gens this means dead alternator. my 4th gen hasnt gone out yet

 

Make sure they connected the battery cables tightly. If they are loose on the posts, this will cause the same symptoms as a dying alternator (which is what those lights coming on together mean).

 

FYI, 30 days is not considered an extended period of time, i had cars sit for two YEARS without starting up and when i started them up, everything works fine. most likely just a coinsidence, your alternater is going bad.

 

my brake light always come on, and go off whenever it feels like it, is it a loose wire or something more serious?

 

Make your own thread newb, quit trying to hijack others!

 

Still Has An Electical Charge In The System

 

hmm...i'll check to see if the cables are connected tightly...hopefully it's not the alternator. thanks for all the input!

 

well...i picked up the car and drove it over the advance auto for a free battery and alternator check. on the way over the car almost dies, but i'm able to get it to the store. i go there and start the car back up to check the system, but it won't start. they jump and it has a low reading. i drive home to see what my options are and the lights (brake and battery) both turn off. i go home and shut the car down and then start it back up and the lights come back on. i check the fuse (b/c i pulled some and the body guy put them back in) and the interior electrical fuse is not in. so i put the correct one in and start the car with no problem and all interior components work. my question is...would a missing fuse trigger the brake and battery lights to come on?

 

^ Hmmmm... It's a possibility, if some crucial circuit was partially or completely disconnected... I'd drive around to charge up your batt, then head back to Advance Auto. If it's still weak, they can charge it to an acceptable label and test it (but if that's the case, it's bad 99% of the time anyway).