My car battery died in a mall basement with no phone signal, what now?
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This happened to me last Friday and I am still a bit shaken, so I want to hear how other people would handle it. I parked my 2017 Altima on the lowest level of a mall basement in Dubai, shopped for about two hours, and came back to a car that gave me one quiet click and nothing else. The basement had almost no signal, so I could not even search for help. I stood next to the car holding my phone up like a fool, walking in small circles to find one bar. Finally I went up to the ground floor and found signal near the escalators. I searched for jumpstart service car battery help, and the first few pages I opened were slow and confusing, and one of them asked for a lot of details before showing any number. I did not know which ones were real, so I just called a friend instead. He took almost an hour to arrive because of traffic, and I sat in the heat the whole time with my shopping bags. Now I want a plan for next time, because I do not want to repeat that afternoon. My brother says I should save two or three numbers in my phone, so I do not have to search when I am stressed. My wife says a small booster pack in the boot would solve everything, but I get nervous around the bonnet, so I am not sure. So here are my questions. When you call a helper to a basement or a closed parking, do they find you easily, or do you have to walk up and meet them? I would hate to wait while they drive around looking for the right level. Second, is it normal for them to ask for a photo of the car or a pin on the map? Third, does the price change for a basement or a mall, or is it the same everywhere? I would like to hear real numbers, if you do not mind sharing. Another thing I wonder about is the battery. The car is about four years old, and the lights looked weak when I started it that morning, so maybe I missed the warning. Should I get it tested this week even if it starts fine now? Also, does a long shopping trip with the car off hurt a battery that is already tired, or is that only my imagination? If you have been stuck somewhere with no signal, what did you do, how long did you wait, and what would you do differently now? Thanks for reading, I will check the replies tonight.