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Q: I have a 2004 Chevy Malibu with 18,000 miles on it. The car died on me and I thought the battery was dead so I got a new one and installed it. It worked for about a week but now it's going crazy. The locks are locking and unlocking by themselves, lights are flickering, and the message board starts going crazy and then the car dies. I tried to start it and now the car is dead. I was told the battery and the alternator were good. - Janice

A: Dear Janice, 

It sounds like the battery is going dead. Fully charge the battery, then while using a volt meter, check how many volts the battery is producing with engine and key off. It should be around 12 volts. If it's below that, have the battery checked again. If it is about 12 volts, start the engine and recheck the battery. It should show 14 volts. If it doesn't change, either the alternator is bad or the fuseable link between the alternator and the battery is bad and not allowing the alternator to charge the battery.