i'm not to familiar with cars besides changing oil & break pads but today my car decided to die. heres what happened... I started my car and was ready to leave but then my girlfriend came over and we went inside for 20 minutes (yes i turned off the car). We came back out to find that my car wouldn't start and makes a click type noise when you try to start it. The lights randomly dim and everything electronic seems slow. NOW heres the question. If the battery died would the fog lights and interior lights still be able to come on?(because they do) I tried jumping it but it was late and I don't think I got a good enough connection, I want to mess with it when the sun comes out.

Also could it be the alternator? I didn't notice my volts light on or anything.

suggestions are appreciated.

oh yeah, i have a 1995 325IS BMW.

Battery is probably shot. You might want to take it to Pep Boys or somewhere else to have them test it. Trying to charge a bad battery can decrease the lifspan of your alternator.

so i successfully jumped it today in the actual daylight. I drove it around for 15-20 mins to recharge the battery but then when i got home and turned it off .... it won't start like before. Now it refuses to jump at all, so is it the alternator or a dead battery?

Well, if you can't rejump the battery, it's definitely the battery. Take the battery when you buy a new one, they will test it for free.

This happened to me. Make sure the terminals on the battery are TIGHT.
They have to be really tight. ...and clean off any corrosion.

That was the problem with mine, and also that my old battery was dying! So I bought a new one :stickoutt :D

Similar problem just happened to my mom and it was the battery. Her old battery had a bad cell.

If you could get it running again I suggest doing what bmwpower said, take it to PepBoys or Autozone, leave it running and get someone to look at it, and they can test your whole electrical system with one of those electric current meter things, they can tell you if your alternators putting out enough juice or what ever else it might be.

Always check those pesky battery cable clamps! Clean them if they are loose and or yucky looking.

From what you've posted, I'd say you have a bad battery or dirty cable ends. Try cleaning them, recharge the battery and see if it holds a charge.
If you jump start it again to recharge it, let the car that you jump it with run at 1k rpms for a few minutes to give you dead battery a good head start.

An alternator needs some voltage in the battery in order to power up the stator winding, which forms an electromagnetic ring around the rotor.

The fact that your car runs and drives tells me that the alternator must be putting out voltage.

...or it could be that your girlfriend sabbotaged it so you'd stay at her house! lol

prolly not. :stickoutt