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A battery has to be pretty far gone not to hold enough of a surface charge to crank and start a warmed-up car that it has just been running. Even with lots of lights on, and blower fan on high and wipers and radiator fan on.
Did charge warning light come on, little picture of a battery?
My guess is the alternator brushes are at end of life and are touch and go, just starting to fail to contact the slip rings. Or bad corrosion at the battery posts, which isn't likely a cause as I'd think the AAA man would have noticed this. But if lots of white shows there, a good cleanup is called for. It may fix your problem for cheap.
The battery may in fact be pretty old and about need to be replaced so it's not much of a waste to spend on a new quality one if so. I can't remember what's called for, there are posts on here about it, but I usually go with whatever fits. Longer-life versions, 60 months warranty or more, are preferred.
I wouldn't worry about the little clip that holds the battery down. It's too heavy to go anywhere and it vibrates equally as much, held down by gravity to a vibrating car, as it does held down by a metal clip and bolt.
If it's the alternator you can on older ones replace the brushes alone as they're available some places and can be soldered into the voltage regulator-brush holder. If it's the newer style, solid plastic covering the whole rear, it's harder to get the voltage regulator out (alternator must come out of car) and brushes alone can't be got so you need a whole voltage regulator, but still a cheap fix.
Look for that charge warning light next time you start the car. It's a good idea if you have a battery charger to put it on overnight to make sure the car will start next time you need it, till you solve this, since it's just been totally discharged. And don't trust it for anything except short hauls until you do solve it. Just the fuel pump and computer alone are enough to kill a battery while running, if the alternator isn't charging, besides other vitals like brake lights, headlights, etc.
posted by 71.173.7...
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