Starting system · battery, cables, starter, in that order
Lights on, one click, nothing. That's usually the starter. Usually.
The starter motor turns the engine over when you turn the key. When it fails you get a single click, or a rapid clicking, or nothing at all, with a battery that's perfectly fine. It's also the thing people replace when the real problem was a corroded cable. I check in the right order so you don't pay for the wrong part.
Any hour I'm not already on a job, across Sydney. Price for your car on the phone before I leave. Can't talk? Text me.
What it looks like
Signs the starter is going
- One loud click when you turn the key, and the engine doesn't turn over
- Dash lights and headlights bright, so the battery has charge, but nothing happens
- It starts sometimes and not others, especially when the engine is hot
- A grinding noise when you turn the key, or the starter keeps spinning after the engine fires
- Tapping the starter with something gets it going, which is a dying one telling you it's nearly done
- Smoke or a hot electrical smell after trying to start it
Before you pay for anything
How I rule out the cheap stuff first
Battery under load
A battery can show 12 volts and still collapse the moment the starter asks for current. I load-test it, because a weak battery clicks exactly like a dead starter and costs a fraction to fix.
Cables and earths
A corroded battery terminal, a loose main cable or a bad earth strap stops the starter getting the current it needs. Five minutes to check, and it's the answer more often than people think.
Starter and solenoid
With the battery and cables proven, I check voltage at the starter when the key is turned. Voltage there and no crank means the starter is done. No voltage there means it's the ignition switch, the immobiliser or a relay, and I tell you that instead.
At your place
What I do on site
On most cars the starter is reachable and I replace it in your driveway. New unit in, connections cleaned, the car started and checked a few times hot and cold, and the old one goes with me. If the battery turns out to be the real problem, I carry those too, so it's one visit either way.
When you ring
Tell me these three things
The car, make and model and roughly what year. What exactly happens when you turn the key, one click, lots of clicks, grinding, or silence. And whether the dash lights are bright or dim when it happens. Bright lights and a click points at the starter. Dim lights points at the battery. Silence points at something electrical. Each one is a different price and I'd rather tell you the right one.
The quickest way to a price
Tell me what it's doing
Ring and tell me the car, the suburb and what it's doing. You get what it sounds like and the price for your car before I leave. Can't talk right now? Text me those three things and I'll text you back.
Any hour I'm not on a job. Same price day or night.
Straight answers
Questions I get about this job
It clicks once. Is that definitely the starter?
It starts when I tap the starter. Can I keep doing that?
Could it be the key or the immobiliser?
How long does it take?
What does it cost?
Sounds like your car?
Ring me, describe what it's doing, and I'll tell you what it sounds like and what it costs for your car.