What to do
Car won't start?
Car won't start on your driveway? What each symptom means, how to tell a flat battery from an alternator or starter fault, and how to get someone out to it.
If your car will not start, the symptom tells you a lot. Slow cranking or clicking usually means a flat or failing battery. Cranking normally but not firing points at fuel, ignition or immobiliser. Complete silence with no dash lights usually means a battery or connection problem. A mobile technician can test and fix most of these on your driveway from £150 + VAT.
| Battery replacement | From £150 + VAT, about 30 minutes |
|---|---|
| Diagnostic health check | From £150 + VAT, 30 to 45 minutes |
| Where | Your driveway, home or work |
| Not covered | Roadside recovery |
What to do
- Listen to what it does. Slow crank, rapid clicking, normal crank without firing, or total silence are four different faults.
- Check the obvious. Dash lights, immobiliser light, whether it has been standing, and whether anything was left on overnight.
- Book a test rather than a part. Replacing a battery that was not the problem is the most common wasted spend in motoring.
Why your car won't start: what each symptom means
| What it does | Most likely |
|---|---|
| Slow, laboured cranking | Battery low on charge or capacity |
| Rapid clicking, no crank | Battery too flat to turn the starter |
| One loud clunk, no crank | Starter motor or solenoid |
| Cranks normally, will not fire | Fuel, ignition, immobiliser or a sensor fault |
| Nothing at all, no dash lights | Dead battery or a loose or corroded terminal |
| Starts, then dies | Immobiliser, fuel delivery or an idle control fault |
Battery, alternator or starter
These three get confused constantly, and guessing is expensive. A battery that reads 12.4 volts at rest can still fail under load, and an alternator that is undercharging will kill a brand new battery within months. That is why a proper test measures cold cranking amps under load and the charging output with the engine running.
Our battery replacement starts with that test. If the battery is fine, you are told before anything is fitted and you are not charged for a part you did not need. More detail in the battery warning signs guide.
Who to call, depending on where it is
On your driveway or in a car park at work: a mobile technician. That is the job we do.
At the roadside or in a public bay: a breakdown or recovery service. We cannot work on public land.
Making a grinding noise when you turn the key: stop trying. Repeated attempts can damage the flywheel ring gear, which turns a starter job into a gearbox-out job.
Book it in
Reg and postcode. An expert calls back with your fixed price.
Booked, we've got it.
An expert is calling you now to confirm your price and slot.
Keep your phone to hand.
Questions
A load test plus a charging-system output test answers it in minutes. Replacing the battery without testing the alternator is how people end up buying two batteries in a year.
Yes, if it is on private land such as your driveway or a workplace car park. For a roadside breakdown you need a recovery service.
A diagnostic health check is from £150 + VAT and includes a full fault code scan, live data and a written summary of what was found.
The service you probably need
Book it at your address
Fixed price agreed before we come out, no membership and no call-out fee. Prices exclude VAT.
Book your serviceOr call 0333 366 1081, Monday to Saturday