Car Repair When Yours Won’t Start

Auto repair will be mandatory if your vehicle won’t start. It’s a motorist’s worst nightmare. They’re dressed and ready to head to an important appointment such as a date or even to work. They put the key in the ignition and nothing happens. What’s a driver to do? First, don’t panic. There are a few troubleshooting techniques to try. Some of the cures will depend on exactly how the key-in-the-ignition dilemma unfolds. Does the key turn at all? Does it make a weird sound? Does it just not catch and turn over into a ready-to-go roar? Here are some things to think about in figuring out the problem and pursuing auto repair.

- Battery trouble: How old is your battery? In very hot or very cold climates, batteries don’t last as long as they’re supposed to. If you or a friend has a tester, you can measure the amount of amps the device has in it. It may be helpful to jump-start the engine. If you do this and the auto starts right up, chances are, you have a dead battery. Sometimes the connections are just corroded and need to be cleaned off in order to get your show on the road.

- Ignition: How about the ignition? The way to test this is by turning the key to “on” to see if there are any flashing lights on your dashboard. If they don’t light up, chances are that your ignition switch is not working. Next, try turning on your headlights. If they aren’t working properly, it might be something else.

- Gasoline: Have you been driving around on empty? Then you might simply be out of gas. The flip side of this is if your tank always appears full according to your fuel indicator. If it never budges but always shows that you have a full tank, it’s not working properly. If you have a faulty fuel indicator, you can either have it fixed or notate how many miles you drive and pull into a gas station when you know you’re nearing the end of your gas. Running on fumes won’t get you far.

- Starter: How about your starter? It might have gone bad or the connection to it might be loose. You can check this out if you have a circuit tester and a friend assisting you in the test. Just be careful as you check this out and be sure neither of you gets dangerously close to moving parts.

- What to do in the meantime: Are you going to be fired if you don’t get to work on time? Are you going to blow the date of the century with your true love? If you have an extremely important engagement, it’s time to put the troubleshooting off till later and make a Plan B. Hire a cab, a limousine, take the bus, walk or borrow a friend’s car. Where there’s a will, there’s a way.

When a motorist has a vehicle that simply won’t start, it can make the day go wrong. With a bit of auto repair or switching to Plan B, it will all work out.