Battery, Alternator & Starter
No-start diagnosis, and battery, alternator or starter replaced on site.
The short answer
A car that will not start is the single most common mobile call. Battery, alternator and starter are all replaceable on site, and the important part is testing which one it actually is before replacing anything.
These three failures feel similar from the driver's seat and get misdiagnosed constantly. A parts-store counter test tells you whether the battery is bad. It does not tell you why the battery went bad.
Telling them apart
Battery
Slow crank that gets slower, dash lights dim when you turn the key, fine after a jump but dead again the next morning. Batteries usually fail in cold weather because cold thickens the oil and shrinks available cranking amps at the same time.
Alternator
Car starts on a jump then dies a few minutes later. Battery light on. Headlights dimming and brightening with engine speed. The alternator is what recharges the battery while you drive — when it quits, you are running on stored charge and it does not last long.
Starter
Single loud click, or a rapid clicking with strong lights. Sometimes it starts if you try a few times — that intermittent behaviour is a dying starter more often than anything else.
The part that matters
A battery that keeps dying is often not a battery problem. It can be a parasitic draw — something staying awake after you lock the car and pulling current all night. Replacing the battery makes it go away for a few weeks and then it is back. Finding a draw takes measurement, not guessing, and it is worth doing before buying a third battery.
Questions we get
Can you test which one it is before I buy parts?
Yes, and you should insist on that from anyone. Charging system and draw testing is quick and it stops you replacing a good alternator.
My battery is under warranty — is it still worth calling you?
If the battery is genuinely the fault, take the warranty. It is worth a call first to confirm the battery is the problem and not the thing the problem killed.
Can you replace an alternator in a parking lot?
On most vehicles, yes. Some engine bays put the alternator somewhere that needs the car in the air, and we will tell you when that is the case.
Do you carry batteries?
Call and tell us the vehicle. We would rather bring the right one than guess.