Why won’t my car start?

Sometimes everything we took for granted can change within the blink of an eye. Without rhyme or reason, life can indiscriminately hurtle a curve ball hard and fast, reminding us as mere humans that bad things do happen to good people. These situations can test us to our limits, revealing our true character within.

Shimmy back from the edge of your seats, good people, this isn’t Oprah, and there’s not a free car for every reader, unfortunately. While it’s undoubtedly a cruel hand of fate, let me reassure you that it’s not the end of the world if your car refuses to start. We’ve all been there and ridden the roller coaster of emotions that follow. If you haven’t, your time will come eventually, and that smug smirk or superiority will be replaced with a sorrowful nod of agreement. You had plans. Responsibilities. Commitments. You relied on your car to ferry you to your various locations. You trusted it’d be there when you need it.

Stage 1. Desperate Optimism as you cheer the ignorant bugger on. “Come on. Come ON! You’ll start. Yeah? COME ON!!” You tell yourself not to panic and remind yourself to breathe. You remove the key then replace and try again. Your eyes narrow suspiciously. Bloody battery. It has to be. Some muppet probably selfishly left the interior light on last night… Not pointing any fingers at Judas over there in the passenger seat. You bellow for silence as you turn the key again, pleased at your own humility in the role of Driver/Problem Solver/Underappreciated Backbone of the Family. Crickets chirp. A dog barks. One of your braver offspring giggles from the backseat. Nothing. The engine isn’t even trying to help itself. Your rapidly increasing heart rate intensifies in volume, until it’s swallowed by the deafening silence of inevitability.

Stage 2. Pitiful denial, characterised by shameless begging. “No. Not now. Not today. Please, for the love of Lycra please just start”. Many a backseat passenger has instantly regretted their boldness in daring to pose a suggestion. Passengers should be aware to speak at their own risk during this stage, nor to attempt any eye contact with the frustrated driver. In extreme cases, best not to even breathe.

Stage 3. The ultimate betrayal descends upon you and question your own foolish naivete. You thought you were a team. You gave it fuel. You gave it a good clean at least 7 and a half months ago. You trusted it. “I am NOT crying, Billy. There’s just something in my eye”. You question who you are as a person, realising nothing in this world is certain.

Stage 4. The initial sting of hurt is replaced by a tsunami of bitterness. You regret not outfitting your children with noise cancelling headphones as you curse the injustice of your inconvenience with expletives you’ve never said aloud before. Adrenaline convinces you that you are capable of not only diagnosing the problem but also fixing it, with merely the sheer intensity of your suffering. You pop the bonnet with such ferocity that you regret not allowing it a safeword. With hero-like confidence you lift the hood to confront your nemesis of a battery. You feel like it’s a crime against nature that Eye of the Tiger doesn’t accompany your feisty heroism at times like this. Old mate across the road hollers with an offer to jump start your battery. Clearly there’s only room for one hero around here, but it’s been a rough few minutes so you agree, keen to put this whole horrific ordeal behind you.

Stage 5. The car still won’t start, but strangely you feel refreshed by a calm acceptance and desire to move forward. If the past 11 stressful minutes have taught you anything, it’s that you can’t put a price on reliability. Old mate reckons it’s your alternator. You nod politely, hoping to disguise the fact you couldn’t pick an alternator out of a line up. You Google ‘best mobile mechanic townsville’ and within seconds you’re on the phone to Townsville Mobile Mechanic and are swiftly booked in a 30 minute diagnostic appointment. Your nightmare has nearly ended. The mechanic explains that your car not starting could indicate a variety of very fixable mechanical issues.

1. Dead Battery – A dead battery is the most common reason your car won’t start. Your battery can die for a variety of reasons; you left the dome light on overnight, a wire is loose, water inside the component evaporated leading to poor conductivity, or it’s simply a really old battery! You can test to see if the battery is the problem by jump-starting your car (See Sandro’s hot tips how to jump start a car!). If the jump-start works, you’re most likely dealing with a dying battery. Consider replacing the battery, cleaning the connections, or call Townsville Mobile Mechanic to do it for you.

2. Bad Ignition Switch – If you know your battery is working properly, but your car doesn’t turn over on the first few tries, you might have a problem with the ignition switch. You can try to narrow down the cause of your issue by turning on your headlights. Because the battery controls your headlights and dashboard, if they turn on, but your engine won’t start, a bad ignition switch is the likely culprit.

3. Broken Starter – Similar to a bad ignition switch, a broken starter is another common reason your car won’t start. As the name implies, the starter provides the turning force necessary to get everything moving to start the engine. If you hear a clicking noise when you try to start your vehicle, a broken or weakened starter could be to blame.

4. Clogged Fuel Filter – If your fuel filter is clogged, the fuel won’t be able to reach the engine. Fuel filters should be changed every 40,000km so consider getting a new fuel filter.

5. Fuel Tank is Empty – Sometimes the most obvious answer is the right one. If you were running on fumes and forgot to refuel, your car might not have enough fuel left in the tank to start.

Stage 6. Enlightenment – within a couple of days life seems to be back to the same as before The Incident. But you’re not. You’re different now. A little less naive perhaps, with a slightly decreased capacity for complete trust. You know all too well the vulnerability of such a harrowing ordeal. You’re ready to talk about things. You NEED to talk about things. You steer every new conversation into an automotive discussion. You selfie with your newly repaired car and post a cryptic caption eluding to your dramas, hash tagging #teamtownsvillemobilemechanic. You’ve come through this stronger. You’re now a survivor.