How do I know if it is the battery or the starter?

A battery that is flat usually gives you dim or no dashboard lights, and a slow labouring crank or rapid clicking. A failed starter usually gives you full bright lights, a single solid click and nothing else. It is not a guarantee, but it is right often enough to be worth saying on the phone.

Why did my new battery go flat again?

Two common answers: the alternator is not charging it, or something in the car is drawing current while it is parked — a light staying on, an aftermarket accessory, a failing module. Both are found by testing rather than by replacing the battery a second time, so ask for a charging-system and parasitic-draw test.

Who to hire when a car won't start

Short answer

Roadside assistance first if you have it, then a licensed mechanic. Listen to what it does: nothing at all or a click points at the battery or the starter, cranking without firing points at fuel or ignition, and a car that starts and immediately dies is a different fault again. Saying which one on the phone changes who they send.

Soon, not tonightIt will not usually get cheaper by waiting, and it is rarely worth an after-hours rate.

When it is someone else

Calling the wrong trade costs an attendance fee to be told so. These are the cases where this problem belongs to someone other than a Mechanic.

your roadside assistance provider
you have it through a motoring club, your insurer or the vehicle's manufacturer. Many people are covered and have forgotten. New-car roadside assistance in particular is often still current.

What to do before anyone arrives

Note exactly what happens when you turn the key: silence, a single click, rapid clicking, cranking slowly, or cranking normally without firing. Each points somewhere different.
Check the obvious: is it in park or neutral, is the immobiliser light flashing, is the key fob battery dead.
Look at the dashboard lights. Bright lights that dim to nothing when you turn the key is a battery; no lights at all is a battery or a connection.
Check the battery terminals for corrosion and looseness. A terminal you can twist by hand is a genuine and free fix.
Note how old the battery is if you know. Most do not last much beyond a few years in Australian heat.

What to ask when you book

What is your licence number? It is checkable on the state register.
Is this a jump start and a battery, or does it need to come in?
What is the towing cost, and does my insurance or roadside membership cover it?
Will you test the charging system as well as the battery? A new battery on a failing alternator fails again in weeks.

What changes the price

No dollar figures here: this directory holds no price data and an invented range is worse than none. What follows is what makes one of these jobs cost more than the same job next door, which is the part you can actually use when comparing quotes.

Battery versus starter versus alternator versus fuel or ignition.
Whether the car has to be towed.
Time of day and location.
Whether the fault is intermittent, which costs diagnostic time.

What you can do yourself

Is this licensed work?

Motor vehicle repair is licensed in every Australian state, generally with a licence number that must be displayed and can be checked on the state regulator's register. Air conditioning work on a vehicle additionally requires a refrigerant handling licence.

There is no national register. Search the licence number with the regulator for the state the work is happening in.

NSWNSW Fair Tradingbuilders, electricians, plumbers and specialist trades
VICBuilding and Plumbing Commission, and Energy Safe Victoria for electricalbuilding practitioners and plumbers; electricians are Energy Safe Victoria
QLDQueensland Building and Construction Commission (QBCC)building and most trade contractor licences
WABuilding and Energybuilders, electricians, plumbers and gas fitters
SAConsumer and Business Servicesbuilding work contractors and supervisors
TASConsumer, Building and Occupational Services (CBOS)building and occupational licences
ACTAccess Canberraconstruction occupations licensing
NTNT Government building practitioner registrationbuilding practitioners and electrical workers

Licensing thresholds and certificate requirements differ by state and change with amending regulation, so this page describes the mechanism rather than quoting a figure. The regulator’s own page is the current answer.

Common questions

Who should I hire for a car that won't start: Roadside assistance first if you have it, then a licensed mechanic. Listen to what it does: nothing at all or a click points at the battery or the starter, cranking without firing points at fuel or ignition, and a car that starts and immediately dies is a different fault again. Saying which one on the phone changes who they send.
How do I know if it is the battery or the starter?: A battery that is flat usually gives you dim or no dashboard lights, and a slow labouring crank or rapid clicking. A failed starter usually gives you full bright lights, a single solid click and nothing else. It is not a guarantee, but it is right often enough to be worth saying on the phone.
Why did my new battery go flat again?: Two common answers: the alternator is not charging it, or something in the car is drawing current while it is parked — a light staying on, an aftermarket accessory, a failing module. Both are found by testing rather than by replacing the battery a second time, so ask for a charging-system and parasitic-draw test.

Find a Mechanic near you

19,898 mechanics in this directory, ranked on published evidence rather than on advertising.

Who to hire for

General information about who does what, not advice about your specific job. Licensing, consumer law and council rules differ by state and change; the regulator for your state is the current source. More guides to hiring a tradesperson.