Batteries and non-starts

Most non-starts in the Rhondda happen between November and February, and most of them are batteries: a battery that has been fine for five years meets the first frost and a week of short trips up the valley in the dark, and gives up. But a flat battery can also be the symptom, not the cause, so we test before we sell you one.

We bring a jump pack, a battery and charging tester, and a stock of the common batteries in the van. We test the battery under load, the alternator's output and the starter's draw, and look for anything draining it overnight. If it is the battery, we fit the right one; for stop-start cars that means an AGM or EFB battery, coded to the car so the charging system knows it is new.

If it is not the battery, it is usually the alternator, the starter motor, a corroded earth or a fault that drains it while it is parked. We tell you which, and the price to fix it; most starters and alternators we can fit on the street the same or the next day.

What is included

• A battery, alternator and starter test before anything is sold
• Common batteries carried in the van
• AGM and EFB stop-start batteries, coded to the car
• Overnight drains traced
• Starters and alternators fitted on the street
• The old battery recycled

What it costs

Battery fitted £25 labour plus £85 to £175 for the battery, by size and type. A non-start visit is £55, deducted from the repair. Including VAT. The job pricer works it out for your size of car, and the area checker gives the call-out for your postcode.