Starter replacement
We prove it's the starter before we sell you one.
A car that will not crank is a day off work. The point of testing first is that it is also the fastest route to driving again.
What people usually describe
- Single loud click, engine doesn't turn
- Starts every other time
- Grinding when you turn the key
- Starts after tapping the starter
- Nothing at all, but the lights are bright
- Only starts in neutral
Any of these is enough to start. You do not need to know which part it is — working that out is the job.
Before we quote you a part
A no-start can come from the battery, the grounds, the starter, the ignition switch or the neutral safety switch, and they all sound identical from the driver's seat.
Saying the word 'starter' does not make it the starter. The engine will not price one off a symptom — we test the circuit, then quote the part that failed.
This is not a policy someone can waive on a busy morning. It is the diagnostic gate in the engine, and it reads every message you send us — insisting does not move it.
The questions we'll ask you
Every one of these exists because getting it wrong means the part bolts on and the problem comes back. They take you ten seconds and save you a day.
Is it an automatic or a manual?
Manual and automatic transmissions can use different starters — different tooth counts and different mounting on some platforms. This is a fitment trap the engine checks by name.
Does it start every time, or intermittently?
An intermittent no-start with bright lights points somewhere different from a dead-every-time no-start, and it changes what we test first.
Has the battery been tested?
A weak battery produces a click that sounds exactly like a failed starter solenoid. It is the cheapest thing to rule out and it gets ruled out first.
What's on it, and what isn't
On every estimate
- Parts and labor as separate lines, always
- More than one supplier option, with warranty and availability next to each price
- A core deposit shown as its own refundable line where one applies
- Freight passed through at cost, not marked up
- A dollar reason whenever we recommend something dearer than the cheapest option
Not on it
- Tax on labor. Georgia exempts separately stated repair labor, and ours is separately stated
- A price for a part nobody has tested yet
- An upsell we cannot justify in dollars
- A number that changes by more than 10% without coming back to you for approval
Estimates are given as a range rather than a fixed figure until a licensed labor-time guide is in place. We would rather say that plainly than quote a firm number the shop cannot stand behind.
Tell us what it's doing.
Thirty seconds. A person reads every one of these, and if it needs a look before anyone can price it, we will say so rather than guess.
Starter replacement — straight answers
I already know it's the starter. Can you just quote it?
We would be guessing with your money. The engine is built so that a customer asserting a part does not clear the requirement to test it — that was a real bug we fixed, because 'my starter is bad, it just clicks' reached a priced quote and it should not have. We will test it quickly and then quote with confidence.
Is a rebuilt starter worth it?
Often, and you will see it next to the new options with its own warranty, price and availability. If we recommend the more expensive unit, the estimate states in dollars what you get for the difference.
How long does the job take?
It depends entirely on where the starter sits on your engine — some are twenty minutes and some are most of a day. We will tell you which one yours is before you commit.
Do you charge tax on the labor?
No. Georgia exempts separately stated repair labor, and PartPilot's estimates state it separately, so labor is outside the taxable base. Parts, freight and shop supplies are taxed; your time is not.