When you rely on your car for every day essential errands, your day can take a downturn when your car unexpectedly won't start. If your car doesn't start while you are out, you may not have the right people and/or resources around and you may be left stranded.
What Could Be Wrong?
If your car was running fine and all of a sudden it doesn't start, the first place to look is the car battery. The battery may have become discharged or may be low on power. Luckily this is an easy fix.
What Can I Do?
Carefully open the hood and look at the battery. See if you can observe it being in place. Observe the cable clamps. If they appear loose, or if you see powder like accumulation or corrosive build up, that may be the target repair problem. The corrosion from the battery terminal must be cleaned and the clamps must be tightened to make sure it doesn't move.
If the battery is not the problem, check to see if it might be something basic such as low fuel or the car may not fully in park.
Safety First
If the car is somewhat running, try to get to a safe location such as a parking lot of a business that is still open. If the vehicle is not running, but can coast in neutral, guide the car to the right shoulder, but stay on level ground. Leave emergency flashers on so other drivers can notice you.
If the car is stuck in traffic, just turn on the emergency flashers. You and your passengers should not remain in a car that is stuck in a busy area, especially if there is potential for the car to be hit from behind. Exit from the side away from traffic. While waiting for help, never stand behind or in front of a stranded vehicle. If you are unable to call for help, you can try to safely signal other drivers by raising the hood.
If you do not have an emergency kit handy with a flag, flare, or warning triangles, then you can tie a bright colored cloth or scarf to the antenna or driver door handle. Seeing these signals can help prompt an oncoming driver to slow down while approaching.
Where Do I Send My Car?
Most emergency roadside services will pay for a tow within a 100 mile radius of the area you are stranded. It is a good idea to keep the phone numbers and addresses of repair facilities you prefer handy in your car as a reference. Or if you are traveling, try to bookmark in advance potential directories you can easily access from a smart phone or GPS. Some emergency roadside services, offer mobile applications to access pre-screened facilities nearby. If you are a person who tends to forget your membership cards, always keep a copy of your membership letter with member number handy in your car. If you have a preferred repair facility, make a mental note to ask them their procedure for helping existing customers when they are stranded. Some repair facilities have towing services they have established relationships with and may be able to help you avoid the long wait if you are stranded. Others may offer a courtesy car service to come and pick you up if you are stranded during their normal business hours. Asking these questions in advance can save time and/or money.
