Dead Battery in Lanham?
You turn the key and get a click, or the dash lights flicker and fade. Maybe the lights were left on, maybe it is cold, or maybe the battery has been getting weaker for a while and today it finally quit.
Northeast of the shop. We do take roadside calls toward Lanham. Because it is further out, call first so we can tell you realistically how quickly we can reach you.
Overheating complaints in summer and highway-speed vibration are the two categories we see most from this area. Both are worth catching early, since a cooling-system failure at highway speed does more damage than the same failure in traffic.
We reach drivers along Annapolis Road (MD-450), Martin Luther King Jr. Highway (MD-704), US-50, the Capital Beltway (I-495). Tell us the cross street or a landmark when you call.
What Happens When We Get There
We come to the vehicle and jump-start it using proper equipment and connection points. Jumping a modern vehicle incorrectly can damage electronics, which is a good reason not to accept a jump from a stranger with an unknown set of cables.
Once it is running, we test the battery and the charging system on the spot. That tells you whether you just had a bad night or whether the battery or alternator is on its way out.
If the battery is done, we can often replace it right there. If the alternator is the problem, we will tell you, because a jump start on a failing alternator only buys you a few miles.
Signs It Is The Battery
- A single click or rapid clicking when you turn the key
- Dash lights dimming or going out while cranking
- Slow, labored cranking before it quit
- You have needed a jump recently
- Interior lights very dim or not coming on
- The battery is more than a few years old