Jump starts and batteries
Flat battery callout in Birmingham
Clicks, a dim dashboard, then nothing. Flat battery? We boost it or replace it on the spot, so most of these jobs never need a tow.
- Lines open now, 24/7, 365
- Insured and licensed operators
- Fixed price before we set off
A flat battery is the one breakdown where the car is almost always fine apart from the battery. The engine, gearbox and brakes are all healthy. That is why a callout usually ends with you driving away rather than watching the car go up onto a truck.
The usual causes are simple. Cold mornings, a car left standing for a week or two, an interior light left on, or a stop-start system flagging low battery warnings for days before it finally gives up. Short town journeys do not give the alternator enough time to put back what the starter takes out.
When the driver arrives, the first step is a boost. If the engine fires and the battery holds, you are on your way. If it will not take charge, the battery is the problem, and in most cases we replace it on site. As a rule, a battery that will not hold charge overnight is usually the battery, not the alternator.
If we cannot source the correct battery for your car the same day, we jump-start it and recover it to a garage of your choice instead. You are not left with a car that might not start again at the next set of lights.
Hybrids have a smaller 12V auxiliary battery that fails much like a normal car battery. We follow the manufacturer jump procedure for your model, because connecting to the wrong point on a hybrid is an expensive mistake.
Where you are matters for access. A car nose in against a wall in a multi storey, or tucked into a tight residential bay, can still be boosted, but tell the dispatcher which end the bonnet is facing and whether there is space to park alongside. If the car is in an underground car park, give the level and the height barrier if you know it.
The price is agreed on the call, before the van or truck sets off. There is no membership to join and no policy number to find. You ring, you get a figure, and that is what you pay.
If the car does start but a battery warning light stays on while you drive, that points to the charging system rather than the battery itself. Our guide to the battery light explains what that usually means and when to stop.
What happens when you ring
- 1You ring and describe what the car does when you turn the key.
- 2The dispatcher takes the location and which way the bonnet faces.
- 3You receive a price and an ETA on the same call.
- 4The driver boosts the car, then checks whether the battery holds.
- 5The battery is replaced on site, or the car goes to your garage.
What we need from you
- Where the car is parked
- Which way the bonnet faces
- Make, model and registration
- Whether it clicks or does nothing
- Whether it is a hybrid
- How long it has been standing
Where we cover
Birmingham, Oldbury, Dudley, Walsall, Wolverhampton, Smethwick, West Bromwich, Solihull, Sandwell.
Questions people ask
- Do you replace batteries on site?
- In most cases yes. If we cannot source the correct battery the same day, we jump-start the car and recover it to a garage of your choice.
- Can you jump start a hybrid?
- Yes. Hybrids have a 12V auxiliary battery and we follow the manufacturer jump procedure for your model.
- Is it the battery or the alternator?
- A battery that will not hold charge overnight is usually the battery. A battery light that comes on while driving points towards charging.
- Do I need breakdown membership?
- No. We work pay as you go, with the price agreed on the call.
- Can you reach a car in a multi storey car park?
- Usually yes. Tell the dispatcher the level, the height barrier and which way the car is facing.
Car will not start?
Ring the dispatcher and tell us what happens when you turn the key.