Toyota Repair: Corolla issue, mileage car, delivery route

Question
I recently had trouble starting my 2001 Corolla. After repeated attempts it finally
turned over. I brought it right over to the dealership. I thought maybe something got
lose when they replaced my headlights the week before. They told me not only the battery
needed to be replaced but also the starter! Shouldn't I have had warning signs with the
starter? This was the first time I had trouble starting my car. I only have about 56,000 miles on the car.


Answer
Hi there,

Sometimes both the starter and battery can have alike symptoms when they go bad. It is possible for both components to be bad at the same time but not usually. Warning signs of a starter going bad is a "clicking" noise when you turn the ignition to the "start" position. Even though you have a low mileage car, that indicates to me that you don't do much traveling. Therefore, when you do more surface street driving or if you have a job that requires you to use your car on a delivery route, you will use your starter more frequently.