2012 sonic not starting, clicking noise

[KayTrex95]

my mom just went to go start my car to run some errands after it’s sat in the driveway for about 13 hours or so and it won’t start.

she said at first it seemed like it wanted to but was a bit quiet and the radio and everything electrical turned on inside the car. then when she tried to start it again nothing would happen but a clicking noise.

the car has 198,000 miles on it so i know i probably have to replace either the starter or alternator. i suppose it could be the battery too but seeing as everything electrical is turning on i’m not sure if the battery’s the issue?

i’m waiting on parts to replace the butterfly valve/throttle body/air meter (called a few things but all the same part lol) and air filter due to some air flow codes that came up last week.

i’m going out of town for the weekend (with a rental car thank goodness) so i’ll have time to order a part if anyone knows what it might be! i figure replacing any part wouldn’t hurt considering how many miles i’ve put on my sonic.

thanks in advance!


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[KayTrex95]

for reference it’s a 2012 sonic lt 1.8L engine


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[gnonne]

How old is the battery? That is the most common cause for the symptoms you report. On the first try the battery had enough charge to run the lights and radio, after the engine drained the battery, nothing works. Alternators and starters last a really long time in most modern cars.

 

[SuperFudd]

Any honorable shop will test the alternator / regulator etc before replacing the battery.