Slow crank, dashboard flicker, or a no-start? We test the whole charging system, battery, alternator and starter, and replace what's actually failing.
Nothing ruins a morning like a car that won't start. The cause is almost always one of three things, the battery, the alternator, or the starter, and telling them apart takes a proper test, not a guess. TAB Motors tests the whole system for free, so you replace the part that's actually dead instead of the one someone guessed at.
Between humid DC summers and cold winter mornings, car batteries around Arlington rarely make it much past three or four years. Heat cooks the internals; cold hides a weak battery until the one morning it won't turn over. If yours is on the older side or you've noticed a slow crank, a quick test now beats a jump-start in a parking lot later.
We stock quality batteries and can replace an alternator or starter the same day on most vehicles. A weak battery can also throw off electronics and warning lights and even affect an emissions "readiness" check, so it's worth handling before it snowballs.
That's exactly what our free test tells us. A battery that keeps dying after a jump often points to a failing alternator, we confirm it before replacing anything.
In the DC-area climate, usually 3–4 years. If yours is older and cranking slowly, have it tested.
Yes, we stock common batteries and can usually swap it on the spot after testing.
A rapid clicking is often a dead battery or bad connection; a single click can be the starter. We'll test to be sure.
Always. Replacing a battery without checking the alternator is how people end up stranded twice.
Virginia inspection, oil, brakes, tires and more on Old Dominion Dr. Free air, free coffee, and a straight answer every time.