Ray: How often do you do it, Joe? Is this a daily event? If so, I'm going to recommend that you look into Miracle Ear.
Actually, it’s rarely the starter that gets damaged. It’s more often the flywheel - which is the larger gear that the starter gear meshes with.
They’re both pretty tough, and accidentally starting the car when it’s already running once in a blue moon probably will not do any damage. If it’s done repeatedly, though, you can wear down or break a tooth on the flywheel.
And if you have a flat spot on the flywheel, where a tooth or two is missing, the starter gear will spin but won’t be able to turn the flywheel, which is what moves the pistons up and down and starts the car.
Even when that happens, by trying to start the car several times, you often can move the flywheel just enough to get it to the next tooth and allow the starter to catch.
But at some point, the car won’t start - or will start so unreliably that you can’t take it anymore. Then you have to replace the flywheel.
Replacing the flywheel usually involves removing the engine, the transmission or both. That’s why we mechanics refer to that horrible grinding noise as “the sound of money.” So it’s best not to make a habit of restarting a running car.
By the way, many of the newer cars with “start/stop” buttons instead of keyed ignition switches won’t even let you restart the car if it’s already running. They’re smart enough to know when the engine is already running, so if you push the button a second time, the car assumes you changed your mind about going to work, and it shuts off the engine.
So we’re expecting to be replacing fewer flywheels as the years go by. That’s good for you, and bad for us. We’ll all be trading down to smaller boats.
She wants to buy a ‘mommobile’
Dear Car Talk:
I haven't owned a car for over 20 years; I don't need one. But my mom fell, broke her hip and had to be moved out of her home and into an independent living situation. Mom can no longer drive, and her old pickup is impossible for her to get in and out of, even as a passenger. And it's not a good choice for city driving anyway. So now I need a car to get my mom around. I have rented 14 different cars, checking for: Can Mom get in and out; do a wheelchair and third passenger fit; is it safe and reliable; and does it get good gas mileage? Any recommendations of cars that meet the above criteria? ? Many thanks for the years of laughter and any advice you have to offer. - Heather
Ray: Well, your mom's comfort is completely subjective, of course. But I would think a good bet for her would be cars that are in a category called "compact crossovers."
A crossover is a vehicle that’s a cross between a car and an SUV. It’s a car built on a car chassis, with an SUV body style. So crossovers drive like cars, get better mileage like cars and tend to be safer and more comfortable, like cars. But their seating position is higher off the ground than a car’s, though lower than in a truck or SUV. When the seat level of the car is the same as your derriere, that means you don’t have to climb up or fall down to get into the car. That’s probably what Mom would find easiest. Crossovers also have wagonlike cargo compartments - for stashing a wheelchair, for instance.
The so-called compact crossovers are just smaller, more economical crossovers. It sounds like economy and maneuverability are priorities for you. So if you haven’t looked at vehicles like the Kia Soul, Nissan Rogue, Honda HR-V, Subaru Forester or Buick Encore, just to name a few, those are worth a try. You also might visit the Special Needs Zone of our website, cartalk.com, which has a bunch of resources for people with car-related mobility issues.
So take your time and figure out what you want . Good luck to you and Mom, Heather.
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