24/7 dispatch
4.7681 Google reviews
WreckMaster and I-TECC certified
Family-owned in Evergreen
(303) 674-0198
D&J Towing handles roadside battery replacement any hour of the day or night, installing a new battery where your vehicle is parked. When a battery is too worn out for a jump to last, tell dispatch your year, make, model and engine so the right battery can be matched before the truck heads your way.
Answer what you can. The meter fills as the signs point toward a worn-out battery, and it switches to a warning when your answers point past the battery. If a jump is all it needs, our jump start service page covers that call.
How to read the result: every answer adds to the meter, and some answers point past the battery.
A younger battery that went flat once, after a cold night or lights left on, often recovers with a jump and a long drive. If it goes flat again within days, it is a replacement call.
Age, a slow crank and repeat jumps add up to a battery near the end of its life. Ask for roadside battery replacement and give dispatch your year, make, model and engine.
Bright lights with a click, a normal crank that never fires, or a car that dies while driving point to the starter, the charging system, fuel or ignition. A new battery will not fix those. Plan on a tow to your shop.
A swollen, cracked or leaking case, or a rotten-egg smell, means the battery is done. Do not try to jump it. Stay back from it and tell dispatch exactly what you see.
A jump puts enough charge in a battery to start the engine. It does not bring back a battery that can no longer hold a charge. These are the signs AAA lists for a battery that is on its way out.
AAA puts the average battery lifespan at three to five years, and closer to three on vehicles loaded with electronics. If yours is in that range and slowing down, have it tested before the first hard freeze.
The engine turns over a little slower every cold morning until one day it only clicks. That slow decline is a battery losing capacity, not a one-time drain.
Headlights that look dim or yellowish, dome lights that flicker, a weak horn, or a radio and chargers that act up are all signs AAA ties to a failing battery.
It started with a jump, ran fine, and went flat again a day or two later. A battery that keeps going flat after jumps is usually near the end of its life.
A bulging, cracked or heavily corroded battery is finished. Do not try to jump a battery in that condition. Leave the hood up, stay clear and call.
A sulfur smell around the battery is another sign on the AAA list. Keep people back from the engine bay and mention the smell when you call so the driver knows before arriving.
Cold works against a battery from two directions. The chemistry inside slows down, so the battery delivers less power, while a cold engine with thick oil needs more power to turn over. AAA says starting a car in cold weather can take up to twice the usual current.
The damage often starts months earlier. Summer heat evaporates battery fluid and weakens the charge, and the first hard freeze exposes the weakness. That is why the first frozen morning at the trailhead or in the driveway is so often when an aging battery finally quits.
If your battery is past three years old, have it tested before the snow season. A borderline battery is far easier to deal with in your driveway than on a cold shoulder of US 285.
Source: AAA. A battery loses about 35 percent of its strength at 32°F and about 60 percent at 0°F, right when the engine needs the most current to start.
Here is what installing a battery at the roadside generally looks like, start to finish, so you know what to expect while you wait.
Year, make, model and engine decide the battery size, terminal layout and type. Getting this right before the truck rolls is why dispatch asks.
Loose or corroded terminals can look like a dead battery or a bad starter, so the case, cables and connections get a look before anything comes out.
The negative cable comes off first, then the positive. Doing it in that order keeps a tool from shorting against the body.
The hold-down bracket comes off, the old battery comes out and the new one goes in. The hold-down goes back on so the battery cannot shift while you drive.
Terminals are cleaned, the positive cable goes on first and the negative last, and the connections are tightened and protected against corrosion.
The engine starts, the warning lights go out, and you hear which settings your vehicle may need reset.
A battery has to fit the tray, reach the cables and match what the vehicle's electrical system expects. A minute of detail on the phone is what lets the right battery be matched before anyone drives up the hill.
We accept cash, Mastercard and Visa. Ask dispatch for a quote when you call.
A battery only starts the engine. Once it is running, the alternator does the charging, and the starter does the cranking. When one of those fails, a new battery gets you nowhere, and the vehicle needs a shop.
Not sure if it is the battery? Call and describe what the vehicle is doing. Dispatch will tell you whether it sounds like a battery, a jump or a tow.
Yes. Battery installation is part of our roadside service, and it is done where the vehicle sits, 24 hours a day. Give dispatch the year, make, model and engine so the right battery can be matched.
A battery that went flat once after lights were left on often recovers with a jump. A battery that is three or more years old, cranks slowly, or keeps going flat after jumps usually needs replacing.
Yes. Start-stop vehicles generally use an AGM or EFB battery, and a vehicle that came with AGM should get AGM again. Some also need the new battery registered to the car. Tell dispatch about start-stop when you call.
You might. Disconnecting the battery can clear radio presets and the clock, and some models need the one-touch power windows reset afterward. Your owner's manual explains the reset for your vehicle.
Then the cause is likely the charging system, the starter, or fuel and ignition. The same call becomes a tow to your shop, your home, or our yard. We accept cash, Mastercard and Visa.
Have your year, make, model and engine ready, and tell us where the vehicle is sitting. D&J Towing has served Evergreen, the Colorado foothills and the Denver metro since 1984, and dispatch answers day and night, holidays included.
