Having a hard time getting your car to start? You might be experiencing a problem with your starter, your alternator, or your battery. But you might also be having issues with your car’s ignition switch. If the issue is, in fact, with your ignition switch, you’ll need to have it replaced right away so that you can get back out on the road. You’ll have to ask yourself, “How much is an ignition switch?”, and then pay the price for a new one to put your car troubles in the past. Let’s learn more about what your ignition switch is and what it does before talking about how much it’s going to cost you to fix it.
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What Is an Ignition Switch?
In a few minutes, we’re going to help you answer the question, “How much is an ignition switch?”, since we’re guessing that you landed here because you have a bad ignition switch in your car. But prior to doing that, we think that it’s important for you to understand what your ignition switch is and what it does. It’s one of the most important and yet most overlooked aspects of your car.
Your ignition switch, which is also sometimes called a starter switch or a start switch, is a switch that’s designed to start up all of the different electrical components of your vehicle. When you stick your key into your car’s ignition switch and turn it, it’ll respond by turning on everything from your car radio and your windshield wipers to your turn signals and even your fuel pump. This makes it an essential part of your car and something that needs to be fully functioning for you to drive your car around.
How Long Does an Ignition Switch Last?
Now that you have a better idea of what exactly your ignition switch does, let’s move on and discuss how long it’s likely going to last you. This is good information to know since the last thing you want is for your ignition switch to give out on you unexpectedly and leave you asking, “How much is an ignition switch?”
Many years ago, it wasn’t uncommon for ignition switches to fail within just 50,000 miles. In some cases, vehicle owners were only able to get about 30,000 miles out of them. But in this day and age, most modern cars come with ignition switches in them that will last for up to 100,000 miles or more without giving out on you. This makes these cars more reliable as a whole and ensures that you won’t have to worry about replacing your car’s ignition switch more than once or maybe twice depending on how long you have it.
That being said, there are some instances in which you might not get that much life out of your car’s ignition switch. It wouldn’t be all that wild for your ignition switch to give out on you sooner than the 100,000-mile mark if you don’t take good care of it. It’s why you should familiarize yourself with the different things that can cause your ignition switch to fail ahead of schedule.
What Causes Ignition Switch Failure?
There are actually a whole host of things that could potentially cause your ignition switch to fail sooner than you may have expected. It’s a great idea for you to educate yourself about them so that you’re not left stuck on the side of the road with a car without power. What are some of these things?
Well, for starters, an ignition switch can wear down on you if you’re too aggressive with it when turning your car key in it. If you’re constantly shoving your key into it and turning it with reckless abandon, you could very well do damage to your car’s ignition switch. You can also do damage to it if you expose it to very high and/or very low temperatures on a regular basis. This can cause problems with your ignition switch over time. There are also springs in your ignition switch that can break on you and cause it to wear down too quickly.
Your goal should be to limit the wear and tear that you put on your car’s ignition switch by avoiding the things we just talked about at all costs. You’ll keep your ignition switch around for a longer time by being gentle with it and by steering clear of breaking any of the parts inside of it.
What Are the Signs of a Bad Ignition Switch?
No matter how careful you might be with your car’s ignition switch, there is going to come a time when it’ll break down on you and need to be replaced. You can’t avoid the question, “How much is an ignition switch?”, forever. And more often than not, your car’s ignition switch will start to show signs that it’s going bad before it gives out on you for good and requires replacement.
What are some of these signs? See for yourself here:
- Your car fails to start despite having a relatively new battery inside of it
- Your car key won’t turn at all when you stick it into your ignition
- Your car keeps stalling out when you’re attempting to drive it
- Your car’s dashboard lights flicker a lot when you have your car turned on
If you spot any of these signs, it means that it’s time for you to drive your car down to your mechanic to have them take a look at it. There could be another issue going on with your car that’s preventing it from starting. But oftentimes, it’s going to be your ignition switch that is to blame.
Can You Start a Car With a Bad Ignition Switch?
There are many people who are under the impression that, as long as a car starts, there isn’t a problem with the ignition switch. But here’s the thing: That’s not always true! Your ignition switch could be on the brink of giving out on you at any second and still just strong enough to start up your car. You’ll still technically be able to start your car and even drive it around when you have a bad ignition switch in it.
That doesn’t mean that you should do it, though. Reason being, your car could start up and drive for a few minutes when you have a bad ignition switch, only to stall out on you completely at the worst possible time. And you don’t want to be driving down the highway at a high rate of speed when your car’s ignition switch decides to die on you, do you? Of course not, as that could be a huge safety risk, both for you and for other people out on the road.
Our advice would be to not ever drive a car if you even think that there could be an issue with its ignition switch. While the ignition switch on a car can be finicky when it first starts to go bad and work sometimes, it won’t be very long before it dies on you altogether. And you could put yourself into a dangerous position if you chose to push it too far. You’re better off asking, “How much is an ignition switch?”, and replacing yours immediately.
What Should You Do If Your Ignition Switch Goes Bad?
If you think that the ignition switch in your car has gone bad, the first and only thing that you should do is contact a local auto repair shop and have it fixed. You shouldn’t wait any longer than you have to to do this since you could be putting your ignition switch into jeopardy every time you start your car up. You’re only going to be delaying the inevitable if you put off asking, “How much is an ignition switch?”
Just be sure that you take your car to a licensed mechanic who knows what they’re doing when it comes to ignition switches. Replacing an ignition switch isn’t necessarily the most difficult job in the world. But it is one that needs to be done correctly to prevent future problems with a car’s ignition switch. It’s why you should only trust the best to work on your car.
If you happen to know a lot about cars and feel comfortable working on them, replacing an ignition switch on your own could be an option. But it’s not a good job for someone who only has a limited amount of experience working on cars. You could do more harm than good if you make a mistake while repairing your bad ignition switch.
How Long Does It Take to Replace an Ignition Switch?
While you might not be thrilled about having to take your car to a mechanic to have a new ignition switch put into place, the good news is that this job isn’t going to take all day. You could actually have a new ignition switch installed in your car in under an hour in some cases when you work with the right mechanic. As long as they have an ignition that will fit in your specific vehicle, they can remove your old ignition and replace it with a new one in no time at all.
This is yet another reason why you should let a mechanic handle your ignition switch replacement rather than you doing it on your own. Although doing it on your own is an option, it’s likely going to take you at least a few hours to replace your ignition switch. A mechanic, meanwhile, will do it in right around an hour and send you on your way. Even though you’ll have to ask, “How much is an ignition switch?”, and pay them for their time, doing that could be a whole lot less frustrating than trying to replace your own ignition switch.
How Much Is an Ignition Switch?
After hearing all about how important the ignition switch in your car is, you might think that it’s going to cost you an arm and a leg to replace it. But guess what? In reality, it’s one of the easier auto repairs that a mechanic has to make, which is why it’s not that expensive at all.
Every mechanic charges slightly different prices and will have a different answer when you ask, “How much is an ignition switch?” But generally speaking, you’re going to pay somewhere between $190 and $235 for a new ignition switch. That will include both the price of parts (about $100 to $125) and the price of labor (about $90 to $115). It’s a small price to pay for an ignition switch that you know you can count on.
Is the Ignition Switch Replacement Cost Worth It?
As we’ve tried to emphasize over and over again, your car’s ignition switch is a very important part of it. While it’s easy to take your ignition switch for granted, it’s impossible to start your car up and drive it around without it. This is why it’s essential for you to look out for the signs of a bad ignition switch and ask, “How much is an ignition switch to replace?”
Ignition switch replacement is well worth it because it’ll allow you to start your car up and drive it without it stalling out on you. You won’t have to worry about getting stranded in the middle of nowhere because of a bad ignition switch. You should have your ignition switch replaced as soon as you can at the first sign of trouble.
What If You Don’t Want to Replace a Bad Ignition Switch?
Is your car so old that you don’t even want to bother fixing something like a bad ignition switch? If this is the case, you should know that you can still sell it if you want, bad ignition switch and all. The junk car buyers from Cash Cars Buyer will purchase your car from you for cash, despite the fact that the ignition switch isn’t working the way that it should.
Stop asking, “How much is an ignition switch?”, and make the decision to sell your car instead. Contact us for more information on getting an offer for a car with a bad ignition switch in it.