TDunk

Hi,

About 3 weeks ago, the starter wouldn't turn when I turned the key. Not a clicking sound or anything. I think I sat there and kept trying until it surprising fired right up...no special sounds of difficulty, just a delay. It happened again the other day but didn't work itself out this time. I called my mechanic and the guy who answered the phone suggested several potential causes. One was that there might be a problem with the security system not recognizing the key or something like that. Two others had to do with something in the steering column and another with a transfer of some sort to the starter that might not have been sending the signal. Lastly, the starter could be bad and needed replacement. I had my car towed to my mechanic, who promptly reported that it was a bad starter. I didn't inquire into specifics and just accepted to have it replaced.

The mystery stems from my having gotten my car back with a key working better than it did before the fix. That is, my key had been losing its effectiveness in locking and unlocking the car. I had to be standing very close to the car for it to work, whereas it had a very long distance coverage during prior years. Somehow, the key works tremendously better now. I know that they had to disconnect the battery in the process of replacing the starter, but that alone doesn't seem to be linked to how my key could be working better. I do know that the key recharges when plugged into the car, so could there be a connection I'm not seeing?

I would appreciate any and all insights into this mystery.

Thanks,
TDunk