2 questions for matrix/vibe (or corolla?) drivers

They put a cover over the fuses so kids don't play with them. or you don't accidentally short them out with something metallic. Look for a rectangular or oval panel bigger than a playing card with a finger-hole in the middle to pop it out.

Sometimes you have to take off an entire plastic panel, like the 'kick panel by your foot ahead of the door, but that's rarer. And they usually mark the panel with a raised "FUSE PANEL". They know people need to find the fuse block, so they make it findable.

Sounds like a sticking starter solenoid to me - how many miles on the car? If the car was used for courier service and they used the starter a lot, they could have plain worn it out.

Pay attention to that pause - if the pause starts getting longer and longer, get it checked out before the car won't start at all.

Or it could have some oil or grease inside the starter solenoid where it shouldn't be (graphite lube, please) and it's quite literally gumming up the works.

Or the battery is toast - possible even on a 3 year old car if someone has left the headlights on overnight a few times. Have someone do a simple load test on the battery

. And top off the battery with distilled water at the same time - when they put 'maintenance free' on top, it just means you only need to check it once or twice a year, not every month. If you never add water to a 'maintenance free' battery it runs dry and goes dead just as the 3 year warranty ends, and you have to buy a new battery that much sooner.

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