Breakdown Problem
Car Won't Go Into Gear
This one splits cleanly. On a manual, if you can select gears with the engine off but not with it running, the problem is almost always the clutch rather than the gearbox. On an automatic that won't come out of park, it's usually the shift interlock — and there's a manual override for it that most owners never knew existed.
What you're likely seeing
- Manual: gears select fine with the engine off, crunch or refuse with it running
- Manual: gear lever moves freely with no engagement — linkage or cable failure
- Automatic: stuck in park and the selector won't move at all
- Automatic: selects a gear but there's no drive
- Grinding on downshifts, or the box jumping out of gear on the overrun
Do this before anything else
- 1Don't force a selector. Cables and linkages bend, and a bent linkage turns a cheap fix into a gearbox-out job.
- 2If you're stuck in gear and moving, get to a safe stop rather than trying to shift repeatedly in traffic.
- 3On an automatic stuck in park, check the brake lights work — a failed brake light switch is a very common cause of the interlock not releasing.
On a motorway or dual carriageway, ring 999 and ask for National Highways before you call any recovery company. Motorway breakdown advice →
How we move the vehicle
A car that can't be put in neutral can't simply be rolled onto a flatbed, so we bring skates or dollies. Front-wheel-drive vehicles can go on a spec-lift; rear-wheel-drive and four-wheel-drive vehicles need all four wheels off the ground or the driven axle supported. Telling us the drivetrain layout on the phone means the right unit turns up first time.
What it costs
Standard recovery pricing on distance. If it's an automatic stuck in park, ask us about the shift-lock release before you book — sometimes a two-minute phone conversation saves you the whole call-out.
Full recovery cost guideQuestions we get asked
The service you probably need
Other problems we're called to
Tell us what the car is doing
Describe the fault on the phone and we'll tell you honestly whether this is a roadside fix or a recovery — and what it will cost — before a driver leaves.