ok guys a friend of mine has a 57 plate ka and she has broken down and won't start up again all we get is a clucking noise and flickering from the dials any ideas on what this could be causing the problem

flat battery

Battery or alternator.

Try charging the battery first and see how you go from there.

there is power in the car ie lights hazards wipers etc though

yup but it takes alot more to turn an engine over

think of it like this, i can join 8x AA batteries to get 12v - i could power a radio, some lights etc but i wouldnt be able to start a car. the battery needs to be able to supply hundreds of amps to get the starter to turn the engine

ah ok will try it and see what happens

One other point. Most modern cars run silver calcide battery. These things seem to have the lifespan of a gnat! and they die very strangely, one day the car starts fine the next it won't then a few hours later it works again (sometimes for weeks) the only way to be realy sure is to find a decent garage (not a rip off merchant) and get them to do a drop test on the battery. One other strange issue is that you can't even retro fit an old style lead-acid battery as it won't charge!

Strange but true!

Phil

yeah her car started today got the battery checked and its fine so dunno what happened

Now I would be looking for dirty/damaged wiring on starter motor or it could simply be that all the water we have had lately means the starter was simply sticking.

noticed the copper wiring parts were black and also where can I go to generate a radio code as I know I need the serial number but note I'm not asking for it just looking to be pointed into the right direction for one as I know they are banned

As your radio serial is most definitely a V code have a look on eBay, some there will post a code out for less than a fiver.