Recently, my car requires a second crank to start the petrol engine(1.6L Auto), when it used to start with just a single crank. What could be the possible causes because I do change the spark plugs regularly?

The efficient starting of a car engine is dependent on the following factors: a correct air-fuel mixture ratio, the correct amount of sparks at the right ignition timing, and sufficient engine compression.

Malfunction of either one or more of the above will cause difficulty to start the engine.

Wear and tear is often the reason for malfunction and it is normal for the car to require more than one crank to ignite so long as there is no long continuous cranking at any one time.
Apart from frequent checks to ensure that your car's spark plugs are in good condition, you may also wish to check if their specifications are within the manufacturers' recommendation.

If the problem persists, we recommend you to send your car to a workshop with on-board diagnostics to check for fault codes stored.

Karen Choo
Corporate Communications
Automobile Association of Singapore