In the old days, you’d probably be on the right track, but as a more modern car, your Chery doesn’t have a carburettor, it has electronic fuel-injection. But the symptoms align pretty neatly with a very common problem for fuel-injected cars; an electric fuel pump that has given up the ghost.

When that happens, there’s no way for the fuel to get from the tank to the engine and, as a result, the car simply won’t start. Pumps can fail suddenly and for no apparent reason, leaving you stranded where ever you happen to be.

I’d say about ten years is a pretty good innings for a fuel pump, so that’s where I’d start looking. Try this: When you turn the ignition on, you should be able to hear a faint buzz or hum as the pump starts taking petrol to the engine. If there’s no such noise, that’s another clue that the pump has died.

Of course, it could be something else – electrical, perhaps a fuse – but the fuel pump is a great place to start searching for the cause.

Hold down your trip meter button of your Chery J3 while turning the ignition key (but don't start the car). Hold down the trip meter button for 10 seconds, then turn the ignition key off.

The spanner light should not be on when you next switch the car on.

The Chery J3 does not have an official ANCAP safety rating, which means it might have not ever been tested.