How to Jumpstart Your Car

Whether you sit with the radio on for too long, leave a light on, or have an old car battery, you will most definitely need to jumpstart your car at some point or another. Jumpstarting your vehicle is a relatively simple process but can be quite complex to anyone unfamiliar with their car's engine. Therefore, you must know how to jumpstart your vehicle before needing to do it so that you can correctly jump it without complications. If you are unsure how to jumpstart your car, you're in the right place. All you will need to do is follow our complete guide for jumpstarting your car safely.
Step 1: Park
Whenever you need to jump your car, you must have another car to help you jump yours. You will need to park both cars close together, but you must ensure that they are not touching. It will be best if you can park both cars so that they are facing each other.
Step 2: Prep the Engine
Your next step in jumping your car will be to thoroughly prep the area. You will want to raise both hoods and take the jump cables out of your car. Ensure that the equipment is not damaged and is completely untangled to make sure that the jump process goes smoothly.
Step 3: Set Up
Now that you have prepped the area, you will be able to completely attach the cables to each battery. You will want to start by connecting the positive clamp (red) to the positive terminal on the dead battery, then to the positive terminal on the live battery. You will then need to attach the negative clamp (black) to the working battery's negative terminal, followed by attaching the negative clamp to an unpainted metal surface on the car with the dead battery. After completing this process, you should double-check each terminal to make sure every clamp is correctly attached before moving to step 4.
Step 4: Jump the Car
Now you will want to start both cars, starting with the working car and then starting the dead one. At this point, the dead battery should begin to start back up and return to its normal function.
Step 5: Unattach
At this point, you will want to remove the cables from each car, backward from the way you put them on the vehicles to start. Once you have removed the wires from the cars, you will want to let your car run for at least 15 minutes if possible, giving your car time to run power back through its systems and fully startup. During these 15 minutes, you are more than free to drive, as it will help to get your battery back up and running again.
Once you have gotten your battery up and running again, it may be best to take your car into your local body shop to be checked up on. This will not hurt anything, as most body shops will check your battery for free. In addition to giving you peace of mind, it will identify exactly what level your battery is operating at, so you will be able to determine whether you need to have your battery replaced. Even though it is relatively easy to restart your car's battery, occasionally, your battery will only be fixed temporarily, requiring a new battery before it is fully operational. If you want to avoid finding out that your jumpstart was only a temporary fix the hard way, make sure to stop by your body shop soon after jumping your car for a checkup.









