How to Jump-Start a Car with a Dead Battery

Preparedness is key on the road in Birmingham. For example, knowing how to properly jump-start a car could save you from getting stuck in a parking lot, having just discovered that you accidentally left your interior lights on. If you’ve never had to jump-start a car battery before, Hendrick Chevrolet Hoover has provided easy-to-follow instructions in the guide below! Read on to learn how to jump-start a car, and pick up some extra car battery tips while you’re at it.

What’s the Proper Way to Jump-Start a Car?

When you have a dead battery in Vestavia Hills, there’s a proper way to jump-start a car so you don’t get injured or damage the battery. First, you’ll need a set of jumper cables, as well as a friend or fellow driver who has a working vehicle and is willing to assist you. When you’re ready to get started, here’s how to properly jump-start a car:

1. If possible, park the car with a good battery with its grille facing your vehicle’s grille head-on. You can also park the cars next to each other. Turn both cars off and engage their parking brakes.
2. Open the hoods of the cars and locate their batteries. One or both of the batteries might have a plastic hood to remove in order to expose the battery terminals.
3. Distinguish between the positive and negative terminals, and check that they’re free of corrosion.
4. Connect the first red jumper cable clamp to the positive post on the dead battery.
5. Next, connect the other red clamp to the positive post on the good battery.
6. Connect the first black clamp to the negative post on the good battery.
7. Finally, clip the last black clamp to an unpainted metal surface on the frame of the dead car.
8. After successfully connecting the jumper cables in the right order, you can start the engine of the vehicle with the charged battery. Then, start the engine of the car with the dead battery.
9. After jump-starting your vehicle, you can remove the jumper cables in reverse order of how you connected them. At this point, you can also turn off the vehicle that was used to jump-start your car.
10. You should keep your own car’s engine running for at least 10 minutes to ensure it’s good to drive back to Bessemer. Your owner’s manual may have a specific recommendation for how long to run the engine following jump-start car service.

Need to Call a Jump-Start Car Service?

If you’re driving a new Chevy, it may still be eligible for Chevrolet Roadside Assistance. Chevy provides roadside assistance on new vehicles for the first 5 years/100,000 miles, including jump-start car service! There are two ways to request help:

• With an active OnStar® subscription, just press your blue OnStar® button.
• Without an active OnStar® subscription, call the Chevrolet Roadside Assistance phone number at 1-800-243-8872. A professional will meet you at your location to jump-start your car battery!

Car Won’t Jump-Start? Troubleshoot with These Tips

If you’ve followed our instructions but your car won’t jump-start, you may need a new battery or there could be another underlying issue. Here are some tips to get to the bottom of it:

• If you hear a clicking sound when you attempt to start your car, it could be a problem with the starter.
• If you can activate the electrical systems but the engine isn’t turning over, it could be tied to the ignition switch, battery, starter, or a fuse.
• Did you allow your car to run long enough after you jump-started the car battery? The battery needs enough time to recharge after being drained.

Schedule Service with Us for Further Assistance

If your car won’t jump-start, the service department at Hendrick Chevrolet Hoover can diagnose the issue. Contact us or book an appointment to get extra assistance from our certified technicians, and don’t forget to review our latest service specials while you’re at it.