How to Jump-Start a Car

While the quality of car batteries has improved over the years, one unfortunate fact remains: car batteries will lose their charge and require recharging. If you find yourself with a dead battery in North Canton or Massillon, you can call a jump-start car service or BMW roadside assistance to get you back up and running. But that can be time-consuming. When you know how to properly jump-start a car, you put the power of getting back on the road into your own hands, saving time and money. Find out how to jump-start a car battery and what to do if your car won’t jump-start with the BMW of North Canton service department. 

The Proper Way to Jump-Start a Car

While it’s easy to jump-start a car battery, it’s also very important to know the proper way to jump-start a car. Going about jump-starting a car battery incorrectly can put you at risk for fire, injury, or damage to your car. If you have a nearby friend who can help and a set of jumper cables, the only other thing you need is the knowledge of how to jump-start a car battery. Just follow these steps and you’ll be back on the road to Green in no time. 

1. Face the two vehicles with the batteries facing each other. Turn off their engines and set their parking brakes. 
2. Gain access to the batteries. You may need to remove a plastic hood to expose the battery terminals.
3. Find the positive (red) and negative (black) battery terminals. Make sure they are clean and free of any corrosion or dirt.
4. Separate your jumper cables making sure that the red ends and the black ends don’t touch each other. 
5. Connect the red clamp to the positive post on the dead battery.
6. Hook the other red clamp to the positive terminal of the battery with the charge.
7. Connect the black clamp to the negative post on the good battery. 
8. Connect the last black clamp to a grounded, unpainted metal surface on your car’s frame.
9. Start the engine of the vehicle with a good battery and let the car with the good battery run for a bit before starting the vehicle with the dead battery. 
10. Once the dead battery has been successfully jump-started and easily starts, remove the jumper cables in the reverse order that they were placed. Keep the jump-started vehicle running for at least 10 minutes to fully recharge the battery.

Schedule an appointment with our service department to have your battery charge checked, especially if there’s no obvious reason why it died. If your car won’t jump-start, the problem isn’t with the battery. A dead alternator or starter can be the issue. If the car’s electrical system works but the engine doesn’t, chances are the problem is a blown fuse, which is quick and easy to replace. 

Learn More DIY Car Care Tips with BMW of North Canton

When you know how to handle easy maintenance and car repairs on your own, you’ll take a lot of stress out of car ownership while saving time and money. Check out the service tips from BMW of North Canton to learn more small and easy things you can do to keep your car on the go!