How to Jump-Start a Car
How to Jump-Start a Car in Valdosta, GA
A dead car battery always pops up at the most unfortunate time. The common culprits of a dead battery are typically car lights being left on, extreme outdoor temperatures and undiagnosed vehicle problems. Being stranded is never a good feeling — that’s why Griffin Chrysler Dodge Jeep RAM Valdosta has your back. In fact, we’ve compiled a straightforward step-by-step guide on how to jump-start your car. To get started, you simply need jumper cables and a trusted friend who has a car and you’ll be back on the road in no time!
Before jump-starting, double check:
Your battery.
Never jump-start a leaky, damaged, frozen or corroded battery. This is a major safety hazard that needs to be handled by a professional. If you sense your car battery has been compromised, contact our service department and our experts can help take care of it.
For metal objects and open flames.
Remove any tools, phones, watches, jewelry or cigarettes that are near your car’s battery. You want to keep the sparks inside the engine, not outside.
Your key.
Take it out of the ignition and keep it in a safe place.
Your owner’s manual.
When in doubt, always refer to your owner’s manual on how to jump-start your battery before you begin.
The battery voltage.
Whenever you jump-start your vehicle, you always want to make sure that it’s with a car that has an engine with the same voltage as yours. While many have 12-volt batteries, some may have six-volt batteries. Never try to jump-start your car with a vehicle that has a higher voltage than your battery.
When you’re ready to jump-start your car, follow these tips:
- Prepare both cars. Park the donor car in close proximity to yours and put both vehicles in park or neutral. Turn them off and engage the parking brake. While you want the cars close to each other, make sure they aren’t physically touching.
- Get out your jumper cables. These cables typically have four alligator clips, two on each end. They’re also color coded in a way where red means positive and black means negative. Here’s the specific order in which you should connect the clips to the vehicles:
RED to DEAD: Connect one of the red clips to the positive (+) terminal on your dead battery.
RED to DONOR: Connect the other red clip to the positive (+) terminal on the donor vehicle’s battery.
BLACK to DONOR: On the SAME CAR, connect one of the black clips to the negative (-) terminal on the donor vehicle’s battery.
BLACK to METAL: Now, back to the dead battery. Connect the other black clip to bare metal that is not next to the battery. This can be an unpainted metal bolt or bracket.
- Start the donor car and let it run for at least one to two minutes
- Try to start the car with the dead battery.
- If it turns on, let it run for one to two minutes. This allows it to recharge while power travels along the jumper cables and into your battery.
- If it won’t start, you might have to wait a little longer in order for the battery to charge up. However, if you have already tried multiple times to no avail, you most likely have a bigger issue that needs to be fixed by a professional. That’s where we come in — schedule a service appointment with us and we’ll get you back on the road in no time!
- Without turning your car off, remove the cables in reverse order from how you put them on initially.
- Drive your vehicle for 30 minutes to an hour. This will help the battery maintain its charge so that it starts up properly next time.
Do you find that your car often needs a jump? This is a telltale sign that you need a replacement battery! Our technicians can order the new battery for you, install it and dispose of the old one properly. What are you waiting for? Stop by our service center today and let us handle the rest!
If you have any questions about jump-starting a car, what battery is right for your model or anything else, we’ll be happy to help. Contact us online or stop by Griffin Chrysler Dodge Jeep RAM Valdosta at 4164 N Valdosta Rd, Valdosta, GA 31602. We’re located near Thomasville, Douglas, Moultrie and Lake City.