It is pretty easy to know how to tell if your car battery is dead. You can utilize a free VIN lookup to determine which battery is best suited for your vehicle. However, buying something online will not help you at the moment. There are some key steps to follow so that you can get some more juice into your car’s battery, so you can at least get off the side of the road for the time being.
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Take Out the Jumper Cables
The ideal way to get your car up-and-running again is to give it a jumpstart. This is why it is always a good idea to have a set of jumper cables inside your car. If you do not already have jumper cables, then you need to buy some immediately.
In the event your battery dies without jumper cables around, then you may need to rely on a Good Samaritan to stop by to help you out. In the event no one seems to stop, then you should call a friend or family member to help you out. Hopefully, you will be in an area with cell phone service so that you can reach someone quickly.
Put Both Cars in Neutral or Park
The two cars should face one another. You need to place both of them in a park or neutral before going any further. You also want to shut off the ignition entirely and engage the parking brakes in both vehicles.
Attach the Jumper Cables
From there, you should attach one of the red clips to your battery’s positive terminal. It will have the label of “+” or “POS.” It will also be larger than the negative terminal, so you should know immediately which one is which. You can then attach the other red clip to the other vehicle’s positive terminal. Next, you want to attach one of the black clips to the negative terminal on the other car’s battery. Lastly, you should attach the final black clip to an unpainted metal surface on your car. The metal struct holding the bonnet open is perfect for this.
Run the Other Engine
The other driver should run his or her car for about five minutes to give your battery enough power. After that, you can try starting your vehicle. Ideally, it will start right away. However, if it does not, then you should try running the car for another five minutes. In the event it still does not work, then your battery may be beyond jumpstarting. When you do get a jumpstart, you should allow your car to continue running for at least 15 minutes. It may not start again, so make sure you get a replacement car battery before you have to drive again.
Having your battery die while you are driving is never fun. If you are in the middle of the city, then someone should be able to help you relatively quickly. The battery dying out is a telltale sign it is on its last legs, so make sure you know where to turn to when the time comes for a battery replacement.
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