This past week I was reminded of something very important. Everyone should learn how to jump off their car battery, and they could always carry jumper cables with them.
My friend and I were driving around enjoying a free evening of relaxing. Who gets those in college, right? Well, we got back to her dorm and were just talking in the parking lot. I realized I was low on gas, so I turned the car off but left the electronics on so we could listen to the radio while we talked. Unfortunately, to my dismay, I did not pay attention to the fact that we sat there talking for another two hours.
As I got ready to leave I was given that little clicking noise when the car tried to start. Internally I died. Even though it was around 1 am, I thankfully had one friend who was still up, and we both knew what to do.
Here are the steps to take if you are faced with that unfortunate click of a dead battery.
1. Don't Panic
Normally there will be someone you can contact nearby to help you fix this problem. If not there is usually another person parked nearby that can jump your car. Even if they don't know what to do, you can do it.
2. Get the Jumper cables
I cannot stress this enough, always, ALWAYS have jumper cables in your car. They can save your life. Sometimes someone may know how to fix the issue but they don't have cables of their own, so carry them with you. If you don't remember anything else from this article, remember that.
3. Make sure your cars are turned off.
Before attaching any wires to either car, make sure the BOTH cars are completely turned off. Having an electric current shot through your hand would not end up being fun.
4. Attach the red clip.
Once the cars are turned off, attach the red clips to the positive ends of the battery. It The positive side will either say (Pos) or (+). Also the positive side will sometimes have a cap over it. Also, make sure that you're hands do not touch the metal on the wires. Again, you don't want an electric shock through your body.
5. Attach the black cap.
Once the positive sides are attached, proceed to attach the black clips to the negative side. Some people say only attach one of the black clips to the battery, and to attach the second one to another separate piece of metal. However, I have never had a problem in the many times I have jumped my car.
6. Turn on the car.
After a few minutes of letting the car charge, maybe about five, proceed to test your car. If it does not turn on, give it a few more minutes and try again. If it does not work, there may be something with the battery itself.
7. Leave car running.
If your car ends up coming back to life, make sure to leave your car running. Take a fifteen minute drive to make sure your battery has enough time to recharge. From there, your battery should be good to go, and life should continue smoothly once more. At least in the car battery department it should be good.
**A note - It was brought to my attention that using jumper cables on vehicles with electronic ignition systems or alternatively fueled vehicles, it can mess up the car.**
