How to jump-start your car: Do it safely, avoid injury

Think about a situation where you took your car to a remote area and the battery has drained out and are unable to start your car. There's no roadside assistance available. It's a scary situation for sure, but you can get out of that with a simple trick. Jumpstart is the solution in this case.

While jumpstarting is not a common thing for any car owner, it is the last resort in emergency situations. Here are a few simple steps to perform jumpstarting safely to avoid sparks or injury in case a vehicle is not starting. However, jumpstarting coms with a pre-set condition. You will require a functioning second car to perform this.

Take out jumper cables

Having a set of jumper cables in the trunk of the car is always recommended. Remember that your car is a machine, and machines can fail anytime without any prior notice. Hence, always keep a set of jumper cables, as it will come in handy in case your vehicle requires jumpstarting.

Park both cars in neutral and shut off ignition

When you find the second functioning car, park both the vehicles in neutral and shut off the ignition of both cars. Also, engage the parking brake in both the vehicles.

Connect the jumper cable in proper order

In order to jumpstart the car, you will require to connect the jumper cables in the proper order.

Attach red clip to positive terminal of your car battery

Attach one of the red clips to the positive terminal of your car's battery. It usually comes with a POS or + sign on it and is bigger than the negative terminal. Also, attach the other red clip to the positive terminal of the other car. Attach one of the black clips to the negative terminal on the other car's battery and the last black clip to an unpainted metal surface of your car that is not positioned near the battery. You can use the metal struts that hold the hood open.

Start the other car and then yours

Start the other car and let its engine run for a few minutes. Then try to start your car. If your car doesn't start, make sure the cables are connected properly and also ensure the other car's engine is running for at least five minutes. Then try starting your car again. If your car doesn't start even after this, then probably the battery is beyond repair and requires a mechanic to check the vehicle and battery as well.

If jumpstarting works, don't shut off engine

In case the jumpstarting works and your car starts, don't shut off your vehicle's engine. Drive around the vehicle for around 15 minutes or so, which will recharge the battery.

How to jumpstart your car

Step 1 :

Take out jumper cables

Step 2 :

Park both cars in neutral and shut off ignition

Step 3 :

Connect the jumper cable in proper order

Step 4 :

Start the other car and then yours

Step 5 :

If jumpstarting works, don't shut off engine