While turning your key in the ignition and finding out you have a dead battery never fits in your schedule, jump-starting your car only takes a few minutes. Below is a step-by-step guide to jump-starting your vehicle and getting back on the road. 

How to Jump-Start Your Car

1. Phone a Friend

Unless you have a jump battery in your car, you will need to find a vehicle with a working battery that can help jump yours. After someone arrives to help, make sure they park nose-to-nose or side-by-side to your car. That way, the cables will reach from their car to yours. Check if the car that is jumping yours has enough voltage and a matching voltage system, such as 12V or 6V. You can test this by turning its headlights on and checking if they are bright and steady. If they are, the car has a sufficient charge and is ready to help.

2. Take Out Your Jumper Cables

It is smart to purchase jumper cables and keep them in your car if you ever have to deal with a dead battery. If you have them, pull them out. If not, make sure the person helping you has a pair.

3. Prepare the Cars

Place both vehicles in park or neutral before turning off their ignitions. Open the hoods of each and attach one of the red clips to the positive terminal on your battery and one in the same place in the other car. It will have a “+,” a “POS,” or appear bigger than the negative terminal. Attach one of the black clips to the negative terminal on the other car’s battery and the other clip to an unpainted metal area on your vehicle, such as the metal stand that holds your hood open.

4. Turn on the Cars

Turn the car that is jumping yours on and let it run for at least 5 minutes. Test your car’s interior lights before turning your car on. If the light turns on, you may have enough power to start it and should try turning on your engine. If it starts, the jump has worked! Unclip the jumper cables in the order you connected them. Keep your engine running and drive for at least 15 minutes. Your car will charge your battery as it runs.

If your car does not turn on, check the cables, and make sure they are all properly connected. Keep the helper car running for another 5 minutes. Try starting your car again after that. If it still does not start, then your battery is not holding enough charge and most likely needs to be replaced.

When you need to replace automotive batteries, contact Victory Battery in Covington, KY. Since 1957, this specialist team has met and exceeded Kenton County residents’ battery needs. With a full inventory of car, wheelchair, scooter, ride-on toy, and standard handheld batteries, it truly is the one-stop-shop for powering any of your devices. Call (859) 581-0343 today or visit them online for more information.