5 Things to Remember When Jump Starting Your Car

The moment you realize that your car won’t start can be a stressful time. A million things start racing through your head--the places you need to be, things you need to be doing and, of course, how you have no time for car trouble.

Here are five things to get you out of this mess in a low-stress manner:

1. Always carry jumper cables in your trunk! The thicker the jumper cable—the stronger the connection you can form between two cars. Don’t depend on someone else for jumper cables—have your own. You can buy sturdy ones for around $40. It’s worth the investment.

2.  Find a “Buddy” Car: When jump starting your car, you need to find a car that is bigger than yours, that can park close to yours, and that has enough battery energy to jump-start your car. But don’t be picky if someone is nice enough to stop alongside the road and help you.

3.  Check the battery: Are liquids coming out? Is it cracked? Is there corrosion? And, for that matter, do you know where your battery is?  If the battery is cracked or leaking, STOP and call a tow truck. For corrosion, wipe it away with a cloth rag. If you can’t locate your battery, check your car manual.

4.  Me Plus You, You Minus Me: First—be sure that both cars are turned off, as well as their accessories—radios, lights, and wipers. Then, to connect the cables, first connect the positive cable, often red, to the positive end of the battery in the car with the dead battery, then connect the other end of the positive cable to the positive end of the battery in the buddy car (Me Plus You). Next, connect the negative cable, often black, to the negative post of the battery in the buddy car. Then, connect the second end of the negative cable to shiny, non-painted metal part of the engine on the dead car (You Minus Me). Do not connect the second negative cable directly to the negative end of your dead battery, or it might explode.

5.   Start your engines: Turn your buddy car on! Once you have let the buddy car run for a few minutes, turn the car off, and try your car. If it works, let it run for a few minutes and then disconnect the cables (in the opposite order: so, Me Minus You, You Plus Me). If it doesn’t work, turn the buddy car back on and let it run about 5 more minutes. After a few tries, it’s time to make the call to a local tow truck.