How to Jump Start a Car

There’s nothing more frustrating than when your car won’t start, and it always seems to happen at the worst possible times. If you accidentally left your headlights on or something else drained your battery, you probably need a jump start to get you back on Princeton streets. However, if it keeps happening, you might need to replace the battery. Land Rover Princeton has a helpful parts department that will get you the right battery at a reasonable price, or call the highly trained service department to have us replace it for you. Either way, you’ll be back on South Brunswick roads in no time. This is how to jump start a car.

How to Properly Jump Start a Car

If you’re in Mount Laurel and don’t want to wait for roadside assistance or a jump start car service, then you’ll need to jump start your car battery yourself. Find a set of jumper cables and another driver that is willing to “give you a jump” with their vehicle. Then, follow these simple steps below:

• Ask the other car to park so that it’s facing your vehicle, positioned hood to hood.
• Have them turn their car off.
• Set the parking brakes on both vehicles for extra safety.
• Open both hoods and locate the batteries. Sometimes, the batteries might be hidden. If so, check your owner’s manual to find the location.
• Find the positive and negative terminals on the batteries. One will be marked as positive (+) and the other marked negative (-).
• Make sure the positive and negative terminals are clean and corrosion-free. If not, take a few moments to thoroughly clean them.
• Connect the red clamp to the positive post on your dead battery.
• Hook the other red clamp to the positive terminal of the other vehicle (the one with the working battery).
• Connect the black clamp to the negative post on the working battery.
• Connected the last black clamp to an unpainted metal spot on your car’s frame.
• Once everything is secure, start the engine of the vehicle with the good battery first.
• Wait a few moments and then try to start your vehicle.
• Once your vehicle is running again, remove the jumper cables carefully in the reverse order.
• Leave your engine running for at least 10 minutes to give your battery time to fully charge before heading back out on Hopewell streets.

What to do if Your Car Won’t Jump Start

Now that you know the proper way to jump start a car, what do you do if it still won’t start? It probably means that you need to replace your car battery, or it could be a sign of a more serious problem. Follow the steps below to get a better idea of what the problem might be:

• If when you try to start the car you only hear a clicking, it could be a problem with the vehicle’s starter. Call Land Rover Princeton to schedule service.
• If the other electrical parts of the car are working, but your engine won’t turn over, it could be a faulty ignition switch or a blown fuse.
• Make sure you keep your car running long enough after a jump start to get a full charge.

Land Rover Princeton is Available for All of Your Automotive Needs

Our friendly service team is always available to help. We love to answer questions. From part to service, to how to file a car insurance claim in Virginia, or even helping you select your New Land Rover, Land Rover Princeton is here for you. Schedule service online or contact us today!