You have been self-quarantined for a while and now the car doesn’t start. According to Mark Roemer, knowing about jump-starting your car is very important, especially during a pandemic. Driving your car for even less than half an hour after jump-starting the car may juice your battery sufficiently. However, there are a few things that you should and shouldn’t do when you jumpstart your car.
The Do’s
1. Clean up the battery terminals – Old batteries often have battery acids building up on the terminals. If you have the same issue you may be able to spot the white or blue powder on your battery terminals. It’s nothing to worry about. Just clean off the powder so that the metal terminals can make full contact without the dried off battery acid interrupting the transmission of electricity. If the accumulation is a bit much, you can use a battery terminal cleaner along with your reliable cleaning brush.
2. Keep a set of highly reviewed jumper box or jumper cables – There are numerous jumper cables that are expensive and an amazon search away. However, they aren’t reliable during a real emergency. Instead, you should look for a set of high-quality jumper cables that are highly reviewed and won’t fail you when it matters. Look for cables that are long and have a low gauge. If you don’t want to rely on another car’s battery for jumpstarting your car, a good jumper box is always a better option.
3. Get your car checked and start it regularly – Even if you have juiced up your battery and your car seems to work fine at the moment, you should get it checked for good measure. You can also check the charging system at the comfort of your home with a portable battery checker.
Moreover, there may not be any need to jumpstart your car the next time, if you start it regularly. Unless you live in extremely cold or humid regions, your battery should work fine as long as you get your car started once every day. You can also invest in a trickle charger so that your battery is always juiced up.
The Don’ts
1. Mixing your cables – Mixing your cables can not only damage your battery but may lead to catastrophic consequences like explosions that renders everything under the hood worthless. Check at least two or three times that the plus sign is connected to the red cable and the black cable is connected to the negative sign.
2. Cable’s shouldn’t touch – If the exposed metal clamps or cables touch each other before you want them to, they may cause sparks and even shock you. Hold them separately in both of your hands to avoid that.
Conclusion
Mark Roemer suggests that you should follow these steps so that you can jumpstart your car without a hiccup and avoid any accidents during the process. If you can afford to invest in a jumper box and trickle charger, buy them so that you can eliminate future hassles even if you forget the routine battery checkups.