How to Jump-Start a Car

Almost any South Elgin driver will one day experience a dead car battery. That’s why it’s important to learn how to properly jump start a car! Some people are intimidated by the process, but it’s actually quite simple. Biggers Mazda covers how to properly jump start a car battery, what to do if your car won’t jump start, how to get jump start car service and more below!   

The Proper Way to Jump-Start a Car

You don’t need much to learn the proper way to jump start a car. Keep a set of jumper cables in your trunk, and have another vehicle with a working battery there to help you. If you don’t have these, it’s a good idea to call AAA or another jump start car service. Here is the proper way to jump start a car:

1. Have the vehicles parked face-to-face, turned off, and with the parking brakes engaged. 
2. Find the batteries underneath each hood. Some cars have plastic over their battery terminals. Consult an owner’s manual if you’re having trouble. 
3. Find the positive and negative terminals and make sure they are clean. 
4. Connect the cables, one end at a time. Start with the red clamp on the positive end of the dead battery, then the positive end of the live battery. Do the same with the black cables and the negative end. The final clamp goes on an unpainted metal surface on your car. .
5. Start your engines! Start the engine with the live battery, wait a second, then start the engine on your vehicle. 
6. Carefully remove the cables in the order they were started. 
7. Make sure the engine on the restarted vehicle is running for at least 10 minutes, or else your battery could die again! 

Getting Battery Service on your Mazda  

Each newMazda vehicle comes Roadside Assistance on their standard warranty. This can help in a pinch! You can call 1-800-866-1998 if your car won’t jump start to get service from Mazda professionals in the Schaumburg like those at Biggers Mazda.   

Car Won’t Jump Start?: More Battery Tips 

Palatine drivers may know how to jump start a car battery, but you can still run into other problems. It’s important to find a trusted service center to help you with battery issues, and a parts department to help you with a potential battery replacement. Here are some more battery tips for those who know how to jump start a car battery:    

• Malfunctioning Starter: The clear sign you have a malfunctioning starter is a clicking sound when you try and start the car. 

• Electrical Systems Turn On But Your Car Won’t: This could mean a number of things, including a problem with your ignition switch, battery, starter, or fuse. Schedule service to get it fixed!  

• Keep the Car Running: We said this above, but it’s worth emphasizing! You need to give your battery time to recharge after you give it a jump start. 

Turn to Biggers Mazda for Service

Besides helping with how to jump start a car battery, the service center at Biggers Mazda is happy to help South Elgin drivers with any issue! That’s why we offer service tips and parts tips in addition to great service specials to help out when it matters. Contact us today to learn more about how to properly jump start a car and more!