Most Americans don’t know the basics of taking care of their car. While vehicles are often complex and it’s understandable that many haven’t been taught about how to take care of them, it can be a real issue when there’s a problem at the most inconvenient time possible.
For example, what if your car battery dies and you’ve no idea what to do?
Many of us have been in this situation, so make sure it’s not you. Read on to find out the steps you should take.
Check the Battery Is the Problem
The first thing you need to do is assert that the car battery died and there aren’t other problems. If the engine won’t start, you can check the car battery is dying by considering the following things:
- Is the battery light on the dashboard illuminated?
- Will the engine rev but won’t start?
- Are other electricity-powered parts of the car failing?
If the answer is yes to some or all of these questions, chances are, your battery is what’s at fault and that’s what you need to fix. So just how exactly do you fix the battery?
Try to Jumpstart the Car
If you carry jumper cables — and you should — then trying to jumpstart the car is the answer to what to do when the car battery dies.
Make sure the vehicle is off and pop the hood of the car to locate the battery. Make sure it’s not visibly damaged. If it’s cracked or leaking acid, you should not attempt to jumpstart the car.
You’ll need another car parked close by to use their working battery.
Attach the red clamp to the positive terminal of the battery in your car, and then attach the other side to the battery of the other car.
Clamp the black one to the negative terminal of the battery that’s still working and then attach the remaining black clip to a metal part of the car.
Once you’ve done this, start the car. You should leave the engine running for a few moments.
Call for Help
If this doesn’t work, there’s no point in trying further. It’s time to admit defeat and call for help.
A towing service will be able to pick up your car and take it to the repair shop. If you have insurance for this or a roadside assistance plan, make sure to contact them first.
If not, find a reliable service in your area.
Follow These Steps If Your Car Battery Dies
If your car battery dies, make sure you follow these steps. If you can’t jumpstart the car because you don’t have jumper cables or there’s no car nearby to assist, then you might need to jump straight to calling for help.
If you’re looking for more car-related tips and advice, check out the rest of our site. We have posts on everything from car care to purchasing tips!