It isn’t always possible to avoid the problem of a dead battery. Fortunately, jump-starting your car battery is easier than you think! In this article, we’ll provide some step-by-step instructions for jump-starting your battery, so that if need be, you can get your car straight to Fields BMW Northfield for some top-tier BMW service.

The Right Way to Jump-Start Your Car Battery

To jump-start your car battery, you’ll need a pair of jumper cables and need a second car with a fully-charged and working battery. Once you have these things ready, follow these steps to jump-start your car:

1. Park the working car directly across from your car so that their hoods are facing each other. Make sure they are close enough for the jumper cables to reach both batteries.
2. Open the hoods of both vehicles and locate the batteries. Identify the positive (red) terminals and negative (black) terminals on each battery.
3. Attach one end of the red jumper cable to the positive terminal of the dead battery.
4. Attach the other end of the red jumper cable to the positive terminal of the working battery.
5. Attach the other end of the black jumper cable to the negative terminal of the dead battery.
6. Attach the other end of the black jumper cable to any unpainted metal part of your vehicle, such as the engine block. Try to keep it away from the carburetor or fuel injection system.
7. Start the car with the working battery. Then, after a few minutes, try to start the car with the dead battery. The engine should turn over, but if the battery is still dead, you may need to remove the cables and try again.
8. Let both cars run for 3-5 minutes. Then remove the cables in the reverse order they were attached and close the hoods.

Once you’ve finished jump-starting your car, it’s a good idea to let the engine run for 15-20 minutes to allow the battery to fully charge.

Is it Time to Get Your Battery Replaced?

If you find yourself dealing with a dead battery frequently, it may be time to look into getting a new one. Car batteries only have a lifespan of about 3 to 5 years, and as they age, they become more vulnerable to corrosion, power drains, and climate extremes, so once your battery is a few years old, you may start noticing more problems with it.

Visit Fields BMW Northfield for BMW Service

At Fields BMW Northfield, the experienced technicians at our Service Center are glad to help you with any battery-related concerns you might have. We also have a wide variety of BMW parts available for all your maintenance needs.