How to Jumpstart a Car

There’s nothing worse than getting into your vehicle, ready to head to work, and realizing that it won’t start. It always seems to happen when you’re in a hurry! Did you leave your headlights on overnight? If so, you probably need to jumpstart your car battery. Kearny Mesa Kia is at your service. We have a comprehensive parts department that will get you the correct battery at an affordable price. We’ll get you back on San Diego streets in no time. Until then, this is how to properly jumpstart a car.

The Proper Way to Jumpstart a Car

If you live near El Cajon and need to know how to properly jumpstart a car, you’re in luck! If you don’t feel like waiting for roadside assistance or a jumpstart car service, you can do it yourself! Locate a set of jumper cables and another driver that is willing to “give you a jump” with their vehicle. This is the proper way to jumpstart a car:

• Ask the other driver to park their auto so that it’s facing your vehicle and is positioned hood to hood. Have them turn their car off.
• Be sure to set the parking brakes on both of your cars as an extra safety precaution.
• Open both the hoods and locate your batteries. Remember, the batteries may be hidden. If you have trouble finding them, look in your owner’s manual.
• Find the positive and negative terminals on your batteries. One will be marked as positive with a (+) and the other will be marked negative with a (-).
• Make sure both the positive and negative terminals are clean and free of corrosion. If they aren’t clean you should take a few moments to clean them.
• Connect the red clamp from the jumper cable to the positive post on your dead battery.
• Hook the other red clamp to the positive terminal of the other vehicle.
• Connect the black clamp to the negative post on the working battery.
• Connect the last black clamp to an unpainted metal area on your car’s frame.
• Once all clamps are secure, power up the engine of the vehicle with the working battery.
• Wait several moments, giving your battery time to charge, and then try to start your auto.
• Once your car starts, remove the jumper cables carefully in reverse order.
• Leave your engine running for at least 15 minutes to give your battery time to fully charge before heading back out onto La Mesa streets.

What to Do if Your Car Won’t Jumpstart

Now that you know how to properly jumpstart a car, what do you do if your car won’t jumpstart? Unfortunately, It probably means that it’s time to replace your car battery. It could also be a sign of a more significant problem. Follow these steps to get a better idea of what the problem could be:

• If when you try to start your car and you only hear a clicking kind of sound, it might be a problem with the vehicle’s starter. Call the service department at Kearny Mesa Kia to schedule a service appointment.
• If the other electrical parts of the car are working (like the radio), but your engine still won’t turn over, it could be a defective ignition switch or perhaps a blown fuse.
• Make sure you keep your car running long enough after you jumpstart your car in order to get a full charge on the battery.

Kearny Mesa Kia is Your Kia Service Headquarters

The Kearny Mesa Kia service team is always available to help you. We enjoy answering questions and assisting our Chula Vista customers. From genuine Kia parts in our parts department to full service on your vehicle, or helping you find a new or pre-owned Kia, Kearny Mesa Kia is here for all of your automotive needs. Give us a call today to learn about everything from Kia service, to how to unlock a steering wheel.

Still having electrical issues? Be sure to learn how an alternator works today.