MAZDA Service Tips: How to Jump Start Your Car

If you take proper care of your car, you may never have to jump-start your car. However, if you ever find yourself in need of a jump-start, knowing how to do so yourself can help prevent you from being stranded in a parking lot or along the side of the road. At the Mazda service center at Medlin Mazda, our certified technicians are happy to share some advice on jump-starting a car.

Park in a Safe Spot

The first step is to make sure that the two cars are parked facing one another in a safe spot, away from traffic. There should be enough space between them to work and both should be completely turned off.

Prepare the Cars and Cables

The most important component in this operation is a set of jumper cables, which you should keep in your trunk or cargo area. The only thing worse than a dead battery is being caught without them. Pop open the hood of each vehicle and locate the batteries. Ensure that the jumper cables are unwound and untangled.

Attach the Cables

Make sure that there’s no corrosion on your battery’s terminals and remove any with a terminal brush. Hook the red positive clamp to the positive terminal of the dead battery. Make sure that the black negative clamp isn’t touching any metal before attaching the red positive clamp to the positive terminal of the working battery. Then, attach the black negative clamp to the booster car battery’s negative terminal; attach the other negative clamp to a non-painted metal surface on the car being jumped.

Always double-check that all connections are correct and secure before moving on.

Start Your Engines

Start the engine on the booster car first and let it idle to build up enough of a charge to start the other vehicle. Try to start the vehicle with the dead battery; if it fires up, the jump has worked, but if it doesn’t, you may have other issues. Once both vehicles have started, let them both idle for a couple of minutes to ensure the dead battery has charged enough. Finally, remove the cables in the reverse order that you attached them.

Let it Run

Let the engine on the revived car run for several minutes or drive for at least 15 minutes before shutting it off again. Try to fire it back up again to ensure that the problem has been solved.

Contact Our Dealership for MAZDA Service

Proper battery maintenance can help prevent the necessity of a jump start. Schedule your Mazda maintenance at our Mazda service center today!