How to jumpstart your car

Knowing how to jumpstart a car is something every vehicle owner should know how to do. Jumpstarting a car isn’t hard if you have a set of jumper cables. Here’s what to do.

• Pull both cars close enough to each other to connect the jumper cables. Set the parking brakes in each vehicle.

• Open the hood of each vehicle and locate the battery. Identify the positive (red) and negative (black) terminals. If they’re overly corroded, clean them with a wire brush.

• Connect the red clamp of the jumper cable to the red positive terminal on the dead battery.

• Connect the red clamp on the other end of the cable to the working battery.

• Connect the black negative clamp to the black terminal on the working battery.

• Connect the other end of the black clamp to the black terminal on the dead battery or any other unpainted metal surface of the car.

• Start the car with the working battery. Wait a minute or two before starting the vehicle with the dead battery.

Let the car run for a while to recharge the battery if it starts. If your vehicle doesn’t start, you may have an issue with your starter. In this case, you should call your local automotive shop for help.