If you get into your car and discover that it will not start, you may wish to try and jump start the engine. Jump starting involves connecting your vehicle's battery to the working battery on another vehicle which will provide the power needed to start your engine. However, it is important that you take some steps to protect yourself and your car when jump starting a vehicle. Below is a guide to 4 things you need to do:

Wear protective gear

Car batteries contain acid and produce a lot of electricity. For this reason, you should always wear protective clothing when working with a vehicle battery. At the very least, you should wear a pair of thick work gloves to protect your hands if you accidentally get an electric shock or if liquid spills from the battery. Ideally, you should also wear protective glasses.

Unplug any in-car accessories and equipment

Next, you need to turn your attention to any in-car accessories and equipment that you have connected to the electrical system. Examples of in-car accessories include:

  • Satellite navigation equipment 
  • Radio
  • Phone chargers
  • Air conditioning

Before attempting to jump start your vehicle, you should ensure that this equipment is turned off or disconnected. When trying to jump start a car with a dead battery, you will need to every bit of energy focused on starting the engine. Any power which is used to operate in-car systems will reduce the chance that the jump start will be a success. Also, if a power surge occurs during the process of jump starting your car, it may cause damage to any items such as phones and GPS units which are connected to the electrical points.

Check the battery fluid 

Before you attempt to jump start a car, you should check the battery fluid it contains. If the fluid level is low or if the fluid within the battery has frozen, it could create the risk of an explosion when you attempt to start the car. If the fluid is frozen or it is at a very low level, you should contact a mobile car battery replacement service.

Check the size of the battery

Finally, you need to compare the voltage of your car battery with the battery on the other car. You need to jump start your car battery using a battery of a similar voltage. If you attempt to jump start your car using a battery which has a much higher voltage, this could cause damage to your battery making it unusable or even creating the risk of explosion.

If you are having trouble with your car battery, you should contact a mobile car battery replacement company.

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