How To Jump Start a Car’s Dead Battery

Step 1: LOCATE JUMPER

If you heeded the advice in our last article about items to keep in your car for winter, then you probably already stored a set of JUMPER CABLES in your vehicle. To any of the stragglers, you will have to find someone who has a set of jumper cables and is willing to spend the time giving your car’s battery a jump.

Step 2: PREPARE VEHICLES

After you locate jumper cables and another car with a charged battery, align the vehicles close enough together for the cables to reach each battery. Next, SHUT OFF the ignition to both vehicles and make sure they’re both in PARK. Then, pop both hoods and LOCATE the positive (+/POS) sign on the batteries (usually under a red rectangular covering).

Step 3: ATTACH JUMPER CABLES

After attaching the first jumper cable, BE CAREFUL to NOT touch any of the clamps to each other (to prevent electric shock).

1. Attach RED cable clip to the POSITIVE (+) terminal of the CHARGED battery
2. Attach BLACK cable clip to the NEGATIVE (-) terminal of the CHARGED battery
3. Attach other end of RED cable clip to the POSITIVE (+) terminal of the DEAD battery
4. Attach BLACK cable clip to a motionless, unpainted METAL SURFACE away from the battery

Step 4: IGNITION  

After securing the jumper cables, START the ignition of the CHARGED battery’s car. Rev the engine slightly by gently tapping the gas pedal to SPEED UP the charge. After a few minutes, START the ignition of the DEAD battery’s car and, with luck, the battery will be live.

Step 5: DRIVE

After jumping the dead battery, DRIVE around for at least 15 minutes before shutting off the engine. This will help ensure it’s holding the charge. Enjoy and be safe this winter! If you have any troubles, contact Brothers Collisions & Mechanical for all of your auto mechanic needs in Rochester!

Know What to Expect from a New York Car Inspection

Each year, every car in New York needs to be inspected. That inspection ensures every vehicle on New York roadways is safe. The safety of all drivers and passengers is at stake. Inspection centers take the process very seriously and so should vehicle owners. If you own a car in New York, you should be aware of what’s involved with a New York state car inspection.

Vital components of your car will be thoroughly inspected. The brakes are among those components. The brake drums, discs, and brake pads are all checked over. Brake lines and hoses are also inspected. This is done by removing one wheel and inspecting the brakes for that particular wheel. If your brakes have been making that dreaded grinding noise or you find you have to press harder to get the car to slow, you may have to have the pads and discs replaced to pass inspection.

Lights save lives. Without properly working headlights, brake lights, and tail lights, you are just asking for an accident. Each light has to be operational. If you are pulled over for not having working brake lights, you could face steep fines and you certainly won’t pass inspection. Lights that have blown out are an affordable and easy fix. It is much cheaper to pay for a new tail light than a traffic citation for driving an unsafe car. If you’re in an accident because someone didn’t realize you were stopping, you’ll pay higher insurance premiums.

The steering and suspension components are also important to the safety and operation of your vehicle. If your steering wheel is tight, leaks, or doesn’t smoothly return back to a center position, it may be leaking power steering fluid or have loose ball joints. If it rotates smoothly, there are no visible leaks, and there is no shaking when you drive over certain speeds, you’ll have no issues passing state inspection.

Other parts of the car are just as important. The horn and mirrors all need to be present and working correctly. The windows must be free from cracks to pass inspection.

When the time comes to have your yearly New York state inspection for your car, let Brothers Collision and Mechanical (auto mechanic Rochester NY) take a peek at what is going on. We will inspect the vehicle and fix any issues, both large or small. Your safety is riding on each of those components and we take that responsibility very seriously. Our inspection process can eliminate ugly surprises.