What to do when your car battery dies

At RESCUE, one of the most common complaints we hear from customers who call us round-the-clock is about their vehicle’s battery issues. From our analysis of various customer complaints, we have found that the most common reason for a dead battery in Bangalore is due to the customer leaving the headlights on or the A/C on when the car is not running. However, there can be various other reasons why your vehicle faces a battery issue. This includes leaving the music system on when the car is not running, not starting the vehicle over long intervals, poor battery maintenance, and dips in air temperature.

The most common way to get moving when your car has stalled due to a dead battery is to jump-start the battery. To jump-start a car, you will need a pair of jumper cables and another car with a functional battery, or a heavy-duty battery capable of boosting a car battery. The following is a brief guide on how to jump start your car when another car with a functional battery is available. Do not try to jump-start a car if its battery has cracked or has visually leaked acid.

1. Ensure both vehicles are set in ‘Neutral’ and turn off the ignition. Also, engage the parking brakes.
2. Take out the jumper cables and attach one of the red clips to the positive terminal of the dead battery. It will have a’+’ on it and is bigger than the negative terminal.
3. Now, attach the other red clip to the positive terminal of the battery of the other car and the black clip to the negative terminal of the battery.
4. Attach the last black clip to an unpainted metal surface on your car that isn’t near the battery. You can use the metal part that holds the bonnet open.
5. Try starting your car. If it doesn’t start, run the other car’s engine for a few minutes and try starting your car again.

If the car starts, keep the engine on and drive around for at least 15-20 minutes to recharge the battery. Ensure that you park the car in a safe spot so that you aren’t stranded if the issue reoccurs. Get your battery checked, within a reasonable period of time, for any underlying issues.

If the car still won’t start, there may be an underlying issue beyond the scope of any on-the-spot solutions. You can call RESCUE to assist you with towing your vehicle to a reliable service station.

Note: If you frequently leave your vehicle unused for extended periods of time, it would be prudent to invest in a battery charger to be prepared when you need a jump start. However, heavy-duty battery chargers are expensive, and it is a significant investment for its limited and sporadic utility. For a fraction of the price of a battery charger, you could purchase our annual Roadside Assistance plan which offers 24/7 battery jump-starts within 30 minutes anywhere in Bangalore, along with other specialist breakdown services.