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A mechanic with 55 years of experience told a life hack on how to start a car with a dead battery on your own

Ihor Romanko

How to start a car with a discharged battery
How to start a car with a discharged battery

Experienced mechanic Scotty Kilmer has provided useful tips on how to start a car when the battery is dead. These simple steps can help you avoid a trip to the service station and save time and money.

Read also: 10 life hacks for drivers in unforeseen situations

All you need is a pair of cigarette lighter wires, as The Sun reports. Here are some tips from Kilmer:

  1. Use the correct cables: You will need cigarette lighter cables with positive and negative ends. Make sure that the cables are in good condition and not damaged.
  2. Connect the cables correctly: Connect the positive end of one cable to the positive end of the donor vehicle's battery. Attach the other positive end to the positive wire from your turned off car.
  3. Connect the negative cables: Connect the negative end of one cable to the negative battery terminal of the donor vehicle. Attach the other negative end of the cable to a metal part of your car.
  4. Start the engine: You can now try to start your car's engine.
  5. Work with the battery: If your battery is quite low, it may take some time for it to gain enough power. Let the engine run for about 5-10 minutes to recharge the battery.
  6. Turn off the donor vehicle: Make sure the engine of the donor vehicle is turned off before attempting to start your car.
  7. Caution with connections: Avoid connecting cables to the negative battery terminal for safety reasons. This may prevent the destruction of your machine's computer system.

Also, Kilmer recommends using copper wires, as aluminum ones can melt due to the high current. Once the cables are properly connected to your car's battery, you should be able to start the engine.

If you don't have cigarette lighter cables, you can also consider purchasing a portable battery charger. They are usually easy to use and have protection against incorrect connection.

As a reminder, we have already written about how to make a car air freshener with your own hands.

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