A dead car battery is never fun and the reasons for a dead battery are many; the battery itself may have failed, the alternator (the component that recharges the battery) may have failed, or there may be an electrical problem. In most cases it is advisable to seek help from your mechanic. If you do plan on jump starting your dead battery yourself, here are a few tips to insure your safety:

• Park the vehicle you’ll be using to boost the car with the dead battery as close as possible to the car with the dead battery, but not touching
• Make sure both cars are in park (or neutral for manual transmissions)and make sure the ignition on both cars are shut off
• Turn off all accessories on both cars, lights, radio, air conditioner, etc
• Clamp the positive, RED, cable to the car with the dead battery
• Clamp the other end of the positive cable to the car with the good battery
• If the cables are corroded, you should clean the terminals first to insure a good connection
• Next, clamp the negative cable to the negative post on the car with the good battery
• Finally, attach the negative cable to an unpainted metal part of the engine, away from the battery.
• Many people clamp to the negative side of the dead battery. We don’t recommend this because you can create a small electric arc, and if there are any gases escaping from the battery, it could explode.
• Be careful the cables are not dangling in the engine compartment and make a final check on the cable connections
• Start the vehicle with the good battery
• Now start the vehicle with the dead battery
• If the engine does not start, do not keep trying; get help from a professional mechanic. There may be others reasons why the car won’t start.
• If the car does start, you should bring it to your mechanic to check the battery, the alternator and the electrical system.
• Your mechanic may also recommend that the battery get recharged with a battery charger.