Ever been stranded due to a dead car battery? Trust me, we’ve all been there. It happens at the worst times.
A dead car battery is not the end of the world. There are things you can do to remedy the situation and one of them is calling for help. But who do you call? Who to call when a car battery dies?
When your car battery dies, you can call an automobile repair service, or a roadside car service to help out. You can also call a friend, colleague, or anyone you know to help jumpstart the car for you.
Who to Call When Car Battery Dies
When your battery dies in the middle of nowhere, you can call any of the following:
1. Your Rewire
When you find yourself with a dead battery, the first person to call is your rewire. A car rewire is someone who works on the electrical parts of the car. They are in a better position to tell you what to do.
If you are close enough, he may decide to come with his tools to check why your battery just died on you. Perhaps, your alternator is not charging well or the battery itself has gone bad. The rewire is the one that will determine it.
2. Your Mechanic
Your mechanic is the second person to call when you suddenly have a dead battery in the middle of nowhere. He is in the best position to tell you what to do and what not to do.
Who knows, he might even decide to come and help you with another battery, perhaps, a new battery. This however depends on how close you are with your mechanic.
3. Call a Towing Service
In the event of a dead car battery, you should reach out to the nearest trusted towing company in the vicinity. They will help you tow your car to a place where the battery can be charged or where your car can be jump-started.
4. Roadside Companies
You can also reach out to roadside companies. They should be able to help jump-start your car.
5. Call a Friend
You can also call a friend to come to your rescue if you suddenly have a dead battery. I remember the last time this happened, I called a friend who was close by. I had to use his battery to start mine.
6. Call  American Automobile Association
If you are a member of the American Automobile Association (AAA), you can also give them a call with this number 1 (800) 222-4357. You can also visit their website here to get more insight on how to contact them. You have to be either in America or Canada to be able to use their services.
7. Call Car Insurance
If you have car insurance, you can also call them for help. Call them first and let them be the ones to give you their options.
8. Call Any Good Roadside Mechanic
You can make use of your phone to check if there are any good roadside mechanics or rewire close to you. They can also help.
Just use your google map or web browser to search for a mechanic, rewire, or auto assistance near me. You should be able to see one on google. Give them a call. Ensure that your phone location and network connection/Wi-Fi are on before doing the googling
Why Does Car Battery Die?
There are some common causes of flat car batteries though, they include:
- A battery that has gone bad
- A faulty alternator that can’t properly charge a battery
- Idling the car for an excessive amount of time
- Leaving the headlights, taillights, inner lights, radio, and other electrical components of the car on when the car is not on.
- The battery of your car can die when you ignore your car for a long time (i.e., when you do not start your car in a long time)
- Putting on the air conditioner when the car is not in motion can drain the battery of your car.
- Extremely low temperatures can cause your car battery to die. When the temperature affects your car battery, it freezes and drains out all the energy in it
- Failure to maintain your car battery. To prevent this, you need to take proper care of your car battery by cleaning the terminals of the battery very cleanly.
- The faulty voltage regulator in the alternator. As you know, the alternator charges the car battery when the engine is switched on. If the voltage regulator is bad, it can drain your car battery to run flat. This also applies to the diode bridge in the alternator.
These are some of the reasons car batteries die.
Can a Dead Car Battery Start Again?
Yes, a dead car battery can start again if you jumpstart it. After the jumpstart is done, it should be able to start again as long as there is nothing wrong with the battery and the alternator.
If the battery has gone bad, after the jumpstart is done, the battery may start at immediate intervals but when left for some hours, may refuse to start.
The same goes for a faulty alternator. If your alternator is not charging the battery, the battery will use up the one it has earlier charged, hence, may not start again.
With this being said, anytime you constantly start having a dead battery, ensure your alternator and battery are in good condition, otherwise, the problem will persist and will not stop on its own.
How to Jumpstart a Car with a Dead Battery
Should in case of help come, below are the steps to follow to properly jumpstart your car:
The first step is to locate the battery in the car. Many times, the battery is under the hood. When you’ve done that, bring both cars close enough so you can connect the jumper cables to both batteries of the cars.
While doing this, make sure that the cars do not touch each other to prevent current from flowing between both vehicles.
Now, identify the positive and negative terminals of both car batteries. Connect the positive end of the jumper cable to the positive terminals of both car batteries.
Remember that the positive end of the cable is colored red and the negative end of the jumper cable is colored black.
Connect the negative end of the jumper cable (black in color) to the negative terminal of the working battery. The other negative end of the jumper cable should be placed on any metal in the car with the dead battery. You should not connect the clamp to the negative terminal of the battery that’s dead.
This is done to reduce the risk of an explosion during the process. It serves as a ground for the jumping process.
After you have connected the cables, turn on the car that has the working battery. The dead battery will start being charged automatically.
It might take a while for the car that had a dead battery to come on after charging but some batteries will come on immediately. Leave the cars to run for a while to allow adequate current flow from the dead battery.
Switch on the car with a dead battery to see if it has charged adequately. If it has, the engine will run without turning off itself. It shows that you’ve successfully jumpstarted your car.
Now you can disconnect the jumper cables. Do not attach the cables anywhere else until you have fully disconnected them.
Items Needed to Jumpstart a Dead Battery
To jumpstart your car, you need to make use of a set of jumper cables. One should be red and the other should be black. You need to make sure that the terminals are connected properly.
Note that the red cable should be connected to the positive terminal and the black cable should be connected to the negative terminal.
Before connecting anything, ensure that every device you need is turned off properly. The car should be switched off as well. Ensure that there is no flammable device or equipment close by to reduce the risk of accidents.
You also need a well-charged battery.
Pros of Calling Someone When Car Battery Dies
The advantages of calling for help when your car battery dies are:
- To help Tow Your Car: A good reason you should call someone when your car battery dies is to get help towing your car. Your car will be towed to a suitable location where the battery can be worked on appropriately.
- To Help Jumpstart Your Car: Whenever you get stuck with a dead car battery, the first thing that should come to your mind is to jumpstart your car. Jumpstarting provides your car battery with sufficient energy to be started and moved.
- To Carry Out a Professional Job: When you call someone (a mechanic or a nearby car repair service) when your car battery dies, the person will be able to professionally analyze and proffer a solution to the battery problem.
Conclusion
Whenever you encounter a dead car battery, be sure to call someone who can help out with the battery. If you find someone around who is kind enough to lend you their battery to jumpstart yours, that will be nice. Follow the steps listed above to jumpstart your car.