How to Jump Start a Car Safely: Step-by-Step Guide for UAE
By the Al Taawun Battery team. Last updated
Short answer
To jump start a car safely, connect red to the dead battery's positive, red to the donor's positive, black to the donor's negative, and the last black clamp to bare metal on the dead car, away from the battery. Start the donor, then the dead car, and remove the cables in reverse order. If you would rather not risk it in Al Taawun, we come out 24/7.
What do I need before I jump start a car?
Tower basements in Al Taawun make this harder than it sounds. Bays are tight, the dead car is often nose-in against a wall, and a donor may not get within reach. If the leads will not reach comfortably, do not stretch them across a hot engine. A portable jump pack or a technician is the better answer.
- Jump leads thick enough for the job, with clean clamps and no cracked insulation.
- A donor car with a healthy 12-volt battery, parked close enough for the leads to reach without the two cars touching.
- Both owner's manuals if you have them. Some cars have their own procedure and dedicated jump points.
- Both cars in Park or neutral, handbrakes on, ignitions off, and lights, AC and stereo switched off.
Safety checks before connecting the cables
- Look at the dead battery. If the case is swollen, cracked, leaking or smells of rotten eggs, stop. That battery must not be jump started.
- Find the positive (+, usually under a red cover) and the negative (-) on both cars, and be certain which is which.
- Look for jump posts under the bonnet. Many cars with the battery in the boot or under a seat have them, and those posts are the place to connect.
- Take off rings, watches and metal bracelets, and keep the clamps from touching each other once any of them is connected.
- No smoking and no naked flame. A charging battery gives off hydrogen.
How to jump start a car: step by step
- 1
Red clamp to the dead battery's positive
Fix one red clamp firmly on the positive terminal of the flat battery, or on the positive jump post if the car has one.
- 2
Other red clamp to the donor's positive
Attach the second red clamp to the positive terminal of the donor car's battery.
- 3
Black clamp to the donor's negative
Attach one black clamp to the negative terminal of the donor battery.
- 4
Last black clamp to bare metal on the dead car
Clip the final black clamp to unpainted metal on the engine or body of the dead car, such as a lifting eye or the marked earth point, well away from the battery. This keeps the small spark of the last connection away from any gas around the battery.
- 5
Start the donor car
Run the donor engine for two to three minutes at a fast idle so some charge flows across.
- 6
Start the dead car
Crank for no more than about ten seconds. If it does not fire, wait a minute and try again. Three failed attempts mean a jump start will not fix the problem.
- 7
Remove the cables in reverse order
With both engines running, take the black clamp off the metal earth point first, then black from the donor, red from the donor, and last the red from the car that was dead.
- 8
Drive for 30 minutes or get it tested
Keep the engine running and drive for at least half an hour without stopping, or have the battery tested the same day.
What should I never do when jump starting a car?
Frozen batteries are not a Sharjah problem, yet the same rule covers any battery whose case has changed shape.
| Mistake | What can happen | Do this instead |
|---|---|---|
| Reversing the clamps (red on negative) | Blown main fuses, damaged alternator and control units | Check the + and - marks twice before the first clamp goes on |
| Jump starting a swollen, leaking or frozen battery | The case can rupture or the gas can ignite | Leave it alone and have the battery replaced |
| Using a hybrid or EV as the donor | Its 12-volt system is not built to supply starter current and can be damaged | Use a petrol or diesel donor, or a jump pack |
| Clamping to a boot-mounted battery when the car has jump posts | Poor connection and risk to the electronics beside the battery | Use the posts under the bonnet shown in the manual |
| Last black clamp on the dead battery's negative | A spark right beside the battery | Clamp to bare metal away from the battery |
| Letting the clamps touch each other | Short circuit, sparks and melted leads | Hold the clamps apart and connect one at a time |
How do I use a portable jump pack?
A lithium jump pack does the donor car's job from a box the size of a book. Check that it is charged, switch everything off in the car, then connect red to positive and black to the negative terminal or earth point, as the pack's instructions say. Switch the pack on, start the car, and disconnect black first, then red.
Two cautions for the UAE. A jump pack left in a parked car through summer sits in cabin heat that lithium cells do not tolerate well, so keep it indoors and carry it down when needed. Buy one rated for your engine size too, since a small pack will not turn a large V8.
What should I do after a successful jump start?
Starting the engine is half the job. The alternator needs time to put charge back, and the slow evening crawl on Al Ittihad Road with the AC at full does little. A steady 30 minutes on a clear road is far better.
Then find out why it went flat. If you left the lights on and the battery is fairly new, it will probably recover. If there was no obvious cause, or this is the second jump start, the battery is usually finished.
When is it better to call us than to jump start it yourself?
Our mobile battery service covers Al Taawun 24/7 and usually arrives within 20 to 35 minutes. The technician uses a protected booster and tests the battery and charging system free. Only if the battery fails does a replacement come into it, fitted on the spot with a warranty of up to 24 months.
- The battery is swollen, leaking or smells of sulphur.
- You are not sure which terminal is which, or cannot find the jump posts.
- The car is a hybrid, an EV, or a late-model European car with its battery in the boot.
- No donor car can reach your bay, or you are alone in a basement at night.
- The car has already been jump started once this month.
