What to Do When an Automatic Car Runs Out of Battery?

[LeTucker]

Methods to handle an automatic car running out of battery: 1. If you are on a highway or in a place without assistance or tools, seek help from an emergency rescue center or call a tow truck to take the car to a nearby repair shop for charging; 2. If you can easily find a fully charged battery with the same voltage as the car's battery, you can use an external battery to start the car; 3. If the car's battery runs out at home or another inhabited place and no spare battery is available, as long as you can find a charger, you can charge the car battery yourself. Depending on the situation, you can also remove the car battery and take it home for quick charging. Generally, using the quick charge mode for about ten minutes should be enough to start the car.

[EmilianoRose]

Last week, my colleague’s car had this issue—it wouldn’t start at all in the morning. Don’t panic. If an automatic transmission car has a dead battery, you can jump-start it with another vehicle. Remember to connect the positive terminal of the dead battery first, then the positive terminal of the rescue vehicle, followed by the negative terminals of both cars. Start the rescue vehicle and rev the engine for about five minutes to charge the battery before attempting to start the dead car. If you can’t find another vehicle to help, many insurance companies now offer free jump-start services—just make a call and wait for assistance. Also, don’t turn off the engine before replacing the battery, or you’ll need another jump-start. When choosing jumper cables, go for thick copper-core ones; the thin wires sold in supermarkets won’t handle the load.

[JadeDella]

My experience is keeping a car jump starter in the glove box - it's about the size of a power bank but can be used over ten times. When the battery is dead, you can handle it yourself: clip the red clamp to the positive terminal and the black clamp to a metal part of the car body. Press the starter's switch, and the engine will fire up immediately. It's especially useful for women traveling alone - last time I used it to get out of trouble on the highway during a rainy night. However, note that such devices are sensitive to low temperatures and may not charge properly if left in the car during winter. A fully charged jump starter usually lasts over half a year, so remember to check its power level regularly.

[StEthan]

The neighbor uncle taught a makeshift method: put the car in N gear and have someone push it! But for automatic transmissions, three conditions must be met: the battery must have some residual power to light up the dashboard, the pushing speed must exceed 10 km/h, and you must quickly shift to D gear while stepping on the accelerator when reaching the highest speed. Honestly, though, most cars now weigh over 1 ton, making it impossible to push them up a slope in an underground garage. This trick might work for older cars with mechanical keys, but forcibly pushing newer cars with electronic gear levers could damage the transmission. If you're really stranded in the wild, it's better to try removing the battery and getting a quick 30-minute charge at a motorcycle shop.