What to Do When the Car Battery Dies After Sitting for Half a Month?
2 Answers
If the battery is damaged, it needs to be replaced; if the battery is still functional, find another charged battery, connect the cables, start the car, and drive around to recharge the battery. Take out the jumper cables and connect the positive terminals (red) and negative terminals (black) of both cars. When connecting, attach the positive terminal first, then the negative terminal; when disconnecting, remove the negative terminal first, then the positive terminal. Alternatively, keeping a portable car emergency charger is also very convenient. If it's a manual transmission model, you can start it by pushing the car or using another vehicle to tow it.
Once when I returned from a business trip, I found my car completely dead—this kind of thing is all too common. The easiest solution is to either get a jump from a friend's car or call roadside assistance for a boost. Remember, when connecting the jumper cables, match positive to positive (red clamp to red) and negative to negative (black clamp to black). Never reverse the connections, as doing so could fry the car's computer. After getting the engine started, don’t shut it off right away—let it run for at least half an hour so the alternator can recharge the battery. For older cars, it’s best to drive around for about twenty minutes after the jump to give the battery more charging time. Oh, and don’t skimp on jumper cables—avoid the thin ones and go for at least 4 square millimeters to ensure reliability. The simplest way to prevent battery drain during long periods of inactivity is to disconnect the negative terminal—this significantly slows down power loss.
