What to Do When Your Car Has No Power?
4 Answers
Here are solutions for when your car has no power: 1. Push-starting: Push-starting depends on the situation, as not all road conditions are suitable. Generally, a downhill slope in front of the car makes push-starting much easier, helping the vehicle accelerate; whereas an uphill slope makes it exhausting and difficult to gain speed. When using this method, be sure to avoid busy roads with many vehicles and pedestrians to prevent accidents after the car starts. 2. Towing-starting: This method is similar to push-starting and is also commonly used, but towing with another vehicle is often much easier and more convenient. During operation, use a tow rope of appropriate length and secure both ends firmly. Before towing, the drivers of both vehicles should agree on signals for operations, such as honking or hand gestures for starting and stopping, to ensure coordination. 3. Jump-starting: To use the jump-starting method, you first need to have a set of jumper cables in your car. Then, all you need is to ask another vehicle on the road for help to restart the battery.
I just went through this recently. One freezing winter morning, I was in a hurry to drive my kid to school when turning the key yielded no response at all—even the dashboard lights were dead. I immediately called my auto repair guy, who told me to first find a neighbor's car for a jump start: Prepare red and black jumper cables, park both cars nose to nose, connect both batteries' positive terminals first (red clamp), then link the rescue car's negative terminal to the dead car's engine metal frame (black clamp). Start the rescue car and rev the engine slightly, then start your own car. Once it fires up, drive immediately for half an hour to recharge. It's best to keep an emergency jump starter in your glove box—one about the size of a cigarette pack that plugs in for self-rescue. The worst is when the battery completely dies; generally, you should replace it every three years or so, otherwise sudden breakdowns become likely.
As an experienced driver, I'd like to remind everyone not to panic when encountering a dead car battery. Common causes are nothing more than battery aging, leaving headlights on, or prolonged parking. First observe the dashboard: a completely black screen or clicking sounds during startup indicate battery issues. It's advisable to keep a thick jumper cable in the trunk - decent quality ones can be bought online for just tens of yuan nowadays. When operating, remember to connect positive first then negative, and reverse the order when disconnecting. After successful jump-start, don't turn off the engine immediately; drive to a repair shop to check the charging voltage. If you're truly without assistance, use your insurance company's free emergency service - they come quickly with equipment. Remember, for vehicles over three years old, it's best to proactively replace the battery before winter to prevent breakdowns.
I know all about the embarrassment of a dead car battery! Last time, it took me half an hour to get out of the underground garage. Sharing personal experience: unlocking is key—using the mechanical key to open the driver's door is better than randomly pressing the remote. Jump-starting isn't actually hard; beginners just need to remember the mantra: both cars off, open the hood, red clip to positive, black clip to the rescuer's negative and the rescued car's engine metal frame, and never let the clips touch during the operation. Nowadays, many repair shops have mobile power bank-style rescue equipment that can arrive in ten minutes with a call. For cars parked long-term, remember to start them for ten minutes weekly or disconnect the battery's negative terminal to save a lot of trouble.
