How to Jumpstart a Car

It's not that hard really. If ever your trusty Corolla starts sputtering when you're in a hurry to get to the office, this is what you do.

A few things to remember first:

• Do this in an open area. Batteries produce hydrogen gas that is explosive, so don't smoke near the battery. Mobile phones are ok.
• Make sure the good battery and the bad battery are of the same voltage rating. Common sense, but best if mentioned.
• Do let the cars touch each other during jumpstarting. They can look at each other, but no touching.

1. Find a another car with a working battery, and position it head-to-head with your dead Corolla. You can also do it side-by-side as long as the batteries are close to each other.
2. Connect jumper cable from the red (positive) terminal of booster battery to the red (positive) terminal of the dead battery.
3. Connect (another) jumper cable from the black (negative) terminal of booster battery to the earth of the Corolla. Any bare metal will do.
4. Start the car with the booster battery. Let it run (not jog) for a few minutes.
5. Start the car with the dead battery. Yes, I know the battery's dead, but trust me. Let it run for a few minutes.
6. Disconnect the jumper cables in the reverse order. Actually, before you do that, turn on the headlights of the stalled vehicle, so that it will absorb the current spike when the cables are disconnected.