No matter how often you take your precious car to an automotive shop for its regular preventive maintenance, if insufficient attention and checkup are rendered to your car's battery, then it is still useless. A car's battery is as precious as a human's heart. Without it, the car's engine will not have the power to start; more so, move. That is why it is imperative to know at least the basics of car battery handling, e. g. their first aid and answers to questions like when and how they should be replaced.  

For instance, if you have forgotten to turn your headlights off especially if you are owning an old car where warning alarms are not programmed or installed and then your car is accidentally left as is, there is a big chance that your battery is already dead when you come back. And the only time you are able to realize it is when you attempt to turn the ignition key but the car is not responding.

While the stress from having a dead car battery can be alleviated with the help of a reputable and reliable roadside assistance and tow truck company nearby that is 24/7 ready to respond to road emergency situations like Paterson Town Tow Truck, it also pays to have the basic skills in jumpstarting your battery to bring your car back to life even for a temporary period.

Battery Jumpstarting
The process of jumpstarting your car's battery per se is quite simple but it requires two things: jumper cables and another running car. That means you have to stock jumper cables in your trunk all the time. And along with that, you need to find another car that is running the moment you decide to jumpstart your battery. In totality, the jumpstarting process does not take more than five minutes.

Remember these key points:

First Phase - The Preparation: Your car and the other car must be turned off after facing each other at 18 inches apart. Keys of both cars must also be removed and both breaks engaged. This is to prevent sudden accelerations or movements. Along with this, make sure your car's lights and radios are all switched off.

Second Phase - Battery Checking: Battery jumpstarting is considered unsafe and unadvisable if the battery appears to be in a bad condition i.e. it is frozen or leaking or if the battery's casing has cracks as the battery may explode in the long run. Stop if this is the case. Otherwise, proceed on ensuring that both cars' batteries have equal voltages. After that, determine the two poles of each battery,  identify and note which ones have positive and negative signs.

Third Phase - Battery Jumpstarting: You may now begin attaching the jumper cables. Start with the red positive cable. Clamp it to the dead battery's positive terminal and attach the other end to the positive terminal of the other car's battery. Wiggle the clamps to connect both firmly. And then proceed on the black cable. Do the same steps but this time, connect both ends on both batteries' negative terminal.

Once all is set, clear the area. Put away cigarettes and other hazardous items and put your safety glasses on. Then start the other car's engine and let it on. After a few minutes, start your car and try again until it works. If it does, carefully disconnect the cables in reverse order (starting with the black cable). As you do this, make sure both clamps do not touch each other. Then drive for a short while so that the battery can build up a charge.

The Dangers of DIY Jumpstarting

Jumpstarting the battery on your own may expose you to various threats. For one, if not handled properly, it can worsen the problem of your car or it can be too hazardous to deal with. Also, while it is tempting to ask help from a stranger, you can't really be sure that you are taking the right path or, instead, you are getting yourself in for more danger. And despite that uncertainty, DIY jumpstarting does not always guarantee that it can salvage your car and put it back to a working condition. Imagine the hassle you may have put through only to find out the whole thing has failed.

Have P-Town Tow Truck Assist You!

A reliable road assistance and towing company in NJ like P-Town Tow Truck is committed to helping you get through your situation safely and soundly. Our goal is to keep you away from the dangers of the road while saving your car from its potential end. Whether you are in Paterson, New Jersey or in any of its neighboring towns, giving us a ring means you will be instantly entitled for prompt, quality car recovery like jumpstart service, tow truck service, gas delivery, tire replacement, and a lot more. We even buy junk cars for cash to give you an easy, hassle-free car selling experience.  ​

P-Town Tow Truck is operated by courteous and friendly professionals adept in the field of road assistance and towing. Only here will you experience premium quality services at a very reasonable quote. We practice transparency; we make sure you understand every detail of the bill. Great reviews speak volumes of our reputation. For all your roadside and cheap 24 7 tow truck concerns, call P-Town Tow Truck. We're glad to be of service to you.  

Before you call for a tow truck it's imperative that have an idea of what is wrong with  your vehicle. 

Luckily, you really don't have to be a mechanic to make a quick diagnosis on your car or truck.  Certain quirks will be easily noticeable, so be sure to let the operator and driver know what is going on.  

If you've started your car and the steering wheel is wobbling back and forth you may have a tire problem or low power steering fluid.  If your vehicle was manufactured within the last 20 years you should have a warning signal within your dashboard go on.  If it's an air pressure issue your tire gauge should light up.

Although, if your tire treads are low and you drive over a pothole or a hard object such as an animal or rock, you may have severely damaged the tire..  The air may still be in the tire, but the tire may have a lump or is on the verge of exploding.  This can happen if you've hit something and continued to drive your vehicle for 10-100 miles.  

Upon exiting your vehicle ALWAYS make sure that you have turned off your headlights, fog lights and interior lights.  This is the number one way to kill your battery.  

If your engine isn't starting, you'll know that your battery is dead.  To confirm this, you can test your batter by doing the following things:  1) check and see if your headlights or fog lights are left in the on position.  2) If not, have your interior lights turned on, or can you turn them on? This is usually the easiest way to detect the issue.  3) Lastly does your horn honk? If it doesn't have any juice, then there's a good chance that it's just your battery.  And luckily, all you would have to do to get your vehicle running would be to call our team for much needed Roadside Assistance. 

Jumpstartiing a vehicle is an easy task if you have the jumper cables ready.  We do advise calling a professional if you're not sure how to use jumper cables.  If you don't know what you're doing then you're susceptible of having sparks flying in your face or can damage your battery.

Let's say you do know what you're doing, but don't have the actual cables. In the old day's it used to be okay just to ask neighboring cars.  However times have changed and it's not necessarily a good thing to start asking strangers for help. Depending on where you are physically located or the time of the day, you do run the risk of running into the wrong crowd.  

We've heard negative stories of folks getting robbed in these scenarios.  So, please know the dangers and be cautious if you're going in this route. 

Perhaps your lights have turned on, but your engine won't start or the the keys in your ignition make a clicking sound when you turn them.   If your lights are on, then you may have one of two issues.  

1) Your spark plug may need to be replaced.
2) You may have a blown fuse

If this is an issue, just let the operator know that the engine is not starting.  This issue should be inspected by a trained professional. Also, know that you'll hear these same sounds if it was a battery issue, but again, remember that if you lights are on and not dimming or dead, then chances are it's not your car battery. 

With those 3 issues clarified, you should have an idea of what's wrong with your vehicle.  Always remember to circle your vehicle if anything looks, sounds, or smells troubling.  

Other problems that may occur can be your engine overheating.  This can either be your thermostat sticking (which is when water from the radiator is not flowing to engine, which is needed to cool it) or you may be low on engine coolant.

Other issues related to the car can be leaky fluids. Fluid tanks tend to crack after impact, so if you've gotten in an accident you'll definitely want to circle your vehicle to see what if it is leaking or not.  

You may have called P-town Tow Truck, however, we are partnered with Generation X Towing of Paterson.   Due to the influx of business, our calls get routed to the operator for Generation X.  So don't be confused, if they answer the phone as Generation X.  

This is simply our way getting our customers the best roadside recovery services as possible in and around Paterson.  We would like to ensure you that you'll still get great towing service when our fleet is occupied. 

Generation X has been servicing Paterson, New Jersey for over 15 years now.