My Car Can't Start

You've noticed some signs of the car's electricity supply getting weaker: the door lock/unlock beep and light seems to waver, the engine starting sound seems to cough weakly. The next thing you know, the car doesn't start at all.

What happened?

The car battery has a limited lifespan. These days, manufacturers make car batteries to last only 1-2 years max (they make more sales from battery replacements that way).

Jump Start

If the battery just happens to have run out of charge and is still new (less than 1 year old), you should try jump starting the car first. These are the steps to jump start your car:

What you need:

• jumper cable
• a car with working battery ("donor")
• your car with dead battery ("recipient")

These are the steps to jump start your car:

1. Expose battery terminals in both donor and recipient.

2. Use jumper cable black crocodile clips: Attach donor's black terminal to recipient's black terminal.

3. Use jumper cable red crocodile clips: Attach donor's red terminal to recipient's red terminal.

4. Start donor's engine. Leave it on for at least a minute and rev a few times. This charges the recipient's battery.

5. Start recipient's engine. Once it starts, you can stop the donor's engine. Then disconnect the jumper cables: FIRST black crocodile clips, THEN red crocodile clips. Turn off donor engine.

6. Take the recipient car for a short drive around the neighbourhood. This will charge the battery and restore it to levels before it died. Try turning off the car engine then starting the car again. If it works, then you've charged it sufficiently and the car will likely won't pose any problem the next time you restart it.

Time to change car battery

If you've taken the car for a spin, turned off the engine, then tried starting the engine again BUT it doesn't start (instead, you may hear the engine cough and sputter continuously), then this is a sign that the car battery has reached its maximum recharging cycle. The battery can't continue to hold a charge as efficiently as when brand new. It's probably time to change your car battery.

The last time I paid for a battery, it was RM222.60 (battery price + 6% GST + workmanship).

Have you found this guide helpful? Or have you had another experience with your car dying on you? Please comment below!