Q&A: Will My Car Get Damaged From Jump Starting Another Vehicle?

Extending a helping hand is a noble thing to do. When you see someone who has a dead battery, you might be thinking about letting them use your vehicle to jumpstart theirs. However, you might also be wondering whether it could damage your car in the process. Although you’d like to help, you wouldn’t like to do anything to damage your vehicle.

Most of the time, giving someone else’s vehicle a jump start won’t damage your car. They’d take charge of your battery but you could recharge that by simply using your car. If the jumpstart is successful, there is really no serious damage that the donor car gets. However, if the jumpstart is not properly done, then there is a high chance for your car to be damaged.  Here’s how to do just that…

Avoiding Car Damage While Jumpstarting

There is always the risk of electrical damage when jumpstarting another vehicle. This is especially true when someone who’s jumpstarting the car isn’t experienced. If they are not careful, they’d be more prone to damaging either or both of the vehicles.

Even if you have the best intentions of helping, sometimes, you just don’t want to risk your vehicle. After all, there are roadside assistance services that could easily help a car that has a dead battery. If you’d really want to help then, you could just do the jump start procedure. In that way, you won’t have to blame them for ruining your vehicle.

The best way to avoid damage while jumpstarting a car is to properly connect the cables in the right order. The jumper cables are color-coded, which makes them easier to identify and connect to the right battery terminals. The only thing left to think about is the order on how to attach the cables. Here’s what happens when the jumpstart procedure is not done properly.

When The Wires Are Crossed

If you cross the wires, or if you attach the positive cable to the negative terminal, an electrical short could occur. When this happens, the computer or electrical parts of the car could be fried. Sometimes, you won’t notice it until you try to turn on the radio or use the power windows and they don’t work anymore. Other parts of your vehicle that connects and takes electrical charge could also be affected when you short out the wires.

Wrong Sequence Of Attachment

The procedure for jumpstarting a vehicle calls for attaching both positive ends first. Technically, it doesn’t matter which you attach first as long as they are correct. However, for safety reasons, the positive terminals are first attached.

This is done to avoid shorting as you set up the other cables. If you start attaching the negative first, then most of the car, except for the positive poles are connected. If you mistakenly touch the positive clip to any part of the vehicle, it could cause a short to happen.

If you have attached the positive terminals, setting up the negative cable and accidentally touching it with the other parts of the car won’t mess things up.

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