jumper cables being held by person in front of car

If you drive a luxury or performance vehicle, you’re an owner of a reliable machine. Still, occasionally problems do arise. On vehicles like these, with so many electronics, a dead battery is a common issue. At Oliver Automotive we want to keep our customers informed, here’s how to jump-start your vehicle safely. 

Start with the hoods open on both vehicles, yours and the vehicle that will be jumping you.

- Locate both batteries. On most vehicles, it’s under the hood; on many luxury cars, the battery is either hidden or in the trunk. There should be a terminal under the hood marked in red if that’s the case.

- On the dead battery, attach the positive (red) lead to the terminal with a red marking or + symbol. Be sure the leads on the other end of the cable aren’t touching before proceeding.

- Attach the negative (black) lead to a sturdy ground, such as a piece of bare metal on the car. Often, the alternator bracket makes a good attach point. If there aren’t any, you can use the negative battery terminal. Since your vehicle has sensitive electronics, it’s best to avoid using the negative battery terminal if possible.

- Follow the same procedure on the other vehicle - if the engine isn’t already running, start it now.

- Wait a couple of minutes, then give yours a try. It should start right up!

- Disconnect the cables in reverse order, remembering never to let the leads touch until everything is disconnected.

Just remember that positive goes to positive (red to red) and ground goes to ground (black to black), and you’ll be back on the road in no time.

No matter your repair or maintenance needs, we’ve got you covered. For the best luxury and performance vehicles service shop in Novato, CA, call or stop by Oliver Automotive today.



Proudly Serving Novato & the Bay Area including drivers from San Rafael, Fairfax, Woodacre, Nicasio, Galinas, San Antonio, Petaluma, and Olema. We have customers who have moved as far away as Oakland who continue to come to our shop for high-quality auto repair service from a family business.
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7417 Redwood Blvd
| Novato, CA

(415) 893-9056
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