Uh-oh! What’s that sound? If your engine sounds similar to a moody cat (rur-rur-rur), there’s a good chance you have a dead car battery.
Before you get on the phone and call for a tow truck, check to see if your car won’t start but the starter “clicks.”
Some solutions:
If you’re feeling handy and know your way around, down, and inside and out of a car… try cycling the key. Turn on the dome light and watch it while you try to start your car’s engine. If the light stays out, the battery is weak. But, if the light stays on and you’re feeling confident, try tapping on the battery terminals. You’ll need tools to clean corroded battery terminals, but you can try to to move the terminals to make contact—slightly tap on them. Lastly, if you have access to the starter motor, try smacking the starter with the tire iron from your car jack. Tapping on them can free electrical contacts.
If you’re not finding much luck with the above solutions, you most likely have a dead car battery. But don’t fear! Jumpstarting the car is an option. (And yes, there’s still a way to jumpstart your car without cranks.)
Head back to the car with the dead battery and find a good ground—this is a piece of bare metal. Many cars will have a dedicated ground bolt, indicated with a “-” and arrow indicating it is safe for jumpstarting. Make sure that the wire isn’t too thin so the lead has something to latch on to.
Now maybe your battery is dead and can’t get a jump. In other words, it’s dead dead and needs to be replaced.
If these steps are too complicated, or if your car’s life doesn’t seem to match up with the time and cost of replacing a dead battery, it may be a good time to find out how much your car is worth.
If your car is, in fact, defective (bummer) parting with your current wheels may seem like the worst case scenario. Did you know Peddle will buy anything—dead battery or not, defected or not? Selling to Peddle is an easy way to get cash in your hand, quick.
If you decide to sell your car through Peddle (yay!), knowing what to expect will make the road ahead feel that much smoother. We’re ready when you are.
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