jump start order

Ah, the delicate ballet of jump-starting a car—get it wrong and you might just summon the car gods' wrath. Here's the proper order to save your battery and your dignity:

• Red clamp to the positive (+) terminal of the dead battery.
• Red clamp to the positive (+) terminal of the good battery.
• Black clamp to the negative (-) terminal of the good battery.
• Black clamp to a metal, unpainted part of the dead car's engine block or chassis—NOT the negative terminal!

Why? Because connecting the negative clamp to the dead battery's terminal can cause sparks and possibly a battery explosion. Once connected, start the donor car, then the recipient, and remove clamps in reverse order. If you’re in Australia and want a more visual guide or some shiny new jumper cables, you might check out Tradingpost or ServiceCentral.