HEAD START
I’m a mechanic with decades of experience – drivers always make the same mistake when jump-starting their car
AN expert mechanic has revealed a simple mistake drivers always make when jump starting their car.
Scotty Kilmer urged motorists to watch out for the error in a clip uploaded to YouTube.
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Scotty, who has more than 50 years of experience in the motor industry, said: "Today I'm going to show you why, when you jump start a car, you don't want to have the car with a good battery running."
The issue with running the car being used to power the jump start is that, when the engine is running, the alternator belt will be running at a certain speed.
Then, when the other car sparks into life, its alternator will run simultaneously, but possibly at a different speed.
When the two alternators run in opposition and generate power at different rates, this is fed back through the jump leads and can damage both cars' electronics.
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Electrical components require a steady and regular flow of current and disruption to the flow or repeated changes to its rate can cause costly damage.
Given that most components of modern cars, from fuel injection to the door locks, are managed electronically, a serious system fault can be devastating.
Combined with the fact that a specialist mechanic is often required to deal with complex electrical issues, this could see your repair bills easily run into the thousands.
Instead, Scotty recommended turning on the jump car's electrical system but not the engine and using it to support the other's battery.
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And if the second car's battery is completely flat, there is a different method that can be used.
After you have attached the jump leads, do the opposite of the jump start with the car that has power running its engine and the other switched off.
Do this for about 10 minutes to charge the flat battery and then you can either do a normal jump start or try and get it to start on its own steam.
Car battery chargers can be found online for around £12.99 and remove the danger of electrical damage, but these are useful tips in case you find yourself caught short.
commenters were grateful for the handy advice.
One wrote: "This man is absolutely right."
Another added: "I’ve done it wrong for 40 years. Thanks for teaching me right Scotty."
It comes after Scotty posted a TikTok video in which he shared a simple tip that can double the life of your car.
Meanwhile, an EV owner explained why he tells other drivers to avoid electric models at all costs.
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