If you are not using your car regularly, we recommend starting the engine and letting it run for a period of at least 15 minutes every two weeks. It is important to allow the engine to run for this long so the battery can charge properly. Be sure that your car is outside when the engine is running and don’t leave it unattended. (advice from Mercedes UK)

We see many cars damaged by people jump starting incorrectly. If you have a flat battery our advice is get a professional to start it :-

• Call your breakdown service (RAC AA Greenflag etc) and let them start it free of charge
• If your not covered by breakdown call us 0161 223 5335 and we’ll come out and start it, there will be a small charge for this.
• If you have jump leads and must try this yourself please follow these guidelines.
  • Park the donor car (the car with a good battery) as close as possible make sure the hand brakes are applied on both vehicles, both vehicle are in park or neutral and stop the engine on the donor car.
  • Open both bonnets
  • Make sure the jump lead reach both batteries but don’t connect yet
  • Connect securely the red lead only to the donor positive battery terminal marked + (Lift up the red cover if required)
  • Connect securely the red lead only to the flat battery positive terminal marked +
  • Connect securely the black lead only to the donor negative battery terminal marked –
  • Connect securely the black lead only to the flat battery positive terminal marked –

Do not switch on anything and wait one minute.

Start the good car and leave it with the engine idling for 3 minutes

Attempt to start the flat car.

• If it doesn’t start then stop, switch off the flat car but leave the donor car running and wait 3 minutes before trying again.
• If it does start then leave both cars running at idle for 3 minutes.
• After 3 minutes of both cars running disconnect in this order
  • Black from the car that was flat
  • Black from the donor car
  • Red from the car that was flat
  • Black from the donor car

Ideally you then want to make the donor car secure and go for a 20 minute drive in the car that was flat.