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How do you charge a maintenance free car battery?

I haven’t used my car in a while, and when I went to start it, the battery was dead. How can I charge a maintenance free car battery?

avatar
Jack Walsh · Updated on
Reviewed by Shannon Martin, Licensed Insurance Agent.
Discovering your car battery is dead is never pleasant, but charging a car battery is simple and your car should be road-ready soon!
To charge a maintenance free car battery, you should:
  1. Open the hood of the vehicle and locate the battery.
  2. Make sure the charger is off or unplugged.
  3. Connect the positive red charger cable to the positive battery terminal.
  4. Connect the negative black charger cable to the vehicle’s metal frame or engine block, far away from the battery.
  5. Select the appropriate setting on the charger and turn it on.
  6. Unplug the charger once the battery is charged and remove the charging cables, starting with the negative black cable.
  7. Close the hood and start the vehicle.
Additionally, because you haven’t used your car in a while, you should check your
car insurance
 policy to ensure it’s up to date.
If you need a new policy or want to update your coverage, use
Jerry
. A licensed broker that offers end-to-end support, the Jerry app gathers affordable quotes, helps you switch plans, and will even help you cancel your old policy. The average Jerry driver saves $887 a year on car insurance.
MORE:
Jumpstarting your dead car battery back to life
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