How Do I Jump Start a 2000 Passat?

You should always carry jumper cables in your car.

Almost everyone who has ever owned a car has, at some point or another, been faced with a dead battery. Whether because you forgot to turn the headlights off the night before or because the battery was simply past its prime, when you stuck the key in the ignition and turned it, nothing happened. Thankfully this is one of the easier car issues to remedy. Jump-starting a 2000 Passat can be accomplished almost anywhere, provided that you have the right tools.

Things You'll Need

• Jumper cables
• Car starter or a running car

Instructions

Using a Car Starter

1. Plug in the car starter, unless doing so will automatically turn the starter on. Most modern models are equipped with a power button, but if yours is not, then do not plug in the starter until Step 7.

2. Open the hood of the Passat and brace it open.

3. Connect the red jumper cable clamp to the positive battery terminal of the Passat. In most car batteries, a "+" symbol will be stamped into the plastic in front of the terminal, to indicate that it is the positive terminal.

4. Connect the other red end to the positive terminal on the car starter.

5. Connect the black cable to the negative terminal of the car starter.

6. Connect the other black cable to the negative terminal on the car battery.

7. Turn the car starter on. In most cases, this can be accomplished by pressing a power button.

8. Start the Passat.

9. Remove the black clamp from the car battery, followed by the red clamp. Allow the Passat to run for about 20 minutes, in order to allow the battery time to charge.

Using Another Car

1. Drive the running car over to the stalled Passat. Position the car so that the engine compartments of both cars are close enough together that the cables can reach both batteries and turn the car off.

2. Open the hood of both cars and brace them open.

3. Connect the red jumper cable clamp to the positive battery terminal of the Passat.

4. Connect the other red clamp to the positive battery terminal of the other car.

5. Connect the black jumper cable clamp to the negative battery terminal of the car with the good battery.

6. Attach the other black clamp to a piece of clean, unpainted metal under the Passat's hood.

7. Start the car with the good battery. Allow it to run for a couple of minutes.

8. Start the Passat.

9. Remove the cables in the reverse order of how you attached them.

Tips & Warnings

• Be careful not to allow any of the clamps to touch one another once the are connected to a car.

References

• The Art of Manliness: To Jump Start a Car
• Edmunds.com: Jump-Start