7 Signs It's Time for a New Car Battery

Knowing how to jump-start a car is important for every driver, as it can mean the difference between driving off again in minutes or waiting on the side of the road for help. As your INFINITI dealership, we want to tell you the simple steps to get that working again. In the example below, your INFINITI will be used to jump-start another vehicle with a dead battery. Advice From Your INFINITI Dealership: 5 Easy Steps To Jump-Start a Car Park Close Before you park, check the location of the battery in the other vehicle. It's usually in the front, but some cars have the engine and the battery in the trunk. Once you've found the other battery, park your INFINITI so your battery is as close as possible to the other vehicle's battery. This makes it easier to connect the cables to the two batteries. more About the Cables Jumper cables have a red cable and a black cable with metal clamps on the ends. The red cable is positive and the black cable is negative. When you're ready to make the first connection, make sure that the red and black cables don't touch. These cables must be connected in a specific order, as an incorrect connection could damage your battery or even start a fire. Connect the Cables Attach one end of the red cable to the positive terminal on the dead battery. The terminals are usually marked with + and - signs. The positive terminal might also be covered with a red plastic cover that can be easily removed. Once the red cable is secure, connect the other end of the cable to the positive terminal on your battery. Next, take one end of the black cable and connect it to the negative terminal on your battery. For the final step, connect the other end of the black cable to any unpolished piece of metal in the other vehicle's engine. Check that all the clamps are secure. Give Some Juice Return to your car and start the engine. Allow it to idle for several minutes, then go to the other car and try to start its engine. If the engine starts, you can disconnect the cables. If the engine doesn't start, allow your engine to idle for approximately 10 minutes and try again. Disconnect the Cables Disconnect the cables in the reverse order to how you originally connected them. Congratulations, you've recharged a battery. If you'd like more information about jump-starting, visit us today at Edison INFINITI in Edison, NJ.

Engine belts play a crucial role in keeping your INFINITI running smoothly. Once a car engine belt wears out, you will start to experience problems with the engine and electrical systems. If you notice the signs of belt failure, visit your local INFINITI dealership immediately to have it replaced. What Does a Car Engine Belt Do? Your INFINITI's engine has two major belts that help the vehicle run smoothly: the serpentine belt and the timing belt. The serpentine belt is a long rubber belt that wraps around driving components like the alternator, power steering pump, and AC compressor. When the engine is running, the belt delivers power to these components and keeps them functioning correctly. The timing belt synchronizes the rotation of the crankshaft and camshaft. This allows the engine's valves and pistons to open at precise times, which enables proper compression and combustion. If either of these belts fails, your INFINITI will start to act up. You need to replace the damaged belt immediately to prevent engine damage. more Signs It's Time to Replace Your Engine Belt at the INFINITI Dealership Squealing Noises If you hear a loud, high-pitched squealing or squeaking noise under the hood when driving, you likely have a worn serpentine belt. This sound is caused by the belt slipping or not gripping the pulleys correctly due to stretching or cracking. Don't ignore this noise because the belt could break, causing systems in the car to fail. Visible Wear on the Belt You should get your belts inspected regularly during your routine INFINITI service and maintenance. If a belt has cracks, fraying, or missing sections, it's time to replace it. These are the first signs that the belt is deteriorating and may snap or slip if you don't replace it. Hard Starts and Engine Misfires Hard starts and misfires can occur if you have a worn timing belt. As the belt wears out, it can cause the crankshaft and camshaft to fall out of sync. This disrupts the engine's timing and causes misfires. A worn serpentine belt will also disrupt power to the alternator, making it difficult for the engine to turn over. Failing Power Steering Does your steering wheel suddenly feel heavy and unresponsive? This could mean your serpentine belt has snapped, causing the power steering to fail. This can be scary and dangerous, especially if it happens when you're driving at high speeds. A damaged serpentine belt will also disable essential functions like the alternator and AC. If an engine belt breaks while you're driving, your INFINITI will stall, which could lead to an accident. Don't risk damaging your engine's components by delaying belt replacement. Visit Edison INFINITI in Edison, NJ and our certified technicians will replace the engine belt with a genuine OEM one.

Electrical problems are more common in vehicles that aren't up-to-date with their services. Your INFINITI contains advanced technology, and it requires regular maintenance to keep it performing to the high standard you expect. If something goes wrong in your car's electrical system, your INFINITI dealership can fix it for you. These are samples of some of the types of issues we can resolve. 3 Electrical Problems You Should Always Fix at Your INFINITI Dealership Fuses and Fuse Links These two components serve the same basic function of protecting your car's systems against shorts or fluctuating electric currents. Fuses work identically to the ones in your home and are connected to each of your electrical systems. Fuse links are wires in the wiring harness that operate like fuses to cut off power to protect against a system overload. Fuses and fuse links can fail due to an electrical short or wear out due to age. A fuse link wire becomes brittle as it ages, and this can cause it to snap. If one or more of your car's systems shut down without warning, you could have a fuse or fuse link issue. Our technicians will examine your INFINITI's wiring system to identify and fix the problem. more Computer Errors Computer errors are very rare, but they can happen. Your computer controls and monitors all your car's systems through a large network of sensors. Sensors are attached to all your car's vital components and continuously supply information to the computer. The computer is very advanced, but it can be affected, like any other computer, by minor issues and it also requires software updates. Computer glitches due to hardware or software errors can shut down any of your car's systems. These errors can result in engine damage, for example, if the fuel-air mixture in your engine is set incorrectly. If your computer isn't working correctly, it will generate error codes to pinpoint the cause, and your check engine light will illuminate. We'll check the codes and repair any hardware or software issues. Worn Alternator Electricity powers almost every system in your car, and this electricity is produced by the alternator. It spins at high speed to produce power, which is then transported to each system through a complex network of cables and wires. Like every other component, your alternator can eventually wear out due to age and worn components. A worn alternator produces less electricity than it previously did, and this will affect all your car's systems in time. If the alternator is failing, sensors will detect the lower electrical output and warn the computer. In response, the computer will log the problem and illuminate the check battery warning light. We'll test your alternator and install a new one if it's failing. Don't let electrical faults ruin your enjoyment of your INFINITI. Visit us today at Edison INFINITI in Edison, NJ, for the perfect repair.