

In the following videos, we use an Optima charger that we have had good experience with in the Car and Driver garage. Better still, if a friend or relative has one that you can borrow, you're in luck. If you're intent on recharging your battery, you're going to need a battery charger. If the battery won't even take a charge, it's almost definitely dead and needs to be replaced.

But if it then dies a couple of days later, it could be either a failing battery or the fault of something else in your car's electrical system-starting with the alternator, which supplies electricity to run the car and charge the battery.

If the battery takes the charge and you can restart your vehicle, it might not be totally dead. Attempting a recharge will also help you know if you need a new battery. Did you leave the headlights on last night? Or an interior light? Either of those could be enough to run the battery down. The best thing you can do when your battery goes flat suddenly is to figure out why and what shape it's actually in.
