A dead battery in your car can mean the difference between getting home safely and being stuck somewhere for hours. Here's a step-by-step guide on how to revive your car and get you back on the move, with tips from an expert mechanic.

Road & Track spoke with Kevin Hines, senior technician at McLaren Philadelphia, to learn the correct way to revive a dead battery and jump-start a car safely. Hines is North America's only factory-certified McLaren F1 technician, which means his day job revolves around working on $20 million exotics. If anyone understands how to bring an electrically-starved car back from the dead, it's him.

Before you read any further, we suggest consulting your car's owner's manual for exact instructions on how to jump-start your vehicle. Your manufacturer's suggestions may differ from the instructions below.

"My first choice would be to use a battery charger if you were in a situation with a dead battery," Hines tells Road & Track. Charger boxes and trickle chargers, most often found in mechanic shops and storage facilities, are used to keep projects or stored vehicles charged as they sit for long periods of time. Their uses are limited, as Hines points out. Not everyone has the luxury of discovering they have a dead battery while their car is nestled somewhere safe and away from the elements.

Read Full Story At caranddriver.com >>