Jump start service in Portland, ME
A dead battery started where the car sits, and the charging checked before we leave.
Need a jump start near you in Portland?
Call us and we bring a jump start to the car, wherever the battery gave out: a driveway in Deering Center, a curb on Munjoy Hill, a level of the Jetport garage or the shoulder of I-295. We do jump starts around the clock, and we give you the price on the call before the truck leaves.
A dead battery usually announces itself. A slow, labored crank, dim dash lights, a single click or nothing at all when you turn the key or press start all point toward the battery, though a click can also mean the starter. Tell us which one you hear; it helps us bring the right equipment.
While you wait, switch off the headlights, the heater fan and anything plugged in, and stop trying to start it. Repeated cranking drains what little charge is left and can overheat the starter.
Because we are a Portland, Maine towing company, one call covers both outcomes: if a jump will not do it, we can tow the car away. The number that sends a tow truck near you in Portland also sends a jump pack.
Why do car batteries die in a Portland winter?
Because cold drains a battery's power just as the engine asks for more. AAA says that at zero degrees, a car battery loses about 60 percent of its power while the engine needs twice the usual current to start.
January is the hard month here. By National Weather Service normals for the Jetport, it is Portland's coldest month, with a normal daily low of 15.6°F and a normal high of 32.4°F, and its snowiest, at 18.6 inches.
AAA's call numbers bear this out. During a cold spell, dead or dying batteries bring AAA its biggest surge of roadside calls, and AAA Northern New England, which covers Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont, answered more than 117,000 battery-related calls in 2019.
Age matters too. AAA puts a typical battery's life at three to five years and says the heavy electrical load of newer cars pushes that closer to three. If a battery that old turns the engine over slowly on the first cold morning, take it as a warning.
What happens when we arrive to jump-start your car?
We start the car, check that it is charging, and tell you what we found before we leave.
- We park safely. On a street or a shoulder, we set up so our truck and its lights sit between you and traffic.
- We look before we connect. A cracked, swollen or leaking battery is not one we jump, and heavy corrosion on the terminals gets cleaned off first.
- We connect the jump pack and start the car, following any jump-starting steps in the owner's manual.
- We check the charging. With the engine running, we check that the alternator is putting charge back into the battery.
- We tell you what we saw. If the battery is near the end of its life or the charging looks weak, we say so, and suggest you drive to a shop or parts store before switching off anywhere you would not want to be stuck.
Afterward, give the battery a real drive rather than idling in the driveway, so the alternator has time to put the charge back.
When won't a jump start fix a dead battery?
When the battery is not the real problem, or is too damaged to trust. Then the answer is a tow truck, and we quote the tow on the same call.
- It dies again soon after the jump. That usually means the alternator is not charging.
- It clicks but will not crank, even with a good battery. The starter or its wiring is the likely fault.
- The battery is cracked, bulging or leaking. We do not jump a damaged battery.
- The battery may be frozen. A fully drained battery can freeze in hard cold, and a frozen battery should not be jumped.
- It starts, but warning lights stay on or it runs rough. Something else is wrong, and driving on it can make that worse.
In those cases we tow the car to your shop, a dealer or home. Our towing services cover towing in Portland and the towns around it, at any hour.
Hybrids and electric cars
Tell us on the call if the car is a hybrid or an electric vehicle, and we follow its owner's manual on whether and where a jump can be connected. If an electric car has to be moved instead, it rides on a flatbed: Tesla recommends a flatbed truck or comparable transport vehicle for the Model 3 and Model Y and warns against ever transporting one with its tires able to spin. For that job we send a flatbed tow truck.
Dead battery on a Portland parking-ban night?
Call early, because the clock is running. When the City declares a parking ban, it runs from 10:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m., and cars left on the street after 10 p.m. can be ticketed and towed at the owner's expense.
The City's alerts put the fine for failing to move a car during a ban at $130. A jump that gets the car to a legal spot before 10 p.m. avoids the ticket and the tow altogether, so if the car will not start on a ban evening, call as soon as you know.
Ban tows now go to private tow company lots, since the City no longer has its own impound lot. That is not us: we are not the City's tow contractor, and we do not impound cars. We come when you call.
The City lists places to park during a ban, including free lots and garages with reduced snow-ban rates, and its alerts carry the current list. For what happens if a car is towed, see our guide to parking-ban tows in Portland.
Other help when the car won't go
Roadside Assistance
Every roadside fix we offer, and when a tow is the better call.
Learn moreTowing Services
When a jump will not hold, a tow to your shop, a dealer or home.
Learn moreFlatbed Towing
Electric cars and anything that should not roll, carried on a flatbed.
Learn moreVehicle Lockout
Keys locked inside, the door opened with care.
Learn more
Frequently asked questions
Can you jump-start my car at night?
Yes. We do jump starts 24/7, including overnight, weekends and holidays, across Portland and the nearby towns. Call and we give you the price before the truck leaves.
Why won't my car start in the cold?
Usually a weak battery. AAA says a car battery loses about 60 percent of its power at zero degrees while the engine needs twice the usual current to start, so a battery that coped in the fall can fail on the first hard freeze. A jump can get it going, but a battery that keeps failing needs replacing.
Will a jump start fix my car?
Only if the battery was the problem. If the car dies again soon after, clicks with a good battery, or shows warning lights once it runs, the fault is elsewhere and the car needs a tow to a shop. We check the charging after every jump and tell you what we see.
Is it the battery or the alternator?
If the car starts on a jump and keeps running, the battery is the likely culprit. If it starts and then dies again, or a battery warning light comes on while you drive, suspect the alternator. We check the charging before we leave so you know which it is.
Can you jump-start a hybrid or an electric car?
It depends on the car, so tell us when you call, and we follow its owner's manual. If an electric car has to be moved instead, Tesla recommends a flatbed for its Model 3 and Model Y and warns never to transport one with its tires able to spin, so we send a flatbed.
Car won't start? Call for a jump now
Tell us where the car is and what it does when you turn the key.
- Where the car is - street, driveway, garage level or highway exit
- What it does - clicks, cranks slowly or nothing at all
- The year, make and model, and whether it is a hybrid or electric