Someone (whose name I shall not sully) left my car ignition on for a couple of days recently, so when I came to use it yesterday morning; the battery was dead.
Luckily Wills had the above, and it was fully charged.
It's a small 'jump starter', which is charged via a USB socket. Turn on, attach the leads to your dead battery, and Bingo!
What a great idea. You can even keep the thing charged-up via your cigar lighter in the car (no-one smokes cigars in the car these days).
There's only one problem; it costs about €250. Ouch!
32 comments:
oooooooooh, I have a dead battery in my car can you toss that over here ?
parsnip
I wish I could, it's a little miracle.
Another smart invention I didn't know about, I hope I don't need it.
I had no idea such things existed either, but I'm very pleased they do!
There are cheaper ones.... but they are a bit bulkier... our Phillips one is about 5x this size [about the size of the Michelin guide to France... but it has saved us countless times. It cost £90.... twelve years ago!
My old mate came over in his Posh and he had an even neater item... a solar panel that stayed on the shelf above the engine [mid-mounted in a Posh] so was under the rear window. It was connected directly to the battery terminals and kept the battery charged up at all times... and another small battery, 3"cube, that charges as the car goes, but has to be manually switched into the system and acts as the "reserve battery".... should all the systems fail and the main battery discharges... ie:
You can't leave the headlights on on a Posh.... when you remove the keys from the ignition and leave the car... any exterior lights other than parking... turn off after three or four minutes.
Our Megane-based estate just nags me... with a very loud "squeaker"... rapid, insistent and ruddy annoying... that also works very well!
But, this has left me wanting one of these... it'll fit in my Manbag.
Ever more drivers here find themselves with a dead batteries as I witnessed only last week. And it's not even winter yet!!! So why is is? Could it be anything to do with not disengaging continuous stop-start mechanism during the daily stop-start traffic jam commute to work in the city and the ridiculous fashion (70% do it here) for driving around with main headlights 24/24 on glorious summer days?
We never remove the keys from the car, hence the problem. I believe she (or he) had turned-on to close the windows, and forgotten to turn-off again. I'm not really au fait with all the new gizmos around; this one seemed like a goody.
I don't understand this headlight business. I think it started with Volvo, now everyone does it. Crazy. I only use mine when it's dark.
All recent cars have to have daytime "running lights". They're even tested as part of the MoT test. At least mine are LED so don't use much power. As regards batteries, I'll stick to the charger and jump leads: much cheaper.
You mean they HAVE to have their lights on all day? How bizarre.
I have one. It is a little miracle. It cost me £30. Even at Halfords they only cost £70..
He is talking about day-running lights which all Volvos have had for years. They don't have to stay on when the engine is not running!
I traded in my super-smart, gadget packed car for something smaller and less complicated. All those bells and whistles just got on my nerves and I was always worrying about leaving something on accidentally and draining the battery.
I do see a lot of cars with their lights on over here in the daytime. I can't see the point.
I thought €250 seemed a lot.
The fewer electronic gizmos the better.
It is a law where I live that when driving, your lights must be on in the daytime if it is raining and your windshield wipers are on. Many people forget that the lights are on when they go to use the car the next time. I am guilty of that.
Although I have only had a battery problem a few times in my driving life, having that tool would be a good safeguard to have in my car. Crap happens.
No doubt some clever bureaucrat thought it a good idea to keep your headlights on. V odd.
We have a trickle charger, a solar panel that sits on the dashboard and charges the car battery. It does depend upon having a lighter socket that stays connectable whilst the ignition is off. when the car is unused for a while, especially in cold weather, it still starts. The cost was ten pounds about six years ago, for the smallest one from a well known chain
The point is that you are far more visible with your lights on. It's a safety/awareness thing. It works too.
That sounds really good. How come I never get to hear of such things?
P.S. My one is the size of a mobile phone - it even looks like a mobile phone. I don't know how they work, but they do. They don't even get warm during the discharge.
PPS I keep mine in the car and have helped others with it twice now.
Now of course you have left us all wondering who it is who's name you won't sully.
When they made a law in Austria that cars had to have daytime lights it was pointed out that this would increase fuel consumption by 3%. Austria hurriedly cancelled the law but a tad too late as by the time it went through people had got in the habit of having them on. And so today we have 70% using 3% extra fuel and dazzling approaching motorists and small people. The worst are the Audi and BMWs wit their bluish lights. Another hazard is that on many makes of cars and vans an approaching driver can't see the indicator signal because the headlights are on and it's daytime.
They turn on and off automatically with the engine. Not the same as headlights, but still very bright. The gov.uk web site says: Vehicle manufacturers must fit DRL to new types of passenger car and light goods vehicle (car derived vans) type approved to European vehicle requirements from February 2011.
It is hard to believe enough power can come from a USB port to charge the device enough to give a wallop to start a car. Amazing.
With the wild weather and many storms we have been having, it is a safety factor to have the lights on. If it saves one life, it is worth it. Besides, it costs nothing.
Lady M has said I must not reveal!
My thought exactly, but it did the job in an instant.
This post is becoming like the letters section of GEM magazine.
Of course if you park outside you can fit a battery minder solar panel to the rear shelf which automatically changes the battery during daylight hours.... About €30
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