Jump starter

[Max_Headroom]

I plan to get a Yaris Cross next but was going to wait until i got it before buying a jump pack but due to a recent nightmare of a flat Battery late at night miles from home on my sons car i have decided to bring the purchase forward, i know several members have bought jump starters for their hybrids so could i ask what they would recommend if it may be needed to jump a MK3 1.5 petrol or hybrid.

Thanks in advance.

[Chas G]

17 minutes ago, Max_Headroom said:

I plan to get a hybrid next but was going to wait until i got it before buying a jump pack for the peace of mind they bring to hybrid ownership but due to a recent nightmare of a flat battery late at night miles from home i have decided to bring the purchase forward, could i ask members to recommend a jump pack that would work on my MK3 1.5 petrol and a hybrid when i eventually get one.

Thanks in advance.

I would replace the Battery and also buy a CTEK Battery charger to charge occasionally. Also worth getting alternator output checked.

The last time I had a problem with a petrol driven car Battery there was a hole in the front bumper to insert a starting handle. My car stood idle for months when I was not well a few years ago.

Regarding purchase of a hybrid, if you only do short journeys and low mileage I would stick to your reliable mk3 1500.

If on the other hand you do long journeys, high mileage or you are a taxi driver a hybrid is the perfect choice.

[Max_Headroom]

3 minutes ago, Chas G said:

Regarding purchase of a hybrid, if you only do short journeys and low mileage I would stick to your reliable mk3 1500.

I have looked into the pros and cons of the hybrid and I do a mix of both long and short every week but mainly short,   i am not overly concerned about the 12v Battery letting me down but for the price i would rather carry the jump starter than get stuck if unlucky enough to let the Battery get too low, they also have many other uses power bank etc so its not going to be a pointless purchase.

[Jasper.]

I have the Noco GB40...

[Max_Headroom]

1 hour ago, Jasper. said:

I have the Noco GB40...

That has some grunt - 

 

 

[MikeSh]

I tried to use my smart lithium booster on our other (non-hybrid) car a few weeks ago when it died ... Having enough to run the ignition, displays, etc, but collapsing when asked to turn the engine.

The booster refused to operate indicating a short circuit. I checked everything, particularly that the Battery had some voltage, and tried again, but it wasn't playing.

So I grabbed my ancient 4Amp charger (basically a transformer, rectifier and meter in a case) and put that on for a few hours. Started fine then. The Battery then worked OK while I monitored the voltage over a few days ... It seemed to be just 'off' somehow, so I bought a new Battery. The old one is now sat in the garage, seemingly holding it's charge at about 80%, ready to be used as a booster if needed.

I think I've heard of others having this kind of booster problem (on a different forum), so be wary of the cleverness they have built in. Nothing is more useless than a backup that doesn't work when it's needed.

 

[Cyker]

I bought the cheapest Noco from Halfords with my Toyota Owners Club Discount Card   </shameless>

I charged it up (Which took *ages* as it only supports a max of 5v@2A over Micro-USB for charging!!  Why??) and it just lives in the car now and hasn't seen the light of day since I charged it  

There is an issue tho as I don't know how to test it, and there's always that slight worry that an untested piece of equipment will let you down when you most need it 

It is worth knowing with the Noco ones, they can be a bit too clever for their own good - They sense the voltage to make sure you haven't put the jump leads on the wrong way round, but if the voltage is too low or it doesn't see it, it will refuse to supply power unless you hold down the Override button.

I'm hoping that is why so many people here seem to have had trouble with the Noco chargers when the proverbial push became the actual shove!

 

[Gray86]

A flat Battery is a damaged Battery, surely better to charge / condition rather than let go flat and boost? Once it’s gone flat & lost capacity, likely to happen again, and again. . 

[MikeSh]

20 minutes ago, Gray86 said:

surely better to charge / condition rather than let go flat and boost?

Yes ... but. Charging is a faff, even if you have a garage with power available. This is a pretty unpredictable problem (given the disparity of experiences posted), so it's personal choice on whether to go to that trouble* or just have a booster to hand.

( * and expense if you have to buy a suitable charger. You can easily spend more than a new Battery on one.)

[Max_Headroom]

26 minutes ago, Gray86 said:

A flat battery is a damaged battery, surely better to charge / condition rather than let go flat and boost? Once it’s gone flat & lost capacity, likely to happen again, and again. . 

I dont intend to let it go flat i am hoping my daily low miles commute and fairly regular trips to the next town are enough to keep the Battery charged but you never know what's around the corner like being off work sick and unable to drive or a hospital stay etc which could mean the car cannot be run for a week or two i would like the peace of mind knowing i have a means of starting the car  if it wont start, i have already stated i dont have a means of charging it at home.

[Gray86]

10 minutes ago, MikeSh said:

Yes ... but. Charging is a faff, even if you have a garage with power available. This is a pretty unpredictable problem (given the disparity of experiences posted), so it's personal choice on whether to go to that trouble* or just have a booster to hand.

( * and expense if you have to buy a suitable charger. You can easily spend more than a new battery on one.)

It’s literally 2 mins to plug it in, and same to unplug. Only needs to be done infrequently, for reliable motoring. This is a common problem with EVs too, so a £70 investment in a decent charger will have the longevity in the future. 

[Max_Headroom]

13 minutes ago, Gray86 said:

It’s literally 2 mins to plug it in, and same to unplug. Only needs to be done infrequently, 

As Mike pointed out its not a 2 minute job if you dont have off street parking if i had off street parking i wouldn't be buying a hybrid i would buy an EV.

 

 

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[Gray86]

2 minutes ago, Max_Headroom said:

As Mike pointed out its not a 2 minute job if you dont have off street parking if i had off street parking i wouldn't be buying a hybrid i would buy an EV!

 

yes, that’s true if you don’t have a driveway or garage. 

[MikeSh]

3 hours ago, Gray86 said:

It’s literally 2 mins to plug it in, and same to unplug.

It may only be 2 minutes but it's still a faff:-

Unlatch the bonnet, get out, lift it, find and deploy the prop, get the charger, clip to the terminals, plug into mains ... oh, no ... set up extension lead, then plug into mains, then check it all seems to be working OK.

And all that in reverse before you can use the car again. (And if it's the other half's car are we expecting them to be able to deal with any of that? * )

As others have said (or inferred) - it's (nearly) 2024 ... why the f*** should we bother with all that on the off-chance it doesn't start one day?

( * That's not being sexist or anything - if I left my wife's car with a charger attached she would be completely thrown. She's an 'arts' person.)

[anchorman]

I can understand it being a bit intimidating for some especially if they are not very practical or mechanically inclined.  It doesn’t bother me and it’s easy for me as the car is always parked in the garage right next to a socket. It takes me longer to bggr about with a Disclock having had a car stolen out of the garage while I was away. However, I would reiterate that it’s not a given that you’ll have Battery problems if you leave it parked and it is NOT necessary todo high mileage as you can achieve the same by just leaving it in the READY mode for an equal amount of time while it stood outside your house.  Turn the heating off first to reduce the likelihood of it starting.  You can lock it with the second key and if the alarm goes off when you return, just switch it off and back on again.  All I would say is, you can spare yourself any anxiety by putting a decent Battery on at your own expense.  I’ll fit one free of charge (you buy the battery)  for any club member and probably throw a brew in for good measure.