'Electric' shocks off my car

thehappybutterfly

I keep getting really bad static shocks when I shut my car door. I find myself yelling the f word in the middle of car parks / in front of my elderly neighbours etc.

The car seats are velour and I've been wearing a wool coat these last 6 months (it's been a loooong winter!). Could this be causing the problem? If so, this might wear off when the warmer weather comes in.

Would those rubber strip things which hang at the back of the car work?

I'm getting nervous every time I get out the car!

Lagoon

I've started getting these in the past few weeks! At first I blamed Tesco as I'm so used to getting shocks from their trollies and I started noticing it when I was in their car park.

Then, I realised it was happening everywhere...

penrhyn

Hold on to the cars metalwork as you exit, then you won't build up a static charge.
The dry weather has resulted in very low relative humidity levels which don't help.

thehappybutterfly

I might need to take up naked driving again! :rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

Lagoon

thehappybutterfly wrote: »

I might need to take up naked driving again! :rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

Whilst I'm having the same problem, I'll pass on that one myself.

Nobody needs to see that.

penrhyn

Or earth yourself with a wristband!



Handy when working on your PC.

harveybobbles

Grab the (metal) top part of your door when you get out of the car, THEN place your foot on the ground.

duncan-biscuits

thehappybutterfly wrote: »

I find myself yelling the f word in the middle of car parks / in front of my elderly neighbours etc.

me too, I do draw some funny looks

duncan-biscuits

When I pet my brothers alsatian dog and I get static shocks off her coat as well and she isn't even made of nylon she has a short coat so maybe someone technical can explain why, oh and also shopping trollies give off the same static to fingertips! So animate and inanimate objects do it.

Richard53

It's probably the result of the materials of your coat and the seating, although I seem to get random belts from my car door and I can't relate it to any particular combination of events. Advice to earth yourself on a metal part of the car as you exit is right. The static charge doesn't get a chance to build up.

I doubt if those rubber strap things would make any difference, as rubber is an excellent insulator, although a metal chain might. Mind you, we are talking about static electricity, which appears to obey a completely different set of physical laws, as far as I can see.

fb1969

I had this problem some years ago and picked up a tip that has always worked since.

Buy some anti-static sheets that you would use in a tumble dryer and wipe the seats with one. That used to stop it happening for while, then just do it again when it next happens.