Dead Battery

TrickyWicky

We cannot see in our case notes where we ever stated the vehicle could not be jumpstarted, just that it should be done correctly.

Sounds like human error. It does happen as I described above myself - I once shorted the jump leads while connected to my battery. Lets face it though, some cars have other strange quirks. Mine for instance will not spring to life unless you plip it within 30 seconds of connecting the battery. If you don't nothing ignition wise will function at all no matter how many times you plip the key or stick it in the ignition. Some people don't even know things like this and when the car refuses to start and it's diagnosed at a dealer the dealer see's a lemon and racks up the parts and programming cost.

Oh look what else that article also states:

But the garage had used a starter pack that is surge protected, not jump leads, so Peugeot’s reasoning doesn’t add up

So who is sticking what in their pipe and smoking it?

Oh hang on some more..

But she later checked the handbook and found full details of how to jumpstart the car.

So.. your suggestion that particular car should not have been jump started due to fragile electronics is completely wrong!

TrickyWicky

Nodding_Donkey wrote: »

At a guess they put the leads the wrong way round

I also wondered about that.

IamNotAllowedToUseMyName

I'd say that a Mercedes has a fair old raft of delicate electronics and yet they provide specific jump start contacts and specify a standard procedure in their manual (see their web site for interactive manuals). My Vito van has two batteries for whatever reason, and also has separate jump start contacts.

Jump starting is an accepted part of car design. It is a certainty that any model of car will have owners who will mistakenly flatten the battery, faults, periods of not being used, so every manufacturer will have considered this in their design and testing.

In fact modern cars are more prone to flattening batteries due to lack of use. The Merc manual even considers leaving a car unused for more than 6 weeks as requiring dealer action.

colino

Nothing like topic drift. The Daily Record was once THE Scottish Tabloid. It is now part of a huge, declining, portfolio of printed crap that sells to localised markets the rubbish the Sun still churns out.
Starting a car with a low battery is a job a pimply apprentice is trusted to do all day, every day. The fact she inexplicably needed a jumpstart after a tyre change is far from clear.
However, jumpstarting a car is easy, simple, basic, but unfortunately some morons still perform epic fails. Nothing to do with devilish new electronics, just gross stupidity.

TrickyWicky

EdGasket wrote: »

TrickyWicky - suggest you put the following in your pipe and smoke it:

http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/authors/the-judge/driver-vents-fury-after-simple-1558512

Still waiting for your reply to my reply and others

Richard53

TrickyWicky wrote: »

Yes, yes they did you told us so yourself:



You HAVE told us that Sealey said it was not safe to use on a modern car. Then you claim they haven't. :T

My mistake - I was conflating starting with a booster pack and jump starting and didn't make myself clear. Sealey's recommendation is that the power pack is safe to use with modern electronics, IF you follow their 'updated' method, which is to connect the booster for 5-10 minutes to the dead car *with the ignition off* to get a bit of charge into the dead battery, then disconnect and start as normal. Trying to start the car with the booster connected was NOT safe, according to Sealey.

As I have stated above, I would use a booster pack on my own car, or a jump start, or whatever it took to get me going. What happened was that an RAC man attending a vehicle on our site said (in the hearing of one of our bosses) that we shouldn't be using it. The boss put the use of the booster on hold (for customer vehicles) and asked me to contact Sealey for clarification. That was Sealey's reply, and it was in writing from their Product Development Manager or some such, not a Saturday boy. The bosses took advice from their legal people and we were banned from using it on customers' cars. Now we just give the number of a local garage, or advise contacting the RAC/AA. It's all to do with liability issues, and very little to do with the technology.

Nodding_Donkey

In other words your boss doesn't trust you to get the wires the right way round

EdGasket

OK then here is the info why you get spikes and why jump-starting is not a good idea:

http://electronics.stackexchange.com/questions/24830/why-is-there-risk-of-overvoltage-when-jump-starting-a-vehicle

Here is a selection of threads/articles/advice related to damage done to cars by jump starting without mis-connecting wires:

Tip 3 near the end:
http://www.autohausaz.com/audi-auto-parts/audi-electrical-systems.html

Various ecu damage "I got through 3 ecu s in my beloved beemer from simply jump starting.

The current spikes kill the eprom or eeprom in side
Not good" :
http://fordtransit.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=118835

Damage ecu posts 16 and 21:

http://www.audizine.com/forum/showthread.php/295951-Jump-starting-an-Audi

Blown air bag module:

http://www.vwaudiforum.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?150126-Brake-and-Air-Bag-Warning-lights-after-jump-starting


Blown alternator + ecu?:

http://www.vwaudiforum.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?51896-Damaged-Ecu-Due-To-Jump-Leads-Spike-Golf-Mk4

There are many more; just google 'jump start damage' 'jump start blew ecu' etc.

Nodding_Donkey

Did you actually read, and understand, any of those?

EdGasket

Nodding_Donkey wrote: »

Did you actually read, and understand, any of those?

Yes, I have an electronics degree and am a chartered electrical engineer. How about you?