Recommended jump start kit?

bsod

George_Michael wrote: »

As you say, a new battery has been bought and didn't solve the problem and what use is a battery charger if the car fails to start after being left somewhere away from home where there may not be mains power available? (such as in a carpark or at the OP's place of work).

that new battery (which wasn't mentioned originally) is in place, has been left unmonitored until it drained apparently, and now needs charging - a charger is quite useful in that situation.

Many people have rarely used battery powered devices laying around, drills, screwdrivers, vacs, when they do need them, if they use them once every 4 years, they probably need charging, difficult to do if you're in the middle of a forest.

so the current situation is, dead battery on drive, do you a) charge it properly with a £20 charger and check the alternator is charging with a meter, or b) buy a £60, 70, 80, 100+ battery powered jump starter and go merrily on your way until it happens again

the op could probably have bought a charger, a set of jump leads, a tow rope, a new battery and a multimeter for the same price as a battery powered jump starter

George_Michael

bsod wrote: »

so the current situation is, dead battery on drive, do you a) charge it properly with a £20 charger and check the alternator is charging with a meter, or b) buy a £60, 70, 80, 100+ battery powered jump starter and go merrily on your way until it happens again

or c) buy a jump starter for use until you can get the car to a garage, which is exactly what the OP has stated they are going to do. (something that has the added benefit of having the jump starter for use in the future should the need arise.)

Johnmcl7

George_Michael wrote: »

or c) buy a jump starter for use until you can get the car to a garage, which is exactly what the OP has stated they are going to do. (something that has the added benefit of having the jump starter for use in the future should the need arise.)

That's exactly it, I want to get the car down to the garage this time and have something in future if this happens while the car is away somewhere, I have breakdown cover but that can take a long time to arrive.

The car is a 2011 Mazda6 2.5 petrol which I've had around 18 months, this issue has only appeared in the last couple of months and there's been no change in my usage pattern. The car does tend to sit for a few days at a time but it's almost never used for short trips.

John

tonyh66

Johnmcl7 wrote: »

That's exactly it, I want to get the car down to the garage this time and have something in future if this happens while the car is away somewhere, I have breakdown cover but that can take a long time to arrive.

The car is a 2011 Mazda6 2.5 petrol which I've had around 18 months, this issue has only appeared in the last couple of months and there's been no change in my usage pattern. The car does tend to sit for a few days at a time but it's almost never used for short trips.

John

If your doing long trips then it does sound like the alternator is not charging the battery. Can't give you any advice on starter kits, I normally just carry a spare battery and charge when needed.

Johnmcl7

tonyh66 wrote: »

If your doing long trips then it does sound like the alternator is not charging the battery. Can't give you any advice on starter kits, I normally just carry a spare battery and charge when needed.

It's worked fine for the last two months, it's just the last few days the car's been inactive that it's died - I assume the battery couldn't have lasted that long if the alternator wasn't working?

John

tonyh66

Johnmcl7 wrote: »

It's worked fine for the last two months, it's just the last few days the car's been inactive that it's died - I assume the battery couldn't have lasted that long if the alternator wasn't working?

John

don't know where you are in the country, but up here in inverness the temperature dropped a couple of days ago which is when my battery starts draining. It took a couple more spins of the starter than usual and the aux belt was squeeling, both tell tale signs.
If the battery drained over a couple of days you might have an earthing problem, which could be a pig to find.

Johnmcl7

I tried the jumping jack kit today and it worked flawlessly first time, I can't believe that little device could so easily power the car and it's not showing any reduction in charge either. Really straightforward as well, just clipped it on, checked the status light (shows an error if it's not happy) then started the car as normal - opened the door and the courtesy light came on, clutch in and the start button lit up, pressed it and the engine fired to life.

Absolutely fantastic little device which I can easily carry with me in the glovebox.

I think I've found the cause of the drain as well, it looks like the rug in the boot was caught on the boot latch so I'm thinking the boot hasn't closed properly and kept the courtesy light on. It would explain why the battery lasted a couple of months without issue, it seems to have charged fine as I took it for a run after starting it and it managed a start on its own. I'm hoping it's that anyway as it means there's no problem with the car.

John

Johnmcl7

tonyh66 wrote: »

don't know where you are in the country, but up here in inverness the temperature dropped a couple of days ago which is when my battery starts draining. It took a couple more spins of the starter than usual and the aux belt was squeeling, both tell tale signs.
If the battery drained over a couple of days you might have an earthing problem, which could be a pig to find.

That's a bit spooky, I'm in Inverness as well. I know what you mean about the temperature drops as I've seen batteries struggle then fail in the past around this time but the difference is the car was completely dead rather than having some power but not enough to start.

The rug was caught in the boot latch which may have kept the courtesy light on so I'm hoping that was the cause and all is fine.

John

AdrianC

Johnmcl7 wrote: »

Wow, that looks amazing - how does it work when it's so small or is it simply a case that the bulky versions are inefficient because they're using a car battery?

More like a small motorcycle battery, bolted straight to some short jumpleads, with some simple charging circuitry and maybe a small 12v compressor or light or ciggy socket in the box too. Nothing that clever.

If a jump-start is getting your car going, then the battery MUST be flat. It's either a faulty battery, or something's causing an excess drain. Have you got the multimeter out yet? What happens if you disconnect the earth lead when you leave the car parked up?

Johnmcl7

Given how small it is, how quick it charges and how little power it uses plus the fact it can power many other items I think it's very clever compared to conventional jump start kits.

As I said above there was a rug caught in the boot latch so I'm hoping that is what caused the drain. Will have to keep an eye on it and see, at least the car isn't stuck for now.