6in1 Jump Starter Power Pack

[scalyboy]

So because I couldn't rely on using a helpful neighbour's car to jump start my 11-year-old banger, on the recommendation of my instructor I bought a new 6in1 jump starter power pack (the other 5 are a torch light, a USB charger, tyre pressure gauge/pump, something else, large hadron collider maybe). Anyway I charged it up last year, used it successfully to jump start the engine, put it in the boot, left it there for a few months. Now the weather's turned cold again the car battery dies if I don't run the car around the car park every day. So it's died.

Tried to jump start the engine, no good, 6in1 jobby says it's half-charged. Take it indoors and plug it in to fully charge it up. 48 hours later and it says it's still 'charging'. WTF? Maybe I'm using the wrong charger (i.e. the thing you plug in the mains then into the device, I've got so many of the bastard things it's possible) - but it says 12v output which corresponds to the 6in1 power pack.

Do I have to buy a new charger? That seems outrageous, considering a new one came with the set last year.

I'm getting seriously pissed off with motoring, and I haven't even passed my test yet

 

[Bahnhof Strasse]

Will probably work if you try it.

Always park at the top of a hill. Facing down. I can jumpstart a car in reverse gear, if you've not passed your test yet that may be a bit much...

 

[existentialist]

So because I couldn't rely on using a helpful neighbour's car to jump start my 11-year-old banger, on the recommendation of my instructor I bought a new 6in1 jump starter power pack (the other 5 are a torch light, a USB charger, tyre pressure gauge/pump, something else, large hadron collider maybe). Anyway I charged it up last year, used it successfully to jump start the engine, put it in the boot, left it there for a few months. Now the weather's turned cold again the car battery dies if I don't run the car around the car park every day. So it's died.

Tried to jump start the engine, no good, 6in1 jobby says it's half-charged. Take it indoors and plug it in to fully charge it up. 48 hours later and it says it's still 'charging'. WTF? Maybe I'm using the wrong charger (i.e. the thing you plug in the mains then into the device, I've got so many of the bastard things it's possible) - but it says 12v output which corresponds to the 6in1 power pack.

Do I have to buy a new charger? That seems outrageous, considering a new one came with the set last year.

I'm getting seriously pissed off with motoring, and I haven't even passed my test yet

It sounds to me like your battery is fucked. They have a life - typically, 3-5 years - and this time of year is the traditional time for them to fail, due to cold weather, and increased demands for power.

 

[StoneRoad]

I would say the battery is knackered ...
Try replacing the car battery & check if the alternator is charging.
It may be cheaper in the long run.
[you would need to do some miles to replace the charge used to start the engine]
If you can't do that, keep the (new) jumper pack in the house, and charged.

 

[scalyboy]

Will probably work if you try it.

Always park at the top of a hill. Facing down. I can jumpstart a car in reverse gear, if you've not passed your test yet that may be a bit much...

Unfortunately my parking space in the car park is at the bottom of a slope! Sounds like a useful skill though.

 

[scalyboy]

I would say the battery is knackered ...
Try replacing the car battery & check if the alternator is charging.
It may be cheaper in the long run.
[you would need to do some miles to replace the charge used to start the engine]
If you can't do that, keep the (new) jumper pack in the house, and charged.

Fuck me, is this what it's like, having to shell out £££ every couple of months? Insurance in June, MOT in September, now a new battery? What's next? I'm seriously considering getting rid of the bastard and just hiring a car when I want to go on holiday
Thanks everyone for the advice anyway.

 

[Chilli.s]

gotta have a car in the land of milk and honey

 

[StoneRoad]

Fuck me, is this what it's like, having to shell out £££ every couple of months? Insurance in June, MOT in September, now a new battery? What's next? I'm seriously considering getting rid of the bastard and just hiring a car when I want to go on holiday
Thanks everyone for the advice anyway.

Penalties / Joys of car ownership !
Don't forget Tyres, windscreens (&wipers) not to mention cost of fuel, oil, screenwash & the time keeping it even vaguely presentable ...

Although I do have a car, I quite often hire a car for long trips / holidays to save the wear & tear on my motor ...
However, I would wait for at least a few months after you've passed the test before hiring a car.

 

[two sheds]

I've had a couple of batteries that have become fucked after being fully discharged. Paranoia has struck and I now top-up charge all my batteries every month.

 

[existentialist]

Thing is, you don't want to constantly rely on your power pack if

Fuck me, is this what it's like, having to shell out £££ every couple of months? Insurance in June, MOT in September, now a new battery? What's next? I'm seriously considering getting rid of the bastard and just hiring a car when I want to go on holiday
Thanks everyone for the advice anyway.

That's the world of car ownership for you. Batteries, brakes, windscreen wipers, light bulbs, tyres, oil, servicing...all factors in owning a vehicle, and that's before we get to prangs, mechanical breakdowns, or more serious longer-term problems like rust, major components needing repair/replacement (eg any car with a cambelt needs that proactively replacing at some or other interval, usually 50-75k miles, if you don't want to total your engine).

 

[scalyboy]

That's the world of car ownership for you. Batteries, brakes, windscreen wipers, light bulbs, tyres, oil, servicing...all factors in owning a vehicle, and that's before we get to prangs, mechanical breakdowns, or more serious longer-term problems like rust, major components needing repair/replacement (eg any car with a cambelt needs that proactively replacing at some or other interval, usually 50-75k miles, if you don't want to total your engine).

Christ alive, I didn't think it would be this bad already (the previous owner had clearly looked after it - but then again it is 11 years old).
If I pass my test, I won't be shelling out £210+ in lessons each month, I could probably get a new hybrid on HP and a deposit for that.
Anyone want to buy a s/h Panda? New cam belt fitted last year, new battery possibly not

 

[existentialist]

Christ alive, I didn't think it would be this bad already (the previous owner had clearly looked after it - but then again it is 11 years old).
If I pass my test, I won't be shelling out £210+ in lessons each month, I could probably get a new hybrid on HP and a deposit for that.
Anyone want to buy a s/h Panda? New cam belt fitted last year, new battery possibly not

I'm always a bit surprised that people are surprised at the cost of ownership of a car. Maybe it didn't hit me as hard when I started driving (I drove older cars, and fixed a lot of things myself, which helped), but it's undeniable that driving a car results in significant ongoing costs. Your tyres overall will collectively be costing you somewhere around 10p/mile (25000 on a set of 4 at £50 each); your clutch rather less at half a penny a mile. You're going to need a new battery every 4 years or so - not so much of a mileage cost, more a time-based one. Bulbs can cost a fair bit to replace if you pay someone else, but you're going to be spending a bit of money on them over the years, likewise stuff like windscreen wipers. Brakes need replacing fairly regularly, depending on how you drive the car, etc. I think I usually get 2 years, or about 60,000 miles, between brake jobs. But you also need to be aware that at some point, discs and drums will need replacing, albeit less often than the pads/shoes, and if you're unlucky, as I was last year, you'll find that a caliper has seized and needs replacing. Pads all round, 2 discs, and a caliper cost me £600 (fitted).

If I average it out, though, my annual maintenance costs on the car are probably around the £4-500 mark. It's got a few dings and dents, which I've never bothered to get anything done about (it's actually a cosmetic write-off, having become tractor-smoothed as a result of an encounter with one), and I do all my own oil changes and basic maintenance, which means not all that much in parts and dead cheap labour.

It's the price you pay for the convenience (or essentiality, if like me you live in the sticks) and fun of having an independent means of transport. But yes, it's also a source of fairly continual unexpected expense.

 

[Sasaferrato]

Will probably work if you try it.

Always park at the top of a hill. Facing down. I can jumpstart a car in reverse gear, if you've not passed your test yet that may be a bit much...

Mrs Sas and me used to bump start a Transit. Yes, a Transit. We only had to push it out of the parking space onto the hill (not a long hill).

Then the day came when the wee hill wasn't enough, and we pushed it up the hill to the main road. We were in our early twenties then, I don't see it happening now. I parked further up after that, and used to bump start it in reverse on the main road. It was a company van, but the owners were too tight to buy a new battery.

scalyboy Cold is death to batteries, keep your jump start beastie indoors in the warm.

 

[two sheds]

I've not had a car for ooo 30 years. I've not really needed one though because I don't actually go anywhere, particularly the last couple of years.

No choice if you need it for work, or have kids though. I've been quite happy to take taxis (and as you say, hire) when I need them from the money I'm saving.

 

[scalyboy]

scalyboy Cold is death to batteries, keep your jump start beastie indoors in the warm.

In retrospect that must be what's happened. It was fully charged when I put it in the boot a few months ago, thinking I was being clever by putting it there

 

[Sasaferrato]

In retrospect that must be what's happened. It was fully charged when I put it in the boot a few months ago, thinking I was being clever by putting it there

First lockdown, car not used for a month, came to start it. Nada. Borrowed charger, wouldn't hold charge.

The garage I've used for a decade sent someone out with a new battery and fitted it for me. Ouchie fucking ouch financially. Then six months later, sold the car.

 

[StoneRoad]

Started my motor almost every-week during the first Lockdown.
I was using it about once a month or so then, more like weekly atm.
It gets a run of approx 20 to 30 miles every month or two, now.

 

[two sheds]

In retrospect that must be what's happened. It was fully charged when I put it in the boot a few months ago, thinking I was being clever by putting it there

Yep one of the batteries was Lithium ion - that was out in the shed over winter and discharged so was doubly fucked. The other one was my own stupid fault. It was an ancient electric toothbrush one and I've been charging it every couple of days for years now. I thought I'd better discharge it in case there was some memory effect, now it don't work at all

So now I keep things charged up and warm

 

[scalyboy]

Is it easy to fit a new battery, or is there a danger that I might f*ck it up and destroy the engine? i.e. am I safer paying an extra £15-20 for it to be fitted?

I'm not wholly incapable of practical tasks, I've just replaced a pull cord switch in the bathroom - it's just that I know f*** all about cars

 

[Duncan2]

Replacing a car battery is about as difficult as replacing the battery in a torch.Eleven years old is no age at all for a car.I only drive cars that are fifteen years old plus.You can get batteries that are okay from a scrapyard for twenty quid.In the winter I sometimes carry a second battery in one of the rear footwells.If your battery dies on you just swap the battery over and hey presto! Not recommending this because you can damage your car but i tend to jumpstart my own car with the second battery if in a hurry.

 

[existentialist]

Is it easy to fit a new battery, or is there a danger that I might f*ck it up and destroy the engine? i.e. am I safer paying an extra £15-20 for it to be fitted?

I'm not wholly incapable of practical tasks, I've just replaced a pull cord switch in the bathroom - it's just that I know f*** all about cars

It's pretty easy. The consequences of a fuckup can be big, but provided you strap down the battery properly, and make sure you get the connections the right way round, it's really not a problem. Physical strength might be an issue - lead/acid batteries are heavy, with even a small one weighing in at 15kg - and you sometimes need to wiggle them into their mounting place. I am sure that, if you search for "battery replacement" and the year and model of your car, there will be many Youtube videos to guide you.

 

[A380]

1. Sounds like your battery is fucked but with most cars its deadl easy to change it. If yours isn't like that or you don't fancy it I think Halfords will do it for a fiver. (plus the battery obvs...)

2. I brought one of those charger packs after the recovery guy used one the last time the Prius 12v battery was flat. Cost me£60, its the size of half a brick. has two 10 inch long cables with croc clips, and takes about 10 hours to charge off a USB. I used it at the weekend when the Prius was flat again Awesome, really easy and started straight off.

 

[not henry]

Don't spend any more money for the moment until you have consolidated your position and know what works and what doesn't
When you use those chargers to bump your motor, then the charge is gone. It has to be plugged in and refreshed before you can work it again.
Also there might be a small drain on your car electrics which trickle overnight (that pesky interior light/ radio etc)
All I am saying is that there is or are a few more steps to examine before you start chucking money at it.
Step number one would be to get your battery booster to do what it is supposed to do.

 

[scalyboy]

Don't spend any more money for the moment until you have consolidated your position and know what works and what doesn't
When you use those chargers to bump your motor, then the charge is gone. It has to be plugged in and refreshed before you can work it again.
Also there might be a small drain on your car electrics which trickle overnight (that pesky interior light/ radio etc)
All I am saying is that there is or are a few more steps to examine before you start chucking money at it.
Step number one would be to get your battery booster to do what it is supposed to do.

I agree; I don't understand why the jump starter device won't charge up when I bought the bastard new less than a year ago. I'm now trying a new charger (trouble is I've so many of the flipping things from old mobiles and the like). But I'm loathe to splash out on a new car battery just yet, given that I paid £85 for this 6in1 jump starter on my instructor's recommendation.

 

[two sheds]

My Battery Jump Starter Is Not Charging-4 Reasons Why | Roadway Ready

Why isn't my battery jump starter charging? There could be a number of reasons, this article examines the four most likely reasons.

roadwayready.com

ignore the breathless introduction but not promising

have you searched this for your model?

 

[scalyboy]

I'm always a bit surprised that people are surprised at the cost of ownership of a car.

I reckon my problem is that I've come to cars very late on (my first car and driving lessons in my mid 50s). When I was young I had one or two small motorbikes and scooters and used to like tinkering with the engine and so on - but a simple 125cc scooter or 100cc bike is a very different animal than a car with all its complexity, especially these days (my Panda is old but I'm mystified by the climate controls under the CD player).

What I'm trying to say is that I'm guessing most people by the time they're my age have had decades of experience with cars; isn't it typically a rite of passage at age 17 or 18 to pass your test?

 

[existentialist]

I reckon my problem is that I've come to cars very late on (my first car and driving lessons in my mid 50s). When I was young I had one or two small motorbikes and scooters and used to like tinkering with the engine and so on - but a simple 125cc scooter or 100cc bike is a very different animal than a car with all its complexity, especially these days (my Panda is old but I'm mystified by the climate controls under the CD player).

What I'm trying to say is that I'm guessing most people by the time they're my age have had decades of experience with cars; isn't it typically a rite of passage at age 17 or 18 to pass your test?

I guess that's part of it. It's hard to subjectively compare then to now, but I also suspect that car ownership has become more expensive, even when adjusted for inflation, than it was back then.

 

[Sasaferrato]

I reckon my problem is that I've come to cars very late on (my first car and driving lessons in my mid 50s). When I was young I had one or two small motorbikes and scooters and used to like tinkering with the engine and so on - but a simple 125cc scooter or 100cc bike is a very different animal than a car with all its complexity, especially these days (my Panda is old but I'm mystified by the climate controls under the CD player).

What I'm trying to say is that I'm guessing most people by the time they're my age have had decades of experience with cars; isn't it typically a rite of passage at age 17 or 18 to pass your test?

I got a new to me car in September,. Still finding things out about it. There is a third headlight that illuminates the verge when you go round corners.

 

[scalyboy]

I got a new to me car in September,. Still finding things out about it. There is a third headlight that illuminates the verge when you go round corners.

My Dad bought a s/h but only a few years' old Merc; he says he has no idea what a lot of the flashing lights on the dashboard mean ( ), but he does like the 'wall sensor' that beeps when he's reverse parking. Even better, a mate was giving me a lift in his new BMW which had a little iPad-sized screen with a digital real-time diagram showing the car's position relative to walls, other cars as he reversed, parallel parked etc.
It's funny, all the time spent learning how to reverse bay park, hill start etc for a test and modern cars do it all for you... someone on here was talking about a feature that kept you in your lane on motorways...

 

[StoneRoad]

I hate that Keeping You in Your Lane thing. Have had a hire cars fitted with it.
When I'm on the motorway, I like to make very long & smooth lane changes - when it's not too busy. That widget meant I had to "force" the start of the manoeuvre. I soon found the off switch.
I don't drive tired, so it's not really any use to me.