Car Jump

[bermygirl31]

I have to say one thing I find extraordinary about London is that businesses rarely will do anything to go out of their way to help someone. I need my car jumped and the last three garages I have rung said they don't come off the premises, one of them is even at the end of my road!! All I can do is shake my head. It's rather a sad state of affairs when human kind won't even try to help one another out!

[Mustard]

That is what the AA is for, but you need Homestart if you want them to come to your home.

[bermygirl31]

I am well aware of AA. I just think it's quite sad that businesses don't even try to help. I come from a small country and we help each other out when we can. I just find it sad really.

[Mustard]

Have you asked any neighbours?

[Penguin68]

You have to be careful jumping a modern car from another one. Can't remember the technicalities but there is a danger of overload for one of them. Did you offer to pay the garage?

[bermygirl31]

No haven't asked neighbours. I've never seen anyone on my street talk to each other, so I would feel awkward. It's an Audi A3, not modern but I take your point. Yes I offered to pay the garage. The hysterical part is I am on Derwent grove and Kwik Fit are at the end.

[DulwichFox]

If your car is NOT an automatic.. get 2 people to push you and engage 2nd gear when you are moving..

Do not engage 1st gear.. You will Stall the car..

You can then take your car for a drive and hopefully charge your battery enough for it to start until you

have time to take it for a longer drive or to a garage to check the battery..

There is always a small risk that a Jump-Start will damage one of the cars alternator.

That could result in a very expensive repair.. Parts and labour 2 hours..

DulwichFox

[macutd]

all you are doing is connecting the batteries together (in Parallel) it will still act as a 12 volt battery. You just need to be carful about how you connect up.

The car then gets it's power from your battery not the bad one.

[Huggers]

we have always asked neighbours and used jump leads. Never try and jump a petrol from a diesel and vice versa and get your positives and minuses the right way round.

[kibris]

RAC or the AA pay the money and then you dont have to wait or ask anyone else

[Jeremy]

Or just buy a charger. A couple of hours on charge may be enough to get the car to start.

[Townleygreen]

Screwfix have a battery charger for ?20

http://www.screwfix.com/p/ring-rcb104-4a-car-battery-charger-12v/37258

[Cedges]

Garage worker nips off premises, helps out local jump starting car. There is a fault with the car. The local blames the garage and refuses to pay. The local tries to make a claim on the garage's insurance. The insurer refuses to pay based on it not having been an official job of the garage being off-site and without proper invoicing and payment. Local pursues garage for payment. Garage is forced to spend money defending a spirits claim. Garage uses up cash reserves and is forced to close.

Extreme example yes of course but I would highly suspect that the help you were refused was on the basis of some kind of insurance limitation rather than through unwillingness to actually help. Just a thought.

[rabbitears]

Huggers Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> we have always asked neighbours and used jump

> leads. Never try and jump a petrol from a diesel

> and vice versa and get your positives and minuses

> the right way round.

Why would the fuel make a difference?

[jacks09]

If you've got the leads I'll pop over and you can jump it off mine?

[Nigello]

"I have to say one thing I find extraordinary about London is that businesses rarely will do anything to go out of their way to help someone."

Are you basing this finding on the one example of three garages not being willing to help you? I agree it is frustrating but perhaps these businesses have insurance rules that prevent them from coming off premises, or it could be that leaving the business would mean potential loss of earnings.

It's easy to think that "nobody cares" when you're in a stressful and testing situation but that may not be the best interpretation.

Having good neighbours (or at least decent relations with even fairly good ones) is a much better idea in small countries like England.......

[bermygirl31]

Some good points here. As for basing my comment/thought in three garages, no I am basing it on many years living here and many experiences, ranging from refusal of a toilet facility in a time of urgency, lack of consideration for disabled/wheelchair bound person and refusal to use a landline to call a cab when stranded and mobile dead.

I am from a country that is 21 square miles so I know about living in small countries. I agree having good neighbours is great. I guess I just find that I don't see a lot of neighbourly interaction in London.

Inaurace point makes sense as well.

I did get a call out guy to come and he took battery away to charge so hopefully it works!

[Sue]

Maybe time to get a new battery?

I'm no expert but I think they run down when they're old?

ETA: I have homestart through Britannia Rescue and its been well worth the money eg when all my indicators failed and they came and replaced the fuse.

ETA: They also have high speed charging equipment which will charge the battery in situ while you wait.

[DulwichFox]

Sue Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Maybe time to get a new battery?

>

> I'm no expert but I think they run down when

> they're old?

>

> ETA: I have homestart through Britannia Rescue and

> its been well worth the money eg when all my

> indicators failed and they came and replaced the

> fuse.

>

> ETA: They also have high speed charging equipment

> which will charge the battery in situ while you

> wait.

I do not recommend high speed charging.. It shortens the life of your battery..

Batteries should be charged over night at what is called 'The 16 Hour rate'

For a 100 ampere hour battery it should be charged at approx 6.25 amps for 16 hours..

You can charge at that rate for 4 Hours `and then once your car has started, the battery will charge normaly

providing the battery is good and the fan belt is not loose..

A Battery will normally last 5 years although my battery is over 10 years old. (Touch Wood)

N.B.

When a battery is charged at a very high rate it overheats and sulphates.. As it overheats the plates can

buckle and the sulpation falls off and sinks to the bottom where it collects and short circuits the cells.

this causes further overheating and will permanently destroy the battery..

DulwichFox

[uncleglen]

I've have never actually lived next door to anyone in London who could communicate in English since 1981!

[Huggers]

Not the fuel, the size of battery is different, but woops yes it can be done http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/how-to-jumpstart-a-dieselpowered-automobile.html

[Blah Blah]

As long as the voltage is the same it's fine and most cars work off 12v. The only point of the jump start is to spark the plugs anyway, to get the engine started. It's hard to do any real damage.

There can be several reasons for a battery not charging apart from the battery itself being past its sell by date. A failing alternator or a missing fan belt will both stop the battery from recharging.

[Barth]

you can say that again..

uncleglen Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> I've have never actually lived next door to anyone

> in London who could communicate in English since

> 1981!

[steveo]

In the past I've called a cab and got a jump from it.

[TheCat]

All of the technicalities of jump starting or push starting aside, the OP has effectively partially responded to her own complaint....

Living in a big metropolis is inherently more 'unfriendly' than smaller towns.....I think you'll find this relationship holds the world over....its a downside of City living....