I'm through with being Mister Nice Guy ...

[dogtag]

Three times in the last few weeks I'm been asked to
jump start someones very expensive car. They assume
because I drive an old Truck that I'll have jumper cables.
Well, they're right, I do, but I've noticed that they don't.
I'm sick of being taken advantage of. As well as having
jumper cables I also have a jump starter - it's book size
and I used it once, worked just fine. so I figure if I can
take care of an emergency, then why the Hell can't they.
Next time I'm asked, the answer is no unless they have
cables of their own.

[Major Tom]

I would never jump start someone's auto because it may damage my car or theirs thru my or their ignorance. Too many electronics can be fried if not done right.

[dogtag]

I would never jump start someone's auto because it may damage my car or theirs thru my or their ignorance. Too many electronics can be fried if not done right.

Well of course first you have to know how to open the hood.
Then, if you figure that out, it helps to know what a battery looks like,

[clintonhater]

Still carry cables, but from the time I first learned about battery packs, I've never driven without one--on my 4th now, because the rechargeable batteries don't last long. Never heard of causing damage by using either cables or the battery.

[Vern Humphrey]

Still carry cables, but from the time I first learned about battery packs, I've never driven without one--on my 4th now, because the rechargeable batteries don't last long. Never heard of causing damage by using either cables or the battery.

If someone is dumb enough to attach the black clip to the red terminal, the result can be spectacular.

[clintonhater]

If someone is dumb enough to attach the black clip to the red terminal, the result can be spectacular.

I was assuming an IQ of at least 75 for all parties concerned; of course, in modern welfare-state America, that's probably an unwarranted assumption.

[togor]

I've noticed like DT that you can go years without touching the cables, then suddenly get hit with a burst of jump starts. But around here it's usually in a winter cold snap.

[m1ashooter]

Heat and cold will kill a weak battery. I've always made sure we have jumper cables in our cars. I like to be prepared.

[S.A. Boggs]

The busiest thing in the world is a pair of jumper cables at a Democratic Party get out to vote picnic.

Good one!
Sam

[JB White]

If someone is dumb enough to attach the black clip to the red terminal, the result can be spectacular.

Vern, the newer cars do not behave they way we're used to. On some you can't find the battery because it is no longer where it used to be. Take a Sebring for example. The battery is located behind the front bumper shroud on the drivers side. To access the battery you need to remove the wheel and access panel. There is only a post connection within the engine compartment. The ground is the engine block.

Jumping a new car with a weak ground, or a small malfunction in the electrical system causing the symptoms, and you risk a short or feedback. Someones components or even part of the wiring loom will fry as soon as the amp draw hits. Doesn't take long to happen.

Used to carry a jump pack until I needed it. Out of sight-out of mind. I always failed to remember to check/recharge it. I can remember to check the air in the spare more often. Either way, if one is dead (or flat) it will do no good on a snowy Sunday night out in the middle of BFE.
I do carry a small 12v compressor though. On those cold days it's best to warm it up in front of the heater a bit first so frozen things aren't as likely to split.

[clintonhater]

Vern, the newer cars do not behave they way we're used to. On some you can't find the battery because it is no longer where it used to be. Take a Sebring for example. The battery is located behind the front bumper shroud on the drivers side. To access the battery you need to remove the wheel and access panel. There is only a post connection within the engine compartment. The ground is the engine block.

Why would someone buy such an idiot-designed POS? Them that do, don't deserve to be helped--except to push their POS into the ditch.

[dryheat]

I give a guy in a Rolls Royce a jump one time. I was driving my pickup and thought it kind of ironic. The battery was all the way back in the trunk. I suppose the cables were #8 gauge. Anyway he was on his way. The last time I had a dead battery was the fault of having five different selections for the headlights. The knob got turned(probably while at the carwash) and I got stranded. I have cables and so did the guy that jumped me.

[blackhawknj]

Cadillacs have had the battery under the rear seat for some time now. They have plates under the hood for a jump start.

[clintonhater]

Cadillacs have had the battery under the rear seat for some time now.

That's no problem--when you've got the money to hire someone to change them for you. Of course, the average Caddy owner probably never keeps a car long enough for the battery to die.

[togor]

CH if anything it's easier to swap the batteries kept in the cab because they don't get the corrosion on the hardware. The only wrinkle I could see on my Jeep is that if the battery is stone cold dead I'd have to hook up an external 12V source to get the powered seat out of the way. But this is not a big deal. In fact I like the underhood jump posts being a distance from the battery when jumper cables are used due to the small but non-zero explosion hazard associated with lead-acid batteries.

I remember it being a total MF to change the battery in my 2000 Dakota because the fumes and ad hoc road water spray had corrided up the battery bolts something awful.