Friday, October 23, 2009

What a day!


When your already have a day full of "tasks that need doing" like taking a kid to the doctor, bills to pay, shopping etc, you don't need your car to play up!!!

Everything was fine until some tough looking fellows approached me and asked for help. Their car had a flat battery. I drove my car over to where they were parked and opened the bonnet. They had jumper leads and were men so I let them get on with it. No action from their car.  One guy scratches his head and says he's sure its the battery. I get out of my car and look under my bonnet. And politely ask if they would mind me putting the leads on the battery and not on the plastic casing they had it on. Voila! cars start, battery's charge and away everyone goes.

Well!.... my car gives me grief down the road and stalls all the way to drop off daughter and then all the way home. I give up on registering hubby's car (got until Monday anyway).

I told my husband about the problem with the car and he is puzzled until later I tell him about helping some strangers. He said jump starting cars nowadays can upset the computers in them. Power surge kind of thing.

Morale of story is not to jump start a car unless 1) you have the modern leads with a surge protector, or 2) you don't connect the negative to the flat cars battery.  You clamp it onto the engine somewhere and the positive onto battery terminal.
Both clamps can be attached to good car. Both cars must be off completely when attaching jumper leads. This post should be "How to be a good Samaritan".

I hope hubby didn't want to rest this weekend. ha ha

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