Recommend a jump stater

John2002

Hi there,

I'm looking for a recommendation for a jump starter for 2.5 litre petrol car.

My car battery has died a few times recently due to my dash cam / radio draining it quite quickly so I might need to replace to battery anyway but I'd like to have one of these as a backup if it's not silly money. Most of the ones I see advertised only go up to 2 litre so I'm not sure if they'd work for me?

Thanks,
John.

9935452

John2002 wrote: »

Hi there,

I'm looking for a recommendation for a jump starter for 2.5 litre petrol car.

My car battery has died a few times recently due to my dash cam / radio draining it quite quickly so I might need to replace to battery anyway but I'd like to have one of these as a backup if it's not silly money. Most of the ones I see advertised only go up to 2 litre so I'm not sure if they'd work for me?

Thanks,
John.

Best advice is to verify the alternater is working correctly. If it is, change the car battery especially as winter is coming up. and buy a set of jump leads.
The cheap jump starter packs arent much good. They will start a car if the battery level is just under what you need. Fully flat , not a hope.
A good jump starter pack will cost from 300-500 euros IMO which makes them expensive. Then add in the fact that you will have to keep it charged up , if you dont when you want it it could be flat too

colm_mcm

Spend the money on a good spec battery.

Special Circumstances

Yeah unless you happen to have several cars around the yard that wouldn't be in use every day or every week, I think the money is better spent on a decent battery. Check what you have now is charging and is in decent condition first.

ironclaw

http://junopower.com/collections/automobile/products/junojumper-v2-edition?variant=14365426247

I have this in the boot and have used it. Works brilliantly. Just remember to drain it every so often by charging a phone or some other USB device.

Esel

John2002 wrote: »

Hi there,

I'm looking for a recommendation for a jump starter for 2.5 litre petrol car.

My car battery has died a few times recently due to my dash cam / radio draining it quite quickly so I might need to replace to battery anyway but I'd like to have one of these as a backup if it's not silly money. Most of the ones I see advertised only go up to 2 litre so I'm not sure if they'd work for me?

Thanks,
John.

Sort the drain issue first...

my3cents

I have a Ring battery booster but they don't make that model anymore, this SIP battery booster has the equivalent power battery in it.

Ours is about 10 years old and I replaced the battery about 18 months ago (Halfords in a motorcycle sale for €50).

The trick to making them last it is to never let them fully discharge. Even if it not been used I recharge ours overnight every couple of months. With the mains charger you get with these you need to leave the battery overnight to recharge and even longer if you have fully discharged it.

John2002

9935452 wrote: »

Best advice is to verify the alternater is working correctly.

Jaysus, you have me worried now, I hadn't even thought of that. Should the car be experiencing any other symptoms if the alternator was acting up?

my3cents

John2002 wrote: »

Jaysus, you have me worried now, I hadn't even thought of that. Should the car be experiencing any other symptoms if the alternator was acting up?

I'd be more concerned about the battery so there's something else to worry about. Car batteries can go on for years especially on a car that is easy to start. When they get old however they don't hold much more than enough charge to start the engine so adding an extra load when the battery isn't recharging can kill them quicker than expected.

The alternator is charging the battery as evidenced by the fact you don't need a jump start every time.

John2002

Thanks for the replies lads. I'll get the battery tested asap. Any recommendations of where to get this done? I'm living in D16 and working in D12.

Del2005

John2002 wrote: »

Thanks for the replies lads. I'll get the battery tested asap. Any recommendations of where to get this done? I'm living in D16 and working in D12.

Better to get what ever is draining the battery checked first, the dead battery is a symptom not the problem.

9935452

Del2005 wrote: »

Better to get what ever is draining the battery checked first, the dead battery is a symptom not the problem.

You could be surprised how a bad battery wont hold charge when it gets bad
I had a battery give up in the golf at one stage.
The highlight was a 2 hour trip, for which i had the sound system going (2 amplifiers in the boot), The car stopped at a roundabout and wouldnt restart.
I replaced the battery and i could leave the car stopped with the same sound system going for 4 hours and the car would start.
Big difference between a good and bad battery.
A bad battery just wont hold a charge.
Id check the battery and check the alternater is working correctly and move on from there.
Regarding the alternater , i had a tractor at home which would occasionally flatten the battery. The alternater light was coming on when you turned the key on and going off when it was started which you would assume it was working.
Checking the voltage numerous times showed 12.8v half the time and 14.2v the other half, both times the light in the dash was off.
When it was showing 12.8v the alternater wasnt charging. The culprit was a bad connection on one of the wires at the back of the alternater. Reterminated it and it always shows 14.2V and never flattens itself

Special Circumstances

We're definitely into the start of "my car won't start it's not the battery I have lights and radio" season.
Been pretty cold down here in the early hours, a battery that was just about ok for the last while will be pushed too far these mornings.

listermint

Honestly my rule of thumb is if the battery is over 7 years old then just get a new one. Its a disposable item and degrades over life. Im fully aware there are those here that nurse them to life/death.

Some batteries will last less if there is a drain on it, radio/car kit something else wrong or not charging via alternator issues.

But realistically 7 years+ replace it. Its consumable and when winter comes in it expedites the end of days on an already bad battery.

uck51js9zml2yt

Halfords have phaze starters for €50 at the moment.

ongarite

Aukey phone charger, window breaker and car jump starter.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Portable-12000mah-External-Combining-Cellphone/dp/B015R50M6E/

Excellent video review by user, jump starting a diesel S-Max with it (start around 7.10)

Skatedude

I have tried the halfords brand, Complety useless, Even the most expensive one they stock would bearly move the starter motor and had no hope of actually starting my car. They are only any use for small cars.

I currently use a banner booster box which has been used many times by friends and neighbors and it's still on it's original charge.