Why You Need to Be Careful When Trying to Restart a Dead Vehicle Battery
Posted on: 13 February 2018
If you're part of a typical Australian family, it's likely that you have more than one car sitting in the driveway. The husband and wife may have one each so that they can go back and forth to work, while a child who is in college may have a cheap runaround of their own. It's also fair to say that one or more of these vehicles may be several years old and may not be as reliable as it used to be and in this case, you may have some tools and equipment on hand in case of breakdown. Why is it very important to be careful when selecting tools to deal with any dead batteries, however?
Taking the Easy Route
Certainly, there's nothing more frustrating than a vehicle that won't start because the battery does not have enough power to turn it over. This can happen at any time and especially if somebody leaves the lights on inadvertently. It's very easy to go to a discount auto store and pick up the first set of "jump" cables that you come across so you're ready should this happen, but this could be problematic and actually cost a lot of money if you're not careful.
Risks of Being Ill-Prepared
Many people underestimate the length of the cables required to start off with and some of the lower-priced variety only give you a few metres to play with. This may not allow you to reach from one battery to the other effectively. However, there is a bigger danger in taking the cheap route, as the cable itself may be simply inadequate for the very high voltages involved. Cheap jump cables tend to have a low core copper cable, which may simply fail to start the vehicle and these cables may also lack an "anti-zap" function, which is designed to protect very sensitive electronic components on the car. Without this functionality, the very high power required to jump between one vehicle and the other may significantly damage the electronic computer on the stranded vehicle. You will still be stranded by the side of the road, but now you also have to get the vehicle towed to the nearest mechanic and fork out for a new ECU.
The Better Way
In this case, it's always best to call out the experts to help you get everything moving in the right direction again. Mobile battery rescue companies are on call for this purpose and will definitely have the right type of equipment on hand.
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