Car Jump-Starter

A modern car jump-starter is just a 12 volt rechargeable battery pack with a built-in set of jumper leads. This is the gadget that can get your car started quickly on that morning when your car's own 12v battery fails to work right.

As long as you have one of these jump-starter units yourself (and as long as its own internal battery is already charged), that unit can clip to any vehicle's flat 12 volt battery and allow you to kick the car's engine over immediately.

In 9 out of 10 cases you will be able to get the car engine running right away and you can be on your way in minutes instead of hours. This is all thanks to the cranking power already stored in the portable battery of the car jump starter... and thanks to you, and your good foresight.

You know that if your auto has a dead battery and you phone the local garage for help, they'll probably just send out a junior mechanic. He will drive over to you carrying the same kind of portable car jump starter. And you'll have to pay for the help.

So you can save a few bucks by owning one of these car jump starter sets yourself. You won't have to call the garage if your battery goes flat, and you may be able to help any friends who have the same kind of car battery problem sometime.

It's a good way of being helpful and making friends.

But if your portable jump-starter pack isn't already charged, you'll be out of luck. You will have to charge up it before it can do any good. That will take quite a few hours using the small trickle-charger that is supplied with most of these units.

So if your car battery is flat and your jump-start battery is just as bad, you will save time by trying to beg or borrow a faster, more heavy-duty battery charger and hooking it to your car battery first.

Try for a battery charger that is at least 4 Amps, but preferably one that charges at 10 Amps or more. It will get your car going much faster -- like from a two or three hour charge instead of needing an overnight charging session from the trickle charger!

It is also a good idea to clean the car's battery terminals while you are at it. Any furry chemical deposits near the battery terminals may be stopping you from getting a good connection. The chemicals can easily be brushed away and/or dissolved with a bit of boiling water from a hot kettle. (Don't worry, it won't hurt your car. just be sure not to scald yourself or anybody else.)