Recommend me a glove box jump starter?

[SB1500]

Saw some lithium powered jump starters on YouTube, of course, all by people in the US with different brands to shop with to here.

There seems to be a vast range of them on the market, but I'm looking for something portable able to fit into a Panda glove box easily, which can jump start the car and as a bonus point, power other things like mobile phones too.

The budget, around £70 ideally. To keep me out of trouble!!!

Some of you have a lot more experience with this stuff than me, so I appreciate any pointers I get.

thanks,
SB1500

 

[portland_bill]

I seem to remember there was a recent thread where you were planning to replace the battery. Modern batteries fail suddenly, and without warning, but a device like this is expensive to carry around, and you'll need to remember to keep it charged up.
However, carrying a breakdown membership card is easier, and will get you a jump start if needed. Then that, or next day, replace the battery, then you're fine for 5-7 years.

 

[SB1500]

I seem to remember there was a recent thread where you were planning to replace the battery. Modern batteries fail suddenly, and without warning, but a device like this is expensive to carry around, and you'll need to remember to keep it charged up.
However, carrying a breakdown membership card is easier, and will get you a jump start if needed. Then that, or next day, replace the battery, then you're fine for 5-7 years.

I was contemplating that, and at the time I thought my battery was original. Since then I've realised it isn't and likely in good shape. So far not been left stranded either.

I just thought this would come in handy for me and anyone else who may need a jump start in the family.

I had breakdown cover with my insurance policy last year from the RAC but I found they're a bit moody about whether or not they decide the issue is worth them coming out for.

Maybe another company would be better but definitely wouldn't support them after stranding us

 

[dave]

Maybe another company would be better but definitely wouldn't support them after stranding us

why didn't they come out?

 

[SB1500]

why didn't they come out?

Since you ask, here's the story

Mid-December last year, car died out on the road. Turned out to be the fuel pump. RAC came and towed it to a nearby mechanics yard. FYI, I had to walk home the remaining 4 miles here as the RAC man was talking to the mechanic - knew eachother I guess. Surely they were meant to get me home?!

Mechanic quotes £150 to fit a fuel pump (which itself was bought for £140). It's a 20 minute job, I disputed this.

So we went to move the car out of his yard since I said I would refuse and couldn't afford to pay him to do that. Car is now sitting on the road at a busy junction. The day is New Year's Eve.

Phoned the RAC, said my car has broken down again and I'm on the road I need urgently towed as it's causing an obstruction. For all they knew, it worked again and broke down again. Not impossible. This was at 1pm

I was told there was a 4 hour wait, that's fine it's a busy time of year.

5.30, after its dark, get a call from the local RAC man saying that he isn't coming out because he already came out regarding a fuel pump issue.

Now.. Two issues here - if I needed a jump start etc twice would they do the same?

And secondly, even if he's right and that's some sort of idiotic policy, why did they not tell me that when I initially phoned and told them the problem?!

We had to push the car up a gradient, dead, and into a private car park. My uncle came and towed the car the next morning to his house where we fitted the fuel pump in, and I am not exaggerating, under 20 minutes through the hatch under the seat.

I phoned my insurance company and told them to remove the RAC from my policy as I don't want a single penny going toward them after that.

 

[g8rpi]

To play devils advocate, you were abusing the service.
The cover with insurance is probably only basic which will get you to a nearby garage (or possibly home if it's not much further). A higher level of cover will get you to your destination (or home) regardless of how far it is. They are a rescue service, not a free towing service. All the providers have terms that allow them to refuse to come out if you are abusing the service, Some insist that the car must be adequately maintained, whatever that means.

Robert G8RPI.

 

[SB1500]

To play devils advocate, you were abusing the service.
The cover with insurance is probably only basic which will get you to a nearby garage (or possibly home if it's not much further). A higher level of cover will get you to your destination (or home) regardless of how far it is. They are a rescue service, not a free towing service. All the providers have terms that allow them to refuse to come out if you are abusing the service, Some insist that the car must be adequately maintained, whatever that means.

Robert G8RPI.

Okay. That all sounds fair enough, but it is still unacceptable that they waited over four hours to tel me this.

For what they knew, the car had worked again and broken down again though

 

[portland_bill]

In the small print of the policy, as that is what it is, a breakdown insurance policy, it will exclude repeat call-outs for the same issue, as you are supposed to get it fixed.
There are three components to the service, rescue, which is the basic service, to either repair by the roadside or drag you to the nearest garage, of their choice! Which is what they did. Recovery, adds the facility to take the car home or on to your destination, if it can't be fixed that day. This is not your choice, as they still expect you to pay a garage to repair the car. So if you have 'recovery' and need it taken home rather than to a garage, don't call them until late in the day. The third part is 'Home', which covers you at home and within a quarter mile from it. Within this distance the normal Rescue serve does not apply, to prevent people trying to get the breakdown man to fix a failed repair attempt. It used to happen a lot, 'weekend mechanic' fails to repair properly, out of his depth, pushes car down road and claims it drove there.

If they make a temporary repair, and it fails again before you get home, they'll come out again. If it fails the next day, they won't, unless you were on the way to the garage at the time. In your case, if you had disputed the repair estimate, you should have talked to the RAC before moving the car, then they could either negotiate a cheaper repair, or decide to take you elsewhere. Having taken it away yourself, then call them again, that is definitely outside their terms.

Any breakdown is always a risk that any of us might have to pay a garage far too much for something we could have done ourselves if only we'd been able to plan the repair. But having their cover is better than having to arrange recovery at the time of a breakdown, at almost certainly more than a year's membership costs.

I've heard of one insurance company offering a special breakdown policy that allows a classic car to be taken home, recognising that often the owner is better placed to fix it. This will work well with a 1920 Fiat, but probably won't cover a Panda, not for a few years yet.

 

[PuntoHowTo]

Okay. That all sounds fair enough, but it is still unacceptable that they waited over four hours to tel me this.

For what they knew, the car had worked again and broken down again though

If as you say the RAC man and the garage owner are friends, what likely happened is that it being a busy time of year the RAC man was busy on a number of calls, eventually it came round to you and he clocked the car number plate and location. He may well of called his mate to see why the car he had brought there was not broken down just outside, then again he may have just worked out that you were broken down again right outside the garage where he dropped you, either way if the car had been fixed why would you be calling the RAC from right outside the garage who had supposedly just fixed it. The RAC man would have called that back to head office and they cancelled the call out. That will be why it took so long.

You can't blame the RAC for not being tricked by your game because you didn't want to pay the garage.

 

[SB1500]

If as you say the RAC man and the garage owner are friends, what likely happened is that it being a busy time of year the RAC man was busy on a number of calls, eventually it came round to you and he clocked the car number plate and location. He may well of called his mate to see why the car he had brought there was not broken down just outside, then again he may have just worked out that you were broken down again right outside the garage where he dropped you, either way if the car had been fixed why would you be calling the RAC from right outside the garage who had supposedly just fixed it. The RAC man would have called that back to head office and they cancelled the call out. That will be why it took so long.

You can't blame the RAC for not being tricked by your game because you didn't want to pay the garage.

£150 to fit a fuel pump but, that is extortionate. Would you pay that? (After paying £140 for the pump)

I phoned the mechanic up to explain about the hatch under the seat, and he specifically told me they'd had the rear seat out and that this hatch didn't exist, there was no need for him to blatantly lie about it.

I haven't paid a mechanic other than Fiat since and I hope to keep it that way, in my opinion the majority of them are crooks.

I'd still love to drop off the Fiat eLearn instructions to this guy as if to say 'look, you were wrong' but I suppose that's a petty thing to do.

But what you said is exactly what happened and I do get that too. But I was 19 and this f*cker was trying to milk me of money I didn't have.

He's also known to blow up the cost of bodywork repairs too just to claim the money from people's insurance companies... Crooks.

 

[PuntoHowTo]

That's all unimportant, you can't complain about the RAC not coming out a second time when they had just dropped you there and then expecting them to take you home just because you didn't want to pay the garage.

If you don't want to pay the bill that's fine, I have no problem with that but that is your decision and you then need to deal with that decision and you can't expect someone else to sort it out, if you need to get the car home having refused the work then you're going to have to push it, tow it or pay to get it recovered.

I don't have time to be messing about with cars now, so I'd just pay the bill and never take the car back to that garage ever again and tell everyone about the problems, then again I would have gone down and pointed out the access panel under the seat then asked him to justify his £150 bill.

 

[SB1500]

That's all unimportant, you can't complain about the RAC not coming out a second time when they had just dropped you there and then expecting them to take you home just because you didn't want to pay the garage.

If you don't want to pay the bill that's fine, I have no problem with that but that is your decision and you then need to deal with that decision and you can't expect someone else to sort it out, if you need to get the car home having refused the work then you're going to have to push it, tow it or pay to get it recovered.

I don't have time to be messing about with cars now, so I'd just pay the bill and never take the car back to that garage ever again and tell everyone about the problems, then again I would have gone down and pointed out the access panel under the seat then asked him to justify his £150 bill.

This was about two weeks apart, it broke down mid December and all the drama was around New Years.

I do completely see all of your points, but I had to deal with all of that at the time.

Wish I had of went down to make an ass of that guy, he knew rightly about the hatch. And if other cars don't share that feature then Fiat must be geniuses In comparison lol

If I get some recommendations for the glove box size charger then I may consider an AA membership!!!

 

[g8rpi]

<SNIP>

If I get some recommendations for the glove box size charger then I may consider an AA membership!!!

I do not rate these glove box starters, especially anything cheap from the far east.
1/ They need to be charged when you need them. This requires vigilance or permanent connection to the car electrical system. The later risks depleting your car battery or 2/ below
2/The starter lithium batteries catching fire, either while stored, on charge (in car or home) or while in use.


Use the money for a new quality battery when you need one or/and join the AA.


Robert G8RPI.

 

[SB1500]

Okay, well in December - when I would have bought a glove box sized charger - I will instead buy myself the middle level of cover from the AA, the £69 a year one.

Though I'll still be a bit stuck if I have no mobile signal.. Least it will cover for other things too.

So far my battery seems fine, it hasn't ever hesitated to start or fail to yet.

Sometimes it takes a second longer, but I'd imagine lots of small factors like temperature etc can cause this even with a brand new battery