▷ Battery problems can turn into a major annoyance

A traditional view from the window of an apartment building in the courtyard in winter: two cars stand facing each other with open hoods and two wires connecting them. The action, slang for burn, is familiar to those whose car battery has “died” at least once and to those who have been asked to help resurrect that battery.

Paradoxically

the victim in this situation can turn into a rescuer, or rather a “donor”, allowing the charge of his battery to be used to resuscitate a stranger, experts say.

“The greatest danger is represented by such benevolence towards the owners of the newest cars, produced around 2000. These are cars in which many functions are controlled by transmitting a signal not via ordinary electrical cables, but via an internal computer,” Vytautas Butkus, a representative of one of the authorized service centers of the port city, told “Autosalon”.

According to him, when taking energy from a battery car, an extremely high current is generated, and such a fluctuation in the car’s computer can cause a real electric shock.

“Then the control unit is compromised. Yes, you may have helped a neighbor and his engine was able to start after the battery recovered, but you may not ‘start’ your car.” We have seen more than one and not two similar cases, and repair costs are not cheap,” the specialist said.

According to V.

Butkaus, the solution is simple: if you allow a friend or neighbor to “start” your car, turn off the engine and be sure to remove the terminal from the negative terminal of the battery, the alternating current will no longer be able to reach your car’s computer.

If you are a “donor” who owns an older car “armed” with simple electrical wires, you can ignore this advice – your car is in no danger from the help. Even better, says the service representative, when the car engine is running: This creates a larger additional current and a friend’s or colleague’s dead battery “comes back to life” faster.

Well, if you are the one receiving help, turn off all devices in your car that are not directly related to starting the engine: lighting devices, audio equipment, ventilation, heating systems. This way the energy that is already missing from the battery will not be wasted unnecessarily.

“It is very simple to avoid all problems related to the battery. It is simply advisable to go to the service before the onset of the cold season and ask to check the vitality of your car battery. A special tester shows its capacity, in other words, how alive the battery is,” advises V. Butkus.

By the way, this advice is not related to the year of production of the car. It may be brand new, but if it’s been sitting around for a while, the battery will die.

“If you know that the car will be idle for a long period of time, simply disconnect the battery terminals. This way it will not use energy, for example, for the alarm.”

And if you don’t use your car for a shorter period of time, try starting the engine at least occasionally. It would be even better to drive it at least for a while, then the battery will recover,” says V. Butkus.

In the event that someone helped you start the engine after the battery ran out with the help of cables – in the language of drivers, “crocodile”, drive as long as possible without turning off the engine. At the same time, you can go to any parts store and buy a home charger. And, of course, use it on the same day, so that the next morning you do not have to ask for help again, which can be expensive for a kind-hearted “donor”.

A familiar winter scene in many apartment courtyards: two cars parked nose-to-nose with their hoods open, connected by a pair of jumper cables. This common situation—often referred to in slang as “burning” a car—occurs when one vehicle’s battery has completely discharged and needs assistance to start again. Anyone who has experienced a dead battery on a cold morning, or has helped another driver in the same situation, immediately recognizes the scenario.

Low temperatures significantly reduce a battery’s efficiency and starting power. When the battery “dies,” it no longer has enough energy to crank the engine. In such cases, jumper cables are used to transfer electrical power from a working vehicle’s battery to the discharged one, allowing the engine to start.

Although jump-starting seems simple, it must be done correctly to avoid damaging the vehicle’s electrical system. First, both cars should be turned off. The positive cable (usually red) is connected to the positive terminal of the dead battery, then to the positive terminal of the working battery. Next, the negative cable (black) is attached to the negative terminal of the working battery and then to a metal grounding point on the disabled vehicle, away from the battery. Once connected properly, the assisting vehicle is started first, followed by the car with the dead battery.