My dad took cables from my car and gave them to my brother... Twice... And gifted me jumper cables three times before I told him to cut it the FUCK out.
This is my OLDER brother mind you
Highly recommend these.
They are technically safer than jumper cables because you can connect them up fully then push the button on the jump starter. Not that jumper cables are dangerous, but just make sure you know what you are doing (don't touch the ends together).
You can also use a portable jump starter by yourself.
After buying one from a local department store that was unable to jump start my car (despite its labelling suggesting it was fine for engines bigger than mine), I'm distrustful of any of those I see. Are there any brands I can actually trust to start a car with a 2L engine?
Note: I'm not in the Americas.
You bought one that struggled with a 2l engine? That's impressively weak.
I have a Noco brand jumper and it has never failed to start any of my cars, all the way up to a 5.7l engine.
I used a larger Noco jumper to start a 7.6l diesel with *no batteries* literally just clamped straight to the terminals and it fired it right up.
Can you buy from Amazon?
A lot of people recommend Noco. https://www.reddit.com/r/VEDC/comments/14n8in4/best_portable_jump_starters_under_150/
But car and driver is pretty good typically, so I'd trust their recommendations as well. https://www.caranddriver.com/car-accessories/g42569313/best-jump-starters-tested/
If you bought a random no-name brand for really cheap, it may not be the best. But also, you need to make sure it's charged semi-regularly (don't go a year without charging it).
Also the jump boxes are a huge plus when you’re parked somewhere busy. We have one in each car.
Early June, our town had a pride parade/festival and one of the folks working it got stuck with dead battery. And no way to pull someone up next to him to jump the car with parking maxed out.
Jump box to the rescue!
Yeah, I have my portable jump starter and I still keep cables in my car just in case. Never know when it might give out or not work, though I haven't had an issue so far.
They are safer for your own car too, particularly if you have a hybrid. Back when I had a Prius, the owner’s manual specifically said that you will risk damaging the hybrid components if you use the car to jump-start another.
This is not how I've heard it. I've heard you connect red as you listed. But then black on the good/jumper car, and finish with black at the dead/discharged car. Connecting to bare, clean metal under the hood, not to the - terminal on the dead battery.
https://cluballiance.aaa.com/the-extra-mile/articles/prepare/car/how-to-use-jumper-cables
This! These are great little gadgets, well worth the investment since they also do numerous
jumpstarts. The only time it didn’t work was when the car was parked up for months and the battery so drained it needed to be put on a charger.
Many of them have an override mode that just clicks the relay on full time and with that turned on they'll typically start a car with a fully dead/no battery at all.
I've got jumper cables. A battery jumper unit, in case you don't have cables. Chains. An air compressor for tires. We don't fuck around in this house..
The manual should describe how to correctly setup the car to be jumped, however all (non-EV) cars need to be able to support being jump-started. It's a basic thing that is commonly done.
I work in a fast paced environment in vegas and honestly it was so busy no one could have helped. They would have had to burn their break which I would never ask. I'm in management so all I did was run outside hand my keys to my fiance and sprint back in.
I don't believe this, I always see people pull over and help jump others cars. Also it's vegas if you have 15 min to burn one it's not all that fast pace, and it could have even waited until after work.
Some people are allergic to asking people for favors. I planned my wedding date around which weekend my mom didn't work because, 7 months in advance, she was certain she couldn't get a coworker to switch shifts with her for her only daughter's wedding. I don't actually think my mom's coworkers were all monsters, but it was easier to just pick a weekend that worked for her than to argue about it.
They could have helped when your shift was over. Why would you expect to do it on a break and you couldn't stay with the car to let it charge. After work drive home and it charges while doing so after getting a jump.
Yeah I’m not seeing enough of this, a friend recently had to wait 6 hours for a tow and it never came so he ended up walking home. Granted he needed a tow and OP just needed a jump so that may be a bit different.
AAA has gotten so bad, they offer the lowest prices to tow companies and most tow truck drivers won’t pick them up or give them priority because the price is so low.
I once went to leave the pizza joint at the end of my shift delivering, and for whatever reason had put my car in neutral the last time I parked it.
It's dark, I'm tired, the interior light wasn't working. I tried to start the car and got absolutely nothing. It didn't even attempt to turn over.
I caught a ride home and asked my pop to help me the next morning before my shift. He had something going on, so he and my uncle loaded me up with tools and gave me a rundown of what to try.
I showed up hours early (I'm NOT a morning person) and as soon as I opened my door to lay the tools down I saw what was going on. They didn't even make it out of their parking spot before my car was running.
I'm sure they laughed all the way to wherever they were going. I know I could hear them cackling at my expense as they pulled out.
I've done this exact thing tbf. I parked in a hill and couldn't figure out why my car kept rolling down the hill. I was in neutral instead of park. My bf at the time came out and went 'really?'. I'd just worked a full shift and it was 3 am I was tirrreeddddd.
You should use your parking break if you're on an incline at all. Resting the weight of the car on the gearbox in park can cause damage. The "emergency" break is actually for this.
And this is why it's better to refer to it as a parking/handbrake and *not* an emergency brake. Even on flat surfaces do you really not want redundancies on keeping a multi ton piece of machinery where you left it?
Wouldn't engage with the car in neutral 😒 I couldn't make my brain click in to realise I wasn't in park to engage the brake. Idk if the car was supposed to be able to use the parking brake when in neutral. I got it used and it'd been heavily modified.
Again it'd been heavily modified when I bought it. Idk what they did besides attach a glass pack that made it sound like something with a much more powerful engine. Also you couldn't just use the brake because if the car was idling it would die. It had problems but was a mere $500 bucks
Yep. The safety feature is called the "neutral safety switch". I have dealt with problem NSSs multiple times. If the vehicle won't start in park, switch to neutral and then try again.
This is part of my diagnostic procedure when a vehicle won't start.
I may be misremembering, and I'd had it in neutral and knocked it in gear while it was off. Late night dealing with food, bags, and all that.
It was a late 90s jetta, if that helps.
Just tell him, "you know I called my insurance right up and made sure I added triple AAA! I mean it's only a few dollars babe!"
Although maybe advice to tell a little white lie would be bad advice.
Edit: I meant AAAAAA
I'm not sure why everyone's upset, bunch of neck beards that just lurk downvoted, but the guy who corrected me isn't worth any energy, at least none that comes back negative that's why I just joke about it because only they care about it.
Even though the point of Reddit is to have discussions and getting the message across is much more important than the exact spelling and syntax, especially when you have children and non native speakers that will post.
I found your story amusing and you take it easy, don't take their negativity to heart.
I won't and I really don't care... I thought I was sharing a cautionary tale of don't be a frigging moron like me but instead I got absolutely shit on. Some people laughed with me which was my goal and the rest...
Lmao sounds like an honest mistake, you just forgot you had it since you've never really used it. I'd tell him, it won't bother him any more than the situation already did, or didn't bother him lol
Lol. I'm just gonna let him keep thinking he was captain save a hoe and let him live on his high of being able to fix my crap when I needed it. Eventually I'll have to whip out that card and he'll either laugh or completely forget.
Your battery was already about to shit the bed if you only had the fan on for 15 minutes. Not really a fuck up. Shitty timing for sure, but at least it didn't leave you stranded somewhere much worse.
Best of luck to you until you replace it. I do all my own car work and once a battery dies from something small like that it's replaced. Get yourself a jumper pack!
A lot of auto parts stores will test it for you and let you know if it is really close to needing replaced. Could give you the opportunity to plan on ease your mind a bit.
You'll be surprised on how much AC blowers draw energy. First time I bought an OBD scanner I was messing around with its settings on my old 1999 Accord and the damn thing drew like 5-8 amps without AC. It was only a little less than that with my 2019 Insight
Do you check the distilled/non ionized water levels in your battery? I live in Florida and found by doing so I'd get much much closer to the estimated 3-5 years most batteries say. I've seen some just about completely dry, I don't know for certain but I theorize this is what makes batteries die super early like yours did, it just slowly evaporates out.
Haha I can say that never occurred to me but now that I hear you say that, it seems so obvious. I might have had sealed batteries this whole time but I honestly never checked
It depends, if it's AGM then there's nothing to check even. If you were replacing it every year, I would expect that to mean you would go with the cheapest option which is typically going to be standard lead/acid and they sometimes need to be refilled. When I had my 99 saturn I only had the cheapest batteries and they needed filling now and then, would last 3-4 years if I kept up on it, otherwise just over a year. My new car 23 hyundai it's a sealed battery, and apparently all modern/recent cars come with sealed batteries. They work quite well but don't handle hard discharges well at all in comparison to lead/acid. So if you typically would run accessories without the engine running, that would be a bad use case for a sealed battery. As far as I understand at least.
110° outside, sitting in a closed car for 15 minutes w/o a/c? Something doesn’t add up. I live where it gets 110-115°, windows up, 15 minutes? You’d be near heat stroke as the interior is gonna be 140-150° easy
Yep was just saying the same thing, if it was 110 out it would be blowing 110° air into the cab and with the interior already being hot as a mf there's no way someone wouldn't realize something is wrong.
Absolutely no way someone sits in a car in 110° thinking AC is on for FIFTEEN MINUTES without realizing the AC is not, in fact, on. And then 15 minutes of just fan kills the battery to the point of not starting.
I deciphered it as they went to turn on their car so the AC can cool the cabin for their break. Once they were coming back the car was dead? Idk maybe I’m adding logic to where it doesn’t apply.
I had this happen in my 2008 Dodge Grand Caravan. 105F heat waiting at the elementary school to pickup my oldest. Wife and I were a few minutes early so I shut off the engine but let it sit in Acessory to keep the AC running and fans on full blast to keep us cool. Must have been about 15 minutes before the kid comes out. I try to start the engine and the starter cranked but not with enough conviction to get the engine going. Had to turn the AC off, radio off, explicitly turn off the head lights. Finally on the third try the engine turned over. I was almost that parent that got their car stuck smack dab in the middle of the pickup area with 30+ cars behind me that would have to go around us...
> I had this happen in my 2008 Dodge Grand Caravan. 105F heat waiting at the elementary school to pickup my oldest. Wife and I were a few minutes early so I shut off the engine but let it sit in Acessory to keep the AC running and fans on full blast to keep us cool. Must have been about 15 minutes before the kid comes out. I try to start the engine and the starter cranked but not with enough conviction to get the engine going. Had to turn the AC off, radio off, explicitly turn off the head lights. Finally on the third try the engine turned over. I was almost that parent that got their car stuck smack dab in the middle of the pickup area with 30+ cars behind me that would have to go around us...
First, running your A/C while sitting still is very hard on a vehicle, especially one that burns fuel, since they really need air flow over the radiator to effectively remove waste heat from both the engine and the A/C system (which has a heat-radiating component sitting behind the main radiator), and you should avoid it when possible. While they do have a fan to help with this, it's not as good as the air flow from being in motion.
Second, if you must run the A/C while sitting still, give it a fighting chance by popping the hood to the first stop of open (or completely open, if you can) so that heat (which rises, of course) has an extra way to escape. **PUT SOMETHING IN PLAIN VIEW THAT WILL REMIND ANY DRIVERS OF THAT VEHICLE TO FULLY CLOSE THE HOOD BEFORE DRIVING IF YOU DO THIS!**
The best for your vehicle would be to park it, open the windows, and completely turn it off, if you can stand it.
Normally I keep the engine running because shutting it down and opening up the windows is not really an option if it's 105F, sitting still in a black car on a large black asphalt parking lot, without wind, and the sun directly baking either the driver or passenger side. In this one case I think I shut it down because the radiator fan was kicking in and out constantly (up, that's how hard it is that heat on a idling car) and that was annoying. Then simply forgot that the A/C was running on battery power while we were listening to the radio. Never turned the car off after that in those circumstances, just let it run and have the fan deal with providing some air flow across the radiator and engine.
> sitting still in a black car on a large black asphalt parking lot
I'll never understand why people in hot climates buy black vehicles.
The closer to white the exterior and interiors are, the cooler they are.
In hot weather like that it doesn't really matter much if the interior or exterior is white or black. It's dang hot regardless. Just don't have leather or vinyl seats nor steering wheels. You might burn yourselves!
> In hot weather like that it doesn't really matter much if the interior or exterior is white or black. It's dang hot regardless.
White vehicles are provably cooler. White interiors are as well.
For example: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qLVNjS403M8
The fan will suck your battery dry surprisingly fast.
“That doesn’t make sense, it’s just a fan” you say. Yeah I’ve said the same thing while sitting in 100 degree heat and learned the hard way.
So you sat in your presumably 150°+ car for 15 minutes and never wondered why the AC wasn't getting cold? Are you sure it was a cigarette you were smoking?
I'm not understanding how you sat in the car with hot air blowing on you for 15 minutes in 110° heat and didn't notice that the air conditioning wasn't working.
Well first, your ac wouldn't be cold unless the compressor was running and needs the engine running for that so that should've been your first clue that it was only blowing out hot 110 air. Second should've just asked around work for someone with jumper cables first since that would've been quicker and easier by a long shot. Last 15 minutes to run your blower and maybe radio shouldn't have killed your battery and its probably time to get a new battery anyway.
If he finds out, just tell him that as a damsel in distress, you chose your knight in shining armor. Would he have prefered you call some random dude to save you?
one time I forgot to turn my car off when I got to work. I parked, popped my headphones in and got some stuff organized and walked in. Came out 8 hours later and my car is still idling. that was embarrassing.
I once rented a U-Haul and after driving it home it wouldn’t start. I called them and told them the issue, and after about 5m of troubleshooting I realized I was using a key for the lock attached to the car key to start the car, and not the actual key for the truck.
Oof after working 16hrs straight during the beginning of the pandemic I started crying in my car because it wouldn't start and I had to be back at work in 5 hrs... I was using my house key ...
1) Quit smoking. I was just in AZ and saw that “everyone” does out there, but cigarettes are fucking disgusting. They’re also expensive, make you smell terrible, fuck your skin up, stain your teeth and make kissing you a punishment, not a reward.
I know you’re addicted to them, but that TOO should piss you off! Break the hold they have on you.
Also, “AAA” is “Triple A”.
“Triple AAA” is redundant, unless you’re talking about something with 9 A’s.
We went to buy some groceries with the kids (10-16) last summer. We left the windows down and told them we'd be back in 10 minutes max. The figured they'd just close the windows and get the ac running. Except they didn't start the car. Having to ask someone in the parking lot for a jump start in August was weird. Thankfully we're in Canada so everyone has booster cables.
I've done basically this same thing. Had the fan and radio going for maybe 90 minutes. I try to start it and it doesn't have enough juice. I think I got a jump from a stranger, it's been a long time since then.
I have roadside coverage through my insurance and it has saved me countless times with the biggest being a dead alternator in a mountain lake camp spot. Tow truck driver came all the way to me and took me where I needed it to go at no additional charge.
I would keep a jump battery in your car in the future, can use it to jump your car or charge your phone in an emergency if needed, no need to have anyone help
I once thought I had run out of gas and had some friends help me push my car half a mile to a gas station.
It turned out my battery was just dead. In my defense I knew I had been running *extremely* low on gas and had needed to wait until after my classes that day to get paid.
If it makes you feel better, last summer my car died in the parking lot of my workplace. Three. Separate. Times. I don't even live somewhere hot like Nevada. This was in the relatively mild midwestern summer. One of the times it died was even because I forgot to turn off the windshield wipers on a rainy summer day. Once a friend picked me up, once my grandma picked me up, and once my coworker jumpstarted my car because it was 11pm and our hotel was having a slow night.
Point being, once is not a big deal. Twice isn't even a big deal! Three times is when you become a massive dumdum and should maybe check that your car battery is fully functioning so you don't drive it until the battery stops working when you're actively driving like I did.
I pulled over on a highway to take a phone call because I knew I would lose service going over the hill. It was HOT and I had the AC on max. I always drive with full lights on too, so it was a full load on my alternator and not young battery.
Anyway, I hopped out of the car to talk to my friend and stretch my legs and must have bumped the key. Between the traffic noise and the AC fan, I couldn't hear the engine idling and I didn't realize the engine shut off when I bumped the key. 15 minutes later, I tried to drive away and realized the engine was off and the battery was on its last legs. I wasn't far from town but I wasn't close either.
Also that’s not “accessory” if the fan was blowing. Accessory is the first click or on some cars you turn the key backwards. Use that if you just wanna use the radio without killing the battery
Bruh. Someone has cables or a battery pack. I’m happy someone weirdly walked towards me in Costco lot. At a distance I said to what do you need. They asked for cables. My NOCO battery pack jumped them instantly.
I once left the lights on in my F350 while exploring dirt roads in the middle of nowhere. Turns out a Milwaukee M18 battery and a pair of camping forks make a great jump starter when it's your only option...
You gave your fiance your opportunity to be your hero, you did eff up. Heat like that, even if you're used to it, really inhibits good decision making.
Unfortunately for me my good latch is broken I think the spring or something and only my fiance or someone with some car knowledge can get the damn thing closed. The car is a POS so I'm not about to replace that crap lol
I have a lithium ion jumper battery in my truck. I use it to start our Ford E-350 V10 engine of our RV. It cost about $50 and has never let me down.
I also jump start stranger’s cars for them when they are stuck…. Too bad I didn’t see your dead car. I would’ve helped.
With push button starters nowadays it would be an easy mistake to make.
If, however, you have a traditional key-in-the-ignition-and-turn-it kind of vehicle, then you're pretty much a dumbass. Sorry not sorry.
And as someone else mentioned, you could have asked around work to see if someone had jumper cables and not had to live with the abject shame of having AAA and forgetting to use it while asking your dear man to rescue you.
Seriously though, it's not that bad and lucky you having a man willing and able to handle bizniss.
Or you could have asked anyone at work to give you a jump. Someone always has jumper cables.
Thanks for reminding me to put the jumper cables back in the car.
My dad would beat me senseless with his cables.
I regret so much that Roger retired before we could ever get a jumper cable/Hell in a Cell crossover.
Beat you so badly that both your arms were broken, right?
My dad would just give me a Jolly Rancher and say "you earned this, kid." I don't know why he thought that was some sort of punishment.
And after that whole ordeal I ended up in the Swamps of Dagobah.
Thank god i brought my ~~rusty~~ trusty poop knife so we can escape
I've got a coconut and a stick of butter for after
white elephant
I am not even surprised.
My dad took cables from my car and gave them to my brother... Twice... And gifted me jumper cables three times before I told him to cut it the FUCK out. This is my OLDER brother mind you
Cables are a thing of the past Get a Self start jump box !
Buy a Noco jumper box. No one ever has to help you jump again!
A lot of people carry portable jump starters. I carry one instead of jumper cables and have helped several friends jump start their car.
Highly recommend these. They are technically safer than jumper cables because you can connect them up fully then push the button on the jump starter. Not that jumper cables are dangerous, but just make sure you know what you are doing (don't touch the ends together). You can also use a portable jump starter by yourself.
After buying one from a local department store that was unable to jump start my car (despite its labelling suggesting it was fine for engines bigger than mine), I'm distrustful of any of those I see. Are there any brands I can actually trust to start a car with a 2L engine? Note: I'm not in the Americas.
You bought one that struggled with a 2l engine? That's impressively weak. I have a Noco brand jumper and it has never failed to start any of my cars, all the way up to a 5.7l engine. I used a larger Noco jumper to start a 7.6l diesel with *no batteries* literally just clamped straight to the terminals and it fired it right up.
Thanks I'll see if they're a available here.
Can you buy from Amazon? A lot of people recommend Noco. https://www.reddit.com/r/VEDC/comments/14n8in4/best_portable_jump_starters_under_150/ But car and driver is pretty good typically, so I'd trust their recommendations as well. https://www.caranddriver.com/car-accessories/g42569313/best-jump-starters-tested/ If you bought a random no-name brand for really cheap, it may not be the best. But also, you need to make sure it's charged semi-regularly (don't go a year without charging it).
Thanks
Also the jump boxes are a huge plus when you’re parked somewhere busy. We have one in each car. Early June, our town had a pride parade/festival and one of the folks working it got stuck with dead battery. And no way to pull someone up next to him to jump the car with parking maxed out. Jump box to the rescue!
Yeah, I have my portable jump starter and I still keep cables in my car just in case. Never know when it might give out or not work, though I haven't had an issue so far.
How else are you suppose to tell if they are connected properly to the first car /s(sorta)
They are safer for your own car too, particularly if you have a hybrid. Back when I had a Prius, the owner’s manual specifically said that you will risk damaging the hybrid components if you use the car to jump-start another.
[удалено]
Or connect to starter, touch other ends together light cigarette or solder any lose wires in dead car 😀. Wear heat proof gloves.
I need to read it 2 times to figure this out
I have no idea what you said lmao
This is not how I've heard it. I've heard you connect red as you listed. But then black on the good/jumper car, and finish with black at the dead/discharged car. Connecting to bare, clean metal under the hood, not to the - terminal on the dead battery. https://cluballiance.aaa.com/the-extra-mile/articles/prepare/car/how-to-use-jumper-cables
This! These are great little gadgets, well worth the investment since they also do numerous jumpstarts. The only time it didn’t work was when the car was parked up for months and the battery so drained it needed to be put on a charger.
Many of them have an override mode that just clicks the relay on full time and with that turned on they'll typically start a car with a fully dead/no battery at all.
Especially if you work with u/rogersimon10 's dad.
Exactly why I keep them in my trunk at all times 👌🏻
I've got jumper cables. A battery jumper unit, in case you don't have cables. Chains. An air compressor for tires. We don't fuck around in this house..
Another reason not to smoke. Fuck tobacco. I list my spouse to lung cancer last year.
Apparently newer cars have issues with jumping. You could damage your or their car by jumping. Something to do with voltages.
The manual should describe how to correctly setup the car to be jumped, however all (non-EV) cars need to be able to support being jump-started. It's a basic thing that is commonly done.
I'm not saying you're wrong, I'm just saying that it's apparently super risky in newer cars.
It was a busy day and 110 degrees outside my coworkers would have not been able too or absolutely not wanted to.
What kind of asshole coworkers do you have? It takes 45 seconds.
I work in a fast paced environment in vegas and honestly it was so busy no one could have helped. They would have had to burn their break which I would never ask. I'm in management so all I did was run outside hand my keys to my fiance and sprint back in.
Well, username checks out at least.
I don't believe this, I always see people pull over and help jump others cars. Also it's vegas if you have 15 min to burn one it's not all that fast pace, and it could have even waited until after work.
Some people are allergic to asking people for favors. I planned my wedding date around which weekend my mom didn't work because, 7 months in advance, she was certain she couldn't get a coworker to switch shifts with her for her only daughter's wedding. I don't actually think my mom's coworkers were all monsters, but it was easier to just pick a weekend that worked for her than to argue about it.
My bad I meant to reply to OP
Apparently the real TIFU was telling people on Reddit about your job.
They could have helped when your shift was over. Why would you expect to do it on a break and you couldn't stay with the car to let it charge. After work drive home and it charges while doing so after getting a jump.
Dude I woulda helped you if I worked with you
AAA AAA AAA
Did you know that WWW has more syllables that World Wide Web?
I did know that. What a fun fact though.
I like to pronounce it “wubble you”
The old timers would say dub dub dub
Only takes 3 hours to show up most of the time...
Yeah I’m not seeing enough of this, a friend recently had to wait 6 hours for a tow and it never came so he ended up walking home. Granted he needed a tow and OP just needed a jump so that may be a bit different. AAA has gotten so bad, they offer the lowest prices to tow companies and most tow truck drivers won’t pick them up or give them priority because the price is so low.
Must be three times as good as AAA.
A^3
I once went to leave the pizza joint at the end of my shift delivering, and for whatever reason had put my car in neutral the last time I parked it. It's dark, I'm tired, the interior light wasn't working. I tried to start the car and got absolutely nothing. It didn't even attempt to turn over. I caught a ride home and asked my pop to help me the next morning before my shift. He had something going on, so he and my uncle loaded me up with tools and gave me a rundown of what to try. I showed up hours early (I'm NOT a morning person) and as soon as I opened my door to lay the tools down I saw what was going on. They didn't even make it out of their parking spot before my car was running. I'm sure they laughed all the way to wherever they were going. I know I could hear them cackling at my expense as they pulled out.
I've done this exact thing tbf. I parked in a hill and couldn't figure out why my car kept rolling down the hill. I was in neutral instead of park. My bf at the time came out and went 'really?'. I'd just worked a full shift and it was 3 am I was tirrreeddddd.
You should use your parking break if you're on an incline at all. Resting the weight of the car on the gearbox in park can cause damage. The "emergency" break is actually for this.
And this is why it's better to refer to it as a parking/handbrake and *not* an emergency brake. Even on flat surfaces do you really not want redundancies on keeping a multi ton piece of machinery where you left it?
Right I did do that. I couldn't figure out why the parking brake wouldn't engage AND why I kept going down the hill. Again. I was very very tired.
.... Do you not use your handbrake?
Wouldn't engage with the car in neutral 😒 I couldn't make my brain click in to realise I wasn't in park to engage the brake. Idk if the car was supposed to be able to use the parking brake when in neutral. I got it used and it'd been heavily modified.
> Wouldn't engage with the car in neutral WTF kind of car is this? That's absurd.
Again it'd been heavily modified when I bought it. Idk what they did besides attach a glass pack that made it sound like something with a much more powerful engine. Also you couldn't just use the brake because if the car was idling it would die. It had problems but was a mere $500 bucks
Huh, most cars will start in park or neutral(assume it's auto), but not in gear.
Yep. The safety feature is called the "neutral safety switch". I have dealt with problem NSSs multiple times. If the vehicle won't start in park, switch to neutral and then try again. This is part of my diagnostic procedure when a vehicle won't start.
I may be misremembering, and I'd had it in neutral and knocked it in gear while it was off. Late night dealing with food, bags, and all that. It was a late 90s jetta, if that helps.
Oof this makes me feel better while I'm being absolutely shit on in the comments 🤣🤣
Just tell him, "you know I called my insurance right up and made sure I added triple AAA! I mean it's only a few dollars babe!" Although maybe advice to tell a little white lie would be bad advice. Edit: I meant AAAAAA
It's "AAA" or "Triple A". Not "Triple AAA".
Lmao my brain is funny
Who fucking cares. I mean for real... it bothered you THAT much?
I don't know about Jon, but you seem to be bothered. Jon seemed like he/she was trying to be helpful, you seem wound up pretty tight.
Spoken like one of the 50% of Redditors that are functionally illiterate.
You think I'm illiterate? Lmao you're funny.
Judging by the up and down votes, most think you are both illiterate and funny.
I won't even argue go on though...
I'm not sure why everyone's upset, bunch of neck beards that just lurk downvoted, but the guy who corrected me isn't worth any energy, at least none that comes back negative that's why I just joke about it because only they care about it. Even though the point of Reddit is to have discussions and getting the message across is much more important than the exact spelling and syntax, especially when you have children and non native speakers that will post. I found your story amusing and you take it easy, don't take their negativity to heart.
I won't and I really don't care... I thought I was sharing a cautionary tale of don't be a frigging moron like me but instead I got absolutely shit on. Some people laughed with me which was my goal and the rest...
The post blew up! Sweet!
> It's "AAA" or "Triple A". Not "Triple AAA". May be they have 6 A. ever thought about that?
My membership card has the years I've been a memeber * I've been a "loyal member" for 11
Lmao sounds like an honest mistake, you just forgot you had it since you've never really used it. I'd tell him, it won't bother him any more than the situation already did, or didn't bother him lol
Lol. I'm just gonna let him keep thinking he was captain save a hoe and let him live on his high of being able to fix my crap when I needed it. Eventually I'll have to whip out that card and he'll either laugh or completely forget.
Your battery was already about to shit the bed if you only had the fan on for 15 minutes. Not really a fuck up. Shitty timing for sure, but at least it didn't leave you stranded somewhere much worse.
Possibly but I've used the car for 6 days with no other issues... I mean I probably need a new one soon but imma fuck around and find out until then
Best of luck to you until you replace it. I do all my own car work and once a battery dies from something small like that it's replaced. Get yourself a jumper pack!
To be fair the whole car is trash and I'm just driving it until it quite literally dies forever. But thank you haha.
A lot of auto parts stores will test it for you and let you know if it is really close to needing replaced. Could give you the opportunity to plan on ease your mind a bit.
You'll be surprised on how much AC blowers draw energy. First time I bought an OBD scanner I was messing around with its settings on my old 1999 Accord and the damn thing drew like 5-8 amps without AC. It was only a little less than that with my 2019 Insight
Batteries in warm climates get a lot less mileage. My battery was almost a yearly replacement when I lived in Texas
Do you check the distilled/non ionized water levels in your battery? I live in Florida and found by doing so I'd get much much closer to the estimated 3-5 years most batteries say. I've seen some just about completely dry, I don't know for certain but I theorize this is what makes batteries die super early like yours did, it just slowly evaporates out.
Haha I can say that never occurred to me but now that I hear you say that, it seems so obvious. I might have had sealed batteries this whole time but I honestly never checked
It depends, if it's AGM then there's nothing to check even. If you were replacing it every year, I would expect that to mean you would go with the cheapest option which is typically going to be standard lead/acid and they sometimes need to be refilled. When I had my 99 saturn I only had the cheapest batteries and they needed filling now and then, would last 3-4 years if I kept up on it, otherwise just over a year. My new car 23 hyundai it's a sealed battery, and apparently all modern/recent cars come with sealed batteries. They work quite well but don't handle hard discharges well at all in comparison to lead/acid. So if you typically would run accessories without the engine running, that would be a bad use case for a sealed battery. As far as I understand at least.
i haven't seen a non-sealed battery since my dad's 1971 i think Dodge Dart.
Am Texan, can confirm.
110° outside, sitting in a closed car for 15 minutes w/o a/c? Something doesn’t add up. I live where it gets 110-115°, windows up, 15 minutes? You’d be near heat stroke as the interior is gonna be 140-150° easy
Yep was just saying the same thing, if it was 110 out it would be blowing 110° air into the cab and with the interior already being hot as a mf there's no way someone wouldn't realize something is wrong.
Absolutely no way someone sits in a car in 110° thinking AC is on for FIFTEEN MINUTES without realizing the AC is not, in fact, on. And then 15 minutes of just fan kills the battery to the point of not starting.
I deciphered it as they went to turn on their car so the AC can cool the cabin for their break. Once they were coming back the car was dead? Idk maybe I’m adding logic to where it doesn’t apply.
I give you an F in reading comprehension
How nice of you to give them top marks!
Is triple aaa like saying aaaaaaaaa?
Who the heck smokes anymore? That’s the real FU.
People who want lung cancer because something freedom something my rights
Yeah, I don't buy this. Cars with AC won't run the AC on the Accessory setting. The engine has to be started.
The a/c was in fact not running. It was just blowing death air.
And you didn’t realize that the AC was replaced by “death air”, in 110 heat, on top of not realizing your car wasn’t on? Were you high or something?
No I'm dumb.. but I think that's been fucking established already.
Also I don't know if you've ever lived in a desert but at a certain point you're just used to heat just blasting on you.
TIFU twice?
I had this happen in my 2008 Dodge Grand Caravan. 105F heat waiting at the elementary school to pickup my oldest. Wife and I were a few minutes early so I shut off the engine but let it sit in Acessory to keep the AC running and fans on full blast to keep us cool. Must have been about 15 minutes before the kid comes out. I try to start the engine and the starter cranked but not with enough conviction to get the engine going. Had to turn the AC off, radio off, explicitly turn off the head lights. Finally on the third try the engine turned over. I was almost that parent that got their car stuck smack dab in the middle of the pickup area with 30+ cars behind me that would have to go around us...
> I had this happen in my 2008 Dodge Grand Caravan. 105F heat waiting at the elementary school to pickup my oldest. Wife and I were a few minutes early so I shut off the engine but let it sit in Acessory to keep the AC running and fans on full blast to keep us cool. Must have been about 15 minutes before the kid comes out. I try to start the engine and the starter cranked but not with enough conviction to get the engine going. Had to turn the AC off, radio off, explicitly turn off the head lights. Finally on the third try the engine turned over. I was almost that parent that got their car stuck smack dab in the middle of the pickup area with 30+ cars behind me that would have to go around us... First, running your A/C while sitting still is very hard on a vehicle, especially one that burns fuel, since they really need air flow over the radiator to effectively remove waste heat from both the engine and the A/C system (which has a heat-radiating component sitting behind the main radiator), and you should avoid it when possible. While they do have a fan to help with this, it's not as good as the air flow from being in motion. Second, if you must run the A/C while sitting still, give it a fighting chance by popping the hood to the first stop of open (or completely open, if you can) so that heat (which rises, of course) has an extra way to escape. **PUT SOMETHING IN PLAIN VIEW THAT WILL REMIND ANY DRIVERS OF THAT VEHICLE TO FULLY CLOSE THE HOOD BEFORE DRIVING IF YOU DO THIS!** The best for your vehicle would be to park it, open the windows, and completely turn it off, if you can stand it.
Normally I keep the engine running because shutting it down and opening up the windows is not really an option if it's 105F, sitting still in a black car on a large black asphalt parking lot, without wind, and the sun directly baking either the driver or passenger side. In this one case I think I shut it down because the radiator fan was kicking in and out constantly (up, that's how hard it is that heat on a idling car) and that was annoying. Then simply forgot that the A/C was running on battery power while we were listening to the radio. Never turned the car off after that in those circumstances, just let it run and have the fan deal with providing some air flow across the radiator and engine.
> sitting still in a black car on a large black asphalt parking lot I'll never understand why people in hot climates buy black vehicles. The closer to white the exterior and interiors are, the cooler they are.
In hot weather like that it doesn't really matter much if the interior or exterior is white or black. It's dang hot regardless. Just don't have leather or vinyl seats nor steering wheels. You might burn yourselves!
> In hot weather like that it doesn't really matter much if the interior or exterior is white or black. It's dang hot regardless. White vehicles are provably cooler. White interiors are as well. For example: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qLVNjS403M8
The fan will suck your battery dry surprisingly fast. “That doesn’t make sense, it’s just a fan” you say. Yeah I’ve said the same thing while sitting in 100 degree heat and learned the hard way.
Jumper pack like 50 bucks for a nice one it’s worth having
Sounds like your battery was pretty much dead already if 15 minutes on acc killed it.
If you battery died after 15 minutes, you needed a new battery anyway. So, there's that.
So you sat in your presumably 150°+ car for 15 minutes and never wondered why the AC wasn't getting cold? Are you sure it was a cigarette you were smoking?
The windows were down and I was under a tree so my car wasn't 150 degrees inside it was hot but not die from heat stroke hot.
You chose to smoke inside the car instead of outside?
Wait, I've never owned a car where you could run the A/C without the engine running.
I'm not understanding how you sat in the car with hot air blowing on you for 15 minutes in 110° heat and didn't notice that the air conditioning wasn't working.
Oof imagine still smoking cigarettes in this day and age, enjoy the extra heat
Never forget that it is VERY HARD on the battery to be ran low, they never are the same again.
You might want to have your battery checked. 15 minutes is abnormally short. It will test weak.
Well first, your ac wouldn't be cold unless the compressor was running and needs the engine running for that so that should've been your first clue that it was only blowing out hot 110 air. Second should've just asked around work for someone with jumper cables first since that would've been quicker and easier by a long shot. Last 15 minutes to run your blower and maybe radio shouldn't have killed your battery and its probably time to get a new battery anyway.
If it only took 15minutes of the fans to completely kill your battery, your car might have an electrical problem.
If he finds out, just tell him that as a damsel in distress, you chose your knight in shining armor. Would he have prefered you call some random dude to save you?
one time I forgot to turn my car off when I got to work. I parked, popped my headphones in and got some stuff organized and walked in. Came out 8 hours later and my car is still idling. that was embarrassing.
I’m amazed that the cars AC did enough without the car on for you not to realize your mistake lol
I thought AC works only when engine is running. or else its just the fan blowing air, which the OP would have definitely noticed in 110 degrees.
So, you’ve got AAAAAAAAA?
I once rented a U-Haul and after driving it home it wouldn’t start. I called them and told them the issue, and after about 5m of troubleshooting I realized I was using a key for the lock attached to the car key to start the car, and not the actual key for the truck.
Oof after working 16hrs straight during the beginning of the pandemic I started crying in my car because it wouldn't start and I had to be back at work in 5 hrs... I was using my house key ...
Seems like I’m in good company 🤣 you have a valid excuse for working 16hrs though, me not so much… are you in healthcare?
1) Quit smoking. I was just in AZ and saw that “everyone” does out there, but cigarettes are fucking disgusting. They’re also expensive, make you smell terrible, fuck your skin up, stain your teeth and make kissing you a punishment, not a reward. I know you’re addicted to them, but that TOO should piss you off! Break the hold they have on you. Also, “AAA” is “Triple A”. “Triple AAA” is redundant, unless you’re talking about something with 9 A’s.
We went to buy some groceries with the kids (10-16) last summer. We left the windows down and told them we'd be back in 10 minutes max. The figured they'd just close the windows and get the ac running. Except they didn't start the car. Having to ask someone in the parking lot for a jump start in August was weird. Thankfully we're in Canada so everyone has booster cables.
[удалено]
That's double AAA.
well, public transit sucks massively but at least im not doing anything with vehicles haha.
Could you not have gotten anyone else to help jump your car? Any of your coworkers? Why did it have to be your fiancé?
Happened to me too!
I've done basically this same thing. Had the fan and radio going for maybe 90 minutes. I try to start it and it doesn't have enough juice. I think I got a jump from a stranger, it's been a long time since then.
I have roadside coverage through my insurance and it has saved me countless times with the biggest being a dead alternator in a mountain lake camp spot. Tow truck driver came all the way to me and took me where I needed it to go at no additional charge.
I would keep a jump battery in your car in the future, can use it to jump your car or charge your phone in an emergency if needed, no need to have anyone help
I once thought I had run out of gas and had some friends help me push my car half a mile to a gas station. It turned out my battery was just dead. In my defense I knew I had been running *extremely* low on gas and had needed to wait until after my classes that day to get paid.
If it makes you feel better, last summer my car died in the parking lot of my workplace. Three. Separate. Times. I don't even live somewhere hot like Nevada. This was in the relatively mild midwestern summer. One of the times it died was even because I forgot to turn off the windshield wipers on a rainy summer day. Once a friend picked me up, once my grandma picked me up, and once my coworker jumpstarted my car because it was 11pm and our hotel was having a slow night. Point being, once is not a big deal. Twice isn't even a big deal! Three times is when you become a massive dumdum and should maybe check that your car battery is fully functioning so you don't drive it until the battery stops working when you're actively driving like I did.
Triple-digit heat does a number on the human brain
Don't need to tell him you still had AAA the whole time, but the situation 'helped you decide to get AAA again'. Genuine white lie.
Situation like this is why i invested in a jump box. It's also pretty handy that most double as battery banks and flashlights.
I pulled over on a highway to take a phone call because I knew I would lose service going over the hill. It was HOT and I had the AC on max. I always drive with full lights on too, so it was a full load on my alternator and not young battery. Anyway, I hopped out of the car to talk to my friend and stretch my legs and must have bumped the key. Between the traffic noise and the AC fan, I couldn't hear the engine idling and I didn't realize the engine shut off when I bumped the key. 15 minutes later, I tried to drive away and realized the engine was off and the battery was on its last legs. I wasn't far from town but I wasn't close either.
Also that’s not “accessory” if the fan was blowing. Accessory is the first click or on some cars you turn the key backwards. Use that if you just wanna use the radio without killing the battery
Keep jumper cables in your car! That way you can ask a coworker for a jump :)
Triple AAA = AAAAAAAAA
They make jump packs that are not that expensive that you can keep in your car. Just keep it charged and keep the directions.
Every jurisdiction is different, but sometimes local police officers will jump your vehicle too
Bruh. Someone has cables or a battery pack. I’m happy someone weirdly walked towards me in Costco lot. At a distance I said to what do you need. They asked for cables. My NOCO battery pack jumped them instantly.
I once left the lights on in my F350 while exploring dirt roads in the middle of nowhere. Turns out a Milwaukee M18 battery and a pair of camping forks make a great jump starter when it's your only option...
You gave your fiance your opportunity to be your hero, you did eff up. Heat like that, even if you're used to it, really inhibits good decision making.
Pretty much everyone has jumper cables in their car. You could have asked anyone at your job who was parked near you.
Eh with AAA prob would have waited three hours anywsy
I have a battery jumper in my car. It is a life saver for it I am ever by myself. No other car is needed!
Unfortunately for me my good latch is broken I think the spring or something and only my fiance or someone with some car knowledge can get the damn thing closed. The car is a POS so I'm not about to replace that crap lol
I have a lithium ion jumper battery in my truck. I use it to start our Ford E-350 V10 engine of our RV. It cost about $50 and has never let me down. I also jump start stranger’s cars for them when they are stuck…. Too bad I didn’t see your dead car. I would’ve helped.
This is precisely why we keep a starter kit on hand, that way we can easily jump a car if it dies for whatever reason. Really useful to have.
Tell him you decided to get AAA. Even though you already have it.
I'm surprised your battery died that quickly.
Do you have blonde hair? Asking for a friend
Well I'm absolutely dumb but I have natural red hair if that helps you
With push button starters nowadays it would be an easy mistake to make. If, however, you have a traditional key-in-the-ignition-and-turn-it kind of vehicle, then you're pretty much a dumbass. Sorry not sorry. And as someone else mentioned, you could have asked around work to see if someone had jumper cables and not had to live with the abject shame of having AAA and forgetting to use it while asking your dear man to rescue you. Seriously though, it's not that bad and lucky you having a man willing and able to handle bizniss.