[shamanth]

Recently we have observed a big increase is cars with Auto Transmission(AT) and virtually all the car are now coming up with AT model in India. One thing we should know is, if AT car battery goes off, it cannot be started by pushing the car. So let us see what are the options to start the AT car.

1. JUMPER CABLES: Using the jumper cables and connecting the battery of another car and start the car. If we are in middle of a highway or some remote place we might not be get another guys car to be cranked unless some friends live nearby.

2. INSTANT BATTERY CHARGER: These are small devices which contain a small battery and when your car battery runs out of power, The device can be put into cigarette Lighter and your car battery will get enough juice with in 15 mins to start. But problem with this is as per consumer reviews these rarely work and normally charge is not enough to crank the vehicle and also it wont give you 2nd chance to start.

3. JUMP STARTERS: These devices are professionally made with inbuilt 12V battery with built it jumper cables. Just keep the Device in your boot and use it whenever you face starting problems. These devices can be charged with household power point or car cigarette lighter. Once fully charged the device retains the charge enough to jump start the car from 15-days to 3 months depending on quality of the products. These device has peak Amps ranging from 200 Amps to 2000 amps. Some Jump Starters comes with Air Compressor for tyres, Flash lights, AC/DC points to use with other device like laptop, cell phone charger, etc. The price of these jump starters range from Rs 1500 to Rs 15,000(30$ to 300$) depending on peak Amps.

These jump starters are used a lot in US, since they mostly use AT cars. I am not sure if these are sold in India. I tired to Google could not find any information if they are sold in India.

Please comment of any alternative method to jump start AT vehicles. And also Please review them if anyone is already using it or if they are available in any shops in India. I am planning to get one when someone comes down from US its available in Amazon.com: car jump starter: Automotive

Note from MOD : Thanks to BJ96 for this information : Exide free roadside assistance - Phone numbers

[FlyingSpur]

I'm sure this is going to be a very helpful post !! Thank you for putting it up. Actually I've always wondered what the limitations of an A/T in the Indian backdrop would be.

[subscrive]

Kindly tell whether there's any possibility of having 2 batteries in parallel with a switch which will control which battery would be in use. The other would be in standby mode. User can switch between the batts once a month to keep both batts in usable condition.

A relevant link (I guess) ->
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/diy-do...-proposed.html

[shamanth]

Originally Posted by flyingspur

I'm sure this is going to be a very helpful post !! Thank you for putting it up. Actually I've always wondered what the limitations of an A/T in the Indian backdrop would be.

Thanks for your comments. If these Jump Starters gets easily available in India Its not a bad investment of Rs 2000. We get a extra battery with DC outlet and most jump starters has Air Compressor for car tyres. Even for Manual Transmission its not a bad idea to keep one. I will just go around JC Road in bangalore if any shops have these.

The jump starters has option to plug in to Home Plug point for faster charge so it would be good if we get it from countries which have 220v power like UK. Not sure how much Amps it will utilize to charge battery, since 110V converter with higher Amps will cost a bomb here.

Some of the popular brands are Black & Decker, DuraCell, K&K(for professional users), Wagan, Schumacher...

[shamanth]

I went around JC Road and other places looking for JumpStarter, No one even knows about JumpStarters maximum they know is jumper cables. So i dont think its available anywhere in india.

[bj96]

Originally Posted by shamanth

No one even knows about JumpStarters maximum they know is jumper cables. So i dont think its available anywhere in india

I saw something similar about INR 2- 3k (unsure?) at Reliance Mart (autozone) in Pune. It had 230v AC plugs. They were chinese made and marketed by Reliance retail- may be you could try these and post review
-BJ

[.anshuman]

With the newer generation cars with MPFI and CRDI systems its not recommended to push start the car, it may cause damage to the cat con and other emission control system. This warning can be found in almost all the car owners manuals.

I feel Jumpstarting is the best method to start a car with a flat battery. I always keep a pair of jump start cables in my cars boot.

[shamanth]

Originally Posted by bj96

I saw something similar about INR 2- 3k (unsure?) at Reliance Mart (autozone) in Pune. It had 230v AC plugs. They were chinese made and marketed by Reliance retail- may be you could try these and post review
-BJ

That is an interesting news, Will try to find out in Reliance Mart in Bangalore. Thanks bj96.

[Astleviz]

I saw these jump starters at the reliance mall. They had 2 models, one for 900 bucks and ther other for 1500 bucks. It's a compact handy unit that can be stowed away in the dash board. I wasn't sure about their quality so didn't pick it up but it's there on the radar.

Originally Posted by shamanth

if AT car battery goes off, it cannot be started by pushing the car.

Even the cars with MT should not be jump-started by pushing, according to the owner's handbook of Fiat Linea and Maruti Suzuki Versa. It warns that the catalytic converter could be damaged if the car is jump-started by pushing.

[shamanth]

Originally Posted by J.Ravi

Even the cars with MT should not be jump-started by pushing, according to the owner's handbook of Fiat Linea and Maruti Suzuki Versa. It warns that the catalytic converter could be damaged if the car is jump-started by pushing.

Ya, I think its safe to Jump start older models which has Carburetor by pushing? I did start a couple of times with my old Zen. And if the battery is completely dead, we cannot Jump start any vehicle by pushing. It should have juice to glow cabin light atleast to push start.

[bj96]

Originally Posted by shamanth

... if the battery is completely dead, we cannot Jump start any vehicle by pushing. It should have juice to glow cabin light atleast to push start.

+1. Completely dead battery cannot drive the fuel pump and ECU sensors. Hence, you can't start it by pushing. However, with M/T and some juice left in the battery it is OK to push start when no other recommended option is available. I have done that on my WagonR couple of times- no issues.

-BJ

[Thad E Ginathom]

I used to carry a set of jump leads in my car, and used them to assist others a couple of times. I don't think I would buy any gadget for the starting of my own car. If the battery is dead, it means that either the battery or the charging system has failed, and service attention is necessary.

An exception to this is if the car has been left undriven for moths. A second-hand car dealer may well need a unit to start up the cars on his lot.

[.anshuman]

@thad - Sometimes we forget headlamps or parking lights on draining the battery, at such situations jump start cables proves their worth, all that needs to be done is just ask for help from a fellow motorist.

[SamtheLeo]

+1 to Astleviz

Jump starters are available & are being sold in Relaince Autozone in NCR.