Pocket sized Battery jump starter

[olderman1]

This is likely the wrong place to post this, but as it relates to my Kodiaq, here goes.

I want to buy one of those small power pack jump starters. I've been deliberating it for a while, but having seen a thread on the other channel regarding not being able to release the EPB when the battery is dead, plus the fact I'm going to be staying in rural France shortly, I thought I should now get one. I don't want to pay silly money as hopefully it will never get used.

It's a small minefield, but as they all look similar and it seems they're all made in China I stuck a pin in one on E bay at a reasonably wallet friendly £31.

Now comes my dilemma. The blurb says they're suitable for petrol cars below 3.0L (mine is a 2.0Tsi), but not for diesels with stop/start. It doesn't mention petrol stop/start, which mine is.

So I messaged them asking about petrol with stop/start and the reply was so ambiguous due to the language barrier that I'm still non the wiser.

So if any of you have experience of these little blighters, do you think they're suitable for a 2.0 L Tsi with stop/start and out of curiosity, why might they not be suitable for diesel engines with stop/start ?? I'm guessing the diesel battery is heavier duty than the petrol ?

[silver1011]

Do you have a link to the one you're looking at?

[C2atb]

I can’t see why it couldn’t jump a 2.0 with start stop but I do the one I have says upto 3litre petrols and will start my 2.7 petrol v6 without a battery at all 

mine is is a older pushidun 500amp 12000mah 

there’s more powerful ones out there now 

[olderman1]

4 hours ago, silver1011 said:

Do you have a link to the one you're looking at?

 

 

Excuse the delay, I've spent a lot of time in my dealership today. Booked my car in for its first service 5 weeks ago and when I trucked up this morning, they didn't have the correct oil for a 2.0 Tsi (now that's another story that's been discussed before on here), so I had to return this afternoon to have the oil changed once they'd had a delivery. Yes I was somewhat unchuffed, but the dealer isn't far and I got 2 litres of oil and a bottle of screenwash free out of it, so all's well that ends well.

Anyway, whilst there I thought I'd pose the same question to them about the jump starter. Answer from their top technician; Yes it will be fine as long as I connect the Plus cable to the plus on the battery and the Minus to an earth point, not the battery terminal.

I got no answer to the diesel stop/start question, but I'm pretty convinced that it's because a diesel stop/start battery is a heftier unit to the petrol version.

 

Here's the one I was looking at  https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/132716728347?ul_noapp=true

[Liger1956]

Before you buy one I would suggest that you look at some of the reviews on YouTube for these battery car starters. They are not all created equal and the the YouTube videos may give you an idea what to look for. Some of the cheaper ones state current values that they are not capable of in the real world.

[olderman1]

1 hour ago, Liger1956 said:

Before you buy one I would suggest that you look at some of the reviews on YouTube for these battery car starters. They are not all created equal and the the YouTube videos may give you an idea what to look for. Some of the cheaper ones state current values that they are not capable of in the real world.

 

 

Good advice, thankyou, I'll look into that.

[SuperbTWM]

I like how you don't trust your car not to die on a road trip when it has been well engineered by massive teams of nerds but its ok, you have a ten Bob Chinese booster pack which is going to be loads more reliable 

I get you want piece of mind but the chances of the booster pack burning your car to the ground is more likely than a sporadic flat battery.

 

I say buy a decent one or just make sure your battery is in good health and don't doing anything daft like leave the ignition on all night. 

[silver1011]

13 hours ago, olderman1 said:

...they didn't have the correct oil for a 2.0 Tsi (now that's another story that's been discussed before on here).

 

Answer from their top technician; Yes it will be fine as long as I connect the Plus cable to the plus on the battery and the Minus to an earth point, not the battery terminal.

 

A good point on the negative connection on cars with stop start, there is a dedicated earthing point close to the battery, it is illustrated in the owners manual.

 

Out of curiosity, what oil did they use? The 2.0 TSI uses the same oil as all their other engines (petrol and diesel), so I'm curious to understand why they didn't have any oil at all on their premises? If it is indeed a different oil, does it say on your paperwork what grade it is?

[olderman1]

Quote

Out of curiosity, what oil did they use? The 2.0 TSI uses the same oil as all their other engines (petrol and diesel), so I'm curious to understand why they didn't have any oil at all on their premises? If it is indeed a different oil, does it say on your paperwork what grade it is?

 

 

Okay; on the invoice it says - N/STOCK Quantum Ultr

On the maintenance list it says - Replenished with standard VW 508 00 - which is what they didn't have in stock and they reckon it's hard to get hold of if I understood them correctly.

I think what they actually used was Quantum Ultra SN 0W-20.

The top up oil they gave me (which was in stock) is Castrol Edge Professional LL IV FE 0W-20 which is the same spec as the Quantum. They said that if I didn't want the Castrol I could use another make that's the same spec.

I told them I'd read that although the car comes out of the factory with 508.00 spec oil, some dealers refill with 507.00 at the first service. They told me they don't do that and stick with the 508.00 spec. That suits me as they've used and supplied me with the spec that VW recommend for my engine, so if anything goes t--s up it's not down to me. Hope all that makes sense.

 

Now about this bloody jump starter ……………..😉

[silver1011]

Thanks, it is good to know that some dealers stick to the same 508 grade of oil that the car leaves the factory with, whilst others prefer to use the more generic 507.

[Ootohere]

@olderman1

?

How much was it per unit or per litre that they charged for the oil?

 

It is ridiculous that any UK Main Dealership should not have VW 508/509 spec oil in the Workshop and Parts Department.

 

Even more ridiculous that 'anyone' in a Dealership should say difficult to get hold of or similar words. 

If they do say that.

Talk to Wholesalers other than their normal if they find difficulty, make it easy for customers.

 

The General Public can get it easily and at a cheaper RRP than the Dealership are going to be charging them.

Edited 2 August, 2019 by Roottootemoot

[Ootohere]

http://autoexpress.co.uk/accessories-tyres/92728/best-mini-jump-starter-packs-2019

 

See the reader 'Comment' about the article & 1.6 petrol, 

& 2.0l or more or Diesels.     

Jump Starters for emergency situations are hopeless if it will not start your vehicle or someone that you try helping to start theirs.

 

 

Edited 2 August, 2019 by Roottootemoot

[dervdave]

23 hours ago, olderman1 said:

This is likely the wrong place to post this, but as it relates to my Kodiaq, here goes.
I want to buy one of those small power pack jump starters.

 

Take my advice and pay a little bit more, the extra power will not come in wrong.

I`ve bought 5 or 6 different ones in the past for myself and family, I can vouch for this one from Imazing which is middle priced.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07GLWSZK4/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o06_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

My latest one is a NOCO GB70

[olderman1]

Quote

How much was it per unit or per litre that they charged for the oil?

 

 

 

With VAT the total to refill the engine was £91.08, which is £16 per litre. The two litres of Castrol for topping up were about the same price if I'd had to pay for them.

[olderman1]

1 hour ago, Roottootemoot said:

http://autoexpress.co.uk/accessories-tyres/92728/best-mini-jump-starter-packs-2019

 

See the reader 'Comment' about the article & 1.6 petrol, 

& 2.0l or more or Diesels.     

Jump Starters for emergency situations are hopeless if it will not start your vehicle or someone that you try helping to start theirs.

 

 

 

I used to read Autoexpress for years and used to take notice of what they wrote until I bought their top recommendation for a dash camera. It was not good at all and now sits in a cupboard unused. I now use an Apeman which was a third of the price and works much better. What they've tested there is more than I want to pay for something that might never get used for jump starting.

[Ootohere]

You know the story and that is only spend £30 for emergency use if you know it will do the job.

 

Or have a Battery Charger and be prepared to wait a few hours til the battery charges or have 'Break Down Recovery' with Home start & be prepared to hang about 70 minutes,

or have good Jump Leads.

Edited 2 August, 2019 by Roottootemoot

[olderman1]

36 minutes ago, dervdave said:

 

Take my advice and pay a little bit more, the extra power will not come in wrong.

I`ve bought 5 or 6 different ones in the past for myself and family, I can vouch for this one from Imazing which is middle priced.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07GLWSZK4/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o06_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

My latest one is a NOCO GB70

 

I get what you're saying about buying what's supposed to be better if you pay more, but I do find, especially with a lot of Chinese products, that paying more doesn't necessarily equate to a better product. Much depends on who the seller is and many times I've seen the exact same product on the same page of Amazon or E Bay and the further you scroll down the page, the more expensive it gets.

I have to say though, that the Noco range seem to get good reports, but they're not cheap and whilst I can afford to pay the price, I just can't justify the cost for something that likely will never get used.

I have raised my bar a little though and I've found amore powerful one than the one I linked to earlier for £38 that gets good Amazon reviews. Still looking though 😀

[Ootohere]

I have bought remote control toys with good reviews in Amazon for grandchildren and they were rubbish / Seconds.

Also bought Power Banks, and Solar Chargers.  

Once stupid and 2nd time just mental.   Probably sometime i will buy stuff coming in from China but never at over £10.

 

Now the trash that has ended coming to me from Ebay has resulted in full refunds after a few messages back and fore and some cheeky sellers promises.

Edited 2 August, 2019 by Roottootemoot

[olderman1]

4 minutes ago, Roottootemoot said:

You know the story and that is only spend £30 for emergency use if you know it will do the job.

 

Or have a Battery Charger and be prepared to wait a few hours til the battery charger or have 'Break Down Recovery' with Home start & be prepared to hang about 70 minutes,

or have good Jump Leads.

 

I have a battery charger, but I want something small and fast acting to take abroad with me. It's just a small bit of insurance really and the good thing about these small ones is that they can be used to rune phones, tablets etc.

The thing that bothers me, regardless of what I spend is; how do I know it will start my car with a dead battery until I get a dead battery ? You pays yer money and makes yer choice.

[Ootohere]

PS

Dealership Oil Price is a Rip off IMO of monumental amount.

 

PPS

If spending your money and making a choice then make sure it will fire up a 2.0TSI.

 

I needed this Power Pack Starter for my V8 LPG land Rover, and also to start lots of big capacity vehicles with flat batteries in cold weather.

Edited 2 August, 2019 by Roottootemoot

[olderman1]

19 minutes ago, Roottootemoot said:

PS

Dealership Oil Price is a Rip off IMO of monumental amount.

 

PPS

If spending your money and making a choice then make sure it will fire up a 2.0TSI.

 

I needed this Power Pack Starter for my V8 LPG land Rover, and also to start lots of big capacity vehicles with flat batteries in cold weather.

 

 

I had one like that but it needed charging from the mains quite often which I always forgot to do and eventually it died. They only have a small motorcycle battery inside them and they're a bit bulky to carry around in the car all the time. I only ever used it once to start a car and that was for somebody else 🤨

[Ootohere]

I have a tool shed of lesser ones that died, and lots of other rubbish that is broken but could be needed incase of WWIII.

Once stupid, 2nd time mental, but then i forget that and buy more drosh.  I was looking at Pocket Sized Battery Packs, read all the reviews, watched all the vids and then thought i have a Mobile, phone and Battery Bank a Hand held rechargeable CB and Jump Leads.

Edited 2 August, 2019 by Roottootemoot

[dervdave]

4 hours ago, olderman1 said:

 

I get what you're saying about buying what's supposed to be better if you pay more, but I do find, especially with a lot of Chinese products, that paying more doesn't necessarily equate to a better product. Much depends on who the seller is and many times I've seen the exact same product on the same page of Amazon or E Bay and the further you scroll down the page, the more expensive it gets.

I have to say though, that the Noco range seem to get good reports, but they're not cheap and whilst I can afford to pay the price, I just can't justify the cost for something that likely will never get used.

 

 

Which is why I quoted the cheaper one one from Imazing which does the job well 😃

[SuperbTWM]

7 hours ago, olderman1 said:

how do I know it will start my car with a dead battery until I get a dead battery ? 

 

FInd somebody with a 2.0 petrol engine that doesn't have stop/start and all the temperamental electronics that go with it, remove the battery conections completely and hook up the jump starter only, attempt to start the car.

[C2atb]

The one I posted about have will start my 2.7 petrol without battery even after a dry few cranks to lubricate