"Renault Modus" Shocking Static in France

[PINBALL]

Just got back from South of France for 2 weeks & hired a Renault Modus diesel 5 door.

Terrific economy, but will be wary of getting another due to excessive static from car earthing out through me when getting out of car after journey.

Found the only way to lessen the effect was to push top of door with back of elbow, where shock was reduced through clothing.

Never happened when it rained or the roads were wet.

Any prof's out there know why this occurs - cheap tyres perhaps?

Any suggestions on how to stop this from happening next time?

Regards,

Keith.

 

[jberks]

I get it on all cars including the Merc - but it is weather and season dependent. Most prevalent during the summer I guess due to static in the atmosphere.
I tend to just grab a metallic area on the car deliberatley, as the uncomfortable bit is when you approach it from a distance and it sparks across. What I haven't figured out is whether its the car discharging through me or the other way round as it happens when I have passengers too. If it is the other way round, it will be the upholstery/clothing rubbing and generating the charge, in which case, now I have leather, I shouldn't suffer from it any more.

 

[television]

As Jberks say it is friction, normally the action of sliding over the seat if you turn in the seat, hold the door frame and then put your feet down, no shock.
Walking on hugo tiles in a air cond office can give shocks, but if you do the goose step no problem.

Malcolm

 

[BarryS]

I get it in my mini all the time. I love the car except for this. I always have to hold the door frame as I exit like some old age pensioner, it's horrible.

Don't get it in the Merc though which may be due to the leather but I'm sure some cars are worse than others like the Renault (whatever a Modus is?) and the mini.

 

[42864]

When I was a nipper most cars had a litle metal chain hanging down to the road to earth the car = no shocks, don't see it anymore but most of us seem to get some sort of shock when leaving the car. Perhaps we should go bqack to placing a small chain on the underside again.

 

[television]

When I was a nipper most cars had a litle metal chain hanging down to the road to earth the car = no shocks, don't see it anymore but most of us seem to get some sort of shock when leaving the car. Perhaps we should go bqack to placing a small chain on the underside again.

I can assure you that metal chain never did a thing as it was not the car giving you the shock, you charged your self up in the action of sliding over the nylon seat wearing nylon trouses. That's why it rarely happens on leather.
Cutting the lawn last week I had this nylon jumper thing on and got to hot, tried to take it off but all of my clothes wer charged up and all stuck together in one lump and getting shocks on my ears.

Malcolm

 

[3146bj]

Static electricity is generated when two dissimilar materials rub together eg plastic against hair, cotton against synthetic, petrol or diesel against a pipe. If either or both materials are good conductors the charges dissipate quickly and no shocking discharge occurs. To avoid a shock getting out of a car, make sure you hold onto a metal bit as you slide out so both you and the car are at the same electrical potential and no current flow can occur.

That's trying to put a fairly technical subject into a small nutshell and, while it makes sense to me, I'm not very good at explaining to the non-technical. If it doesn't make sense, say so & I'll have another go.

 

[PINBALL]

Thanks people - very amusing - Modus is ...

next model up from a Clio.

Only thing good about it was 2 very innovative sidelight sized bulbs above each footwell (under dash plastic) that floodlit the floor when getting into car in the dark.

Bad ideas were:
Sidelights that could'nt be used for parking as the too clever computer would'nt allow them to be used when ignition key was removed. was told by French police "that all Renault's were like this", & had been for last 6-7 years accross all models, which is pretty damn stupid when you consider that driving on sidelights is generally illegal in EEC countries - so why fit them in the first place!!!

Annoying rattle in back of car that I could'nt find even after removing spare wheel etc.

Poor hifi system that would'nt allow rear speakers to play higher than fronts & had annoying trick of auto scanning when a signal got slightly weak from driving around mountains.

Thanks again,
Keith.

 

[mercw126man]

We have a 2004 Megane Scenic with the 'Renault Card' (keys are so last year, aren't they)!! A great answer to a problem that we didn't have.

The sidelight issue puzzled me for a while, until I realised that you could remove the 'card' and then re-apply the sidelight switch and they would then stay on.

The radio glitch and water leak/garden pond in the boot I put down to being French - you need a sense of humour to be content owning one of these!! Drill a hole in the boot floor, and you can make your goldfish homeless.

Happy motoring!!

 

[turnipsock]

The car charges up with static, as you drive, so it is at a different potential. It is insulated from the earth due to rubber tyres. When you stop, you step out of the car and are now connected to earth...you touch the car and it discharges through you!

If you put a key near the lock the charge will jump to the pointy key, much like lightning heads for chuch spires.

The charge will seep away in damp conditions, but on low humidity days, winter of summer...look out.

There are pointy things you can get to attach to the bottom of the car to let the charge seep away, this is also supposed to have an ion effect to stop travel sickness.

The good thing about a car is that it's the best place to be during a lightning storm. The worst places are outdoor swimming pools and the backswing on a golf course.

Prof Turnipsock.

 

[television]

The good thing about a car is that it's the best place to be during a lightning storm. The worst places are outdoor swimming pools and the backswing on a golf course.

Prof Turnipsock.

What happens when you drive your car into a swimming pool at the golf club during a thunderstorm.

Malcolm

 

[mercw126man]

You have to hold your breath, much like the fish who occupy your bootspace.

There is then a period of compound reflection, where the probability of scenario's becomes clear (aided in no small part by alcohol consumption).....

 

[PINBALL]

So next time I go, I'd better take a life jacket & lightning rod with me, but will they fit into the overhead lockers on the plane. hmmmm...

 

[PINBALL]

BTW - got any tips for when running out of road on a hairpin, n plummeting down a 2000 metre vertical drop.