Which jump starter to get

Wheeler3108

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Hi guys.

I've had a couple of problems with both duff batteries and drained batteries due to not being used for a week or so and/or the dash cam not turning itself off. This has resulted in jump starting from the other car to get me going.

I'm looking at getting one of the jump starter battery packs and would like a bit of advice.

I have a w203 2006 3.0 v6 cdi.

The advice I need is about the cranking amps. The battery in the car provides 900 cranking amps. Looking at the battery packs out there. 900 seems a very high number. What would you recommend as an emergency start battery that I can use.

Kind Regards

Andy


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DREAMER NO2

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Andy look on ebay, .I find that the booster packs dont last to long, thats if they are not charged up and used .Mine was only £36 and i used it and charged it up regular . But it was there if i wanted to use it to ipump the tyres up The cranking per hour is worth looking into some only push out enogh to turn a 2 litre over to start it up. The one i did have is no more .. I have just broken it down for bits. It had a pump and a light in it ,very usefull in the dark or if you have a flat tyre .As the battery was us inside it and cost more than a new one New battery for it was £40 so not worth replacing .Cheaper to buy another new power pack @ £36 .
 

LostKiwi

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I seem to recall some one (was it @Yugguy ?) got one last year that was very good.
 

L John

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First sort the dash cam so it only runs with the ignition on, or has a battery save function that turns it off after a set time/voltage.
Second make sure the current battery is good, these cars don't like dud batteries.

I've tried 3 technologies.

Lead acid battery packs are big and heavy but you can rely on them, they last years, just need charge top up every 3 months if not used.

Lithium ion are amazing, tiny and light but they don't like cold. They have a very low self discharge so are good for a long time unused. But you need to have the unit stored fully charged and that's not ideal for lithium ion.

My jump starter is now a batteryless jump starter, no battery to charge (or found discharged when not used for too long).
Just charge the unit in 2 to 3 minutes from the dead battery car battery as long as it still has at least 5 volts left, this technology defies logic and works. If the car battery is completely flat it can even be charged from a donor cars cigarette lighter in a 2 to 3 minutes and then can start the car that has a dead battery. Only downside is the price of this tech. Mine was £166 but can start a 5 litre petrol engine or a 3 litre diesel from cold. Toolstop do a smaller unit for £89 but not enough power for your car.
https://www.toolstop.co.uk/sealey-e-start1100-electrostart-batteryless-power-start-1100a-12v-p74643
http://www.sealey.co.uk/pdfs/instructions/E-START800.pdf

Lithium ion is probably the best budget option, for your car I'd recommend this unit, it's amazing but ignore the claim that it can charge the car battery via the cigarette lighter socket.
Can't add a link, search Amazon for "DBPower 1200A".
It's £79.99 but has a very strong battery for big engines.

Yes I have a fetish for jump starters
 
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LostKiwi

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First sort the dash cam so it only runs with the ignition on, or has a battery save function that turns it off after a set time/voltage.
Second make sure the current battery is good, these cars don't like dud batteries.

I've tried 3 technologies.

Lead acid battery packs are big and heavy but you can rely on them, they last years, just need charge top up every 3 months if not used.

Lithium ion are amazing, tiny and light but they don't like cold. They have a very low self discharge so are good for a long time unused. But you need to have the unit stored fully charged and that's not ideal for lithium ion.

My jump starter is now a batteryless jump starter, no battery to charge (or found discharged when not used for too long).
Just charge the unit in 2 to 3 minutes from the dead battery car battery as long as it still has at least 5 volts left, this technology defies logic and works. If the car battery is completely flat it can even be charged from a donor cars cigarette lighter in a 2 to 3 minutes and then can start the car that has a dead battery. Only downside is the price of this tech. Mine was £166 but can start a 5 litre petrol engine or a 3 litre diesel from cold. Toolstop do a smaller unit for £89 but not enough power for your car.
https://www.toolstop.co.uk/sealey-e-start1100-electrostart-batteryless-power-start-1100a-12v-p74643
http://www.sealey.co.uk/pdfs/instructions/E-START800.pdf

Lithium ion is probably the best budget option, for your car I'd recommend this unit, it's amazing but ignore the claim that it can charge the car battery via the cigarette lighter socket.
Can't add a link, search Amazon for "DBPower 1200A".
It's £79.99 but has a very strong battery for big engines.

Yes I have a fetish for jump starters
That was the one I was thinking of!
 

L John

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Should have mentioned, the cheaper packs at £30 to £40 will have cheap battery packs that I wouldn't rely on, both for the battery quality and safety systems built into the unit.
They might work but there's a reason they're cheap, the one I mentioned has no power at the clamps until it's connected, has reverse connection protection etc. The DBPower unit started my 3.5L with an intentionally flattened battery no problem, as did the batteryless jump starter.

That was the one I was thinking of!
The Lithium ion or batteryless?
 

EmilysDad

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I noticed that Costco had one of the large phone charger type battery packs. Not showing on line but they were £60odd .... no idea if they're good or bad
 

Rappey69

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What about putting a solar panel inside your windscreen when you know your not going to be using the car for a while?
Letting the starter battery go below 75% is already slowly killing it
 

L John

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Batteryless.

Ah, amazing bit of kit but a big outlay for what is basically an insurance policy as I hope not to need it.
I convinced myself it will have a much longer lifespan than the other technologies and no concerns of temperatures or charge state.
 

Droverunner

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>>> amazing bit of kit

I'd never heard of this tech and in truth it seemed to have some similarity with a wind powered car... but I sort of understand now having read up on the reviews.
 

L John

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As I understand it, the flat car battery, minimum 5V remaining is used to charge a super capacitor bank up to 14.4V using a DC to DC converter (low voltage DC to a higher voltage DC).
It then switches the 14.4V to the clamps and you start the car.
Here's a demo someone did of one, it shows it can work well below freezing where lithium ion would fail.
 

rorywquin

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I assume that "battery less" is a F&*^%$* big capacitor ...I wouldn't be happy hooking that to MB electronics
 

umblecumbuz

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I have a pack that includes an invertor but no compressor. I use it in my camper so that I can have power for lights, phone, tablet, cooler etc when off grid.

It is heavy and not a thing I'd like to lug very far, but testing it has shown that it will easily start both my MB's repeatedly (220 diesels). Cost was £150, and for its main use it was money well spent. It charges from the camper when driving, but needs a boost every three months if not used.

Maker is Ring. Halfords sell them.
 

L John

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I assume that "battery less" is a F&*^%$* big capacitor ...I wouldn't be happy hooking that to MB electronics

I discharged my car battery to 9V to test it, I know it's not good to do that to a car battery but I wanted to test it to have faith for when it's needed.
Connected up, waited 3 minutes for it to charge and show a ready light and turned the key.
It seemed like witchcraft but worked exactly as advertised.
 

rifiki

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Why not buy a Ctek charger, hot wire it and leave it to charge over night? I had a similar problem my CLK V6, short trips to pub.
 

ajlsl600

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I seem to recall some one (was it @Yugguy ?) got one last year that was very good.

correct me, i am very wary of these things....on worrying that they might f up what are fairly fragile electronics.
 

LostKiwi

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correct me, i am very wary of these things....on worrying that they might f up what are fairly fragile electronics.
As long as they aren't too high voltage and are connected cleanly and disconnected cleanly they should give no problem. Fundamentally its no different to connecting a new battery.
That said I would always turn off the engine before disconnection if possible or if I had to disconnect live turn on the headlights and HRW to get the load as high as possible to squelch spikes.
 

L John

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As long as they aren't too high voltage and are connected cleanly and disconnected cleanly they should give no problem. Fundamentally its no different to connecting a new battery.
That said I would always turn off the engine before disconnection if possible or if I had to disconnect live turn on the headlights and HRW to get the load as high as possible to squelch spikes.

The ones I recommended both have internal switching (not powered during connect or disconnect, though the DBPower one can switch back on if left connected after starting) and reverse protection so are better for the electronics than a car to car jump start. The leads are dead during connection unless forced override is selected but that should only be selected after connection, some cheaper ones don't have the same level of safety and protection.

ajsls600 The safest way is to connect a smart charger and wait until it has enough in the car battery to do a unassisted start but that's usually not practical. When it comes to jump starting, buying a cheap one with "hot" leads (powered during connection) is not a good choice.
 
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bob 6600

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I have THIS booster pack, bought from Amazon last year on offer (Prime Day).

During the recent snow and through not being well, my W210 wasn't driven for days. On trying to start it, the car clicked but would not turn over. Big battery requiring a big crank, took seconds once connected. I don't care if it's overkill, it did the job when I needed it.

s-l1600.jpg
 

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