to think that people have really become unfriendly and self absorbed that they can't spare 2 minutes

[Patchworkpatty]

So, I came home on the train to my little rural village station. Lots of commuters use it as free parking all day. Got in the car and the battery is flat , my fault entirely, oldish car and left the radio on ..anyway, I have jump leads in the boot, so opened the bonnet and attached them and then asked (politely) each passing commuter walking to their car if they could give me a jump start... fifteen people, not one could help... the reasons varied from : sorry I'm in a hurry , I don't know how (I explained I did but then they were also in a hurry !) to its dhs car and I'm sure he wouldn't want me to ..and my favourite of all, I'm sorry I don't know how to open the bonnet !. Saddest of all was that all 15 were women and not one could spare 2 minutes. In the end called Dd1 who was fifteen miles away who rescued me. she knows how to change a tyre and jumpstart a car because we taught her when she first started to drive , she also knows how to open the bonnet. Aibu to think it wouldn't have been too much to ask ?

Thirty years ago I drove an old wreck made by British Leyland

I carried jump leads because it had a dodgy alternator and needed a bit of help quite often

I carried a gallon can of oil in the boot because it needed topping up monthly because a gasket leaked

I carried a big spanner which fitted the wheelnuts because it gave more leverage (I could stand on it) than the pathetic nut remover supplied

But that was then. These days I drive a modern German car. It has an ECU. It has warning lights and or buzzers for almost every thing I could wish to know.

I have only ever opened bonnet once in nine months to top up the screen wash

And I wouldn't give anyone a jump start using my current car

BTW it is pretty obvious - red jump lead is positive black is negative and you attach them to the respective terminals sticking up from the top of the battery and these are clearly labelled. Red links +ve to +ve...
As always YouTube is always handy if you want a visual. Oh and use your mobile to take a pic of any vehicle that stops to show the registration plate (discreetly).

No, do not attach the second negative to a terminal. It has to be grounded! You need to clip it to solid unpainted metal inside the engine, not a moving part.

Only three of the clips are connected to batteries. Two attach to the live battery but only the positive clips to the dead one. The fourth (negative) must be grounded.

It's all very well posting "don't be silly you won't damage your car if jump leads are used correctly" as you are then relying on the random stranger asking you for a favour knowing how to use them correctly. Sorry, but I've been stung by that once and won't chance it again.

It is a fact that using jump leads incorrectly CAN damage your car, it happened to me, and the little charmer who I did the favour to was nowhere to be seen when I was stranded with a knackered battery because of him ??

And no, I don't feel the need to learn how to use jump leads as I keep my car properly maintained and pay for breakdown cover. Perhaps others could show the same sense of responsibility for themselves.

How are you relying on the random stranger?

You take your cables out of your car because you know they are in good condition, not rusty, not frayed, and you tell the person asking the favour that beggars can't be choosers and that you will set it up yourself. Then you tell them to first turn off everything including the alarm in their car, turn their ignition to off and take out the key, make sure their parking brake is on, and stand back.

Then you do it all yourself.

It is not at all difficult to attach the clips correctly.

Like I said, I keep my car maintained and pay for a breakdown service so I don't need to keep jump leads.

Quite happy to help someone phone for breakdown service and wait with them if they feel unsafe but if you drive a car you should be responsible enough to keep it maintained and have proper breakdown cover

using jump leads is indeed very straightforward. Doesn't mean that everyone knows how. The OP didn't know at the start of the thread.

I pushed an old man's car with him to the top of a hill only last week. I had to persuade him to get in first before he set off down hill to bump start it. He was clearly planning on leaping in at the last minute and he looked at least 80 !

Just picturing this ! I used to be familiar with that 'down the hill' start with my first car, many moons ago. Never tried leaping in at the last minute though.

So mean spirited OnGoldenPond!

If I didn't know how to use jump leads or change a tyre, I wouldn't drive.

You can get that portable machine (sorry can't remember what its called) with jump leads from Argos for around £30/

That way you are saved from having to ask for help from selfish people who will twist & turn with every excuse NOT to be helpful. I hate that so many people are this way now..they know very well that there has never been a spate of cars blowing up from attaching leads to a battery...I mean, what on earth type of car could you be driving that would be clapped out from doing this? The leads are attached to the BATTERY not the full engine/electrical stystem! Ridiculously precious.

Im glad there are still helpful people in this world tho, thankfully. But I would have my own stuff to hand just in case you come acrossthe super-busy who are clearly running a country & don't have a minute to stop/have non-founded technical grounds for being me me me. It does seem hard for some people to simply admit "I can't be bothered" and leave it at that.

My battery was knackered by using jump leads to start someone else's car, that is an absolute fact. Not the actual engine, but a new battery wasn't cheap and I was stuck had to call breakdown service.

So no I won't be offering to do it again. Judge all you like other posters, I don't suppose you will be queueing up to buy me a new battery.

I'd help if I could. But in my car I doubt it. As I've been told by both my mechanic and the AA, jump starting my car is a very bad idea and will cost more to put right than the original problem would, I'd not want to risk jump starting someone else's car. I would however, offer any other help which might be practical.

So if you dont have jump leads and you can't change a tyre you shouldn't drive. Really?

I gave no interest at all in learning either of those skills and pay my breakdown insurance. I certainly wouldn't teach my dds to approach total strangers for help jump starting their car or changing tyres in the dark.

My advice would be lock your door and call family /friends or the AA.

I would also have been unsure about giving you a jump start but I would certainly have offered to phone someone or help in any other way.

We live in a quite remote place and sometimes get people knocking on the door late at night to jump start their cars which I really do not like. I offer to phone someone for them as there is not a good mobile signal.

I am also asked to take in stray dogs and call taxis for people, all of which I have done. I gave one guy a tenner for a taxi and he never gave it back or thanked me either.

I can and have given jump starts.
As I have a campervan I also have a heavy duty jump start pack , if I havent used the van for a while the battery can need a boost, or its used to charge mobile phones at festivals etc

www.amazon.co.uk/Clarke-4000-Heavy-Engine-Starter/dp/B004M3V8X4/ref=sr_1_11?s=automotive&ie=UTF8&qid=1424963152&sr=1-11&keywords=jump+starter

So if Im in my van Id give a jump start using the pack.

Theres a cheaper version for cars that dont need as much oomph.

www.amazon.co.uk/Silverline-Silverstorm-234578-Starter-Compressor/dp/B001C85UG8/ref=sr_1_1?s=automotive&ie=UTF8&qid=1424962950&sr=1-1&keywords=jump+starter

Dad used to leap in at the last minute (before mum forced him to get cables). Since this always happened on a school morning, my younger sisters would be in the back seat screaming their heads off with me in the front passenger seat leaning over and holding the steering wheel steady while Dad ran and pushed. I clearly remember crossing my fingers that Dad would judge the leap right and we wouldn't end up in the Irish Sea. Happy days..

I hope none of you who rely on calling AA or friends/family are never caught out driving somewhere with an iffy signal.

Mechanics and AA make their living giving jumps, etc and of course they don't want anyone else horning in on their racket. Mechanics in particular sometimes like to scare female drivers into thinking their cars are highly mysterious and complicated machines that require professional handling by some sort of engine whisperer. A generation ago most people did the majority of their own car maintenance, knew about engines, and advice that jump starting is dangerous would have been laughed at. Things have not changed just because of the increased amount of electronics in cars. The basics remain the same. It quite simply is not a bad idea, and will only backfire on you if you do it wrong, and it is really easy to do it right. Knowledge of how to do it right can be gleaned from a glance at your manual -- there is no excuse for not knowing how.

That's disappointing! I'd have helped, I always kept jump leads in my 4x4 just in case. For some reason I took them out now I have a golf!

Good on you for teaching your dd how to do it, it's a valuable skill!

I'm afraidbi would have been a no, but because I'd be break neck speed to collect dc and the fine and sad faces wouldn't be wirth it sorry
Sorry you had bad luck tho

I honestly think that basic car maintenance (changing a wheel, spark plugs, oil etc) should be made part of the driving test. Before my exbf let me take the keys to his car (he sold it to me), he made me change a wheel several times because he knew I'd need to do it. I did! But I learned so much about my car after that, simply because I wasn't scared of it.

At the same time though, modern cars are designed to make it almost impossible to do anything yourself (and of course, some wheels are just too heavy). But really, we should understand this weapon we're driving around.

I've only read up to page 3 of this thread so sincere apologies if I'm repeating anything...