Portable Jumpstarter pack

L

Loxford

Member
 London
Has anyone any experience with portable jump starters?
I cannot find a mention anywhere in the forum.

A great idea but not something to take for granted as acceptable with today's fussy electrical systems.
This sort of thing, there's dozens of them out there.

https://www.amazon.com/DBPOWER-1800...E/ref=twister_B07Z5KDB1D?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1
 
I think these are thing that you will look around to find a reason to use them at first - then they will be put on the shelf and be flat when you really need them !
 
I know you’ve had various battery issues but this doesn’t seem to address the core issues...it’s total capacity is 18 amp hours, you can’t use it as normal car charger, I think...given the need in modern cars for a fully charged battery, if you have got to this point then you have bigger issues and this is but a tactical very short term in extremis device?
 
I have a larger model I keep at the ready on the ranch where we have many starting batteries.
There is a slightly larger 21800 mah model with phone charge ports and flashlight. Looks lie a great Christmas stocking stuffer.
In any case it is no substitute for a weak or bad battery but it is good insurance if you keep it charged up.
 
I have just purchased one the make is Surpown. Was around £60 if memory serves me correctly.

I was very dubious about it but it came in a robust carry box and the kit looks well put together.

It jump started my daughters Suzuki Swift no problem.

There is some kind of turbo setting that helps a totally flat battery start.

The instructions with it have some big claims - it will last 3 months on a full charge and they reckon it will jump start some big engine sizes petrol and diesel.

It has a useful USB port as well.

Time will tell if the unit will last I just had a good look at the reviews on the Internet prior to purchase.

Not to much money to purchase and may get you out of a tight spot.
 
Thx Guys,
Yes it’s a jump starter not a charger.
That appeals to me as well as the USB charger and other purposes.

With my short term experience of a modern car, I have a fear of the unknown.
My battery tested and checked out good. I only occasionally see the battery warning but it’s never when the engine is running.

One question I have. If, say, the alternator is not charging the battery properly, would I not see this icon or something else with the engine running?
That’s what I’d expect normally.
Therefore, I’m thinking it must be charging sufficiently but I doubt if any of you have this icon showing up just because you have radio and lights on while the engine is running?

Of course with the engine not running but the sidelights or radio in use, it would be draining the battery but surely it’s not telling me the obvious. In other words, “yes, the I’ve got electrics running while the engine is off”?
Otherwise, with the engine starting on the nail, it’s hard to tell if there is really anything wrong.
 
The alternator is rated at 210 amps so its more than capable of supplying everything the car needs providing the car runs enough

There are some very complex computer controlled charging issues with the DME, the alternator and battery monitor..

The alternator throttles back its charging rate based on several factors which means despiet its 210 amp capacity it may not charge as well as expected..

the reasons could be

excess battery discharge for unknown reasons (to the ecus) like rogue burglar alarms, some aftermarket amps, audio connections

fault in DME and/or alternator..obscure but possible

improper battery registration /change

damaged battery monitor, quite common due to its fragile design and location

incorrect charging processes , using cigaraette lighter, battery terminals etc

all the alerts have thresholds to try and avoid false warnings..

When in the past in other fields we have had complex issues like this we keep swapping bits out till the fault dissapears if the OBD port can't tell you..

Has it been plugged into a factory level diagnostic system?
 
Thx PB,
You clearly know your stuff.

I have the car serviced about 6 weeks ago. Not a main dealer but their diagnosis computer showed no faults.
Unfortunately the car came with a service history of just one recent entry. I called BMW, they informed me there had been no service registered with them at all.
It had only 17,000 on the clock and had it's most significant low mile usage in the last three years. Of course that prompted my battery check which you and others suggested but it showed the battery to be good. I do wonder if it was registered when installed. The date table on the battery label was not filled in but the earliest year was 2017. Pity they couldn't be arsed ticking the date boxes but it cannot be more than two years old but yes, it's not been driven a lot. That I am aware of.

Yes, it still might not be good but it would be nice to know before I buy an AGM battery and find it's not the problem.

I'm not sure whether to ignore the display until something actually occurs. Taking a view that, if there is a fault which cannot be detected, wait for it to physically show itself instead of throwing parts and money at it. Of course that's not to be taken to the extreme otherwise one might ignore a low fuel alert until one runs out of petrol!

So many possibilities....

The question of the jump start unit is a little insurance for anyone in case one's battery does run down but certainly is a handy gadget to carry with you anyway, it might be used to help someone else on the road instead of risking jump leading one's own car to theirs. I wondered if anyone had any experience with using one in an emergency situation.
 
Its frustrating and not everyone has the time, budget. motivation to keep f&%£ing about endlessly, especially if you don't have a nice big dry floodlit heated gararge!

I get involved in my work where people have twiddled endlessly, desperately, haphazardly and still / more in a pickle..

If you can live with a fault display and carry a jump start device then its not necessarily a bad way to see what happens.. :driving:

A few years sitting at 10,000-18,000 over Iraq / Somali / Afganistan /other places in small twin engined aircraft that needed lots of electrical juice to keep going led me down a route of fixing warning lights asap irrespective of cost.. :thumbsup:
 
I've not managed to get the Z4 above 1,000 over Bethnal Green but if I came down there I'd probably be OK, but you never know.....late at night!
 
The fact that the car has so low mileage for it’s age usually coincides with it being left undriven for prolonged periods. Unless it has been sat with a trickle charger then the battery plates will almost certainly be sulphated. Without knowing exactly what kind of battery test they did I would day with a reasonable degree of confidence that a new battery will fix your problems. The fact that it is only 2 years old means nothing when you can irreversibly damage one in 2 weeks if left in a discharged state.
 
This all sounds uncannily similar to my car & circumstances...and my reasoning for carrying a similar device.
I bought my 2015 E89 sDrive 20i auto this last May with 26K on the clock. Service history showed most of those miles in the first 2 years and very few in the last year before I took it over. Car has always started first time without hiccups but in the first week when I was sat fiddling with all the iDrive stuff with engine off I saw a battery warning a couple of times. Since then I had one time the roof wouldnt open before starting up and recently a battery warning after the car had sat unused in my garage for almost 4 weeks (still started first time though). So maybe a less than stellar battery but not a clearcut problem either.
I already had a Noco GB40 jumpstarter which I used to carry with my old Z3. Spending a lot of time in remote parts of France (with both cars) makes things like that quite attractive so I confess that its having that device that has justified me keeping the old battery so far. Probably it IS getting worn ...though with normal use and a run every couple of weeks it is fault-free. Never actually used the Noco yet so can't vouch for its effectiveness but I keep the charge topped up every month or two. Oh...and the pouch with the Noco and all its cables fits in the gap alongside the battery beneath the boot floor.
 
Thx Guys,
I've not heard from anyone that has actually used one on their Z4. I cannot imagine there's any reason they'd do any damage. I've read nothing but good reports from users of various makes and models of these devices. As long as they are rated high enough for the engine size.
Of course you are right, it does not answer the issue of the condition of my battery and, yes, it's clearly not old but has not had a lot of driving to charge it up regularly. With no long term service history there's no knowing when it was fitted. The car is as good a you'd expect for a mere 18,000 miles. It's 2011 but it's like new.
Maybe I'll just buy both!
:thumbsup:
 
Just got my lithium pack 2180 mah. Looks good. Arrived with a storage charge. Just right. I'm fully charging now and I fool around with it a bit. Looks good
 
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