If you had the money...

GrumpyGel said:

Why do you say that Mike? Are there reasons why its bad for the car/engine?

After hearing of some of the horror stories on here of electric components being fried (on both cars) by jump starting - I'm thinking bump starting is much safer - maybe I should think again

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Jump starting - once dead car is started, good car's alternator is still driven at full capacity to help charge dead battery. Disconnect the jump leads at this point and in the instant it takes for the good alternator to down-regulate, it produces a voltage surge that can fry the good car's electrics.

Best practice is to turn off at least the good car before disconnecting the jump leads.

AFAIK, this won't apply to bump starting, which is a handy thing to be able to do if your wife leaves the headlights on and drains the battery...

GrumpyGel said:

Why do you say that Mike? Are there reasons why its bad for the car/engine?

After hearing of some of the horror stories on here of electric components being fried (on both cars) by jump starting - I'm thinking bump starting is much safer - maybe I should think again

Click to expand...

Using jump leads or even roll starting a car pushes a spike through the electrical system. With modern electrics, this can seriously damage alot of components.
I've noticed on quite a few new cars, it clearly states not to jump start them or another car from them.
I believe the problems I had started after I jumped another car from my Freelander. But it was that or let that car get swamped from the incoming tide!
Next time I'll leave them to get flooded.
There's quite a few web pages and threads on other forums about the dangers of jump starting cars.
I won't ever be doing it again. Others are responsible for their own cars.
Mike

@GrumpyGel
One from your region of the world.
http://m.mynrma.com.au/get-involved/advocacy/news/why-you-shouldnt-jumpstart-a-modern-car.htm

Mike

Skinny Mike said:

Using jump leads or even roll starting a car pushes a spike through the electrical system. With modern electrics, this can seriously damage alot of components.
I've noticed on quite a few new cars, it clearly states not to jump start them or another car from them.
I believe the problems I had started after I jumped another car from my Freelander. But it was that or let that car get swamped from the incoming tide!
Next time I'll leave them to get flooded.
There's quite a few web pages and threads on other forums about the dangers of jump starting cars.
I won't ever be doing it again. Others are responsible for their own cars.
Mike

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With good practice, as stated, I have never had a problem jumping or being jumped whether it was my Defender, FL, Brava, Fiesta or Peugeot 306. With the cold winters up 'ere and general tight-fistedness there's a lots of jump-starting going on! Switch off the good car before disconnecting - you'll be fine.

As for bump or roll-starting, again, no problems here. Perhaps disconnect the alternator control plug first?

I think the advice to never jump-start a new car is arse-covering, perhaps rightly so. The manufacturer can't guard against poor jumping practice so puts that in to cover it. After all, it's no skin off their nose if you're stranded 'cos your headlights were left on, but it is skin off their nose if you make a warranty claim for a bad crank sensor from a voltage spike. How many people do you know actually jump start a car properly?

Oo lots of debate over the manual vs auto thing!!
My Mpg is just under 29 at the moment, but I use the FBH as a pre-heater if the outside temperature is below about 6°C. This does reduce the effective Mpg marginally. I see just under 30 Mpg in the summer months.
I have a Synergy 2a set to position 8 with MAF compensation turned on. This makes lots of power and a bit of smoke when at max chat.
I live in Cornwall, with lots of hills and winding B roads, so I'm always using the torque, but the TC is slipping. If I use my auto a duel carriageway at normal causing speeds, the Mpg does climb over the mid 30s.

The auto is the choice for towing, particularly maneuvering a trailer. It's also the choice if off road situations are encountered regularly.
I also happen to think that the Freelander is nicer to drive as an auto, particularly the TD4. I think the V6 in manual could be better. Definitely so on Mpg.

@Nodge68 spotted! Warming his car up and setting off to work. Synergy on full

Skinny Mike said:

@Nodge68 spotted! Warming his car up and setting off to work. Synergy on full

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Love it.
Out of interest, my TD4 starts and drives much nicer when warm, compared to starting from cold.
I was concerned about the battery being discharged by excessive FBH use. However in reality, I think it's a benefit to the battery starting a warm engine. After a 30 minute pre-heat, the engine starts swiftly without the glow plugs. I am planning on working out the actual numbers at some point. But by my reckoning, the battery is having an easier time by running my FBH first start of the day.

As for junp starting. It's best to avoid it on a modern car, unless some precautions are taken. Whenever the leads are connected, voltage spikes are inevitable. If jump starting is necessary, then the helping vehicle needs to be switched fully off. Maybe even disconnect the battery negative lead from it. Always connect the leads to the dead battery before connecting them to the good battery. This will then add a bit of resistance to the circuit. Disconnecting the good battery will then isolate the good vehicle from the dead vehicle charging system when it fires. Only reconnect the good battery, once the leads have been removed, again good battery end first. This is the safest way to protect both vehicles involved.