CLK W208 - flat battery - jump start? RAC member

[rossyl]

Hi,

So having been sat for a while my car battery is dead. I am an RAC member, but I remember from reading threads a while back that you should be cautious when dealing with dead batteries - jump starts or starting from a jump pack could be damaging.

The car is a W208 facelift CLK230 with steering wheel buttons.

If I call the RAC out, I think that the most likely thing that they will do is use a jump pack - correct? Is that potentially a bad thing, and should the battery be charged instead?

The option of charging is not really availble to me as the car is parked on the road, I don't have a driveway.

Any thoughts appreciated

Thanks
R

 

[martyz]

If you have no alternative than to jump start it,swich your headlights on,this will help absorb any spikes that could damage the electronics.

 

[whitenemesis]

The RAC should know the pitfalls and jumping can be done, with precautions..

I called out Mobilo because of a dead battery and the tech used jump cables with big spike suppressors (I think that's what he said they were), connected from his van to the car, started ok.

 

[Will]

You could take the battery out and charge it indoors

How old is it? Could be time for a new one if it's more than a few years old now - cold weather might have finished it.

 

[elite_504]

I've heard many times before the pitfalls of jumping, and the risk of SAM damage- but yet the owners handbook says it's ok. . .
Xenon headlamps I feel may not like the spikes....
Charging indoors sounds safest to me, and then get to a good and trusted parts place with a decent battery tester, and get them to check it out. Dare I say it, but a locak kwik-fit to me actually has a decent battery tester.

 

[tpwuk]

I've jump started cars many times and never had any problems at all.

In the early days of owning an L322 RR, I must have had to jump start it at least once a week and never caused any problems.

Maybe I was just lucky.

 

[jaymanek]

Its another internet exaggeration.... We jump start cars all day long and if done properly there are no voltage spikes and no damage can be done.

 

[andy27168]

Though I generally agree with the comments here, I think the issue on some cars is when the car battery is so flat that it won,t even illuminate the ignition warning lights, and to be honest if a battery is that deeply discharged the car alternator would never get it fully charged anyway, and the only way to recover it would be put it on charge.

 

[rossyl]

Thanks all. The door opened, it illuminated the dash but it didn't start the car...so hopefully it'll be ok.

 

[CKLclive]

There is no problem with jump starting a clk with a battery pack and it wont cause spiking

 

[Dave.]

The good old rac will probably ...........Test the battery .........Try to sell you battery........Give you a print out of its condition .

Well thats my exp of using the aa ,they send a battery assist van ( driver will be on some sort of commission for selling you a battery )

But he is obliged to jump start you free of charge.

The battery will be offered at a premium price ,but they will fit it for you