It’s been an…interesting week here in Minnesota. -50 wind chills, air that physically hurts to breathe, and more dead car batteries than you can shake an ice scraper at. The Polar Vortex has not been kind to us.
Lessons Learned
Now that there’s a light at the end of the tunnel and my fingers have thawed out enough to type, let’s talk precautionary measures for winter’s next haymaker. Batteries don’t play nice with cold. Over the past week, I’ve had to jump start more cars than I’d like to think about – and I’d imagine the chances are pretty good that you or someone you know has had to brush up on using the old jumper cables.
Getting a jump from another car is all well and good, but it requires:
- Another willing participant whose car isn’t dead
- Enough space to get the vehicles nose-to-nose (or close enough for your cables)
- Time – a precious commodity when you’re outside and it’s -25
Thankfully, there’s a workaround! It’s a bit of an investment up front, but once you’ve used one, you’ll wonder how you lived without it. Ready?
A Sight For Sore Eyes (And Cold Fingers)
Boom. Portable jump pack. Dead battery? Jump start it solo. In a parking lot, your garage, the side of the highway – wherever. The crew over at Morrie’s Heritage swears by this particular model, which is about as good of an endorsement as you’re going to get. (Seriously, have you ever tried to fire up a cranky ’67 Mustang Fastback on a chilly October morning? It’s a test of patience – unless you have one of these bad boys.)
They’re also great if, say, you live alone, street park, and need to start your car at 5:30 in the morning to get to work. When there’s a wind chill of -50. Because of the Polar Vortex.
Industry Secret? No More.
I had no idea these things existed until I started working in the car industry, and since then they’ve saved my bacon on more than one occasion. It may seem like a car-enthusiast accessory, but it’s an awesome feeling knowing you’ll be able to get your car started when it’s colder than Antarctica outside. With that being said, car batteries do degrade over time. If you think your battery might be on its last legs, schedule a checkup at any convenient Morrie’s location! If you’re in a precautionary mood, (or you just don’t want to leave the house) read up on what you should include in a winter trunk kit here.
