Every motorist has probably at least once found himself in a situation where his car battery died. Most often it happens to citizens in the winter. The situation is extremely unpleasant. One way to solve the problem is to ask for a “cigarette lighter” from another car. Is it necessary to help others? Certainly. But before you “throw the wire”, there are some important things to consider.
Is it necessary to help people in trouble? Of course we should. But it is one thing if the battery died in the middle of the winter road in the freezing cold. And it is quite another thing if the battery in the car died in the yard of the house. If there is no threat to the life of the other driver, you should not mindlessly rush to help out of altruistic impulses alone. Why? Because in some cases, an attempt to “light a cigarette” may end badly for both cars, and then there will be two cars instead of one.
In what specific cases is it worth politely declining companionship? In all cases, when you are asked to “light” the car with a noticeably more powerful engine and a higher capacity battery. In other words, the person on a small car in the given question more often is not the helper. In any case, if the driver in another similar small car does not ask for help. Usually, the difference in the battery capacity of a small car and any crossover is 2-2.5 times. The cars also differ in the starting current capacity.
“Cigarette plugging” a more powerful car can end badly. In the best of the worst cases, the altruistic motorist will simply run out of battery. In the worst case, a short circuit can occur in the car’s electrical circuitry. The latter can be different, but almost always they are sad: failed electronics, burned out equipment and many more. But the main negative consequence is the broken generator. At that, more often than not, only the donor-car will suffer.