Most Frequent Roadside Assistance Calls In The Winter: Battery Boost & Car Lockout!

During the winter months, many drivers have to deal at least once with a dead car battery or being locked-out of their vehicles. 

The Battery.

Car batteries are sensitive to cold temperatures and get discharged a lot quicker, mostly due to the damage done to them from heat, in the summer. Combined with with the abundance of electronic systems that are running even when the cars are off (computers, security systems, chargers that we forgot to unplug, even video cameras that continue recording after we lock the cars, dome lights forgotten on, etc), car batteries have a tendency to die real quick in sub-zero temperatures. Can we always prevent a battery from dying in cold weather? Absolutely! The best option is to connect your car battery to a battery charger (maintainer) after you park your car, overnight. Other than that, always make sure that all the unnecessary power consuming outputs (phone chargers, headlights, dome lights, mirror lights, cameras and other similar "gadgets" are off in the car.

Sometimes, no matter what we do, we wake up in the morning trying to warm-up the car, and we realize that the battery is dead, even if we did everything by the book! In this case, you need a car jump start (battery boost, car boost).

A car jump start (a.k.a. battery boost, car boost) is the process of taking power from another vehicle, or power source (usually 12V, specifically designed to assist starting a vehicle), also known as "booster pack. However, the process is not as simple as just hooking-up the cables to your car battery, and the car will start. Depending on how low your car battery is, the specific requirements for jump starting your car and other factors such as ignition problems, engine problems, etc., the attempt to boost your vehicle might be unsuccessful. Polarity is also very important in the process of jump starting your car, always make sure that the cables are properly connected, tight, and that they make contact. Always consult your owner's manual and if you are not sure, call a professional battery boost service to jump start your vehicle.

Vehicle Lockouts.

Car lockouts, during the winter months, usually go hand in hand with the dead car batteries. Since not all the cars have a manual lock and key (some new vehicles have only electronic locks accessible by remote only), or some drivers have misplaced their car key using only the remote/fob for convenience, a dead battery will result in inability to unlock the car. This is where things get complicated, and you will require not only a car boost, but an experienced car locksmith to unlock your vehicle.

Another reason while drivers lock themselves out of their car is the attempt to "warm-up" the car and closed the door completely after leaving the car, activating the auto-lock feature while the keys are left in the car. 

During the winter months, we receive more calls for our battery boost service and car lockout service. In order to assist drivers in Durham Region, ON, Toronto East and Markham - Stouffville, we have reduced our service rates, to make our services more accessible. 

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