r/Cartalk • u/jhwalk09 • Dec 31 '23
When a jumpstart goes wrong? Safety Question
Neighbor tried jumping my wife’s ‘06 Nissan Altima, we left it for 10 minutes and came back and the cables had melted through the headlight of both cars and some of the bumper. I wasn’t there but thankfully they stopped their car and were able to disconnect the cables without incident. We noticed after there had been mice living in around her engine from the mouse poop, minimum the last two weeks. What causes jumper cables to do this? Something a rodent may have chewed? Definitely an issue with my wife’s car. Our poor neighbors have a newish midsized suv. My wife has also had constant issues starting her car, even with a new battery I got a year or two ago. Anyone seen this before?
3
u/Electronic_Phase Dec 31 '23
This is why I refuse to jump start other cars. You never know the other battery's condition. That's why I use a portable jump starter.