AutoStart - Power bank. Arctic Circle Testing

An interesting device was described in the article by Dadget, which allows you to start the car without any outside help, and in the comments there was a lively discussion about how the device will behave at temperatures close to extreme. In the Arctic Circle in winter, the car’s battery freezes and discharges quite often (especially if you don’t start the car every day, as I do) when using Webasto / Hydronic, so I was interested in the device. AutoStart was provided by the Dadget store for the test.

I apologize right away for the lack of a photo and video of the testirony process, but understand: polar night, snowdrifts, cold - not at all before taking pictures or filming.

The package is standard: instructions, crocodile wires, a car cigarette lighter charger and a wire for charging gadgets (microUSB, Apple Lightning, Apple 30-pin).



Some notes:

• The braid of the crocodile wires is of rather high quality, it does not become “oak” in the cold, moderately elastic, and there were no problems with the connection.
• “Crocodiles” themselves are a bit small, but given the mobility of the device, this is understandable (wires and AutoStart fit perfectly in the pocket of a down jacket). Connecting, in principle, is possible, but not always the first time it turns out to put a “crocodile” on the battery terminal, on which the car terminal is already worn. But it's all in thick gloves, but if you use ordinary thin gloves, then there are no connection problems.
• If the Dadget adds to the package the connector that is used when connecting the “crocodiles” wires, then people with hands will be able to connect the “crocodiles” they need with the desired cable length.
• It is not always convenient to connect the connector itself, you have to make an effort to insert it into AutoStart, and given the glossy surface of the device, there is a chance that it can slip out.
• The flashlight available in the device is useful, but to press the button to turn it on in winter in thick gloves is inconvenient.

I don’t see the point in describing the device’s test exactly how Power Bank is, it copes with it wonderfully. It can be carried in a pocket, backpack, bag. It is slightly larger than a banal iPhone (and does not bend), if you do not take into account the thickness, although its thickness is one of the smallest in comparison with the Power Bank that I saw.

The test was held on a 2009 Citroen C4 car, 1.6 liter engine, 109 l / s power, gasoline, Castrol EDGE 0W-30 oil. In general, the usual puzoterka.
The battery is recessed under the dashboard, it is inconvenient to remove it in winter, access to the negative terminal of the battery is also difficult, it is especially difficult to remove plastic parts on latches - in frost, plastic crackes and bursts like an egg shell.


photo found in google to understand battery location

In this regard, the minus terminal of AutoStart was connected, as it is written in the instructions for the car, to a special place in the car frame.


During all the tests, the battery did not discharge completely, the alarm worked, Webasto started and worked out the necessary time to warm up the engine to +5 degrees minimum. In each test, the temperature of AutoStart was room temperature. During one of the tests, the device fell into a snowdrift with connectors, but after purging it worked as if nothing had happened.

So, test one:

• Auto downtime: 3 weeks
• Average temperature: -25-30
• Temperature on test day: -39, wind 1-2 m / s

Before starting the test, Webasto was turned on for 50 minutes.
After time, an attempt was made to start the car from the alarm panel, the launch failed. After he dressed warmly, he made an attempt to start it with the key, the starter did not even try to spin, only the clicks of the relay were audible. Then, according to the instructions, AutoStart was connected and another attempt was made to start the engine, but there were no changes. On this test and ended. Too cold to continue.

Test Two:

• Auto Downtime: 1 week
• Average temperature: -20-30 + strong blizzard (felt to -55)
• Temperature on test day: -23, wind 1-2 m / s

He turned on the webasto for 40 minutes, went outside with a shovel, as the car turned into a snowdrift during the downtime. This time, the starter was treacherously spinning, but his efforts were not enough to start the engine. 3 attempts were made in three to four turns. Next, AutoStart went into business. About five minutes elapsed between connecting the device and trying to start - a telephone call distracted from the process. I inserted the key, turn, III ... the engine started! Hurrah! Perhaps the reason for the success lies precisely in this five-minute expectation, although it is possible that warmer weather also affected.

Test Three:

• Downtime: 4 days
• Average temperature: -20-30 + blizzard (felt to -50)
• Temperature on test day: -26, wind 2-3 m / s

Before starting the test, I started webasto for an hour, after I tried to start the car with the remote control - it did not work. I went outside, made my way through the snowdrifts to the car, tried to start it with the key, but the starter did not even try to spin (only the clicks of the relay were audible). I connected the device and waited two minutes - failure, five minutes of waiting - failure, ten minutes and failure again.

Test Four:

• Car idle time: 2 days
• Average temperature: -20-25
• Temperature on test day: -21, wind 3 m / s

I decided to do the last test after less downtime and at a temperature not lower than -25, I turned on the webasto for about 15 minutes. I did not start the car from the remote control, after trying to start it with the key, the starter made half a turn and gave up. I connected AutoStart, waited three minutes and tried to start it. The first time the car did not start (it’s understandable, because the webasto worked out a little and the oil in the engine is still thick), but on the second attempt everything turned out. It was not possible to turn off AutoStart for 30 seconds, as written in the instructions - the car died out as soon as I removed my foot from the gas pedal. I had to start again. After about two to three minutes, when the engine was able to keep idle on its own, I turned off AutoStart.

Additionally:

Conducted a test for frost resistance of the device. He left it on the balcony for the night at a temperature of -30 degrees, the balcony was not warmed, the temperature was like on the street. In the morning I connected a completely dead iPhone 3G, the phone began to charge, and the device showed a full charge.
It is worth noting that for all the time the device was charged once - immediately after receipt. After all experiments, the charge indicator of the device showed 100%.

Conclusions:

At a temperature below -25 degrees and the wind is cooled so much that it is not always enough for webasto and engine start - either one or the other. Only a very wealthy person will venture to start the engine “for the cold,” I think. The device partially lived up to expectations, but even it is powerless in the Arctic Circle, but it can easily cope if it is warm by northern standards (about -20 degrees). I believe that in the middle lane AutoStart will cope with its tasks perfectly. Unfortunately, it is difficult for me to perform tests at a temperature of -15-20 - in such weather the car starts up fine. You can turn on the headlights at night, but then the battery will run out completely, and even AutoStart may not be able to save (although such a test can also be done in the spring). After all the failed tests, the car was started with the help of friends who gave a “light”,
The device fully justifies its name, it must be held in the glove compartment of the car without a hitch (in terms of occupied space). He is not afraid of frost, he will charge your gadget even when you spent the whole day, for example, skiing in a remote tundra. As for assistance in the car factory, I would not recommend buying it to those who have -20 in the street without wind it’s warm. But those who live in more favorable conditions, may well resort to his help.

I want to express gratitude to the Dadget store for providing AutoStart for the test and to Vyacheslav Egorov (my old friend) for helping with the photos.

Dadget
AutoStart
V. Egorov (photo)
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