jenblueeyes Posted May 1, 2015 Share Posted May 1, 2015 Right, I am - perhaps unwisely - turning to the oracle that is the TAMB! I have had my car for just over two years and every time - I mean every sodding time - I get out the car and go to close the door, I get a massive shock when I touch the car. I've had cars for years and have had this occasionally but never every single time I get out the car. What can I do to stop it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iainmac1 Posted May 1, 2015 Share Posted May 1, 2015 Take the bus... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShedTA Posted May 1, 2015 Share Posted May 1, 2015 Cars used to have those earthing attachments but never see them anymore. Didn't think cars did this anymore / might want to get the wiring checked Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
86glebestreet Posted May 1, 2015 Share Posted May 1, 2015 Right, I am - perhaps unwisely - turning to the oracle that is the TAMB! I have had my car for just over two years and every time - I mean every sodding time - I get out the car and go to close the door, I get a massive shock when I touch the car. I've had cars for years and have had this occasionally but never every single time I get out the car. What can I do to stop it? Why did you wait 2 years, did you like it at first Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SMcoolJ Posted May 1, 2015 Share Posted May 1, 2015 Buy a petrol car? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SMcoolJ Posted May 1, 2015 Share Posted May 1, 2015 Ok, too many smart erse answers (entirely predictable). Doesn't sound right, unless you wear acrylic and dance about a lot. I would get it checked out - could be a minor electric issue. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
euan2020 Posted May 1, 2015 Share Posted May 1, 2015 from elsewhere - seems the shocks are normal - you need to grab frame of door as you get up http://amasci.com/emotor/zapped.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flora MaDonald Posted May 1, 2015 Share Posted May 1, 2015 Right, I am - perhaps unwisely - turning to the oracle that is the TAMB! I have had my car for just over two years and every time - I mean every sodding time - I get out the car and go to close the door, I get a massive shock when I touch the car. I've had cars for years and have had this occasionally but never every single time I get out the car. What can I do to stop it? Do wear the same shoes all time? (I'm nae suggesting you have only one pair, but do you wear specific shoes to drive?) Try touching the door with your key fob first, or using your knuckles. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
euan2020 Posted May 1, 2015 Share Posted May 1, 2015 from above CAR DOOR SPARKSThe cause of car-door sparking is well known: contact-electrification between insulating surfaces, followed by separation of those surfaces. But what does this mean? Well, *YOU* are one surface, and THE CAR SEAT is the other. When you sit on a plastic car seat in dry weather, the contact between your clothes and the seat's surface causes the electrical charges within atoms of the material to transfer between the surfaces. This is our old friend "frictional" or "contact" charging. One surface ends up with more negative charges than positive, and has a negative charge-imbalance. The other surface has fewer negatives than positives, so it has a positive imbalance. This is nearly same thing as rubbing a balloon upon your hair: both surfaces become electrically charged. But rather than rubbing just your hair, instead you're rubbing your entire back, but, and legs upon the car seat surface. However, nothing happens as long as you remain seated. Just keep yourself in one place and you won't get zapped.. As long as the surfaces remain near each other, the positives and negatives cancel out, and no overall "electricity" appears and no sparks are possible. But when you open the car door and step outside, you take just one polarity of charge along with you, while the car seat has the opposite polarity. At the same time, the charged-up car seat causes the whole car to become charged (by a process called "Faraday's Icepail Effect.") As you step out of the car, the voltage between your body and the car becomes huge, up to 10,000 or even 20,000 volts. Your shoes are probably insulating, so the charge has no opportunity to leak into the earth. You reach out to close the car door and ZAP!, the opposite polarities rejoin by leaping through the air while giving you a tiny, deep burn on your fingertip! How to prevent this? One possibility: change the surface materials. Identify and avoid the specific clothing which makes the problem worse. These materials are usually wool sweaters and pants, certain manmade fabrics, plastic raincoats, etc. Or, replace your cheap plastic car seatcovers with cloth (stains easily!) or with leather (expensive dead animals.) Another method: mix up some anti-static solution and spray your car seats. This solution remains slightly damp for weeks, which halts the contact-charging process. The formula: a teaspoon of fabric softener mixed in one quart of water. This tends to work well at first, but after days it wears off and needs a re-coating. Another sillier method: always drive barefooted, so the charge will leak away when you step outside the car. Not good in winter! You could cover your car seats with a conductor such as aluminum foil, which screws up the contact-charging effect. Have a tailor make some custom clothing out of black conductive carbon cloth? Or you could eliminate the problem by eliminating your clothes. Skin is fairly conductive, so it doesn't create charge-separation when held against plastic. Driving while nude might cure the sparking problem (unless you are a very hairy person!) A less frivilous method: the car-keys trick I mentioned earlier. Develop the habit of holding your car keys as you leave the car, then grip the keys firmly and touch the metal car door with the tip of the key. The spark will still jump, but it will not be painful, since it blasts a little hole in the tip of the key instead of in your finger. Or simply grasp the car door as you climb out, and this will drain off the charge-imbalance faster than it can build up on your body. DANGER: GASOLINE FIRES. What happens when you climb out of your car at the gas station? Usually you'll zap yourself on the car door, or on the gas pump handle, or on the metal door that covers your gas cap, and usually nothing bad happens. However, suppose your passengers climb out of the car just as you're unscrewing the cap, or just as you jam the gas pump nozzle into your tank? The whole car becomes momentarily charged. ZAP! Or, suppose you turn on the gas pump and then climb back into your car. When you climb out again, you body is highly charged from the car seat. The very first thing you do is to reach into the cloud of gasoline vapors to grab the metal handle of the gas pump. ZAP! FOOSH! This obviously is a very rare event. However, it does occur sometimes, especially in the winter. See the PEI site on static hazards. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Col Posted May 1, 2015 Share Posted May 1, 2015 What can I do to stop it? it's usually caused by certain clothes and the friction between them and the seat. Drive about naked. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark frae Crieff Posted May 1, 2015 Share Posted May 1, 2015 try rubberised car mats.. they should help wi the static.. i think. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Col Posted May 1, 2015 Share Posted May 1, 2015 alternatively what are you doing in the car to generate so much static? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bzzzz Posted May 1, 2015 Share Posted May 1, 2015 Answer's obvious, rubber cat suit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jenblueeyes Posted May 1, 2015 Author Share Posted May 1, 2015 Already got rubber mats in the car so that's not helping. I do tend to have 'driving shoes' when going to work but I wear trainers, wellies or riding boots at the weekend and there's no difference. Think I might get into trouble if I turn up at work naked..... And as for the rest of you...yup, kind of expected that kind of response but in amongst the guff, I generally find someone talks sense. Will try the key or grabbing the door frame and see if it helps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mindimoo Posted May 1, 2015 Share Posted May 1, 2015 (edited) My ears pop in my car if I let a passenger in ..... Edited May 1, 2015 by Mindimoo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bonzo Posted May 1, 2015 Share Posted May 1, 2015 Kick the inside of your wheel arch if it's static electricity it will discharge it's self. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Orraloon Posted May 1, 2015 Share Posted May 1, 2015 You are building up a static electrical charge on yourself. You are electrically insulated whilst sitting in the car seat. When you get out of the car the charge tries to jump to the nearest earth point which is the body of the car. The gives you a wee shock which wont do you any harm. Unless you happen to be in a petrol station inside a cloud of petrol fumes which the spark will be powerful enough to ignite. It wont ignite diesel. Static electricity is a major hazard in industries which use flammable solvents. Nothing much to worry about really. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fishcumnock Posted May 2, 2015 Share Posted May 2, 2015 (edited) I get it a lot , its a bstard sometimes , as in fuk that wiz sair ! Use your knuckle to tap door metal , dodge nylon type carseats and wear cotton ! your very welcome ! Edited May 2, 2015 by fishcumnock Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lamia Posted May 2, 2015 Share Posted May 2, 2015 Right, I am - perhaps unwisely - turning to the oracle that is the TAMB! I have had my car for just over two years and every time - I mean every sodding time - I get out the car and go to close the door, I get a massive shock when I touch the car. I've had cars for years and have had this occasionally but never every single time I get out the car. What can I do to stop it? I had that problem with our last car and put it down to something in the fabric of the seats. This is the first car I have ever had this issue with and it was incredibly annoying! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Armchair Bob Posted May 2, 2015 Share Posted May 2, 2015 You learn something every day. I occasionally get the same and assumed it was earthing problems with the vehicle electrics. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kirk Posted May 2, 2015 Share Posted May 2, 2015 Touch the window rather than the metal? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Orraloon Posted May 2, 2015 Share Posted May 2, 2015 Touch the window rather than the metal? Why would you want to do that. You would be as well licking it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hunchy Posted May 2, 2015 Share Posted May 2, 2015 Get a car with leather seats then you won't have a problem Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kirk Posted May 2, 2015 Share Posted May 2, 2015 Why would you want to do that. You would be as well licking it. Because it shouldnt give you a shock. I only lick it when theres a tasty bird shit Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deecie Posted May 2, 2015 Share Posted May 2, 2015 Get a car with leather seats then you won't have a problem Or a chauffeur. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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