I am wondering if using TL as jump-booster would possibly cause any problems ?
since new car like TL is full of computers/sensors etc.

I need to jump my old Legend. it's totally drained.
I followed the instructions in the Owner Manual on the proper sequence of attaching the jumper cables.

 

ive jumped a few cars in the past. no problems at all. once you connect the cables give some gas to your TL for a few minutes to charge the other car. then start the other car and give some gas to the other car so it will recharge itself. dont worry you wont have any problems.

 

Nah, no problems at all. As long as you do it right, there's no harm to either car.

 

Where I live we have a radio program on the weekend called Goss' Garage. The on air personality is Pat Goss who you may know from the Motor Week TV program. He has been in the auto repair business for a long time and IMO has forgotten more than most people will ever know. The radio show is based on people calling in asking questions about cars and his replies to jump start questions is always "DON'T DO IT". According to him when the second car starts there is a spike in voltage from the atlernators of both cars now working that takes a few nano seconds for the regulators to balance out. The surge can often damage computers even though the results will not be immediately obvious. In fact some problems may not show up for months and owners never relate the computer problems they have in the summer, to jump starting a dead car during the winter. I can tell you that advice I received from Pat Goss saved me an unnecessary $1,800 estimate to replace a catalytic converter on my 4-Runner the dealer wanted to put on to correct failed emissions along with plugs, wires and other stuff the dealer recommended a bill of nearly $3-K. The problem actually turned out to be a clogged EGR system which Pat Goss diagnosed for me based on me giving him the readings from my emissions report. I took the car to an independent repair shop and for $120 charge the car flew through the re-test.

 

It is not a good idea to jump start today's modern computer equipped cars. As said above, serious damage can occur.

 

Based on your concerns and the above comments, try not to do it. I wondered the same thing as my delSol battery was dead. (Can't get out of the TL)

I decided to use my wifes' car which has fewer expensive electronics to worry about. In the future, I think I'll just call 3A or try to drive the little car more often.

 

oh fuck !...so i wasn't just being paranoid.

Wouldn't the engineers know about things like this and take measure
like putting in surge protectors (they are cheap) ?
I mean jump-start is so common.

 

Don't do it. The computers in modern cars are hyper sensative. BTW, if you even connect the battery backwards you will fry multiple diodes, but it doesnt directly cause a power surge. Use a cheaper car or buy one of those plug in chargers. That way the battery can always be charging when not in use(they arent too expensive, a lot cheaper then replace any part of the car a power surge would damage) Get something like this: This one is from ace hardware

 

If not jumpstarting the car, what is the other option (other than AAA)?

 

portable booster. (ab. $50)
I have one but it was low

 

One thing that has worked for me in the past (if the battery I'm jumping is simply drained, not damaged to the point that it can't hold any charge) is to hook up the cables with both cars turned off, wait a couple of minutes to allow for some charging, disconnect the cables, and start the car with the drained battery. When a friend suggested this years ago, I thought it would not work, but it does! But again, if the dead battery needs replacement, don't bother with this method, because the drained battery won't hold any charge.

 

if a battery has been dead for a certain amount of time the sulfuric acid will start to eat away at the lead(some are nickel now) plates. Has anyone replaced the battery in their TL with something else(IE those red top ones, dunno why they are so special)?

 

There are battery maintainers sold by places like Griots Garage, J C Whitney and most marine (boat) supply companies. These devices cycle on and of as the battery needs to be refreshed and are not as harsh on the battery as a charger. Plus they never allow your battery to become completely dead which is tough on a battery. There are also "rechargable battery boosters" which you can do a google search on. I don't want the rets thinking I am trying to sell you something.

QUOTE=PoochaKannInc]If not jumpstarting the car, what is the other option (other than AAA)?[/QUOTE]

 

The other option other than jump starting is to push it and pop the clutch when in 2nd gear. Workes every time...oh unless you have an automatic