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Being a woman...I'm never asked...But DH will help anyone if he/we are in the truck...but never in the other cars. Especially if the circumstances look shady! And DH always does the hook-up to the battery. Amazing how many guys get that screwed up!
DH stops at a gas station all the time on the way home from work...guy consistently comes up to him and tells him his fan belt is broken, can he "borrow" some money to get it fixed. He swears he's going to throw him an old fan belt one day and see what his reaction is.
Most car jacking occur at convenience stores and filling stations. I never get gas or anything else at places in sketchy areas. And, I'm a big guy with a CC permit.
If I ever need a jump I put the hood up and the put the neg clamp on and hold up the two other clamps and someone always stops right away to help. I don't just ask a stranger to do it, I wait for a volunteer. That helps if you actually have the cables.
They had all assistance available to them right there at the gas station. They just didn't want to pay the service. You did the right thing by refusing.
I do a quick analysis on whether it could be a set up/agents/what have you. I tend to avoid strangers due to previous "experiences".
I used to be pretty heroic about helping strangers. Ever since the government came crashing down on the public....I've grown extrememly wary. What goes around comes around...
Personally, I'd never ask someone for a jump for free. I ask if they'll jump me for a 20....and I carry cables in all my cars.
It's VERY rare that I need a jump, but just this summer, I was driving my wife's car and it failed to start as I was leaving a store. It's funny, it was a Friday night and I had planned to change the oil and replace the 5.5 year old battery the very next day! I usually replace batteries at 5 years, to avoid this type of situation...but I got caught with my pants down on that one!
The guy that jumped me refused the money, but I always offer.
Personally, I'd never ask someone for a jump for free. I ask if they'll jump me for a 20....and I carry cables in all my cars.
It's VERY rare that I need a jump, but just this summer, I was driving my wife's car and it failed to start as I was leaving a store. It's funny, it was a Friday night and I had planned to change the oil and replace the 5.5 year old battery the very next day! I usually replace batteries at 5 years, to avoid this type of situation...but I got caught with my pants down on that one!
The guy that jumped me refused the money, but I always offer.
Thanks for the responses. I don't think these guys were up to no good. They were just a couple of funky "young dudes" with car trouble at a busy gas station. Admittedly, I didn't want to get involved with the whole thing. I don't have my own cables, and not mechanically adept, even with so-called minor stuff. I was thinking something may go wrong and my car's electrical would fry. Is that possible? Anyhow, it's weird that the guy singled me out to call me an a-hole. He wasn't even the one who approached me for help. He was probably frustrated, and since I was a good "safe" distance away, decided to throw a zinger at me. Still it's not very pleasant to be called an a-hole!
You know, I can't understand why people are so resistant to joining the Auto Club. At only $48 a year, it can come in mighty handy. The price is nothing compared to what it costs to drive a car nowadays. But I still see so many folks changing their flat tires on the freeway.
I have jumper cables in the trunk, have been helped 2-3 times by others when they saw me with the hood up and cables in hand. I never asked them to stop, they just got the message and offered to help. I have also jumped quite a few cars. Due to the computers on newer cars, I refuse to let them hook it up, so it is done on my terms.
I would say if I had family with me and felt uncomfortable about the whole situation I would probably drive off. Being that there was a station right where you were, I would have my ears and red flags up all the way.
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