Fwd: Don't leave GPS plugged in

[Lab...@aol.com]

 

 

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From: verde...@gmail.com
To: xxram...@aol.com, Lab...@aol.com, mld...@yahoo.com, plum...@msn.com, gdia...@mowsf.org
Sent: 12/7/2011 11:01:24 A.M. Pacific Standard Time
Subj: Don't leave GPS plugged in

 

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Blogs  Save  Print   Bookmark   Add Your Knowledge  Email  More  Don't Learn the Hard Way By: Greg Laub  |  December 07, 2011 Countless times I have left my GPS on and plugged into the cigarette lighter (does anyone really still light their cigarettes with this device?), and pretty much the same number of times it was followed by my wife nagging me to never do it again.  Sure, I get it – you can drain the car battery by leaving the GPS on, and I try to remember to shut it off – but unplugging it? How much battery is really being used with the GPS turned off? Well, it turns out just enough. Apparently the GPS continues to draw current, initially to keep its internal battery charged, and then afterwards just to maintain the charge. Unfortunately for me, I found this one out the hard way. About a month ago, I found my car battery actually died because the GPS was plugged in (though not on) over a long weekend. I learned my lesson. Listen to your wife. Oh, and, unplug the car charger. But I'm a stubborn sort. See, while I admit I was wrong, I mostly attributed this as a fluke that was caused by not starting the car for almost four days. Surely it wouldn't happen in a couple of hours, or overnight. So while I do try to remember to unplug the GPS every time, sometimes it slipped my mind, especially if I'm only leaving the car for a short time. But then last week I received an email from a close friend whose neighbor had an incident the previous night. Apparently, she left her charger plugged in, and after just a couple of hours, the cigarette lighter overheated and started a nasty car fire. My friend was nice enough to forward me some lovely photos of the Suburban:      The photos floored me. Luckily they caught the fire quickly, as their car was in the garage and the kids were inside sleeping. But what if they didn't catch it? It could have hit the engine, or fuel tank within the hour.  And then it hits me -- I left our GPS plugged in again! Immediately I hustled out to the car, found everything to be fine, and -- what will now be a common occurrence -- I unplugged our GPS. Sometimes, I suppose, other people learn the hard way for you.