Customer Reviews

PriorityStart! 12 Volt Standard

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

works just as discribed.Saved me already after forgetting to turn lights off. Just step on break to restore power.very easy to install, takes 5 min.

Linda Ferencik says:

The Priority Start is supposed to stop parasitic drains, like leaving the lights on or a door ajar ... etc. It is not meant to help jump start a battery in freezing cold weather.

I have had a Priority Start on both my cars for years, and it has saved me over and over again by disconnecting the battery when I leave the trunk light on or the visor light on etc. These lights do not turn off when my Volvo is off. Yes, you have to punch in the radio code after the battery has been disconnected to restart your radio ... but that alerts you TO THE FACT that you have left something on, and need to find out what that something is. This is because when you start up your car, the car's battery is automatically reconnected and you would not know that you have left something on ... or have a large parasitic drain somewhere UNLESS you see on the radio that you need to punch in the radio code. THAT is a small price to pay when the product has saved you from a dead battery because of a parasitic drain ... and you are left stranded somewhere. I love this product and highly recommend it.

These seem to work when new but after a year or so they seem to run the battery down all by their self. Internal losses seem to go up as they age. I replaced one a couple of years ago because it was running the battery down in a Miata. Now the one I replaced it with is doing the same thing. It will drain a new battery in 3 weeks. I would not recommend one for any vehicle that is not driven every day. Too bad as it is a great idea.

This device works most of the time. But it has allowed the battery to run down to the point that there is not enough power to start the car, before it disconnects the battery. The device reconnects the battery just by hitting the break peddle or tuning on and off any other power consuming device in the car.
I still have this connected to my car because it does work most of the time and it is better to work sometimes then to not have it and need to get a jump start once in awhile.

As someone else previously mentioned, Honda Odyssey engineers designed an interior light auto-shutoff feature into their vans; it's called "dead battery."

PriorityStart! was the solution. When the voltage gets too low, it mechanically disconnects the battery, so it doesn't drain any lower. It's designed to reconnect when you push on the brake, but for my 03 Ody, I pop the hood, wiggle the tiny ground wire that goes to the PriorityStart! and I can hear it reconnect. Then I start the van and drive off.

PriorityStart! has saved me and my family from a dead battery at least 5 times, so I know it's paid for itself in convenience and it has probably saved us from having to buy a new battery. When we bought a used 07 Ody, we bought a second PriorityStart!.

Today my 03 Ody didn't want to start, even after wiggling the little ground wire. I called PriorityStart! tech support. They answered on the first ring and the rep walked me through a few troubleshooting steps. I thought that maybe with a 5.5 year old battery and an almost 9 year old PriorityStart!, it was time to replace something. As it turns out, I just needed to clean the battery posts and the terminal post on the PriorityStart!. After that, it started right up.

I definitely recommend to anyone who wants to prevent dead batteries.

Well the unit has been in for about a month now and no more dead battery! It must be doing it's job because the wet weather was always a trigger for my car before. As someone else has said, the install, while straight forward, can be tricky due to limited space (as it is in my Saturn SC2) but with a little perseverance I am quite happy with the result.

I also like how the unit very handily is modified to handle side terminal or top post. Cool stuff.

So far the product is working out well. I put this on my ex's BMW. Her car battery was dying a lot and we couldn't figure out why. Turns out there's a parasitic draw somewhere. I had the car at the bmw dealership on two different occasions and they can't seem to find it. I read online that the Priority Start would be a good start to save the battery until the problem is resolved. I've had the Priority Start on the bmw's Optima battery for a few weeks now. It has been a life saver! My ex goes to school for nursing and there's nothing like rushing to get to class in the morning and then finding your car battery dead. It's frustrating for her. The car battery died a couple of times already (or should I say the draw was causing the battery to drain leading to a dead battery) and the Priority Start automatically cut off the battery. All she had to do was get into the car and press on the brake pedal and power was restored. An answer to my car problems? Absolutely not but definitely helpful until I find the draw. I replaced the battery 3 times already and this little guy is going to save me from harming the battery and buying new ones. I would recommend this product for similar situations or even for preventative reasons.

The Honda engineers omitted the ability to automatically turn off the power when the lights are left on the Odyssey minivan (2001). So, after running the battery down once, I bought and installed this. It works beautifully! I no longer worry that my kids are going to run down the battery by leaving the lights on. The instructions are easy--but the tight engine compartments make some installations challenging to find a place on or next to the battery. I had to mount mine on top of the battery for all of the wires to reach.

I purchased a Priority start in May 2008. The first unit I received was
defective. (The unit arrived with the circuit open, red LED on, and wouldn't close the circuit after I installed it.) I returned it and received a working unit.
Although this unit works, it has a flaw. Last November (2009) there was such a build up of black crud on the priority start terminal that the car wouldn't
start. I cleaned the crud off using a wire brush battery terminal cleaner.
Now it's January 30, 2010 and I have the same problem. I'm not going to enjoy
cleaning off the battery terminal in 14 degree weather.
If anyone has any ideas as to how to stop the crud formation please let me know.

My 2000 Miata has a short somewhere in the electrical system. This drains my new battery fairy quickly. I was hoping Priority Start would let me get through the winter so I could find the problem during warmer weather. The unit did not work. It allowed my battery to drain completely.

I am sure I installed it correctly, following manufacturers instructions carefully.