Jumper leads / jumper cables are included with most Spaceships campervans in New Zealand. The Cosmo VW Campervan is different - see the Cosmo section below.
Flat start battery in the Cosmo VW Campervan?
The Cosmo has a lithium leisure battery located under the driver's seat. Please do not touch this battery and do not use it for jump starting.
If the start battery of the Cosmo is flat, use the built-in Vehicle Battery Recovery mode on the Red Vision battery display: it safely transfers charge from the leisure battery to the start battery for about 15 minutes, which is enough to start the vehicle. The jack and tools are stored under the squab of the swivel bench seat. If the Recovery mode does not work or you are unsure, contact NZRA - Roadside Assistance or our crew (freephone, email or WhatsApp via our contact page).
These can be found next to the jack & tools in your Spaceship.
Dream Sleeper Mini: located int he the bottom storage area
Other model campervans: located beside the bed at the back
How to use the jumper cables
Download the jumper lead instructions document (PDF)... Read the instructions below... Or see the video.
or continue reading for the step-by-step info....
Step by step instructions: jump starting your campervan
A flat battery is always frustrating. To jump start your vehicle with the provided jumper leads you will need another vehicle so you can connect the leads to their battery in order to jump start your vehicle.
It is really important you follow the below steps. If you put the red cable on the car batteries wrong terminals you can cause sparks and blow the vehicles main fuse which will cause further issues and will require towing of the vehicle.
If you are not absolutely comfortable using the jumper leads please don’t. Alternatively you can call the NZRA who will be able to come out and provide you with a jump start. If the battery has been run flat and deemed not a mechanical fault the call out could involve a call out fee.
Info about calling NZRA - Roadside Assistance
Please follow these exact steps
Manoeuvre both cars so that they're nose to nose. This enables the cables to reach both batteries.
Connect the red positive (+) cable to the battery terminal with the + sign on the good car. You will need to carefully locate the + sign on each vehicles battery. Take extra care to make sure you get this correct.
Connect the red positive cable to the battery terminal with the + sign on the car with the flat battery.
Next, connect the black negative cable to the battery terminal with the - sign on the good car.
Now connect the black negative cable to the battery terminal with the - sign on the car with the flat battery.
Start the car with the good battery and let it idle for 30 seconds. This will help to avoid the good battery getting drained when starting the other car.
Now, start the car with the flat battery and wait until it idles smoothly before carefully disconnecting the jumper leads from both vehicles.