Handogen

My wife and I were in Vancouver Canada last year and noticed something peculiar. Every other car had a metal strip hanging off the bottom of their car. After talking with several of the locals, we discovered the strip was actually grounding the vehicle. Basically they were using the strips to keep from getting shocked everytime they got out of their car and shut the door.

Recently we moved to Denver Colorado. Now, everytime we get out of our Acura and shut the door, we get shocked... SEVERELY... I mean MAN IT HURTS!

Anyhow, I've been trying to find this device in the local auto stores and even online. But I can't find a bit of information on this item. Perhaps I'm searching on the wrong keywords...

Does anybody here know what these are called and where I can buy one?

Thanks,
Hando

brendanlim

Not sure if I can help you, but I know exactly what you mean about getting shocked by Acuras. My Acura Legend shocked me every single time I got out. I then found a product called Static Guard. It's a blue spray can you can spray onto a towel and wipe along your car. It works great, until it wears off. Lasts a couple weeks and the first day you put it on you'll smell it's soury scent for a while.

It's worth checking into while you're in your search for the metal strip.

BananaGS

the trick is you touch the car door (metal). make sure hold on to the door and then you put your feet on the ground. That will prevent you from getting shock. (ie hold the top edge the door seem like a reasonable place)

LexRX

I thought getting shocked was only a problem with cloth seats. I've never had a problem getting shocked while getting out of a car with leather; we had a Blazer (with cloth seats) that I would get a bad shock from almost EVERY time I got out. Even in more humid weather.

whitels

It has become a habit of mine now to hold the metal latch that holds the door shut when getting out of the car. The static shock is a pain.

Handogen

BananaGS, thanks for the tip! I'll give that a try next time I drive my wife's car.

Also to note, the car has cloth seats and has been lowered. It's the only car I've had that delivers such a painful shock! Yeowtch!!!



Hando

Daddy-O

Here's an interesting article from
Click and Clack.

Apparently, synthetic clothing on cloth seats causes the
problem, too. Denver is pretty dry, so static electricity
can be more of an issue.

Try rubbing a used dryer sheet on your seats. It'll smell
better than that spray.