cloth seats + cold dry weather = shock!!?!!

[treywylie]

I have a '97 XLT with cloth seats. Once the weather cools off and the humidity is low, I find myself gettinig a pretty decent shock when I touch the lock button or the door frame. This is made worse when I have shoes with rubber soles on them, but I can get shocked pretty easily in the winiter regardless.

Anyone else have this problem and have you found a decent solution? Those silly looking grounding straps that hang down to the ground? Any other suggestions that have worked?

TIA

-treywylie

 

[AudTtT]

I also get shocked when I get out of my truck. When I get out to close the door thats when I get it. Sometimes Its really strong and It catches me off guard. What the hell is going on here?

 

[CodePoet]

Me too! I get the crap shocked out of me alot. Once I took my fiance to work, she came around to my side to give me a kiss goodbye, I shocked her, tried again...another shock. Pretty funny, I think it has to do with there being less moisture in the air, i'm not sure though. Anyway....

Later
CP

 

[Runnin'OnEmpty]

Yeah, it's because of the low humidity in the winter. When you slide across the cloth seats, static electricity is produced. I got zapped good last night when the wife handed me something from inside the Explorer.

I touch (and keep contact with) the door panel and then the metal door jamb when I'm getting out. This seems to help some.

 

[AudTtT]

I have leather seats and it still does the same thing

 

['96explorereddiebauer]

Mine does that too, but my girlfriend's '99 Civic does worse!! The zap from her car is at least 3 times as bad as mine.

What I usually do is to get some dryer sheets like Snuggles or Downy or something like that and just wipe the seat and the seat back very good or you can buy a can of anti-static spray and spray it on. Both solutions will last about a week or two. It can get expensive but hey, it's a lot better than getting yourself zapped.

 

[burnin_up]

its like playing hockey...it will just make you tougher. be thankful!

 

[AudTtT]

I take it you play hockey.. so do I

 

[EliteConcept]

leather seats will do the same thing... it sucks

 

[AudTtT]

Ya it does suck but i'm so used to it, I'm ready for the shock everytime I get out

 

[AlaskanJack]

Ah and I thought this thread was going to be about seats being cold and the temp of the seats being the shock.

Well I also experience the shock but fixed one of them. My wife's Ex has VINYL seats....yep vinyl. I was getting to hate her Ex cause the seats were so darn cold. After putting seat covers on it I now get the electrical shock. Which is better than my cold butt.

 

[tdavis]

Originally posted by treywylie
[B
Anyone else have this problem and have you found a decent solution? Those silly looking grounding straps that hang down to the ground? Any other suggestions that have worked?
[/B]

Get some Downy softner (look in the detergent aisle at your supermarket); mix it up like 50/50 with water, put it in one of them spray bottles, and lightly spray on the clothe and carpet.

It will stop the static charge buildup.

 

[EliteConcept]

or just wear gloves that might stop it

 

['96explorereddiebauer]

If you don't want to get shocked, wear something that is made of polyester. Cotton clothing like jeans and such are prone to build up static. Or like I said above, get some dryer sheets and wipe it on the seats or use anti-static spray like Static Guard and you won't have a problem.

 

[treywylie]

thanks for the responses. I'll try the dryer sheets and anti-static spray. I'm guessing there must be some wool in the carpet since the "leather" people are having a problem too.

I'll stick with cotton and wool clothing and continue to deal with it... I'm alergic to polyester

-treywylie

 

[briwayjones]

It does the same thing to me, shocks the heck out of me sometimes. So good in fact that sometimes if it's dark the shock will be big enough it actually lights up the surrounding around it a little bit.

Here's something I do that works pretty well. When you open your door and get out instead of touching the outside of the door with your fingers to close it first touch the inside vertical metal window frame with the pad part of your thumb as you are getting out. It will still usually give you a shock but not nearly as much and doesn't usually hurt. You usually can't even feel it, you only know you've been shocked because you can hear it.

 

[Brian97V8]

Mine does it when I get out of the X and go into work. I always looked at it as that little extra pick me up to help me face work.

 

[85reds10]

my truck has vinyl seats and i get it sometimes. but yeah, if you hold onto the door (metal part) as you get out, you shouldn't feel any shock

 

[DeRocha]

Without the moisture the electrical charge just builds up. When driving my X I try and touch the metal shifter every so often while driving. This tends to dissapate the electrical charge.

 

[Nick C.]

I have the ultimate solution to this...



Grow a pair and deal with it!



All in love don't take it the wrong way