When the weather started to get cold and damp last week, I noticed that our Jetta was struggling to start in the morning. I never reached the point of needing a boost, but I came awfully close, and I made a point of backing in wherever I parked, just in case.

With Christmas holidays—and the really cold season—coming on, a trip to Dave’s Service Centre was in order, and I dropped the car off this morning.

When I returned at 5:00 p.m. to pick it up, I learned that my battery—the original, 18 year old battery, remarkably—was only cranking out 250 amps, barely enough to start the car on a good day.

Dave swapped in a new battery, with 800 amps of cold-cranking power, and the Jetta starts like new.

Technically batteries aren’t supposed to last 18 years, so kudos to Volkswagen for quality parts.

In the midst of all this, I made a trip to Canadian Tire to get myself an emergency battery booster (I have an inordinate number of friends and neighbours with cars with batteries tucked in the back, boost-unfriendly).

I found, to my surprise, that the worlds of mobile phone chargers and battery jump-starters have merged: I came away with a paperback-book-sized box that will charge my phone and boost my car both, and is a flashlight to boot.

We’re ready for winter.