In dry cold weather, static electricity is commonplace if certain
precautions are not met.

Two foolproof methods of combatting this nuisance is to either inhibit
static charge generation or facilitate its discharge via grounding.

In the first case, may I ask what material your upholstery consists of?  Do
you have polyester or leather?  It makes a difference.  Then, what kind of
material is your wearing apparel made of?  Is it cotton or polyester?  It
makes a difference. Try neutralizing any charge in your pants by carrying a
2 x 2 inch neatly folded wad of aluminum foil in your hip pocket to the
outside of your billfold.

In the second case, are you wearing a metal watch band or the more common
black plastic?  Plastic is an insulator and will will not ground your
body's static charge.  If your watch band is plastic, try wearing a
conductive metal, preferably gold chain necklace.

A little science on the part of Chrysler Corp. would have solved this
problem before it started.  Fine metal threads in the upholstery, tied to a
grounding wire running to the car body or chassis would have provided 100%
relief from static problems.

I had the same problem with one car I owned.  What I did was make sure I
grabbed hold of something metal on the car door before starting to slide
across the seat.  That worked for me.  Might be able to find a spray
treatment for your seat cloth th help as well, but for me grabbing the
door frame was a cheap and easy solution.

Matt

Depends on where the charge is.

If your being shocked when you step on the ground outside then touch
something metallic on the car, the problem is your car tires are acting as
an insulator and the earth ground is at a different potential than the body
of the car.  You step on the ground (probably with leather-soled shoes
not rubber boots) and when you touch the door you complete the circut
and zap.  The voltages involved here are in the hundreds of thousands of
volts and a few layers of paint are no object.  (but they have exceedingly
weak currents, thus don't kill you)

In this case you can try dangling a lightweight chain, like a light switch
chain, off the rear bumper set to have about a quarter inch of the chain
on the ground when the car is unloaded.  This is the same trick they use
with the gasoline tanker trucks to drain off the static charges.

Otherwise if it's caused by sliding across the seat, then wear cotton and
avoid wool and 100% polyester, sometimes the sprays can help, also
you could cut down an anti-static mat (available in any computer store)
to a floormat and ground that.

Ted

Go to electronics store (or radioshack) and ask for
anti-static spray.  Spray this on all of the seats
in the car and wipe a bit on the dash.  It may not
eliminate ALL static, but it will spread it out
and reduce the pain (spark voltage at your finger).

It is designed to be sprayed on carpet. So be sure
to use it on the car mats as well.

Rick
Merrill

I had a go at posting earlier but it hasn't shown up in my newsreader so, at
risk of being boring, here it is again:

Touch whatever it is with your knuckles.

Fewer nerve endings in knuckles than in fingertips.

Works a treat after, say, walking on a synthetic-fibre carpet.

DAS
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NB: To reply directly replace "nospam" with "schmetterling"
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I don't have this problem as it never gets cold and dry enough where I
live.  Coldest it would ever get here is 55 degrees once every other
year.

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