17 Fix-It Things To Always Have in Your Car
Things like flat tires, dead car batteries or leaky hoses are little things that go wrong with cars all the time.
Of course, car problems like this will cost you time and money if you're unprepared to deal with them yourself, and will either force you to get help from a willing passerby, or call and wait for the garage down the street to show up.
Then you've got a car problem and a potential safety issue too, right? Now, the list of things to always have in your car would come to about fifty, if you include first aid, food and water.
So this article is just for fix-it tools, the basics you'd need to get back on the road.
By using a little forethought, you can be prepared to handle a little common car trouble.
Having a dead battery is probably the most common car problem out there.
Whether we burn them out (most batteries today only last about three years) or leave our lights on and drain it ourselves, there's that instant feeling of being stranded once we realize the battery is dead.
Two tools to carry: (1) jumper cables, in case you find a good samaritan you can trust, or (2) an 'auto battery jump starter', a portable yet handy little power pack that you keep charged and keep in your trunk, so that you can jumpstart your own battery.
You can get one at Amazon or Sears Automotive for under a hundred bucks.
Learn how to use it when you get it, so you'll know how to use it when you need it.
Things to always have in your car, to handle flats and leaky hoses Second most common car problem is a flat tire.
We've all experienced one of these from time to time, right? Again, this is an easy fix if you've got (3) a working jack, (4) a properly inflated spare, and a can or two of (5) Fix-a-Flat in your trunk.
Now you've got options.
You can change the tire out with your spare, or seal and inflate the tire on the car well enough to get you to an autoshop, or get you home.
I don't want my wife out there jacking up a car and changing out a tire, so she's got the Fix-a-Flat can.
Plus, she also has a (6) portable air compressor with a plug-in cord that powers into the cigarette lighter, so that she can give a Fix-a-Flat tire more air than comes from the can.
Keep a (7) tire gauge in your car too, so you can maintain the right amount of tire pressure.
Check your owner's manual for the tire pressure that corresponds to your vehicles tires.
If you're driving and one of your engine hoses starts to leak, you may be able to quick-patch it enough to get home or to a garage.
Always carry a (8) jug of water, (9) a flat-head screwdriver...
you may have to remove a hose clamp...
(10) a roll of duct tape and (11) a knife or razor blade, in case you need to trim some hose.
Wrapping the leak and refilling with water could be just enough of a fix to get you safely to the next town.
Basic things to always have in your car include pliers, flares Other tools you may want to keep in the trunk? (12) Pliers, in case you need to pull a battery cable off its battery post in a hurry.
My parents Chrysler Imperial started to smoke from an electrical problem under the dash, and the car would have gone up in flames if Dad hadn't disconnected the battery as quick as he did.
Have some (13) wire with you, in case you start dragging a muffler.
You can wire it up to the under chassis.
(14) Have clean rags for your hands.
(15) Stow a heavy-duty flashlight with fresh batteries, (16) and a quart of oil.
Last but not least, (17) always carry 3-4 flares.
So many accidents occur when cars break down on the side of the road.
Let people see you by putting down a straight line of flares starting about sixty yards behind your car, steering other drivers to the left of your car.
These seventeen things together are fairly compact, and will easily store in your trunk.
Again, there are other items that are important to have on board, like first-aid kits and food, but the focus here has been on what you're going to need if you have small, common car trouble.
There are few things more inconveniencing than dead batteries and flat tires, so make sure you've got these seventeen things to always have in your car...
just in case.
After all, it's better to have it and not need it, than to need it and not have it.
Of course, car problems like this will cost you time and money if you're unprepared to deal with them yourself, and will either force you to get help from a willing passerby, or call and wait for the garage down the street to show up.
Then you've got a car problem and a potential safety issue too, right? Now, the list of things to always have in your car would come to about fifty, if you include first aid, food and water.
So this article is just for fix-it tools, the basics you'd need to get back on the road.
By using a little forethought, you can be prepared to handle a little common car trouble.
Having a dead battery is probably the most common car problem out there.
Whether we burn them out (most batteries today only last about three years) or leave our lights on and drain it ourselves, there's that instant feeling of being stranded once we realize the battery is dead.
Two tools to carry: (1) jumper cables, in case you find a good samaritan you can trust, or (2) an 'auto battery jump starter', a portable yet handy little power pack that you keep charged and keep in your trunk, so that you can jumpstart your own battery.
You can get one at Amazon or Sears Automotive for under a hundred bucks.
Learn how to use it when you get it, so you'll know how to use it when you need it.
Things to always have in your car, to handle flats and leaky hoses Second most common car problem is a flat tire.
We've all experienced one of these from time to time, right? Again, this is an easy fix if you've got (3) a working jack, (4) a properly inflated spare, and a can or two of (5) Fix-a-Flat in your trunk.
Now you've got options.
You can change the tire out with your spare, or seal and inflate the tire on the car well enough to get you to an autoshop, or get you home.
I don't want my wife out there jacking up a car and changing out a tire, so she's got the Fix-a-Flat can.
Plus, she also has a (6) portable air compressor with a plug-in cord that powers into the cigarette lighter, so that she can give a Fix-a-Flat tire more air than comes from the can.
Keep a (7) tire gauge in your car too, so you can maintain the right amount of tire pressure.
Check your owner's manual for the tire pressure that corresponds to your vehicles tires.
If you're driving and one of your engine hoses starts to leak, you may be able to quick-patch it enough to get home or to a garage.
Always carry a (8) jug of water, (9) a flat-head screwdriver...
you may have to remove a hose clamp...
(10) a roll of duct tape and (11) a knife or razor blade, in case you need to trim some hose.
Wrapping the leak and refilling with water could be just enough of a fix to get you safely to the next town.
Basic things to always have in your car include pliers, flares Other tools you may want to keep in the trunk? (12) Pliers, in case you need to pull a battery cable off its battery post in a hurry.
My parents Chrysler Imperial started to smoke from an electrical problem under the dash, and the car would have gone up in flames if Dad hadn't disconnected the battery as quick as he did.
Have some (13) wire with you, in case you start dragging a muffler.
You can wire it up to the under chassis.
(14) Have clean rags for your hands.
(15) Stow a heavy-duty flashlight with fresh batteries, (16) and a quart of oil.
Last but not least, (17) always carry 3-4 flares.
So many accidents occur when cars break down on the side of the road.
Let people see you by putting down a straight line of flares starting about sixty yards behind your car, steering other drivers to the left of your car.
These seventeen things together are fairly compact, and will easily store in your trunk.
Again, there are other items that are important to have on board, like first-aid kits and food, but the focus here has been on what you're going to need if you have small, common car trouble.
There are few things more inconveniencing than dead batteries and flat tires, so make sure you've got these seventeen things to always have in your car...
just in case.
After all, it's better to have it and not need it, than to need it and not have it.