In-car tool kit: what do you carry?

That's what happened to me ;)

Quite a few replies mention break down cover and a phone. Knowing my luck, the phone would either be flat or be in an area of no signal ;) I hear some people keep a PAYG phone in their car for emergencies but I can't understand how it doesn't go flat or the credit expire before it is needed.

I've broken down once or twice where something fell off or became loose and if only I had had a screwdriver or socket set I could have fixed it myself and been on my way. The problem with being a bloke is the breakdown people do not view you as a priority, so the wait is always an hour+. My dilemma is whether it is worth carrying a socket set for a once in three years event.

That's a comprehensive list, thanks for sharing it. The problem with light bulbs is you need to be double jointed to fit them these days!

I wondered about making my own. A common size seems to be 25mm^2, which happens to be used for meter tails too, so it would be easy to get hold of but where do you get 600A crocodile clips from?

I had an exhaust come loose once and wished I had some wire to tie it up with. I've never go round to carrying any with me but it hasn't happened in ten years since. That's the thing: if you carry enough for every emergency you would need a trailer and half the stuff would only get used once a decade.

I'm not sure I would carry one of these because even if I knew the fault, I might not have the equipment with me to fix it.

I've wondered about this. The scissor jack supplied with cars are awful imho but a trolley jack would be too big and heavy to carry everywhere. I wonder whether a bottle jack is a nice compromise. OTOH for a once in a while event, perhaps the scissors will do?

Fred gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying:

The one time I've needed it "in anger", it showed that the problem was the coolant temp sensor. Easy to disconnect, putting it onto a default value that meant the car ran just fine.

Meter tails aren't exactly flexible though.

Pretty rare to have no signal outside these days.

Unlike mobile broadband, PAYG phone doesn't time-expire on any of the contracts I've had.

If you leave the phone switched off, it will hold its charge for quite a time, or you can leave it plugged in to a charger in the glove box or boot if you arrange a socket that is ignition-switched.

You could also leave it flat, and just plug it in if you needed it, unless the fault was a completely flat battery, of course!

The way I see it, these days you would have to carry a pretty comprehensive kit to make it worthwhile. Unless you can do that, it's not worth carrying anything.

Chris

Wheel change brace and I let Green Flag come out if that needs using.

on 23/03/2010, Fred supposed :

Mine are all an easy 5minute swap.

Mine are made from some fancy double screened coax fitted with the type of clips you used to see fitted to battery chargers. They are much easier to connect than the usual massive clips and yet the cable and clips are good enough to start the car a couple of minutes after connecting. 25mm electrical cable is probably too rigid.

It depends upon the car, the scissor jack supplied with mine is fairly substantial. I have not actually needed to use any tools on the road for over 30 + years.

Welding cable is the business for jump leads.

Chris

I have a fire extinguisher, a Hi-Vis jacket and a reflective triangle.

Oh! And a big umbrella. ;-)

In message , Mike Tomlinson writes

I used to have a "spider", with several different nut sizes, for many years.

Wouldn;t the coolant come gushing out :)

"Matthew.Ridges" gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying:

Not when you just disconnect the multiplug from the sensor...

I only put those in when I go to France on holiday together with a spare set of bulbs. Legal requirements in France. Totally stupid - its impossible to change ANY front bulb without putting the car on a ramp, but there you go.

Another Dave

In article , Gordon H writes

That's the one. I'd forgotten it was called a spider.

Are cellphones still regarded as so exceptional that they count as emergency equipment? Mine's with me all the time - after all, it's just a phone.

Can't think of any other reason why anyone would want one.

Do you wear a collar and lead too?

Well you can use it to talk to people you like talking to. Or even to send & retrieve information from the internet.