When travelling especially in long distances, there are times we see stalled vehicles on road shoulders. Sometimes the driver is looking for something on the ground. Those are the situations when drivers wish they had something in the car that could get them going. It has happened to me more than a couple of times. There are regular or normal items that are with the car and driver that should never be without them. But sometimes odd situations come up and at the least time or place we expect them. Let's tackle those that make us pull our hair and blurt out curses: 1. Tire Wrench, angled or cross type is always a must. But sometimes service shops over tighten the nuts on the wheels that regular physical strength can't loosen. You will need a length of pipe that the handle of an angled tire wrench fits into it, or, a length of steel bar for a cross wrench. That will make un-doing the nuts easier and with less effort.
2. Spare tire. You had a flat and only to find out that it has gone way below normal pressure. Many rarely check a spare tire's pressure! A portable electric pump is a must if not a foot pump. Foot pumps are more reliable for me.
3. Fuel Container. A mile or more before the next gas station your runs out of fuel. It is always handy to have an empty gallon container to help you get some gas. You could also use it in case radiator water level is low or when the car overheats.
4. Basic Tools: Mechanical and long-nose electrical pliers, flat-end and cross-end (Philips) screwdrivers, vise-grip, hammer, adjustable wrench, a complete set of combination box-and-open wrench, metal file, jumper cables, scissors, cutter, hacksaw blade and knife. If possible a set of Allen and star keys.
4. Tire chucks. This is very important especially when your handbrakes don't hold well on steep roads. Also when you need to replace a flat tire.
5. Tow rope or chain. When you need to have your car towed and no tow service is available, a Good Samaritan will always be willing to tow your car as long as you have something to use.
6. Rags and hand cleaner. After doing some greasy or dirty job to make the car run, you hardly want to use your greasy or dirty hands to handle anything in the car.
7. Hand-held pump spray with water mixed with a few drops of hair shampoo. You're caught inside the car with strong rain. Your air-conditioning unit fails or there is none and the windshield demister does not work. Spray the mixture and spread it even with your bare hands on the insides of your car windows and that guarantees clear vision until you get to where you are going.
Duplicate car keys in your wallet or purse. You never can tell when you might misplace or lose your cars keys.
8. Vanity mirror. This has always been neglected but always of good help. Helpful for not needing to kneel or slide under a car to check on what could be wrong.
9. Troubleshooting lamp. A flashlight is only good for a short period until the batteries run out. A troubleshooting lamp that you could plug into your cigarette lighter or clamp onto battery terminals will do a better job. If your flashlight is one that self charges by hand pressing then it would also do the job.
10. A generous coil of small gauge galvanized wire, insulated wire and nylon rope. These will help in holding just about anything that comes loose while driving until a good fix is done. Blown out fuses could be temporarily solved by stripping off an insulated wire and use a small length as a replacement.
11. A small container that contains various sizes of screws, washers, nuts and various lengths of nail. These could be remedies or temporary fixes that could get you to a service shop or where ever you are going.
12. Funnel and at least 3 feet of rubber or fuel hose. This will make getting fuel from a container to your tank more convenient and safer from spillage. A good Samaritan vehicle might even allow you to siphon some fuel to get you to the next station.
13. Early Warning Device or Portable Flasher. This would come in handy when stalled in the middle of a road that has no shoulder and at night time, especially along highways. A safety measure so oncoming vehicles are forewarned.
14. Car Fire Extinguisher cannister.
15. A sheet of Clear Plastic larger than your windshield, duct tape, masking tape and electrical tape. Many emergency situations can be saved by these things.
16. Spare or reconditioned electrical fuel pump and fuel filter especially for vehicles that has some years in them.
17. Spare bulbs for headlight, signal or indicator lights, brake and tail lights.
18. Some reading material when there's nothing you can do except wait for the towing service. Funny but this will get some stress relieved while waiting.
Some resourcefulness and ingenuity is something you need not to carry in your car but in your mind. This reminds me of a friend who called me in the middle of the night because his propeller shaft broke loose from the differential 15 kilometers outside of our city. He couldn't describe what happened so I got there with just tools. The propeller shaft flange to the differential flange lost all the 4 bolt and nuts holding it together. Knowing that his rear bumper was held by 4 similar bolts and nuts, I dismantled his bumper and used those bolts and nuts to fix the problem.
There may be some who would not agree or think this is just too much. Mind you, they are small items, some to be put in the trunk while the others just beside the driver's seat or glove compartment. I have made use of all of these that's why I have them listed here.
This intel first appeared on: http://www.helium.com/items/1134608-other-things-you-might-need-ins...
