The biggest annoyance of any driver is their car breaks down, leading to either calling out a tow-truck or emergency services. While emergency services are pretty quick, waiting for a tow-truck is a long process that you could end up waiting several hours. There is a way around this; you have a few useful tools in your car, that you can fix most problems that your vehicle is likely to come across.
Most drivers have nothing in their car. This means that even the most straightforward problem to fix becomes a real problem as you don’t have the tools needed. Last week, I was driving to work, and the battery cable came off my battery. When I came to start the car at the end of the day, of course, it wouldn’t start. All I had to do was re-attached the battery cable, however, because I didn’t have the right spanner, I couldn’t undo the bolt. This led a three-hour wait for a tow-truck, a rather large bill, and a lot of frustration.
Below are five tools that I would highly recommend that you have smash repairs at all times. I would highly recommend that you place these items in a plastic box, in the boot of the car.
Five Tools
Battery Jump Starter Kit – Its that dreaded fear of everyone that has ever owned a car. You drive out to a shopping centre to buy a few things, return to your vehicle, and your battery is flat. If there are people around, its possible to get a jump start, but if you’re on your own, you’re in trouble. This is where a battery jump starter kits comes into its own, as it allows you to connect it to your battery and start your car. Most of the top of the range jump starter kits can deliver up to 1,000 amps, be used more than ten times on a single charge and hold their charge for up to a year.
Sat Nav Kit – These are vital to keep you on the road. Yes, it’s possible to use Google Maps, but they’re not great in the countryside, especially when you get off the beaten track to do some serious off-road driving. It’s also very difficult to read the maps because your mobile phone screen size is so small. For this reason, a top of the range sat nav unit, with a five to six-inch screen, and easy to follow directions, will help you get to your destination on time.
Multi-tools – Are a must for any car owner. Generally, Multi-Tools are about 8-cm’s long, weigh about 250 grams, are designed in with a butterfly design and up to twenty different tools in anyone device. They are extremely useful for those small things. Over the years, they have been used for things like oil-dips and fuel cap getting stuck, cutting wires to re-plug trailer lights and even re-attached battery cables when they come off in the office.
First-Aid Kit – This doesn’t need to be significant, but it’s great to carry a few things to deal with any medical problems along your route. Either you could make your own kit, or you could buy a specially made first aid kit that comes with everything from a few plasters to an emergency blanket. Furthermore, it may be in your best interest to build your knowledge on what to do in the event of an accident that can cause significant injury. For example, if you can quickly identify life-threatening bleeding and have the necessary tools at your disposal, you can save someone’s life. You never know when an incident like this could arise, so it is important to be prepared on every trip you take.
Flashlight – If you have ever done any driving at night, you’ll know that night-time can be a very dark and lonely place. If you have a problem, it’s almost impossible to see anything. This is where a flashlight comes into its own. Most people will keep a flashlight in their car, but they often buy a cheap light off amazon which is likely to fail, just when you need it. As a result, it’s better to buy a specialist light that is small enough to fit into the palm of your hand while being a bright enough (300-lumen) to provide light to objects that are 600-feets away. It’s a good idea to make sure that it’s waterproof and only uses a single AA battery.
