There is nothing worse than breaking down or getting a flat tire and not having the appropriate tools to fix things yourself so that you can safely get to a shop or dealership. Sure, you can always call AAA or a similar service when you are stranded on the side of the road, but why not have the tools to take care of problems yourself!
Battery Jump Box:
First on the list is a battery jump box. Sure, you can throw some battery cables in your car but what happens if you’re stranded out in the country and can’t find another car to help you jump your car battery? That is why I’m a huge fan of battery jump boxes. They are super simple to use. All you have to do is hook up the positive and negative cables, turn it on and crank the car (assuming it’s just your battery that is bad). There have been plenty of times throughout the years where I’m ready for work and I get in my car and the car won’t start because of a dead battery. Because of all the new electronics in cars, you will usually get symptoms of your battery going dead as far as having a slow start, dim headlights or power lift gate not working. You can check out an article I wrote about testing batteries and keeping up with battery maintenance by clicking here. Here are a few good jump boxes you can buy on amazon:
As a technician, whenever we get a car that is towed in because of a no start, my first go to is grabbing the jump box and the first 2 above I bought off amazon. It really beats having to put the car in neutral and push it into the shop.
Portable Tire Inflator:
Have you ever been driving down the road and notice a tire light come on? Well, I have an article on tires and it could be one of two things. For one, your tires lose around 1psi of pressure every month and even more so when the temperature changes by 10 degrees. For two, you could have a serious puncture in your tire that needs to be addressed asap. Either way, driving on flat tire will ruin it very quickly because it eats away at the sidewall and then you end up having to buy a new tire.
There are several different types of portable tire inflators. Some you don’t even have to plug into the outlet. I’m a big fan of keeping a tire pump in your car and here are few options on amazon:
Some of them you will have to plug into an outlet and others you can just charge and keep it in the car. Portable tire inflators will help you get that slow leaking tire to a shop or dealership to get it patched or replaced. It will also help to inflate your tires to the recommended tire pressure rating on the side of your driver door. I have an article on how often you should check your tires and set the pressures.
Spare tire:
I know this is obvious but it needs to be explained. Your spare tire basically just sits around and eventually loses air naturally so make sure you check your spare tire periodically and make sure the pressure is correct (it should say on the side of the door, most spare tires are suppose to be set around 50-60psi). You also want to make sure your spare tire doesn’t have any punctures from prior use. If you don’t have a spare tire, I would highly recommend getting one for peace of mind. Also, make sure your car jack and tire iron are in the car. I personally keep a half inch electric impact in my car for taking lug nuts off and putting them back on. I’m going to make a post soon on different impacts.
Other Things:
Of course, there are other common things that you should keep in your car like first aid kits. Especially if you have kids. Also, it’s not a bad idea to keep flares in the car just in case you get stranded and don’t have cell phone service.
Thank you for reading this article, I hope it was informative and if you have any questions you can visit the contact page and email me!
