17 items you should always carry in your car
By Charles Plueddeman of MSN Autos
Many of today's new cars have the latest gizmos
for comfort, navigation and safety, but no car
is really equipped until there are two basic
staples in the glove box: a flashlight and a
tire-pressure gauge. These are the first two of
17 items that drivers should have in their cars
at all times for safety, for convenience and for
the day the gizmos let them down. How many of
these items are in your vehicle right now? Let's
take a look.
Flashlight
A big aluminum Maglite used to be the favored
flashlight to carry (good enough for police
work, good enough for everyday citizens), but
now there are compact LED flashlights that are
really bright and don't take up much space in
the glove box. It's a help that you can hold one
in your teeth when you need both hands to change
a tire or open a fuse box on a dark night. An
LED headlamp is a great alternative, and a set
of spare batteries is always a good idea.
Tire-pressure gauge
Keep an air gauge in the center console as a
reminder to check each tire once a month. Low
tire pressure can cause dangerous blowouts, and
tires underinflated by only 6 pounds per square
inch can reduce fuel economy by 5 percent and
reduce tread life by 25 percent. Your car's
specified tire pressure is posted on a sticker
in the driver's side door frame. It's normal for
tires to lose a pound or two of pressure a
month.
First-aid kit
For those minor injuries that don't require
dialing 911, a few bandages, gauze, tape,
disinfectant, tweezers and ibuprofen are handy
for handling minor cuts and scrapes on the road,
especially if you are traveling with kids.
Medication for motion sickness is another
thoughtful addition.
Owner’s manual
If you buy a used car and the owner's manual is
missing, order a replacement through a dealer.
One of these days you might need it to identify
a blown fuse, figure out how to reset the clock
or know where to place the jack when you get a
flat tire.
ire-changing tools
If you buy a used car, check to make sure that
all the components of the jack and other tools
you need to change a flat tire are actually in
the car and haven't been misplaced by the
previous owner. There are usually tire-changing
directions in the owner's manual or on a sticker
near where the spare tire is stowed. There is a
spare tire, right? Make sure that is properly
inflated.
Warning triangles
A replacement for old-fashioned flares, a set of
triangle warning reflectors fold and pack into a
box that will fit in the trunk or spare-tire
compartment of most vehicles. Whether it is day
or night, professional truckers place them 10
feet, 100 feet and 200 feet behind a rig to give
following traffic plenty of notice of a disabled
truck. You should do the same if you get a flat
or are forced to pull over, especially when
there's not much shoulder on the road.
Multi-tool
You should carry a good multi-tool that is
equipped with at least a knife, pliers,
screwdriver tips and scissors that can cut wire
or slice a blown radiator hose, tighten a loose
clamp or tweeze out a tiny fuse. If you also
have duct tape and a little imagination you can
now handle almost any emergency. A pair of vice
grips and an adjustable wrench also are great
additions to a car's basic tool kit.
Fuses
A set of spare fuses and the tool used to pull
them from the fuse block will cost only a few
dollars, and with them you can fix common
electrical issues. For example, it's not unusual
for the windshield-wiper fuse to blow if the
blades are frozen to the windshield. Check the
owner's manual or ask your mechanic to find out
what style and size fuses you should carry as
spares.
Jumper cables
Some day you will turn the ignition key and hear
— nothing. A dead battery is not a disaster if
you have a set of jumper cables and a friend to
call, or if a friendly driver happens by. Your
owner's manual will have instructions on how to
use the cables to start your vehicle without
harming the electronics or — more importantly —
hurting yourself.
Tape
A big roll of duct tape can mend a lot of things
and solve a lot of problems. You can use duct
tape and a sheet of plastic to cover a broken
window, for example. A roll of self-fusing
silicone Rescue Tape is another great choice.
Able to withstand pressure to 700 psi and
temperature to 500 degrees, it can patch a blown
radiator hose or even secure a dangling tail
pipe.
Map or atlas
Carry a map of at least your home state and
city. Unlike a fancy GPS navigation system, a
good, old-fashioned paper map will never lose
its signal, blow a fuse, go wacky from sunspots
or lead you astray. And in a pinch you can use
it to start a fire or hang it in a window to
shade a cranky baby.
Paper towels
Save all the extra napkins you get from
fast-food joints. They are great for mopping up
spilled coffee, checking the oil, cleaning a
squished bug or smeared bird droppings off the
windshield and even handling a big sneeze. Store
them in the glove box.
Spare key
Sooner or later everyone locks their keys in the
car. If you have a copy of the key stashed on
the vehicle, you can simply unlock the door. A
magnetic key case you can get at any hardware
store can be placed behind the bumper, for
example. Your spare door-lock key does not need
to have the expensive microchip required to
start the car.
Pail or bucket
There are a lot of things you can do with a
simple 5-quart plastic ice cream pail. Start by
using it to store small items on this list, such
as tape, gloves and plastic bags. It can also be
a barf bucket, a tote for the sandy shells the
kids pick up at the beach or a receptacle to
carry the water you need to refill the radiator
after you've repaired the blown hose.
Garbage bags
Keep a few large, heavy-duty plastic trash bags
in the trunk. They can be used to cover the
muddy ground when you need to change a tire in
the rain, as an improvised poncho or as an
emergency seat cover under a wet dog or soiled
child. Or use one with duct tape to cover a
broken window.
Gloves
A pair of leather work gloves makes it possible
to touch hot stuff under the hood or to grip a
sharp bit of dangling exhaust pipe, and they
will keep your hands clean if you need to change
a flat tire on the way to a business meeting.
Old cellphone
If that old flip phone has a charged battery it
could be a lifeline. Even a deactivated mobile
phone will place a 911 call if it can get a
signal. Keep the phone and its charger in your
car and you'll have a backup for your active
phone or for when no other phone is available
|
