There was a time when cars used to break down by the side of the road and most folks kept a wide array of tools in the trunk to keep from being stranded. That's not as necessary today, when cars are more like smartphones. Today, there are fewer mechanical fixes that you can perform if your car has a sudden malfunction, but you'd be surprised at what you can repair if you have just a few standard tools onboard.
What you Need in your Car Toolkit
What every Driver Needs to Know
Let's start with the basics. What if your battery goes dead and your car needs a jump? Roadside assistance is just a phone call away, but you could also carry jumper cables. What if a radiator hose springs a leak? Duct tape and a gallon of coolant to the rescue. When the Check Engine light comes on, an OBD Reader can tell you what's what. But in the real world, what do you really need to carry around in the trunk of your car? Let's find out.
Most people are not skilled auto mechanics, and we are not suggesting that you need to become one. But the following car toolkit might just help to get you home or to your local Lithia Motors service center where your vehicle's needs can be fully addressed.
What you Need in your Car Toolkit
When it comes to breakdowns, the most important tool in your do-it-yourself arsenal is the vehicle manufacturer's Owner's Manual that came with your car. Always make sure your Owner's Manual is in the glovebox or in the trunk. It will help you to become familiar with how your engine works, where the fill locations are for your engine oil, brake fluid, power steering fluid, engine coolant/antifreeze, windshield wiper fluid and more. It will show you where the fuel boxes are in case you blow a fuse and tell you which fuses do what. It will tell you how much air pressure you need in your tires, how all the buttons on the dash and steering wheel function, and what the various warning icons mean should one suddenly appear.
You can't work on your car if you can't see. A reliable flashlight can be a lifesaver. The flashlight on your smartphone doesn't direct the light where you need it in all those dark crevasses under the hood or under the car. Keep a flashlight in the trunk and make sure it works.
The most important safety device on your car is its tires. Keep them in good shape and keep them properly inflated. You will find the proper tire inflation for your vehicle in your Owner's Manual and on a sticker inside the driver's door panel. Use a tire gauge to check your tire pressure frequently. Under-inflated tires wear out faster and properly inflated tires will get you better fuel economy.
Portable, battery-operated auto tire inflators can be had for less than $50 and will make sure you can keep your tires properly inflated no matter where you are. If you have a tire that is going flat, you can also keep a can of Fix-A-Flat aerosol in the trunk in case of emergencies.
You will want a sturdy socket set in your toolkit and that includes socket sizes from 6mm to 19mm at a minimum as well as a proper ratchet, extender (to get at hard-to-reach nuts and bolts), and a set of Allen wrenches. Get a high-quality socket set with a ratchet handle, and Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) as well as metric sockets. A proper socket set will help you take your car apart, and hopefully, put it back together. You might be surprised at how much you can get accomplished with a simple open-ended wrench set with sizes from ¼ inch to one inch.
This specialized ratchet tool sets bolts to the proper tightness and prevents damage to the bolt due to over tightening. It also makes the bolt easier to loosen.
While standard combination wrenches are a must for automotive repair, an adjustable wrench has many uses in a pinch. You sometimes need a wrench on both sides of a bolt and can't reach the other side and an adjustable, locking wrench saves the day. But keep in mind that these are less stable than a fixed-size wrench.
The majority of screw types in auto repairs are Phillips head and the best screwdriver sets for auto mechanics include magnetic tips. Complete sets have a precision set of standard and Phillips sizes as well as a stubby set and several angled offset screwdrivers. However, rather than carrying a dozen screwdrivers in your tool kit, you may prefer a simple bit driver that allows you to switch various sizes of screw heads to fit on one magnetic driver.
Wire cutters are most frequently used when you have an electrical problem that requires you to strip a wire. Pliers make wrapping two wires and splicing them together a lot easier. Plus, pliers have a multitude of handy uses under the hood.
We used to joke about keeping a car together with bailing wire and duct tape. But sometimes, some electrical tape or sticker stuff such as duct tape will solve a problem until you can get your car to a shop. The same is true of zip ties. Sometimes you need to tie things together to keep them from hanging down and causing a problem.
Always make sure your car battery is in tip-top shape. There's nothing worse than getting stuck with a dead battery. A set of jumper cables or booster cables always come in handy, and now, portable jump starters and power packs let you get your vehicle started without calling AAA.
Check your Owner's Manual to find out where your auto fuse boxes are and keep a package of assorted blade-type replacement fuses and a fuse puller in your toolkit. Make sure you have fuse sizes from 5- to 30- amp automotive fuses.
As cars get older, they use more motor oil. If your car is using more oil between oil changes, it is always a good idea to check the level of your oil dipstick and keep an extra quart of motor oil in the trunk along with paper towels and a funnel. Likewise, make sure your vehicle coolant level is always full.
Let Lithia Help
If your car is properly serviced and maintained, it is far less likely that it will suffer from breakdowns. Lithia Motors factory-trained service technicians will make sure your car, truck, or SUV keeps rolling down the road for many worry-free miles. At Lithia Motors we've got your back and want to keep you as a customer for life!
