Do you go out in your car with all the relevant equipment you need in case an emergency comes along? It’s unlikely. But, even people who embark on a lengthy road trip find themselves limping to a halt at some point, and this can easily be offset by a handful of simple tools. If you look in your boot and find that it is bereft of anything resembling a wrench, or some spare fuel, take a look at these, and make sure you have these to hand if you find yourself in that unenviable position!
Table of Contents
Screenwash
You might not consider it to be essential, but if you run out of screenwash at the point where you are unable to clean your windscreen for whatever reason, you could find yourself in deep trouble. If you’re driving in particularly muddy conditions, or a truck drives alongside you and splatters dirt across the windscreen, you need to be able to clean it right away. It can be very scary if you’re driving blind!
Tire Wrench
The majority of cars tend to not have a spare tire anymore, but rather have a puncture repair kit, but if you have a spare tire, are you sure that it is fully inflated? You need your tire wrench and your locking key to hand because if there is a puncture emergency, you could at least attempt to make a go of it yourself. Instead of calling up the car towing people to get your car off the road, which will cost you lots of money, not to mention embarrassment!
A Map!
Nowadays, we all have maps on our phones, and we place too much of a reliance on sat navs to get us where we’re going to. You’re going to have days where, if you are in the middle of nowhere, and you’ve got no signal, or your phone battery is dying, a map is going to be an indispensable little tool in your glove box.
Engine Oil
You always need a can of engine oil in the boot just in case. Even modern cars burn some quantity of engine oil, and if you are going on a lengthy trip across the country, you need some ready, as many cars can burn up a liter of engine oil every 2000 miles or so. Be careful with the oil that you choose. Mineral oil, semi-synthetic, or synthetic oil are three different things, and make sure that you know the best one for your car.
Home Comforts
You never know when you are going to break down, and you never know what time of day it’s going to happen! If you end up breaking down in the middle of the night when it’s freezing cold outside, you might need to hunker down to keep warm. So it’s always beneficial to have some home comforts ready. When you’re embarking on a long road trip, a thermos, blankets, and some snacks are always a handy little addition.
Even with modern cars, you can’t ignore the fact that an emergency might pop up on occasion and your car will break down. So have these in your boot, just in case!
