Tools to live in the boot

[Gad-Westy]

I've been caught out a couple of times recently with punctures on cars with no spares and in reviewing the kit I carry to deal with those I started thinking more and more about putting together little car specific tool kits for each of my cars that would give me half a chance of fixing little things at the side of the road rather than have hours to wait for recovery.

I've got most of a plan together in terms of the usual stuff, tyre related items, bulbs, fuses, cable ties, tape but I wondered if anyone has discovered any little gems/gadgets that I should be aware of. I've looked at some of the little all in one tool kits but a lot of those are quite household orientated rather than being geared towards cars. I also quite like the idea of a leatherman type tool that has a load of stuff on without taking up much space but I don't want to spend a fortune on something that might never see daylight again so a recommendation for something cheap.

So just after some ideas before I put a shopping list together. Over to PH.

[Gad-Westy]

E-bmw said:

I used to carry a full tool box weighing around 15kg in the boot of my car until (when I had a 3.0 24v Senator) I lost the rear end on a wet road due to the bungee cord holding it snapping.

This allowed the box to slide across the boot on a sharp bend, obviously the extra angular momentum (if that is the right term) caused the rear to break-away!!!!!!!!!!!

Major drifting round the bend might have looked spectacular from behind but it really caught me by surprise & when I found the cause I really slimmed it down to a tool roll small enough to fit in an appropriately solid cubby hole.

A harsh lesson! I'm not looking to carry loads, just a few simple little things that might get me out of some pickles. One of the cars is an MX5, my pal suggested I carry a welder!

[Gad-Westy]

E-bmw said:

Stick Legs said:

Modern Range Rover: fuses & a code reader.

And a full workshop staffed with at least 2 x RR master techs.

And a prayer mat. Sorry

I think I'm getting a plan together. Thanks for all the suggestions folks. My modernish BMW, has a tool kit and there is a limit to what I could do at the side of the road so in that it's just tyre kit stuff and an OBD reader and some tape, fuses, cable ties etc. I'd like a multi tool of some description too though as that sort of thing is often handy for all sorts of non-car things when away with the car. I do tend to carry a tow rope and jump leads in that as there is plenty of room but in all honesty that's as much for helping other people as myself.

[Gad-Westy]

With those lithium ion jump starter packs, do you need to leave them plugged into a 12v power source or doe they just keep their charge for weeks on end? I'm kind of curious as they have come down in price a lot and are way more compact than I'd assumed.

[Gad-Westy]

Hol said:

vikingaero said:

My latest addition to all of our family cars are a tyre plug kit. I've not used one on my own vehicles yet, but have helped 4 other people out with them.

I have considered getting one of these ever since spare tyres stopped being fitted, but nobody I know personally has ever used one.

Have you had an issues in having the puncture repaired fully afterwards, as you ironically have to make the hole bigger?

Repair afterwards isn't a huge issue. I have had one done. Biggest challenge I find with them is getting the 'thread' into the hole in the tyre. It's easier with the tyre off the car as you can get a good angle to work at and get some weight behind it. With the tyre on the car it seems to me to be near impossible. So for that reason I'd also suggest making sure you have a jack and wheel wrench too which was my mistake last time and partly why I've been pondering all this stuff. Don't forget some means of inflating the tyre too. It still annoys me that spare wheels are becoming a thing of the past. What used to be a 30 minute inconvenience can now turn into a 12 hour nightmare. A repair kit at least gives you hope!

[Gad-Westy]

CheesecakeRunner said:

Christ, it’s 2024, not 1904.

Indeed. If it was 1904 I’d probably have a spare wheel.

In all seriousness my Mazda is 33 years old. Silly little things can go wrong and I’d feel like a right tit if I had to wait several hours for a yellow van to turn up with a screwdriver!

[Gad-Westy]

rambo19 said:

Whatever you carry in the boot, you need to know how to use it.........

Erm, well yes obviously.