In almost every new car, apart from a jack and wrench for flat tire changes, you will find a basic tool kit which the manufacturer had supplied. The tools in these kits are ones which can help solve relatively simple malfunctions which may occur in any motor vehicle.
Some car owners find that the tool kits provided by the manufacturers are not exactly spot on and that they encounter situations in which they needed tools that were not supplied in the kit. Other times as tools kit are used over the years, some tools seem to disappear from them and should be replaced.
In this blog post we describe situations which you can quite easily solve by yourself if you make sure in advance to have the necessary tools handy.
Flat Tire Changes
many of us prefer to call in a professional roadside assistance service when we need to have a flat tire replaced, but even if you are not among those who know they’ll change a flat tire by themselves it is still a good idea to have the necessary tools in your vehicle. What you need in order to perform a flat tire change is a flat head screw driver (for getting hubcaps off), a jack (to lift up the side of the car on which the flat tire is) and a wrench (to undo and redo the bolts holding the tire in place). It is a good idea to do a trial run just to make sure all of the items listed above work properly and that they are of the right type for your car.
Electric Malfunctions
Most modern cars are very reliable, at least as long as they are cared for properly, but small malfunctions may still occur. Also, there are many light bulbs used in every car, some serving a more important purpose than others (headlight bulbs for instance). Light bulbs burn out from time to time and it is not too difficult to change them if you have the right spare bulb, a screw driver (both flat head and cross head) and a pair of pliers.
Battery Jump Starts
If you’ve somehow drained your battery you can perform a flat battery jump start if you have jumper cables or a portable jump starter. You may also need a screw driver and wrenches of several sizes (or two adjustable ones) in order to gain access to the battery poles.
Other tools you may find you need and so are good to have in your car’s tool kit are an exacto knife, a flash light, a bright yellow vest and work gloves.
