How to Deal with Car Emergencies, Page 3 of 3
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First aid supplies for your vehicle
See Figures 7 and 8 Many of the little problems that can disable a vehicle along the roadway can be taken care of by the driver if he has some simple tool or some little thing like a piece of tape or wire. You don't have to be a mechanic to fix many of the little things that can go wrong. Your vehicle's fan belt may become loose because the bolt holding the alternator in position became loose; this would be reflected by the warning light on your dashboard indicating that the alternator is not charging. A wire may become disconnected, a tailpipe hanger may break, and so on. The following is a list of some of the things you can carry in your trunk or glove compartment that you may find useful from time to time:
Figure 7 You should keep a variety of emergency equipment in your vehicle.
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Figure 8 More emergency items to keep in your vehicle.
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Necessary emergency items: A checklist Glove compartment - The names, addresses, and telephone number of someone to call in an emergency.
- Spare fuses for the electrical system.
- A good flashlight with reliable batteries.
- An ice scraper for winter driving.
- A pocket knife.
Trunk - Spare tire (with enough air in it).
- Can of tire sealant.
- Fire extinguisher.
- First aid kit.
- Jack and lug wrench for changing tires.
- Flares or reflective day/night devices.
Very useful items - An empty can to carry gasoline (if you run out of gas) and a plastic jug of water (if your engine boils over and you lose your coolant)
Never carry gasoline in your trunk -- this is very dangerous and frequently illegal! - Pliers -- useful for tightening clamps, small nuts that may work loose, and twisting wires
- Screwdrivers -- several sizes, including a Phillips head
- Adjustable wrench or small set of open-end wrenches-to tighten nuts and bolts that may have worked loose
- Electrical and duct tape -- to repair broken or frayed wires and to temporarily stop small leaks in a hose until you can get to a service facility
- Wire -- to temporarily hold a muffler or tailpipe in place if one of the hangers breaks or falls off
- Rags -- to dry up your distributor or wet wires if your engine is drowned out in heavy rain or high water
- Battery jumper cables -- to get your vehicle started if your battery is weak, especially in the winter
- Piece of sandpaper -- useful for cleaning dirty battery terminals when the vehicle won't start
- Bottle of engine oil -- nice to have when the oil light comes on and you're far from a service station
Other useful items - Air compressor (cigarette lighter plug-in type) -- to use when one of your tires has developed a slow leak and you'd rather drive to a service station to have it changed than do it yourself
- Plastic sheets -- for changing a tire in the rain or if you have to get under the vehicle to check something
For winter driving - Tire chains
- A small shovel -- to help you get out of ruts and snow banks
- A small bag of sand or traction mats -- to throw under the wheels for better traction if you are stuck in ice or snow
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©1998 W. G. Nichols - Chilton's Easy Car Care
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