Your breakdown repair kit

[arsonist]

Not sure if there's already a thread floating about for this, had a look and can't find one, so I shall ask.

What spare kit and tools do you all keep in your cars for that ever possible roadside breakdown? I'm looking to put together a few of the most basic and necessary tools plus spare parts that have a tendency to go pop at the wrong time. 

So what's lurking in your boot for those 'ahhhh curse word' occasions?

[dodgerover]

Socket set, spanners, jubilee clips, wire & connectors, duct and insulating tape, tow rope, jumper leads, rags, water dispersant spray, screwdrivers, dizzy cap, long plug lead, spare plugs, fan belt, breaker bar, length of scaf pole, first aid kit.

[darrenh]

one of these with a couple of AF combos (oh and posidrive screw driver)

www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Ex-Military-Land-Rover-Tool-Roll-Kit-in-Tool-Wrap-Complete-3R6D-/141669809929?hash=item20fc2dbf09:g:myIAAOxy9tpSC36u

triple lift shelley jack, breaker bar with socket for wheel nuts (standard braces are junk), wheel chock, hi vis, rags, tow strop, bow shackles, zip ties, gaffer tape, bag of electric wire off cuts, suede gloves, jump leads,

never used any of it in 7 years, apart from zipties around some wires in the office.

[Wilk]

Jump leads, Tyre inflator and AA card

[Botedly]

I feel my emergency tool kit is excessive, but it's mainly to aid friends at car shows that insist on running newfangled things like injection and turbos...

I currently travel with a small toolbox with the following tools:
- Breaker bar
- Full 1/2" socket set
- Full 3/8" socket set
- 6mm - 22mm Combination spanner set
- Pliers
- Wire cutters/strippers/crimping tool
- Various Amp Wire reels
- Cable/hose cutters
- Spare 10mm, 8mm & 6mm ID fuel hose
- Various fuses
- Various jubilee clips
- Various electrical terminals
- Full set of Hex Keys
- Various screw drivers

That's all I can think of off the top of my head. It's more than enough, but it's come in handy more than enough to warrant carrying it all.

You can't really go wrong with just the following though:
- Breaker Bar
- What ever 1/2" socket needed for your wheel nuts
- Decent 3/8" socket set
- Varied sizes of combination spanners

[Botedly]

Helps to be enrolled with The AA or something of the like too

[deano123]

My phone

[keithyboy]

I have breakdown cover and crossed fingers these days.

My wife keeps a comprehensive toolkit in hers. A couple years ago I was trundling down the M61 having picked my daughter up from work in her car. As it was quite late, I was doing 70ish as you do when the motorway is quiet and there's beer waiting at home. I glanced at the temperature gauge and noticed the needle rapidly heading towards the red. I got off the motorway and stopped on the hard shoulder of the nearest slip road.

When I opened the bonnet all I could see was steam coming from the front of the engine. I always have water in the boot of my cars so I opened the boot to find an empty 2 litre diet coke bottle, a torch with no batteries, and a tiny bottle of this stuff:



I couldn't use the torch on my phone to search for a leak as the battery was about dead and I needed to call for help, so we sat blowing bubbles and waiting for the breakdown company for nearly an hour.

[discostew38]

When I was younger I used to take loads of stuff with me in the boot
But nowadays having more than one car I only take my RAC membership with me
Generally if it stops working its most likely to be something that can't be fixed at the road side
I do tool up if I go abroad because you can't rely on the breakdown services

[froggy]

The more curse word you carry the less likely you are to fix stuff before it goes wrong , I don't carry anything other than a few cable ties, couple of screwdrivers and gaffer tape . Makes me more proactive about maintenance .

[welshpug]

a phone and a wallet, and a phone charger!

as well as the standard toolkit.

[dodgerover]

I work on the assumption if it not a pain to carry then better to have the tools and not need them rather than not have them when you really do need them.
Touch wood other than a screwdriver and a fuse I haven't needed any for my own vehicles while out and about for a long time, I have got numerous other people out of trouble though - hopefully they may remember and help out somebody else themselves another time.

[georgeb]

I carry everything I've got!

Applied to join the mighty Automobile Association of the Philippines oooh, let me see, last October. Had an acknowledgement and nothing since! As a consequence, I figure I'm on my own, so a full kit for mechanical and electrical repairs along with the Nanocom reader. If I'm going out of town, I throw the bits that I've not yet replaced (water pump, belt tensioner and stuff) in the back as well.

And it gets a service every 3,000km as a minimum as well.

Another reason for carting all this around is that if you do break down within hailing distance of a "garage" you'll need to use your tools anyway, as they won't have them.

[richr]

Jun 30, 2016 13:08:35 GMT deano123 said:

My phone

Same as that

Been in the RAC since 1985 so just let them sort it or just take me home

I'm to old now to be farting around on the side of the road

[The Jackeria]

Personally, enough stuff to sort a flat tyre, a few cable ties, some hard drying glue/sealant, torch and phone, I like to be underneath my car often and it barely goes anywhere so doesn't really have an excuse to break. With my vespas first MOT in at least a decade tomorrow and it being completely built by me I'll be bringing a full tool roll with all sizes of spanner and socket from 6-17, flat and Philips in medium size, spare spark plug and headlight bulb, insulation tape and different jets for the first 500-1000miles at least.

My other half on the other hand carries with her in her 07 plate polo. Two pairs of wellies, rubber gloves, a foot pump, torch, blanket, high vis, spare jumper and coat, 3 empty bottles which I presume she means to fill with water at some point, all this I can sort of understand if we lived somewhere snowy and life threatening, also if she drove further than 10 miles at a time however... no tools. So she'll be stranded, but stranded in relative comfort I guess. Her car has let her down once, the most valuable tool she had was her phone to ring me, I then went on to tell her to carry on driving till she got home less than 5 mins away, she was willing to sit and wait for a recovery truck, I'm sure you people would limp a car home on three cylinders right?

[skinnylew]

I have a big box of stuff required for work so a few extra bits doesn't hurt:
Cable ties of varying thickness (work related as well so free!)
Disposable gloves and working gloves of various types (free work related)
Extendable wheel brace
Basic tool cheap tool kit (plastic ratchet, small hex/tots/flathead/crosshead pieces)
2 x Thick hi vis coat (1 x clean one for site, 1 x dirty one for laying on the ground)
2x4 Block of wood
Bottles of oil/psf/water
Hand cleaner
Scarf/beanie
Tennis ball (entertainment)
Old magazine or 2 (see above)

Theres probably more but that's the essentials

[joem83]

Jump leads, electric tyre pump and a AA card. Oh and a can of oil as my car is constantly changing its own oil...

[sal]

RAC card and mobile phone in my daily driver. If it breaks I'm happy for it to be recovered home where I'll sort it out.

If I go out in one of my older cars I'll take a few tools and fluids with me but again if it goes wrong I'll get it recovered and deal with it at home.

Touch wood I've not had to use RAC and long may that continue.

[rbs]

I drive a Toyota so don't need to carry any tools

[sarkie83]

I'm other one in the - few cable ties and some tape, phone and AA. Only other addition is an extendible wheel brace as it makes wheel changes much easier.
And a bottle of water in the Capri!