What spares do/should you keep in your car

mustang68

tyney mentioned this in another thread about what you keep in your boot.....

"is that a band wagon.....wait for me, I'm going to jump on"

I keep, spare belts, wheel, jack, cable, small tool kit, gaffer tape, water, AA Card!!

overdriver

6 litres of Tesco vegetable oil ( in case I run out somewhere down the country) trolley jack, socket set, funnel.

This is my Hiace, by the way, which is currently running on pure vege oil.

I haven't picked up my classic yet.

Blue850

Spare distributor, handiest way to carry cap,rotor arm, points and condensor. Fuel pump diaphragm, fanbelts, fuses, bulbs, jump leads and if all else fails tow rope, oh and reusable big cable ties, once held the dynamo on with them.:)

1275gt

20 litres of Halfords 20w50 oil a collection of oily rags from around the world, a multi spanner from my sisters old triumph 20 push bike and a can of carlsberg under the spare tyre for fesitval emergencies

1275gt

Blue850 wrote:

Spare distributor

bloody good idea man :eek:

Blue850

On a similar note, whats the best/ most inventive roadside repair you've carried out?, Mine has to be on the brothers Hornet whose exhaust snapped off just after the downpipe, luckily I was in the Triumph 2000, which is so unreliable I practically had the whole garage in the boot. Jacked up the hornet, bought a can of Coke, drank it, hacksawed off two ends of can ,slipped it over 2 ends of pipe and jubilee clipped it together, got the car all the way from Roscommon to Galway, bit fumey though

ianobrien

The spares include Coil, HT Leads, Points, Condenser, Dissy Cap.
The toolkit has Tow rope, disposable gloves, torch, lenghts of wire, assorted connectors, wire stripper, cable ties, insulation tape, WD40, reversible screwdriver, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14 & 15mm open & ring spanners, Jack, wheelbrace, Oil & Water

And for roadside repairs, a warning triangle & safety vest.

All of this is kept in a boot organiser wrapped up and tied with a bungie cord. The size of this bundle is about the size of a small ham.

We will probably add a fan belt and some bulbs to the kit shortly

ianobrien

The best roadside repair that I heard of was in a Fiesta Rally Car. The engine mounts broke, so the crew placed the jack on the strut brace, Rope from the top of the jack around the engine, raising the engine. Then, pieces of timber were placed on the sumpguard. The engine was lowered on to the wood, tied onto the strut brace and the car finished the rally that way, with wood holding the engine up!

I have been luckly so far, and the only roadside repair that I have had to do was to replace a bolt tensioning the alternator with another that I found on the side of the road, next to where the car stopped!

Abelloid

The best roadside repair I have witnessed was my fathers Citroen CX that had his necktie attached to the throttle arm when the cable snapped,
the tie was just long enough to reach the drivers window....You get the picture
he drove from Palmerstown to Glasnevin like this :rolleyes:

Henry Ford III

I carry most of what you guys have mentioned, plus throttle and clutch cables and a toolkit which cost £25 from Argos some years ago.

My only roadside repair was early one morning, going over a bump when the engine just died. Turned over fine but wouldn't start.

The lead going to the coil had detached and I burnt my arms searching around for the problem in the dimlight.

I now carry a torch too.

corktina

just an AA card.....

Lyre61

Distributor Cap,Rotor, and two points cassettes (cause the SM needs two sets) Spark plugs, tool kit, jump leads and the AA card.

junkyard

I can't believe nobody carries a fire extinguisher, I was on a run in the U.K. a few years ago and a beautiful Bentley caught fire, which had just been restored after five years, and nobody had a fire extinguisher. By the time any help arrived the fire was well under way. Ever since I always carry two just incase.

corktina

had an extinguisher when my capri went up.....useless.....got some satisfaction throwing it into the blaze though....

in my experience you rarely have the part/tools you need.....i do carry a Black Sabbath CD though to play if the exhaust starts blowing....:)

Squirrel

MR2 - Wheel, and stuff for doing the wheel, if anything else went wrong it would probably be an engine out job, so not much point. And a First Aid Kit, which I think is pretty important.

Blue850

I always have a fire extinguisher, had to use one once on a Triumph 2000. I also have the toolbox in the front but this is used as ballast against crosswinds;)

240Z

Just the Carole Nash breakdown card.
Fire extinguisher - that's a good idea. l have one for the kitchen.

JohnnySideburns

When Lidl and Aldi have car accessories in, I usually stock up. What I've collected so far includes a car fire extinguisher, an emergency breakdown kit (luminous jacket, road sign and gloves), a towing bar (as opposed to a tow rope), a plug in the cig lighter air compressor, spare wipers and a complete set of car bulbs.

Esel

ianobrien wrote:

I have been luckly so far, and the only roadside repair that I have had to do was to replace a bolt tensioning the alternator with another that I found on the side of the road, next to where the car stopped!

Are you sure that wasn't the original bolt that just dropped off at that point?

mustang68

My fire extinguiser was nearly used today as I waited for the smoke to die down and had it in my hand. You need a fire extinguiser.

ianobrien

esel wrote:

Are you sure that wasn't the original bolt that just dropped off at that point?

Fairly sure, as I was travelling at 55mph in the middle lane of the South Link in Cork. I pulled over to the hard shoulder and I saw the bolt on the side of the road, against the crash barrier. The repair held long enough for me to get home. The other bolt sheared on the drive at home, but that's another story!

corktina

when i was first engaged many many many years ago I gave my Imp to my (now) wife.....she came in one day and told me the fan belt had come off, (alloy engine!!!!) but it was Ok because she had found it and put it back on..........

how,? with out tools, not possible. says I......didnt need tools she said.....went to look and belt was off a truck or at least something MUCH bigger than an Imp....still it got her home, bless her..

..One of her friends had a puncture once and the only tools she had to change the wheel were a knife and fork I KID U NOT!!!! (Blonde of course...) she actually got the hubcap off......!!!!!