Tools You'll Always Want in Your Car

Let’s begin with a harsh truth about driving: at some point, something will go wrong.  Whether it’s a fender bender or one of your hoses cracking, nearly all drivers will eventually encounter some form of problem on the road.

To be exact, insurance companies claim you’ll file an accident claim every 17.9 years.  And this isn’t including all the car trouble and breakdowns in between.

Thankfully, these events don’t need to be some terrible incident.  By keeping the right tools and items in your car, you can remove much of the rage and trouble that comes with car problems. 

So are you ready to discover how to quickly ease any car trouble without spending copious amounts of money?  Then join us as we discuss the must-have tools in any car.

Duct Tape

First things first.  Duct tape is awesome.  No, we’re not joking here.

As a whole, duct tape really does function as the Swiss army knife of car tools.  Its usage is truly limited to your own resourcefulness.

Don’t believe us? Then here are a few examples of the stuff duct tape can do for your car:

• Duct tape works as a temporary fix to any bumper damage. If you need to quickly and cheaply secure loose pieces, duct tape will do the trick

• Temporary fix to any cracked or broken hoses. While duct tape might not be a permanent solution here, it will secure these parts until you get to a body shop.

• Remove shards of glass from a broken window. Duct tape will keep your hands safe from cuts or injury.

• Quick relief to injury. If you ever cut yourself while driving, duct tape will act as a makeshift bandage should you need it.

• Repair and hold any trim damage. If you ever hit road debris or get in a fender-bender, duct tape will do the trick to hold together any car parts until you reach a repair shop.

Of course, the above is far from an exhaustive list of everything duct tape will do for you.  The point here is that duct tape is pretty amazing when it comes to utility.  In fact, you might have a harder time trying to think of the car problems duct tape won’t solve.

Zip Ties

These work pretty similar to duct tape above.  If your car receives any mild damage, these plastic ties will temporarily solve a plethora of problems.

For example, if you need to quickly seal a vacuum hose to drive from the Oregon border to Seattle, zip ties can work as your solution.

When driving down the road, has your license plate ever fallen off your car?  In situations like this, twist ties will quickly remount your plates in an extremely short amount of time.

As a whole, you’ll find very few limits with zip ties.  Even better—they’re super affordable.  So you can’t go wrong by keeping a few in your car.

Cell Phone and Charger

Most Americans will probably bring their mobile phones with them wherever they go.  But the big problem is not carrying the phone itself, it’s ensuring that it stays charged.  You’ll want to keep a charger of some form in your car.

Honestly, there’s plenty of situations where a cell phone is useful.  In emergencies, you can make calls and get help quick.  For those times you forgot the tricks your dad taught you for changing a tire, you can always consult Google—so long as your phone has reception.

Much like everything else on this list, we could go on for hours about the situations where a cell phone is helpful.  So take our advice and keep your phone charged.

Jumper Cables

It might be hard to imagine how that tiny box under the hood of your car does so much to keep your car running, but you’ll fully see how this works when that battery dies. 

In these cases, jumper cables will save the day.  They’re quite easy to use as well.  It’s simply knowing which clips to attach to which terminal. 

Jumper cables might not be the cheap fix to a battery replacement, but they will give you enough power to drive to the nearest repair shop.

Tire Inflator/ Sealer

Leaky tires are never fun.  In fact, who ever enjoyed puncturing their tire from hitting road debris?  The quick answer is no one!

The quick fix here is tire sealer.  It might not be as effective as replacing your tire altogether, but it will allow you to drive a short distance so that you can safely attach a spare. 

Even better is that these tire sealers are also cheap, so you might as well buy a bottle for your car.

Tire Pressure Gauge

This affordable tool lets you know when you’ve filled your tires with enough air.

While this might not sound like the most exciting of tools, you’d be surprised what the right amount of tire pressure will do for your car.

Too much pressure leads to rough rides and uneven wear on your tires.  This means you’ll be replacing your wheels far more often.

Too little pressure results in shoulder wear.  This prevents your tires from rolling as smoothly.  As a result, you get reduced gas mileage.

Checking your tire pressure will save you money in the long run.  Thus pressure gauges are great tools to keep inside your car for those times you stop at a gas station to refill your tires.

First Aid Kit

This one mostly speaks for itself.  Injuries happen. It’s nice to have some Band-Aids, tape, gauze, and antiseptic creams around.

Keep in mind that this won’t always be for you and your passengers.  Sometimes, you might spot other drivers or pedestrians who need assistance.  A first aid kit is definitely something that’s nice to keep around.

Food and Water

You never know when your car will break down a few hours away from any populated town or city.  It’s nice to have some food around for any lengthy waits.

The most popular choices here are protein bars and MREs.  They aren’t messy or perishable, so they’re easy to store in your car.

As far as water goes--you don’t want to dehydrate.  Keeping some water bottles in your car is a great idea.  Just be wary of cold or hot days.  You don’t want your water freezing or becoming so hot that it’s undrinkable.

Reflective Triangles

Sometimes, you’ll need to pull over to the side of a bustling highway as a result of an accident or quick car repair. 

In these cases, you’ll want other cars to stay clear of you.  This is where reflective triangles come in handy.  Three will be enough to alert any cars of your presence on the side of the road.

Tool Kit

Tools kits are great to keep in your car—especially if they come with a variety of sockets and screwdrivers.

You never know when stuff under your hood will loosen, so keeping a tool kit around is great for a quick repair.

Tow Straps

You never know when you’ll need a tow, and there’s no guarantee the truck towing will have straps available.  It’s not a bad idea to buy some straps that will support the weight of your car.