The routine carrying of tools in-car?

[Aston Martin]

I'm amazed at the amount of you that have breakdown cover.

Most policies it’s free? I think I get some kind of cover with Churchill.

[captain_70s]

The Doloshite has my cantilever toolbox (contents aided to start the Green Goddess at SF18) which contains a selection of screwdrivers, pliers, spanners, cable ties, string, various nuts, bolts and washers. Also carries a set of Imperial spanners and my socket set, a breaker bar, brake fluid, coolant, water and 20w50 mineral oil.

 

This lot gets transfered to the Acclaim for long trips. As default this only carries a screwdriver (to open the fuel cap), a set of Metric spanners, brake fluid, 15w40 oil, coolant and water.

 

The Civic contains everything else as I use it as a shed.

 

I don't have breakdown cover...

[Guest Hooli]

Most policies it’s free? I think I get some kind of cover with Churchill.

 

Not with any policy I've ever had on a car.

[Shirley Knott]

My current flock are 14, 17 and 22 so prime breakdown material and yet unless it's a longer trip (100 miles+) I never bother.

 

TBH after longish tenures with the Golf and Lupo and time invested getting them in good shape I know them inside out. I'd happily jump in them and drive anywhere without worrying about having to fix things at the side of the road, the 940, not so much...

[sierraman]

You would have to be mad to consider a toolkit in the boot as an alternative to breakdown cover. I hear people go all the time, my husband's a mechanic that's why we don't have breakdown cover. My rhetoric to that is "Can he swap the clutch on your Discovery on the hard shoulder of the M5 then?"

[Dead_E23]

It's worth investigating what tools you need to get into the fuse box of any vaguely modern car, or to change a bulb, as they are designed to make you boil with rage.

 

My V70's fusebox needed a torx screwdriver to undo the lid, and I think the Mondeo that replaced it needs them too.  I guess the idea is that most people will pay a main dealer (or wait two hours on a rain swept hard shoulder) to have fuses 'professionally' changed, and unless the lid was secured with special fasteners they might be tempted to take an insane gamble and attempt the job themselves.  

 

The other tool I like to carry is an bluetooth OBDII reader so I can pass the time attempting to pair it with my phone.

[sierraman]

I find those sort of lids bust off quite easily if you are desperate. I'd stick my cock in a blender before I paid someone to change a fuse at £120 an hour or whatever the hell it costs at the dealers.

[stuboy]

i carry just enough

[Dead_E23]

...but this was a Volvo fusebox, with stiffening ribs in the lid. There were probably corresponding weak points engineered into the body of the box so they could take their revenge at the parts counter if you made a crazy DIY fuse changing attempt.

 

Anyway, I cheated fate by purchasing a kwality Rolson torx ratchet screwdriver from Maplin.  It even came handy the other week when my brother asked me to investigate his screwed dishwasher!

[tobyd]

I stopped carrying anything in my old octavia since there wasn't anything i could fix roadside even on a rubbish VAG group car from 2000. There were enough fuses in non-essential circuits to swap in if it came to it but beyond that everything was a replacement part.

 

carried a few bits and pieces in my two volvo 300s but they had tameable analogue parts you could fix by the roadside. an old but working HT lead and used but working spark plug, last years dizzy cap and rotor arm and a cheapo socket set gave me a bit of reassurance. the alternator bracket doubled up as its tensioner so a spanner on that might you off the battery light? dead renix ignition box was dead car though.

 

I'm a snake though because I did buy a £9 special am-tech socket and driver set the other day to make up a kit for my bike but even then I can't think of many FTPs I can fix by the side of the road that doesn't involve a spare part...

[sierraman]

Irony is the Octavia would do 250k without a moments thought.

[tobyd]

The derv ones do seem to last forever. The early petrol ones, like mine, weren't so hot.

 

That said the thing never broke down.

 

I think only one volvo only Ftp'd once and thats because the ignition box blew up. £25 later it worked again until it was bridged.

 

the other volvo kettled itself. amongst other, most electrical, issues.

[Laseraligningfoofooflanges]

The E39 has a basic tool kit with pliers wheel brace screwdriver some spanners etc. That and some jump leads.

 

Thats it.

[Junkman]

I'm amazed at the amount of you that have breakdown cover.

 

True dat.

Paying outright for fhe few times in life I actually broke down would have cost a fraction of the breakdown club membership fees.

[Kiltox]

I find those sort of lids bust off quite easily if you are desperate. I'd stick my cock in a blender before I paid someone to change a fuse at £120 an hour or whatever the hell it costs at the dealers.

Reminds me of the Scenic II owners manual

 

“The under bonnet fuse box is not user serviceable. Contact a Renault dealer”

 

Not even joking.

[Aston Martin]

I just wanted to check my Churchill details... Poor Pluriel.

[Faker]

I'm a total loser. I've too many tools in the boot. I'll take pics tomorrow

[catsinthewelder]

I carry a small toolbag for work with sockets and spanners in which lives in the car and is used occasionally. Most of it made the trip to BG where it was used daily. I have free recovery cover with my insurance but last used it when I had the BX.

[New POD]

I'm amazed at the amount of you that have breakdown cover.

I used mine last year when the piston popped out of a rear caliper of the MV6.

Apparently the fact that the disk is vented is not something that most motor factors know.

[sierraman]

What and you didn't have the tools and parts to mend it at the roadside!?!?

[Guest Hooli]

True dat.

Paying outright for fhe few times in life I actually broke down would have cost a fraction of the breakdown club membership feew.

 

That's my view on it too.I've got cover on the bike as it's free with the insurance but only tend to use it for punctures too bad for repair kits to fix, almost everything else I can get home somehow.

[pauldoubleyou]

Ive got a breaker bar, two scissor jacks, one of those screwdrivers you can swap the shaft over on and a bottle of water

 

But then when you drive a Volvo.. you dont need any lol

 

(shh dont say anything, itll break)

[Exiled_Tat_Gatherer]

I've recently upgraded to a trolley jack and pair of axle stands in the boot - along with a small selection of screwdrivers, sockets and wrench.... one rubber mallet and lump hammer.

Having the cars in 3 different locations I always had stuff in the wrong place. Now most work* is covered.......

 

No breakdown cover either...... but I'm stupid!

[Talbot]

I carry a random assortment of tools, but only really because I use them for work, and can't be arsed to empty the car on a regular basis. I've had a few times when I've broken down at the side of the road I've been able to fix it and keep going, but in general the FTP's I've suffered in the past have been not roadside repairable by anyone, so recovery is the ony option. I'd go for commercial recovery these days due to family etc, but in the past being friends with someone who had a large flatbed car transporter trailer has been *remarkably* helpful, not only for me, but also when he's FTP'd and I've been able to go and collect his trailer, and then collect him.

 

That said, the RAC have been completely fucking useless when Mrs. T's Bling has FTP'd on us, and I've had to do the recovery myself.

[Captain Furious]

I just carry an extendable wheel brace after an incident a couple of years ago where I couldn't get the wheel off with the standard wheel brace because some cunt (me) had done them up way too tight.  Luckily I was in the work car park so it wasn't a big deal

 

I see breakdown cover as essential as insurance to be honest.  Especially if you do a lot of motorway miles.  Even if it is something you could usually fix yourself like a puncture, on the hard shoulder of a motorway all bets are off, especially if it is traffic side, I'm calling the AA man.

[MikeR]

I have a big pair of pound shop false tits and a maids skirt in the boot , by the time a chap stops to help the damsel in distress ....  its too late !!!

[Captain Furious]

Do people still do that?  I'd be too afraid of setting off your rape alarm or being accused of assuming your gender and that you needed my help

 

Eyes straight ahead and keep on drivin'..

[UltraWomble]

Small socket set (needed to access the battery) - tester wire/bulb thing - gaffer tape - bulbs - tyre compressor - puncture kit ( the type that you can dig nails out with and replace them with rubbery worms) - snow socks. The wheel brace is a better one than stock too ( one you can jump up and down on to loosen the bolts without it snapping). Oh and some rigger gloves.

[Guest Hooli]

I never bother with a better wheel brace, as I always smear my wheel bolts with copper slip & retorque them myself after tyre monkeys have tried to rotate the earth with them as a pivot.

[Asimo]

In defence of breakdown cover - worth every penny if it stops me having to rush out at midnight to rescue mrs Asimo with a flat tyre or flat battery or some other motoring event which would be trivia to me but a crisis for her. All of which has happened to her and so she places a high value on the peace of mind she gets from easy access to breakdown service. Breakdown cover also includes recovery, once trucking her Rover back from Penzance which would have been a serious bill without the cover.