in-car toolbox/repair kit

S

seionage

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Oct 3, 2010
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Just wondering what you guys might keep/recommend for a toolbox in a car? I'm not looking for a bugout bag, or something like that. Just something that gets me from the side of the road, to home or the nearest town (when I'm traveling).

Here's is the current list:

1)Small socket set english and metric
2)2 sets of small channel locks
3)2 cresent wrenches
4)Tire plug kit
5)silicone tape (x-treme tape)
6) Fix-a-flat
7) file
8) vise grips
9) tow strap
10) gloves
11) hose clamps + hose repair kit
12) flashlight
13) tire iron + quality jack
14) fuses
15) JB Weld
16) Flat screw driver (short + long)
17) Phillips screw driver (short + long)
18) Jumper cables
19) 12v Air Pump
20) Duct Tape

Any other suggestions?
 
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All sounds pretty good. I would add a file, assortment of vise grips and fix a flat in a can. I also am a stickler for quality stuff. That said, all my car tools are all walmart and harbor freight knockoffs. Never really use them and the chance of them getting stolen is too great to buy nice stuff. I like the stanley stuff at walmart. Anything else I cant find I fill in at harbor freight. Oh and a cheap cigarett lighter air pump has saved me a few times. If I am traveling off paved roads or a long way from home I usually carry my battery jumper pack as well and always have jumper cables. Infact my offroad box has a few sets of jumper cables, you can join them together and use an arc welding rod to make a weld that could get ya home.
 
I have a cheap tool kit, tow strap, fix a flat, 12v inflater, jumper cables, emergency poncho, gloves.
 
Most of the stuff has already been listed but I would add to that quality tire iron and hydraulic jack. I can't stand the gear that comes with new cars.

Scott
 
Your car will likely be metric or standard, (although there are a few that are mixed...) I'd get just the right type, (make sure you get the right size range, as some cars may have really tiny or really huge bolts for no apparent reason) a set of the same flat combination wrenches. 12V test light, Fuses to fit your car, and a couple spare bulbs (Every set I've seen has had really weird sets, so I suggest you buy your own. no point in finding out too late that your fuses are not the right rating.)
if you are going to get channel locks, I recommend buying the best you can, as cheap channels are the worst tool to work with then you are tired or stressed. I prefer the "parrot beak" style, as they grip bolts better.
also a spare key socket if your car has any locking lug nuts or whatever.

other than that, it all comes down to your mechanical skills, carry what your comfortable with
 
Remember Karmic Prophylaxis -the more often you carry tools, the less you're likely to need them
When you do work on your vehicle, use the kit you have in your car. That way you get used to your tools, you find out what's going to break, and you find out what tools you still have to add to your kit.
 
Hose repair kits are handy and hose clamps (they usually come with it). Air compressors are key if you have to air down your tires. A spare fuel filter is also handy if you have in line filters.

Oh yeah, JB Weld
 
I have...

Stupid long jumper cables
fix-a-flat
A little air compressor that runs off the 12v plug-in. Works good, just really slow on full size tires.
Flashlight
Fire extinguisher (the firefighter in me)
Duct tape
Basic socket set
flat and phillips head drivers


I also have a jack taken from an old pontiac to replace the one my Jetta has. Jetta uses the scissor type of jack which I have seen slip on on a few occasions... no thanks.
 
Thanks all!

I updated the list above. What 12V pump would you recommend? All the ones I've seen, are dubious to me. I think: "would I really want to be broke down, at night, in the rain, with no cell service, with one of those?"
 
+1 on buying good channel locks. I don't know how many times I've been frustrated with elcheapo channel locks. Same goes for cresent wrenches. Nothing like having them slip on you, because of a sloppy knuckle.
 
That is a rather thorough toolbox.

I carry a nice tool bag. I often use these tools to great results... just not on the car. In all the years, aside from flat tires (in the city, you can usually just use a 12V air pump to get you to the nearest Les Schwab. Otherwise, swap in the spare.) I have only once done a field-repair on the car, I taped up a leaking hose.

Always carry hose tape.

Check out your car's tire-changing tools. The first time I had a flat in my old Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme (the perfect car for a knife collector, eh?) I discovered that the factory-issues lug nut wrench was made of bent sheet metal and was hopeless. I had to call a tow truck just to get the lug nuts off. You can get that my first stop was to buy a 1/2" socket wrench and the appropriate deep socket. I later found that there are only a few common sizes of lug nuts and so I bought sockets for those and carried them. These were excellent when helping others.

Carry simple work gloves, a good tire pressure gauge.

That's about it for fixing the car.

But I often use my car-based tool set for other things.
 
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I've been stuck in a mountain pass, with no cell service, on a dirt gravel road. The only thing that saved me was my tire plug kit + can of fix-a-flat. 2 days ago, a buddy of mine just broke down in NM with a cracked radiator hose. He didn't have any hose tape. I figured that was a warning enough to update the tool kit.

Thanks for all the great suggestions. With the exception of a few larger items, all of these tools should fit in a tool bag, behind the truck seat.
 
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Forgot to add ear protection. Because if your wife is with you, your fault or not, she's going to be giving you the business. Not my bride, but I understand others can be like that. :)

Scott
 
Might be a given, but substitute JB Kwik for the regular stuff. Sets in minutes instead of hours.

Maybe throw in some fire. A cheap blowtorch with a soldering tip might be nice. Electrical solder and flux for electrical repair. Have extra fuses and relays on hand.

Another handy thing to have is an air pig. They're great for filling a tire after a slow leak, and they're reusable. I don't have much experience with jumper packs, but those can be a life-saver, too.

Maybe get some WD-40 or Liquid Wrench for stubborn lug nuts. And a nice long cheater pipe.

Having extra fluids on hand is smart. Oil and antifreeze are the big one IMO.
 
Just something to keep in mind, in my experience, JB quik is less heat resistant than the regular stuff. You could also go for something like quick-steel putty, but I don't know about shelf life on that stuff.

When you are looking at air pumps, look for max pressure (if the max is only 32PSI and you drive a truck......) Also look at the CFM rating to compare filling speed. The one I bought for my car had a lower CFM but higher max pressure of the two I was looking at. you will spend a bit to get a decent one, but when you walk out of the house in the morning for work and see a slow flat, you'll be glad you did. The one I got also had a little LED flood on it, which was alright, I didn't need it, but more light is always better than less.

Above all know your car. Talk to your local shop about the model, find out if they have any odd quirks. did you know that some early 2000s model Chevys won't start with 10v in the battery? the computer won't boot, and won't trigger the starter. takes the barest bit to boost them, so it seems like a starter problem, but in reality, you just need a battery. Do you know how to prime your fuel system if you run dry? some cars you just cycle the key a couple of times before you start, but not all. Little things that can make you the hero when the car "breaks" heck, even having the haynes tech-book to look through while sitting on the side of the road can help.
 
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