[Samfromindia]

After getting a car, most people wonder which accessory to buy first or what modifications to make. For most it may either be a seat cover, upgraded ICE, better headlights, premium floor mats, chrome and more chrome to name a few. However most people miss to carry the essential items which may save them from a nasty situation and cost less than what a branded 3D mat will do. Lets list out the essential stuff which everyone must keep in the boot of the car they are driving. I am assuming the driver is carrying all the necessary documents needed to drive in India: http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/indian...d-carried.html and didn't remove the essential things given by the manufacturer like Spare Tyre, Toolkit having Jack and Warning triangle. Ford also gave me a pouch kept in glove box having basic first aid kit and two spare bulbs & fuses.



Tow Rope
Useful for all the sticky situations that can happen many a times in ones life. It may be due to some soft-roading gone bad or accidentally getting stuck somewhere. Its always easier and faster to have a friend's car pulling you out rather than calling roadside assistance.

Puncture Repair Kit
Cost only a few hundred, will prove useful in case Tyre is totally flat and help is not at hand.



Tyre Inflator
This with the puncture repair kit is a DIY fix for flat tyres due to puncture. Can also be used to check tyre pressure & top up air if necessary. Nice & compact and mine doubles up as a vacuum cleaner albeit a pretty basic one with low suction power.



Jumper Cables
Fix for dead batteries if another car is around. This video demos how to properly jump start your car:

https://youtu.be/xh9xNWgOEsM

Duct Tape
Accidents can happen anytime. Sometimes its essential to gather the bits & pieces till one reaches a proper workshop. Duct tape sometimes is a solution for that. Once i broke my ORVM which was hanging & duct tape came to the rescue. Here are more examples to get you inspired !
http://www.complex.com/sports/2013/08/25-absurd-duct-tape-car-repairs/



Magnetic Torch
Emergency lights are useful for night time inspection & repairs and a magnetic one will let you attach it to any part of the car making two hands free.



All these stuffs are easily packed in a gym bag which always stays in the boot of my car along with Jopasu duster



These are some of my must have items. What are yours ?

[Sri Vathsa]

I have my car cleaning kit (car shampoo, interior cleaning spray and microfiber cloth).

I would like to pick the tire inflator, how is its performance? Like how quickly would the tire get filled? Have you cross verified the psi measurement in your trusted tire shop/petrol bunk? Also, if the performance is satisfactory can you give the link or the complete product name?

[Arjun Reddy]

Nice thread.

So my boot has.
Jumper cables.
Jopasu duster.
3M Ultimate detailer.
Waterless wash liquid.
Micro fiber. ( 3 colours, one each for Car Body, Glass and wheels. )
Tyre dressing spray.
Spare bulbs.
Tyre inflator.
Spare fuses.
Torch.
First aid kit.

Puncture repair kit is what I have to get.

[KK_HakunaMatata]

Nice thread here.

My boot has:

Jopasu Duster
Glass cleaning solution
Waterless wash solution
MF clothes
TL puncture repair kit
First aid kit
News papers, for multi use
Car cover

So, need to get tyre inflator and spare bulb.

[SmartCat]

3 umbrellas, tyre pump and a towing cable.

Carrying unnecesary junk in the boot reduces FE by a tiny percentage. But according to some tests, you can save money by buying NEW when needed, rather than carrying rarely used stuff for 100,000 or so kms.

I like a clean, near empty boot.

[GTO]

Nice thread! In my boot, I carry:

- Jumper cables
- Jopasu car duster
- Microfibre cloth
- Tissue box (don't like anything loose in the cabin)
- Umbrella

Originally Posted by smartcat

I like a clean, near empty boot.

. Even when it comes to the cabin, I like it clean & tidy. Any loose items are in the glovebox / storage compartments only.

[sumeethaldankar]

I have below in the boot.

Tyre pump inflator.
Leftover transmission oil can.
Power steering fluid.
Coolant Fluid.
Emergency engine oil can again leftover.

All of the above are secured in multiple plastic bags to prevent spillage.

I want to add below maybe later
Duct tape.
A pack of M-seal.
A extra set of alternator belt.
Brake & clutch fluid.

[bblost]

Stuff in my car:

• Couple of microfiber towels for wiping the car.
• Handpump for filling air.
• Jumper cables.
• Spare fuses.
• Tow cable.
• Tissues.
• Colin Spray.
• A bottle of Waterless wash.
• Screw Driver.
• Couple of spare headlight bulbs.

[GrammarNazi]

Water Resistant M-Seal ! Its called M-Seal Super, and one needn't mix any different pastes.
I've kept this incase it became necessary to plug any small impact on the cars radiator / oil sump / fuel tank / turbo-hose (I've come across many Linea's that seem to've had frequent turbo-hose leaks).

Wheel Nuts :
You'll be shocked, but sometimes wheel alignment guys over-tighten them & they're a pain to remove if they get jammed. Often they have to be cut & having a spare nut or 2, helps.

WD-40
For obvious reasons. Uses of WD40 is an extensively discussed topic. (NB : Please don't spray WD40 onto tight wheel nuts when trying to remove them, it'll only make the spanner slip!)

I try using 20L Water Cans on long drives with family. That coupled with the water dispenser (the push type). It helps because home water is often preferred to possibly re-sealed Bisleri bottles, apart from those being environmental hazards.

[Rehaan]

Related thread :

What items do you carry in your car / glovebox?

[rakesh_r]

I normally have a general tool kit, microfibre cloth, puncture repair kit and a tyre inflator. I avoid storing pressurized cans (WD 40) or anything flammable owing to the dangers that mite arise if the car is parked under hot sun.

[Samfromindia]

Originally Posted by Sri Vathsa

I have my car cleaning kit (car shampoo, interior cleaning spray and microfiber cloth).

I would like to pick the tire inflator, how is its performance? Like how quickly would the tire get filled? Have you cross verified the psi measurement in your trusted tire shop/petrol bunk? Also, if the performance is satisfactory can you give the link or the complete product name?

I didnt find any good brand selling 2in1 inflator+vaccum combo. I saw this being sold by Amazon Cloudtail, a seller i trust so picked them up for 1400rs only. http://www.amazon.in/Windek-RCP_B28C...4912890&sr=1-4
Here is a short review:

+ The product is fairly compact, all the wires and vacuum attachments fits inside the inflator compartment.
+ A blue backlit LCD screen displays the pressure, good for night. A button press easily toggles units.

- This is a basic inflator, it doesn't stop at a preset pressure like some models do. However those cost a bit more like this one which one of my colleague uses:
http://www.amazon.in/Windek-RCP_AL1E...4912723&sr=1-1

- Topping up my tyres from 29 to 32 psi took a little less than 10 secs. Didn't test with a fully deflated tyre. Few days after i checked in a petrol pump where i regularly fill air. It showed 33-34. So not much variation.
- The vacuum suction is not strong and has only one attachment compared to multiple ones which brands like Black & Decker gives. However they cost more than this 2in1 unit itself. Also suction of Black & Decker is stronger than this one. But i cant complain.

If you want a good quality air pump and have more budget to spare, you can check ones from Michelin & Goodyear which doubles up as a emergency light also. I saw this selling as low as 2700 by Cloudtail. Buy them from a reputed seller and you will be covered.
http://www.amazon.in/Michelin-3140C-...4913238&sr=1-1

Originally Posted by smartcat

But according to some tests, you can save money by buying NEW when needed, rather than carrying rarely used stuff for 100,000 or so kms.

I like a clean, near empty boot.

I am also OCD for a clean boot. However the purpose of carrying the rarely used recovery stuff is to get out of the tricky situations which may happen anytime and that's worth more than saving the minute fuel spent carrying them on a daily basis.

Originally Posted by Rehaan

Related thread :

What items do you carry in your car / glovebox?

Didn't notice this one. I wanted to focus more on the essential recovery items which every driver must carry before buying fancy accessories & mods.

[Samba]

Excellent initiative.

Here goes my list-

These are all time present in my car boot.
1) Stepney
2) Tool kit which includes- Few spanners of different sizes, a wheel nut opener, screw driver, pliers
3) Extra fuse
4) A lifebuoy soap & Mseal. These come handy if any rubber pipe gets ruptured or to prevent any leaks.
5) Spare head light bulbs
6) Puncture repair kit
7) Tyre inflator
8) A Collins spray and a Groz Go20 spray which works like wd40.
9) Black tape

While going for a long trip, the addition to these lists are-
10) A towing strap
11) Jump start cable
12) Extra fluids like coolant, engine oil, brake oil.
13) An extra air filter and 4 spark plugs (Mostly the used ones which i change during the periodic services)

All these are kept in one small kit bag, so with all these items present the boot looks tidy.

First aid box, owners manual, led torch are kept in my cars glove box, car documents are kept in a secured way in the cabin and i generally keep an umbrella under the front left seat as, if it rains heavily out side it will be more handy to keep it in the cabin.

[aveemashfaq]

I never thought it was so important to emphasize on this but I find the modern cars to be completely nuts. My maruti 800 has the factory tool kit containing a double sided screw driver, 8-10 and 12-14 wrenches, a cutting plier, a spark plug wrench and the tyre wrench apart from the stephney and the jack, jack rod. The amazing thing is that almost all the nuts and bolts in the car are 8,10,12 and 14. No odd sized bolts. With the company toolkit, you can fix any issue or make temporary bodges without having to stop for it. Modern cars just don't have even a screw driver in their toolkit which feels irritating.

Apart from the standard tool kit, I carry a hand sanitizer and a cellphone charger everyday to office. I also carry two spare wires and a blade. Regarding spare fuses, there are already some spare fuses in the fusebox for my maruti as well as my getz. I don't know about every other car but I am sure there could be some. Still, you can plug out some unwanted fuse like the cabin light fuse temporarily if something goes wrong. I should carry a bulb but my maruti's bulbs never fused since 1995 (thankfully). My parking light bulbs fuse often and I substituted them with an LED strip. So, no worries on that front either.

If I have to go on long tour, I carry a spare cellphone without sim card with preloaded OSMAND (OSMAND is an android app which can show you offline maps and is open source (It is good for those who want a lot of options). There are other free good software like maps.me if you like to use it. The cellphone doubles as GPS navigation and torch. And if battery of my main phone is dead, I can swap the sim temporarily.

I also carry a 30liter can with a tap fixture to it (sort of the one your mineral water supplier has). These days, you have RO plants in every small town. I stop at one of them in the morning and fill up the can with cold water. He charges me around 30rs for that. The amazing thing is that the water inside the can remains cold till night even if the AC is not blowing air onto it. That gives me cold water throughout the journey and plenty of it in case of emergencies.

I also made a new habit to carry some plastic rope (sutli) to fasten things down and a foot pump to pump air into the car tyres (if needed). I put the foot pump underneath the front passenger seat.

[batterylow]

Originally Posted by smartcat

3 umbrellas, tyre pump and a towing cable.

...and I thought I was crazy in carrying 2 huge popy umbrella's!

Some old newspapers and the Jopasu duster accompany the umbrella's in my boot.