kit for new car

[a52-830]

i largely have trucks. a tahoe, a suburban, a few 3/4 and 1 ton pickups.

i used to have a small saturn station wagon, but a few years ago it gave up the ghost. a week ago i decided to buy a small sedan.

all the trucks have small tool kits i put together in them kept behind the seats, along with jumper cables.

i dont know what happened to the one from the saturn.

but this time, i have decided to see if anyone has bought an already put together kit intended for keeping in the car.

i used the search function, but couldn't find anything likely.

so, do any of you have one you recommend?

 

[M6erfan]

If it's for a brand new car, not much. You do have roadside assistance. Right?

There are "kits" that ive seen, usually branded AAA or something, but the quality is questionable. IMO, you're better off putting together a kit on your own

 

[yamaha0343]

I keep whatever I need to change a tire, plus a couple screwdrivers, diagonal pliers, and $20 Kobalt 3/8 socket set. Beyond that I pay like $3 per month for roadside assistance and towing through my car insurance. Keep it in a small Craftsman tool bag along with my receiver hitch.

edit: forgot to mention lithium jump pack.

 

[555]

I nearly disassembled a Ford sedan with a single 10mm socket. I'm guessing a decent socket set, a few wrenches, pliers and screwdrivers would be a nice small travel kit.

 

[Empty Pockets]

When traveling, I carry a basic tool kit, as noted above. My wife has 2 tools, a cell phone and a AAA card

 

[Ign]

Hard to find a comprehensive kit that's in a reasonable package size.

I prefer to find a reasonably comprehensive but compact socket & ratchet set. Then in a separate tool bag, inexpensive ratcheting wrenches, screwdrivers, etc. Don't forget Torx bits, very common on many cars but not really included in any homeowner kit (HF is your friend here).

 

[Jim C.]

I keep very basic stuff in my cars. In no particular order: AAA card, cell phone charger, a GPS device or your cell phone, a flash light that can be recharged from the cigarette lighter, a tire plug kit, tiny self contained air compressor that plugs into the cigarette lighter, pliers, 16oz. ball peen hammer, gorilla brand duct tape, utility knife/box cutter, heavy duty gloves, a real tire iron (not the one that comes with the car) or breaker bar with lug nut sized deep impact sockets, 10" adjustable wrench, a couple screw drivers, jumper cables. In my work vehicle, I also carry a small compact jack (quick and easy to use) and a 2 1/2 gallon empty gas can because I have the space.

I'm basically set up for a tire change/repair and a leaking hose. Other than that, I'm probably not gonna attempt a major repair on the side of the road. That's why I have AAA.

Jim C.

 

[gdocktor3]

I'll be honest with you. I have 2 Husky black chrome socket sets behind the seats of 2 of my trucks, while the third has a small tool box I put together in my diamond plate truck box. While the Husky ratchets may not be the best, they do work when in a pinch and if I lose them, no biggie. Let's be honest, you're not going to pull a transmission while broke down on side of road. I had a drive shaft shear, small electrical issues, change tires, etc all of which were handled with the Husky sets.

 

[T45]

If it's for a brand new car, not much. You do have roadside assistance. Right?

Search of GJ for "roadside assistance" brings up all the relevant threads

... for "car tool kits"

 

[sberry]

I have 1 new car and a bunch of wrecks. The only problems I had would have needed more than that anyway and parts too.

 

[Teenager with old tools]

Depends on how prepared you want to be. You can have as little as a spare tire and a aaa card. If you want very basic then I recommend 10mm 13mm 14mm 15mm combination wrench 10 13 15 shallow and deep 3/8 drive. 10 13 shallow 1/4 drive. Flat tip and Phillips screwdriver. Crescent wrench. Jumper cables. For advanced like I keep in my 97 jimmy I have what I listed plus a quart of oil a quart of atf tow rope ratchet straps battery pack jumper cables torx socket set maf cleaner carb and parts cleaner, electrical cleaner, zip ties a roll of duct tape a small ball pein hammer, spark plug socket, one of those battery pack jumpers, a bumper jack, a shovel, and my removed sensors. Because my old throttle position sensor didn't work well but when I stalled out goin through mud it worked better than the one that quit working. I have Allen wrenches and a sweater and a towel and a blanket in there too.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Rustypigeon]

Don't forget Torx bits

Funny you should say that. I have a pretty comprehensive trunk kit that I brought with me to help a friend fix his car in a parking lot. I had small torx keys, but I needed a T50 to get his drive belt tensioner loose. I had to drive home to get my Torx sockets. I have since bought an extra set of Torx sockets to keep in my mobile trunk bag.

As for the OP question, I agree with the above statements that you are better off assembling your own kit. Prepackaged kits have very low quality tools and waste space by including tools you likely won't need (SAE sockets). The blowmolded cases that they come in don't allow you any room to add tools.

I have tool kits in 3 of my 4 cars. The 4th car my wife drives, and I know she won't be pulling out a tool kit if she has a problem. She will just call me.

The Husky 14" Large Mouth tool bag ($20) is perfect for a vehicle tool kit. This is the bag I use for my "comprehensive" mobile bag. It rides in my daily driver. If we take a different car on a family road trip, I bring this bag along.

If you were to buy the Husky bag, along with some Tekton or HF ratchets, sockets and other tools, you would have a better quality kit with more capability than any of the blowmolded kits out there.

Here are some of the things I like to put in mobile kits...
-3/8 sockets and ratchets (I also include a long handle ratchet for drive belt tensioners)
-3/8 wobble extensions 3" and 6"
-screwdrivers
-combination wrenches in the common metric sizes
-pliers, needle nose and slip joint
-extra roll of wire and crimps
-extra spark plug and spark plug socket
-cheap multimeter (I don't want my fluke stolen)
-test light
-utility knife (Husky compact folding utility knife $5)
-mechanic gloves & disposable nitrile gloves
-cheap rain poncho
-inspection mirror
-extendable magnet
-zip ties
-flashlight
-fuses
-hose clamps


In addition to the above, my "comprehensive" kit also includes...
-torx sockets (added last week after doing a job that I need these on)
-hex sockets
-OBD codereader
-wire stripper/crimper
-1/2" ratchet and a few common 1/2" metric sockets
-1/4" ratchet and common metric sockets (8,10,12,13,14)
-1/4" extensions
-3/8" and 1/4" universal joints

I also have an Alldatadiy subscription for wiring diagrams and other troubleshooting help.

 

[tool_scrounge]

I would recommend a reasonable quality wrench/socket/screwdriver set in a blow molded case. It is relatively flat for easy storage and easy to see that all the parts are there. It also does not rattle around making noise. I personally bought GM branded sets as shown the the Hot Deals section for $20 each at O'reily auto parts (normally $100) a long time back. Good Tiawanese quality. You will probably use it more making repairs at the relatives house, but it is good to have.

As previously mentioned, a good tire iron or long 1/2" breaker bar with the appropriate socket for your wheel lugs. Add an extension tube for added leverage in case you have a wife or daughter who might not be as strong as you.

I also keep a volt meter with leads. It usually is an old Fluke meter such as the 8020A with a piece of tape over the on switch to prevent accidental turn on. Why a Fluke vs. a cheap meter? It also gets used for looking at high voltage stuff on occation. Besides, you can buy them pretty cheap on eBay.

Also get a quality window squeege, a window scraper, and a simple tire gauge.

 

[geartow]

Last time my blazer quit on the rd i had all the tools to complete repairs ,but no parts. so carrying tool is only half the battle used phone called work they came and got me . i work for a tow company.

 

[finn]

Cell phone and a credit card will cover any necessary repairs.

I can't remember the last time I needed to repair a car on the side of the road, and my fleet of drivers runs from six months tp thirty years old.

 

[xbeatles4x]

I think a kit to keep in your car will be car specific. The kit that I use for my Miata has an assortment of 10, 14, and 17mm sockets and wrenches. The one for my volvo has a basic set of sockets and wrenches as well as torx screw drivers and bits. The kit for my VW Bus is constantly added too and uses different sizes than my miata kit does.

It really depends on what the car is. Also for the kits I keep in my 3 cars, none of them have SAE sockets or wrenches.

 

[anndel]

Flashlight or one that plugs into the cigarette lighter, NOCO jumpack or equivalent, AAA Membership.

 

[bmwpowere36m3]

Last time my blazer quit on the rd i had all the tools to complete repairs ,but no parts. so carrying tool is only half the battle used phone called work they came and got me . i work for a tow company.

+1

What can you realistically fix on the side of the road with any semi-modern car full of electronics?

For me its enough to fix a flat, replace a blown fuse, popped radiator hose maybe... that's it. Insurance with towing, cellphone, CC and flashlight.