Basic Car Care and Emergency Tools – Importance of Knowing How to Use Them

Car manufacturers and dealers encourage car ownership, yet they should also urge owners to learn about basic car care and use of tools in cases of emergency. Knowledge of essential car care tools can boost one’s confidence when driving. Mainly because car owners know how to minimize the risks they face when encountering car troubles and while waiting for roadside assistance.

While most modern towing companies now provide roadside assistance to help distressed car owners, having and knowing how to use basic and essential car tools can help drivers deal with emergency situations, when and where roadside assistance is not immediately available.

Basic and Essential Car Tools Car Owners Must Always have and Know How to Use

Automotive industry experts recommend several tools and safety gadgets as extremely important to have, especially when driving long distance and in unfamiliar places. While automotive car trouble-shooting tools like socket and driver set, torque wrench and mechanics’ tool set are essential car care tools, they are more often used while inside one’s garage.

What we will look into are the tools and gadget that can help a car driver manage solving a roadside dilema.

Mobile Phone Car Charger

Running out of battery charge can happen even to the best and most safety-conscious car owner, which makes calling for roadside assistance an impossible course of action. Yet knowing that you can charge your battery any time and anywhere is a great relief, except if your car trouble is related to lost battery power.

Emergency Blankets

An emergency blanket is often overlooked but it’s a great help especially now that certain traffic situations or weather conditions could force car owners to stay in their vehicles or be at the roadside until things clear out.

A Waterproof Car Cover

In case you have no other recourse but to temporarily seek shelter and leave your car on the roadside, it would be best to keep your car protected with a waterproof car cover. Actually finding the best car cover that fits your car model to a tee is not a problem, as most online stores recommend the custom-fit types for best protection against weather elements.

Jack and Jack Stand

Flat tires are the most common unexpected road problem that car drivers encounter and not everyone who drives a car knows how to change tires. A jack and a jackstand though requires a great amount of strength to operate when lifting a car to allow for proper tire change.

Those who cannot operate a manual jack should consider having a handy portable car lifter that can be operated using hydraulic cylinders. However it’s important to know how to properly and skillfully use the equipment to safe and secure lifting of the vehicle when changing tires.

Reflective Triangle

A reflective triangle is one of the essential tools that vehicle owners must always have in their car. In the event that a car breaks down, it’s important for a car owner to immediately place a reflective triangle to warn oncoming vehicles of the stalled car. Doing so ensures not only the car owner’s safety but of the safety of the other car drivers arriving in the area.

It’s also important to place the reflective triangle at a distance of least 45 meters or 147 feet away from the passenger side of your vehicle and on a flat furface. That way, the drivers of oncoming vehicles will take notice of the warning and take extra precaution when passing your stalled vehicle.