Basic vehicle tool kit?

[steelslaver]

First you need to own a vehicle you can actually work on. I drive a 98 Lincoln Town car or a 97 Ford Powerstroke

Set of combination wrenched, 1/4" and 3/8" socket set. 3/8 ratchet with 3/8 to 1/4 adapter, large, small and stubby blade and Phillips screwdriver, 10" crescent, medium sized channel locks, and vise grips with the curved jaws, 2 5' pieces of wire with alligator clips. Jumper cables or a jumper battery, a gallon of water and a qt of oil. A 1/2" breaker bar with a socket to fit the lugs and a 1/2 to 3/8 adapter. A small ton hydraulic jack ,Except for the breaker bar , jack and the battery it all fits in a small DeWalt tool bag

 

[steelslaver]

First you need to own a vehicle you can actually work on. I drive a 98 Lincoln Town car or a 97 Ford Powerstroke

Set of combination wrenched, 1/4" and 3/8" socket set. 3/8 ratchet with 3/8 to 1/4 adapter, large, small and stubby blade and Phillips screwdriver, 10" crescent, medium sized channel locks, and vise grips with the curved jaws, a cheapo volt ohm meter, 2-5' pieces of wire with alligator clips. Jumper cables or a jumper battery, a gallon of water and a qt of oil. A 1/2" breaker bar with a socket to fit the lugs and a 1/2 to 3/8 adapter. A small ton hydraulic jack ,Except for the breaker bar , jack and the battery it all fits in a small DeWalt tool bag

 

[mtgianni]

1973 I went to diesel mechanic school. My advisor told us to have a spare tool kit in every vehicle. Besides the stuff mentioned, keep fuses, a good flashlight, [I reverse batteries so it won't come on]. Water and some energy bars are good if it isn't freezing weather, then you need an emergency heat source like a restaurant dish warmer.

 

[crows]

My wife bought me a made in China air compressor that fits in the palm of my hand. Recharges off a USB port. I thanked her but wanted to say she shouldn't have wasted her money on junk. Then I needed to add some air to my motorcycle tires, so I thought I would try it so I could tell her I used it. Needless to say the thing worked like a charm. Now if a tire needs a few pounds, I reach for it instead of dragging out my bigger "portable" compressor.

 

[madmikeb]

My 2023 Mustang doesn't have spare to save weight , has air pump for flats . Saver spare to clear the large brake rotors cost $400. I always keep fuses , flash lights battery jump start and Leatherman Multi Tool . For long trips carry Harbor Freight small metric socket set in steel case , lug wrench and jack , tire patch kit Couple plastic wheel chocks, rain coat and gloves.

Just an FYI, my 2017 Mustang came with the pump, but I want a spare. I bought a spare tire kit from Ford, came with a space saver tire on an alloy wheel, wheel wrench, jack and handle, and holddowns for everything. Fits in the well and I paid a little over $200. Don't know if it's still available or not, but if I'm coming home in the middle of the night I don't want to mess with fix flat and a compressor. Just want to throw the spare on and keep going. Also, if you have a blowout that's not rapairable you're stuck.

 

[Norton 750]

I got so frustrated with my Lotus back in the 80's I finally stopped carrying tools. Just a bandana to stuff into the gas tank and a Zippo lighter. I guess the car knew I was at my wits end, because believe it or not it stopped acting up.

 

[65-2x2]

A cell phone and a credit card.

 

[Narragansett]

I would figure out what I need, and check Facebook Marketplace or Craigslist. Should not be hard to get USA made Craftsman stuff on a deal

 

[bk42261]

Thanks for all of the replies and suggestions. Much appreciated!

 

[Marshwheeling]

Zip ties.
A small compressor and a tire-plugging kit have saved my bacon a couple of times.
A small shovel/entrenching tool.
Remember the rule of karmic prophylaxis: if you bring it, you probably won't need it. (If you do need it, you've got it covered.)

 

[steelslaver]

I agree i forgot to mention the tire plugs and installation tool the sits in the glove compartments, I tube of rubber cement helps. Coat the plug and it will slide in easier and help it seal. One of my jumper batteries has a small compressor built in.

 

[Markpixs]

My dad carried wwii .50 can with his tools. Had everything you needed. Just had to dump it all out to find it lol!

Sounds like my childhood, my dad grew up in hard times Depression Ohio, we never bought a screw, nut or bolt. If you needed one, just dump a jumbo coffee can or two and find what you need. Anything that broke or died was stripped for parts before we junked it.

 

[bk42261]

Finally found the fuse box- There's NO WAY you're getting your fingers in there to pull one so I guess a fuse set with "puller" is in order....

 

[greenwellg]

ON my new car there is no spare tire. My plan is to carry a tire with me eventually so if I get a tire damaged bad enough to not be repairable, then I can replace it. I also have a lithium battery powered 3/8 ths impact wrench and metric snap on sockets that allow me to raise the car up with a scissors jack and remove the wheel with the same impact wrench. I may even be able to replace the tire on the side of the road if it is absolutely necessary.
I also have an inflator that you set and watch fill the tires, but that only happens every few months, especially when cold weather hits in winter. Also battery powered using the same 5 AH lithium battery. I have a jump starter which will come in handy if the 12 volt battery fails on my car, but I think it has a warranty for 3-36 with roadside assistance.
I have a tool box with a lot of hand tools and know how to use them but age has a cost as far as strength and dexterity. That's the reason I stopped repairing and rebuilding old cars (over 200) over a lifetime of working on them. Now I just call roadside assistance

 

[chief38]

As some here my know I am sort of a tool nut! I own two vehicles and up until 3 years ago, a Harley MC as well. I always have a pretty comprehensive tool kit in all my vehicles that is more than able to handle anything I can fix on the road. Onboard my Harley I had to keep everything simple and compact as there is very little expendable space when on road trips.

Because I have lots of tools I was able to fully assemble three tool kits just from the excess I had in my tool boxes. For those not as nutty as me, Harbor Freight, Lowes house brand (Kobalt I believe) or Home Depot's house brad (Husky) would suffice for a emergency tool kit aboard a vehicle. Many better quality American Made tools can be "stolen" at flea markets, garage sales, swap meets, etc. for penny's on the dollar. I have seen many good quality tools sell there for $2.00 or less! If you have no patience for bargain hunting, then yes HF and alike will suffice as an emergency onboard tool kit. The key here is to have something for an emergency!

SIDE NOTE (observation): Over the last decade or so many of the foreign imported tool company's (mainly from Taiwan) have drastically increased their quality and some of the USA made stuff like Snap-On has declined (while raising their prices as well). I do not believe I own any Chinesium tools, mine are 97% - 98% USA made, but I do own a few tools from Taiwan & Japan. Sometimes you just can't buy a certain item made in the USA anymore and sometimes you don't have the luxury of looking on the used market - like when you need it now. I do not shop in HF but will admit that some of their stuff that my friends have (hand tools) have stepped up in quality a bit. From what I have seen from HF's power tools stay far, far away!! Spend the extra money and but Milwaukee or DeWalt.

 

[Rodan]

From what I have seen from HF's power tools stay far, far away!!

15 years ago, I would have agreed, but I have a quite a few of the HF Bauer 20V tools at this point, and they have all been excellent*. I'm not a professional wrench, but I do use them a lot. Probably more than the average hobbyist. I haven't bought a corded tool in years, so can't comment there.


*Except for the garden sprayers... they didn't last, but the last Ryobi sprayer I bought didn't last 3 uses either. In any case, it was always the seals, never the electronics or motors.

 

[greenwellg]

One time I had to get a wheel off a car at pick&pull to get the backing plate for a friend in Boston. I took a 3/8ths Snap ON 22 MM socket and DROVE it on the locking nut (round) and it PEELED the metal down the side of the nut (it was round). Then I put a 2 foot breaker bar parallel to the ground and JUMPED up and down on the breaker bar creating around 800 foot pounds of torque and risking a broken leg if anything let go!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I made a living all my life with tools and fixed 200 cars I bought at salvage auctions AS A HOBBY!!!!!
The backing plate I got my friend in Boston was unobtanium from Toyota, he was about to scrap a car because the backing plate was an inspection item for the emergency brake.
The hand tools I now have bought from Harbor Freight are made in Taiwan, a country that buys and pays for F16s from the US.
Been using tools to repair cars, both mechanical and body damage, build houses for tax advantages and I actually hold a US patent for a mechanical device for a hydraulic hybrid vehicles that has now expired.
I wouldn't give you scrap value for a 4X8 table of Chinese made hand tools.
They have improved a lot and the Bauer tools I got from HF seem to be holding up well.
No other socket made on planet earth would I trust to put my legs at serious risk needing 800 pound feet of torque on a fastener designed for 80. My friend was so happy he gave me a $150 bonus for my efforts after I jokingly asked him if he wanted me to wax the backing plates before shipping them to him. His had rusted into dust flakes due to the car being backed down boat ramps until the rear wheels were in salt water to the axle.