Any - What do you carry with you? | Motoring discussion | Back Room Forum

Fri 8 Sep 2017 22:25

Any - What do you carry with you? - argybargy

Partly a bit of silliness, partly serious.

What stuff do you always carry with you in the car? A question prompted by the fact that when I changed my car recently, I was amazed at the amount of rubbish I'd been lugging around in the old one, much of it only being there because it had been inserted at some point for a specific reason but never taken out again. Jump leads which I don't need because I've been an AA member since 1987, a dry car washing kit someone gave me years ago but which I never used, spare bulbs from previous cars going back about 15 years, any number of concise atlases which had been out of date since the Sopwith Camel lost its appeal as a mode of transport.

But there are things I ALWAYS carry, and always will. Torch, spare change, spare glasses, high viz coat in case I get marooned on the highway in the dark, several blankets, all tartan. An ancient socket set which is probably Imperial by now, and a sticky mass of something unmentionable in the bottom of a plastic box which is probably the remnants from decades of leaking bottles of shampoo, polish, oil and anti freeze. Oddly enough I have wash and wax but no sponge or chamois leather. One thing, the ONLY thing to be said for cars with no spare wheel is that what used to be the wheel well offers more room to keep heaps of unnecessary rubbish in a permanent state of gradual deterioration. No snow shovel or wellies, though, silly me.

And yet...I get such satisfaction from setting aside an hour or so every now and again and rooting through all this stuff, then putting it back in the car again, "just in case".

Edited by argybargy on 08/09/2017 at 22:27

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Fri 8 Sep 2017 22:38

Any - What do you carry with you? - RT

Torch, radar key, spare coin change, up-to-date atlas, first aid kit, two fire extinguishers, 5x Hi-viz vests, tyre strings, jump leads, towing strap, tool roill, DVM, luggage net, 150w mains inverter, spare spectacles, 12v tyre compressor - snow shovel in winter.

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Fri 8 Sep 2017 23:28

Any - What do you carry with you? - Ethan Edwards

Uzi 9mm....I wish!

Spare with Jack and wrench. Which wasn't supplied with the car. Screenwash. Dusters. First aid kit. Extinguisher. Specs sunnies iPod Sugary sweets. Pen paper. Radar detector. Leads and a dash cam. Couple of maps despite the sat nav. Odbc2 Bluetooth dongle. Some fuses bulbs screwdriver set spanners. Couple of main landing wheels for an RC plane. Super glue duck tape (I go flying a lot) string and a yacht mooring rope...very heavy duty for towing. Roll of k****** roll. Hi viz stuff. Some jubilee clips. Aerosol tyre bloop. Footpump tyre pressure gauge. Blanket window scraper. Bird lime removal wipes.

Edited by Ethan Edwards on 08/09/2017 at 23:30

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Fri 8 Sep 2017 23:30

Any - What do you carry with you? - elekie&a/c doctor

My Porsche has a spare engine in the boot.

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Sat 9 Sep 2017 00:01

Any - What do you carry with you? - Andrew-T

Very little. Spare and jack came with the car. Small first aid kit which is probably next to useless as it is so old; absorbent fabric to help the aircon clear the screen; tyre-pressure gauge (pen-type); fairly up-to-date road atlas (no satnav); blanket. Nothing else lives in the car - anything to do with car-care stays in the garage (yes, mine still has a car in it).

Edited by Andrew-T on 09/09/2017 at 00:02

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Sat 9 Sep 2017 00:59

Any - What do you carry with you? - Avant

"Jump leads which I don't need because I've been an AA member since 1987...."

Keep them, provided they still work. You could help someone else, or be helped, much more quickly than if you call out the AA.

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Sat 9 Sep 2017 08:03

Any - What do you carry with you? - catsdad

As well as a lot of the stuff already mentioned I carry two warning triangles which were needed for trip to Spain, cable ties for ad hoc repairs, a big black bag in case I need to stow a punctured tyre and. couple of those heavy duty Ikea bags for shopping. Never used any of these in anger except the shopping bags.

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Sat 9 Sep 2017 09:40

Any - What do you carry with you? - argybargy

"Jump leads which I don't need because I've been an AA member since 1987...."

Keep them, provided they still work. You could help someone else, or be helped, much more quickly than if you call out the AA.

I intend to Avant, thanks. I bought a heavy duty set after having to ask a tractor driver to give my old Golf a jump, and the skinny ones I had at the time looked rather pathetic connected to his huge battery. And yes, I have on many occasions given either my son or a neighbour a helping hand with a dead battery.

I forgot to mention the dozen huge shopping bags we carry in case we need them, even though we only ever need a couple to hold a week's shopping for the two of us. Oh, and on the passenger seat I carry a road hump/ pothole detector, which emits a loud squeal each time we pass over anything more substantial than a cocktail stick.

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Sat 9 Sep 2017 18:52

Any - What do you carry with you? - oldroverboy.

An 18" crowbar at the side of the drivers seat.

It was useful once to break a car window in a hurry.

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Sun 10 Sep 2017 14:58

Any - What do you carry with you? - pinkpanther_75

"Jump leads which I don't need because I've been an AA member since 1987...."

Keep them, provided they still work. You could help someone else, or be helped, much more quickly than if you call out the AA.

I've given several people a "jump start", although have never needed to use my oww jump leads to start my own car.

Yet to have a problem (connecting positive first etc), although given the increasing complexity of modern cars (ECU etc) I do sometimes wonder if being a good samaritan continues to be a good idea?

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Sun 10 Sep 2017 15:26

Any - What do you carry with you? - gordonbennet

Yet to have a problem (connecting positive first etc), although given the increasing complexity of modern cars (ECU etc) I do sometimes wonder if being a good samaritan continues to be a good idea?

Indeed, being the good neighbour cost a fiend £600 for a new digital dash in his Laguna some years ago, i carry jump leads but if i need to i can disconnect one of the parellel connected twin batteries on my car without losing any settings and dead jump another straight from that, if it blows their car then that's at their own risk, if i ever have to jump one of our own cars i use a proper jump pack.

The funny thing is in my previous work driving car transporters the various 'yardies' would use a shuttle bus around the compounds with permanently wired serious jump leads clipped to a wooden pole in front of the bonnet, they'd jump start cars willy nilly all over the place as and when needed, no time for faffing about with several hundreds cars to move rapidly, problems were almost unheard of, so i suspect those rare cases of damage are when people connect pos to neg and deny having done so..

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Sat 9 Sep 2017 11:11

Any - What do you carry with you? - craig-pd130

Before my V60 went back to Volvo I cleared my stuff out of it - various tools for tinkering, CDs, microfibre cloths, lengths of silicone vacuum hose where I'd replaced the rather cheap and rigid Volvo hoses, plastic litre bottle for water / screenwash filling, etc etc.

All this stuff has moved from car to car over the years. However, I took one peek under the bonnet of the 225xe and ... well, I've never seen an engine bay which shouts 'no user-serviceable parts inside' as loudly. There's literally nothing I dare tinker with.

So the CDs and cloths moved into the 225, but the tools didn't.

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Sat 9 Sep 2017 11:34

Any - What do you carry with you? - 72 dudes

What do you carry with you?

Metal baseball bat, small set of scales, lots of mini plastic bags, a teaspoon and lighter, plus loads of empty drink bottles and McDonalds wrappers. And a large knife (must be pronounced as "bledd")

Oh no, wait, that's everybody who gets stopped by police on Traffic Cops, Police Interceptors et al. Obviously de rigeur at the moment.

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Sat 9 Sep 2017 12:02

Any - What do you carry with you? - Wackyracer

What do you carry with you?

Metal baseball bat

When I got a taxi in Ukraine there was a metal baseball bat beside the drivers seat.

I carry all the usual junk in the cars, spare bulbs, basic tool roll, self amalgamating tape, duct tape, spare wheel, jack and extending wrench, hi viz vest, hi viz coat, glass cleaner, etc.

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Sat 9 Sep 2017 14:59

Any - What do you carry with you? - brum

Torque wrench and socket for changing wheels. (The factory supplied wrench is rubbish)

Spare coilpak (Anyone who owns a petrol vag motor should know why).

Microfibre cloth (for cleaning dash/front window).

A 5+ year old expired air freshener dangling from the mirror.(Must change it...)

A toilet roll (just in case)

A dog and a woman who both insist on following me everywhere including into bed! (don't know why)

An umbrella, but only when its dry and sunny. It goes missing when it rains.

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Sat 9 Sep 2017 18:23

Any - What do you carry with you? - Doc

Wind-up torch, spare coins, atlas, first aid kit, fire extinguisher, Hi-viz vest, car handbook,

membership card to breakdown service (Autoaid)

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Sat 9 Sep 2017 18:59

Any - What do you carry with you? - Steveieb

Has anyone mentioned a phone charger. HJ had this essential item on his list and since reading this I always carry one.
But could anyone recommend a radar warning device.With the news that a friend in her nineties who has been driving Since the days of the land army in WW2 has been caught speeding for the first time I consider its tiime to take some action against this rediculous situation.

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Sat 9 Sep 2017 19:35

Any - What do you carry with you? - John Boy

Nothing much in my case - just one of these ,,,

evaq8.co.uk/Deluxe-Two-Person-72-Hour-Emergency-Go...l

... one of these ...

evaq8.co.uk/DELUXE-FLOOD-KIT-Supplied-in-Waterproo...l

... and an inflatable dinghy,

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Sat 9 Sep 2017 19:45

Any - What do you carry with you? - gordonbennet

Has anyone mentioned a phone charger. HJ had this essential item on his list and since reading this I always carry one. But could anyone recommend a radar warning device.With the news that a friend in her nineties who has been driving Since the days of the land army in WW2 has been caught speeding for the first time I consider its tiime to take some action against this rediculous situation.

I had several radar detectors over the years, in all honesty all they were good for was confirming whether a gatso was live or not, and that warning would only be useful as you passed the camera anyway unless you got some rebound signal from another vehicle in front.

The trouble with radar/lazer detectors is A false warnings and B no signal until the operator fires the gun at you by which time its too late.

The best defence is a decent small unobtrusive satnav with speed camera locations loaded (most databases also include known camera van locations), your friend could leave it on the normal screen which would then tell her the speed limit at that moment and to take notice of any beeping sounds, no destination entered no irritating instructions.

Long may your friend carry on driving, tell her i'm impressed this is her first nick.

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Sun 10 Sep 2017 10:56

Any - What do you carry with you? - argybargy

Phone charger...yes, several, but all for phones I no longer own. Something else I need to sort out. This tendency to keep stuff just in case extends from the car to the house, where we have several boxes of stuff which may once been of some use but are now completely redundant, being retained through inertia and anxiety at the thought of doing something decisive and throwing things away that we haven't needed for decades, but might just find a use for the moment they go into the back of the bin lorry.

The mention of baseball bats recalls the minicabs we used to ride in during the 70s, the drivers of which tended to keep a weapon handy in case they were mugged for the fare money. Possibly useful also when some drunk was so glad to find an ear receptive (if not responsive) to his inarticulate, perhaps argumentative blatherings that he was reluctant to get out of the car after arrival at his destination and had to be forcefully persuaded.

Calls to mind a brush with death that my wife and I had back then before we were married, and which I may have already mentioned here, so apologies in advance if that's the case.

After a night at the local clubs we got a cab from my place to her parents' house, where she still lived, and I began to walk the couple of miles home; by now it was about 3 in the morning. On the way I came across an horrendous scene: a car buried in the brickwork of a small local petrol station, police and ambulance in attendance, the driver quite obviously brown bread. Turned out it was the same cabbie who had taken us home half an hour previously, and who on the way back to base had suffered a cerebral haemorrhage and driven his car, obviously at speed, straight into a brick wall.

Edited by argybargy on 10/09/2017 at 10:58

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Sun 10 Sep 2017 11:03

Any - What do you carry with you? - focussed

All the stuff that comes as as standard with the car, such as compressor, gloop, wheel nut key, wheel brace, jack, skinny spare etc.

Plus telescopic wheel brace and socket that fits wheel nut key, jump leads, towing strop,a personal bag of tools - metric wrenches up to 19 mm, metric allen keys, torx keys, side cutters, small polygrips, pocket knife etc.

Long re-useable cable ties, gaffer tape. inny tape, small roll of galvanised wire, a couple of big hose clips, spare bulbs for indicators and rear lamps, concentrated screenwash, small bottle of water for topping up self or cooling system, bottle of top up engine oil (not really necessary but was a freebie from the dealer when I bought the car).

All the usual screen and mirror cleaning gubbins, cloths etc

A couple of packets of Lucozade glucose tablets to crank the brain back up to speed when tired at the end of a long day.

Then all the carp we have to haul around over here:- two hiviz waistcoats, warning triangle, breathalyser (probably out of date by now but keeps the flics happy) plus french car registration card called a carte grise, insurance vignette on the screen plus the insurance docket (and French mot vignette on the screen on our older truck) a blue zone parking time disc thingy - (an hour's free parking in blue zones, can't remember what it's called in french).

And in the wallet must have driving licence, personal ID, (used to have to haul uk passport around but now have french resident's id card - avoids a fine if you can't produce them when asked, or if a flic is feeling particularly officious you could get your collar felt until you can prove who you are)

Do you think there is anything else I should carry?

Edited by focussed on 10/09/2017 at 11:14

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Sun 10 Sep 2017 11:34

Any - What do you carry with you? - Wackyracer

. But could anyone recommend a radar warning device.

I have a Bell radar detector that I bought years ago but, It's sat in the cupboard for years now. I found it was good but, got alot of false alerts and now alot of speed cameras use inductive loops in the road so no radar or laser to detect anyway.

GB suggestion of the Sat nav is probably best. My new-ish Garmin does speed camera sites.

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Sun 10 Sep 2017 12:22

Any - What do you carry with you? - Steveieb

In my teenage years I always carried a packet of condoms in the glove compartment just in case I got lucky. But with the current trend for seniors to indulge in a parting shot, maybe we should be encouraging them to be responsible and reduce the pressure on the NHS sexual health clinics.
Can anyone think of an explanation to tell the other half/partner for carrying these
Maybe to save risking static to the ECU when handling an electronic brain

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Sun 10 Sep 2017 13:37

Any - What do you carry with you? - JEREMYH

I do all my own stuff and have a small workshop I love working on old cars but I see little point in carrying too many tools .

If something goes wrong the chances are you won be able to fix it by the road and what ever goes wrong what would be the liklyhood of having the right tools .

My Citroen C15 van has been doing a lot of miles this week ( i have done 2300 miles )

At the moment its only fault is a leak from the driveshaft seal but next week Im putting a new driveshaft on as it is a little worn but servicable so all will be replaced

I carry spare gearbox oil and a 19mm deep socket on a ratchet so that I can put it on full steering lock and inspect the level after every 1000 miles

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Sun 10 Sep 2017 15:00

Any - What do you carry with you? - pinkpanther_75

I carry most of the usual stuff (mentioned above), along with a few dehumidifying packs in both cars, which help reduce condensation / misting up.

Also added anti-histamines to first aid kit given a few recent insect bites!

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Sun 10 Sep 2017 17:26

Any - What do you carry with you? - hillman

I carry most of the usual stuff mentioned by the BRs. In addition I carry several pieces of carpet in case anyone gets stuck in snow although they've never been used. The biggest piece served to cushion the surface last time I had a puncture. Oh, and a tyre pump, 1930s style, that my dad gave me. That has given sterling service over the years. I never carry jump leads in case I damage the car attempting to help someone else.

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Sun 10 Sep 2017 18:14

Any - What do you carry with you? - Manatee

600mm breaker bar, short extension and correct sized socket for car and caravan wheel nuts; torque wrench; hi-viz weskits; reflective triangle; pressure gauge; torch; 150W inverter (not sure why, there was once a reason); towing electrics converters for 7N to Jaeger and vice versa; large umbrella; reasonably up to date 4" to one mile road atlas; front seat covers; phone charger and cable; air vent phone mounting bracket; walking shoes; suitable outdoor clothing for season; water pump pliers (the nearest thing to a fix-anything tool); handheld GPS (used for walking, but lives in the car). If there is any chance of snow, wellies and a folding shovel.

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Sun 10 Sep 2017 22:11

Any - What do you carry with you? - Bromptonaut

Both cars carry an old Safeway shopping box containing 5l screenwash, appropriate engine oil, brake fluid, steering fluid, paper towel, glass cleaning spray, de-icer, squegee and misting bottle of plain water. Also appropriate socket for wheel nuts with extension Tommy bar and selection of plain, phillips and poz screwdrivers plus metric spanners/allen keys/torx screws.

Glovebox has torch, AA/AAA batteries, tissues, painkillers, lens wipes, spare glasses/disposable contact lenses, keys for my Mother's gaff, various charging leads and spare mobile phone.

Both cars have birdwatching binoculars hidden witihn. Mine also has a scanner radio for earwigging air traffic or shipping control.

Edited by Bromptonaut on 10/09/2017 at 22:12

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Wed 13 Sep 2017 09:53

Any - What do you carry with you? - argybargy

Thanks to all for contributing to the topic.

Coincidentally, I've just taken everything out of the car (bar locking wheel nut key and shopping bags) because it's going into dry dock for some work, and I've ended up with two large shopping bags full of stuff in the spare bedroom.

I now have a golden opportunity to put back only the items I might need, problem being that some of the posts above have given me ideas for things I SHOULD carry, rather than stuff I don't need to.

Maybe I need to get a trailer.

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