Be prepared at all times! Here are some of the handiest tools every driver should always carry in their compartment.

Just like a responsible tour guide brings a first aid kit on a hike, a woman who brings her makeup in her purse, or a mother who has a whole bag for her baby's needs, a good driver needs some tools to keep in the car to avoid small problems that come up turn into a huge trouble. 

In this article Philcarnews.com will discuss what those tools are and how mixed with little DIY fixes, you'll save yourself some stress and pain in the pocket.

1. Shop Towels

That's right, we're beginning our list with the almighty shop towels. These are not only great for wiping out dirt from your car but imagine this scenario: You need to look at the dipstick from the oil tank every 1,000 miles just so you'll be aware if you need to fill it out again.

When you see the dip stick it will be covered in oil which is pitch black so you'll need something like shop towels to clean it out and see accurate measurements.

Always bring shop towels to avoid messes

2. Work Gloves

Now you really want to avoid getting dirty while still doing the dirty jobs with your car, so you might want to have a pair of work gloves ready. Once you’re done, just take them off and you’re good to go. No dirt, no smell.

Shop towels are best partnered with work gloves 

3. Spare Tire

Getting a flat tire in the middle of the road is a major headache so it’s just wise to bring with you a spare tire. It’s good if you find clever ways to store it in your car such as a decoration at the back or beneath it.

Although it doesn't always happen, you'll never know when you are going to need a spare tire

4. Torque Wrench and Lifting Jack

You need some other tools to remove the broken tire and put the new tire on. That’s where both the car lifting jack and wrench come in handy. The car jack will also be helpful if you want to change your car’s oil, sparing you a trip to your car’s casa. You’ll be your own car mechanic.

If you know some basic mechanical work to fix your own car, owning a wrench and lifting jack will be really helpful

5. Flashlight

If you’re planning to have a road trip by night you really have to have one of these flashlights. Be prepared for the dark and have a portable flashlight which has fully charged or good batteries. If your car breaks down at night, the solution could be as simple as tightening a cord or something, but you wouldn’t know unless you have a handy-dandy flashlight with you.

This tool is still helpful in the bright hours, it’s still dark under the hood so you can still use a flashlight

6. Screwdrivers

These tools are a must-have for your home and your car. They are super inexpensive and can be helpful when you need to change a headlight, work on the battery or simply taking care of the windshield piper.

A hack that every driver must know involves screwdrivers. If your car is not starting and you don’t have jumper cables, you can use screwdrivers instead. Only locate the coil wire, give power to the dashboard, locate the solenoid and jump-start the car.

It’s not that expensive and available in almost all supermarkets, keep one for your house and one inside your car all the time

7. Funnel

So there has been mentions of changing the oil as a possible problem of your car and you certainly wouldn’t want to have flammable liquid all over your car so you want to make sure you get all that inside the container carefully. How do you achieve that? By simply having a funnel available at hand.

This tool will also be helpful for adding water to the coolant if your car overheats

8. Tire Gauge

This is a device that measures a tire’s pressure to check if you need to inflate or change it. First, find the recommended air pressure on the tire information label of your automobile that’s usually located in your manual. As mentioned, check all of the 4 tires every after 3 hours of driving. You should also check the pressure of the spare tire every month.

Use it after 3 hours of driving on the road and this will ensure safety to you and your family

9. Jumper Cables

Another must have at all times in every car, jumper cables prevent you from being stuck on the road when your car battery suddenly stops working. This will also allow you to help other drivers you may encounter who are having the problem so you’ll be a good Samaritan.

Be able to jump-start your own car and help others at the same time

10. Fire Extinguisher

Bring protection with you, always have even a small fire extinguisher inside of your car. But according to Murphy’s Law, anything that could go wrong will go wrong and one of them is a fiery explosion from your car. This will also be handy for any place you travel to, say your in-laws’ house suddenly got caught in a fire, it will be helpful if you have your own fire extinguisher inside your car.

Fires can happen at any time and your car is filled with flammable liquids, you’ll never know what could possibly go wrong

11. Rope or Chain

This item has many uses form towing your car to just simply keeping everything inside your car intact. Having your car towed is quite costly and can take up some time waiting for the traffic enforcers. With a rope, you can simply ask a good Samaritan to help you pull out your car from the highway. It can also be helpful when you get stuck in deep mud or a broken road.

Ten to fifteen feet is the ideal length so it’s easy to carry and can be fully functional

12. Self-defense Weapons

When you think protection, don’t just think of physical damages, there could be bad guys ready to prowl on you too so you better have a pepper spray, a taser gun that’s licensed, a tactical pen, and a whistle to ask for help from those nearby.

You'll never know when you are going to need one, especially when traveling

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