What You Ought to Know about Your Car Accessories

Posted by betta on July 12, 2012 in Tips tagged with

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Wondering what car accessories to bring for your long distance drive? Be it to visit relatives or to take a long overdue vacation elsewhere, it helps to be aware of what accessories are valuable and what characteristics each one should have. Some of the more common ones are discussed below, so you’ll know what you need and what to look for in each of them.

Tools

Every automobile has a basic set of tools such as a socket wrench, pliers, and car lift or jack for replacing a punctured tyre. Make sure your car jack works, or you are not going to ably lift your vehicle up to change tyres quickly. If you want something easier than a typical scissor jack, you can always buy a hydraulic bottle type where you simply insert the rod and push up and down for easy lifting.

Another thing to note is to have a spare water bottle and some hand towels. This may seem deceptively simple, but you need something to wash and dry your hands with after getting them dirty from fixing your vehicle. Having a portable car light can also be helpful if you find yourself replacing your car tyre at night.

Spares

Aside from your usual spare tyre, you can pack some spare wiper blades and an extra battery or car battery charger. The rubber blades on your wipers need to be replaced if they become really noisy when moving back and forth on your windshield. You can use the charger to replenish your vehicle’s battery when it’s idle. Alternatively, have an extra battery handy to swap with your current one on the spot.

Whenever possible, get an extra container of needed liquids for your vehicle like brake fluid, oil, and radiator coolant. Although you can simply put water into your radiator, newer cars use a mix of both water and coolant to effectively keep the radiator from overheating. Every vehicle needs periodic oil replenishment for its engine to function and burn fuel efficiently, and dedicated fluid for the brakes to continue working even when you step on them abruptly.

Maintenance

You optionally include a car gearbox for your gears’ maintenance and fluid for your power steering, as well as an extra fuel can and some degreasers to clean your engine. You may also pack some anti-freeze or summer coolants, depending on the weather.

If you bring along a car roof box, make certain it’s properly screwed in to prevent it from falling off. Should you need more accessories, a reputable provider like Betta Motoring, Ltd is ready to give a hand.