Comments

Episode-2471- 25 Items that Should be in Your Vehicle at all Times — 8 Comments

  1. Hey Jack and others now I know I wasn’t on the mewe chat but the one thing that I think should be added is a bluetooth odb or obd2 scanner and using an app like torque on your phone.

    They are cheap, sub $30 many out there for sub $20 if you wait on a deal.

    They are small and can be left in your odb port 24/7. The port usually powers off when the car does so it won’t run your car battery down. I cant say always because our newest car is 13 years old and the newer ones may leave the internal computer on all the time.

    It allows you to check when your engine light comes on while driving. Pull over and is the light simply a piston misfire indicating I need a new spark plug (btw this also shows you WHICH piston misfired) or something else indicating I should get a tow.

    It allows you the potential to do your own car work because apps like torque allow you to see all the stats a mechanic can see. Big one for us that I’ve experiemced and heard others complain about online is “air fuel mix lean” mechanic says oh you need a new catalytic converter. Whip out torque app by checking o2 sensor voltage it shows voltage pulled spiking up and down from 0 to normal range indicates it’s a 50 to 80 o2 sensor vs multi hundred dollar catalytic converter. You may not know what you should be seeing but you can often pick out what is wrong because of a lack of smooth transitions or spikes in graph views.

    Anyway that’s my one thing and I’ve bought one and one for all the guys in my family that work on cars, they make a great christmas gift.

  2. I realized the other day that I no longer know how to jump start a car from mine.  At the store and someone needed a jumpstart.  When I opened my hood and  I wasn’t sure what to do.  I am now driving a hybrid and I never thought about how it was a much different system.  Someone else gave her a jump start.  Having jumper cables not much use If I don’t know how to use them.  There is a way, but I had to look it up.

  3. Jack,

    Your tire kit is missing something, a hand sized 2-3lb sledge hammer.  I can’t count how many times I have had to use a sledge to knock an aluminum rim loose when changing a flat tire or rotating tires.  This tool has multiple uses and could replace the “club”.

  4. Great episode.  Can you please post the link for the documentation package episode?  Thank you

  5. This episode made me smile. My dad hooked me up with a number of these things (Michigan Atlas/Gazetteer, D cell Maglite, extra-long jumper cables, 4-way tire iron, etc.) on my 16th birthday and they’ve saved my ass (and others’) so many times in the past… holy shit, 27 years. Few things I should add…