From a new Mercedes Benz to your trusty ten-year old pickup truck, your usual car problems end up falling into the same categories, from minor inconveniences to catastrophic events. Since car issues almost always inevitably happen as far away from your home, a repair shop, or civilization as humanly possible, here are a few car accessories to always have handy in case of an emergency.
Your Personal Mechanic
FIXD Active Car Health Monitor makes it easy to keep track of your car health on the go, and might help fix problems before they completely incapacitate your car. Simply plug in the FIXD Active Car Health Monitor, and open the app on your smart device. It will notify you of any problems with your car so you can preemptively attend to them on your own terms.
Flexible Car Mount
The handy devices offer a hands free way to keep your eyes on the road, but still provide easy visual access to your phone for checking your GPS app. They come in a variety of sizes and styles, some mounting to the dash, others clipping in to the air condition vents on your console. Whichever style you choose, you’ll have nice and easy hands free access to your phone for all your travel needs.
An Emergency Kit
A survival kit is essential to keep with you in your car. Ideally, you want something small, but effective, be it a small box in your glove compartment or console, or a handy survival knife built around automobile preparedness. If nothing else, make sure you have a knife or some kind of seat belt cutter, bandages, and a window breaker close by. It could be the difference between life and death.
TrapTap
Are you one of those people who goes just over the speed limit and right into a speed trap, or have a penchant for missing red lights that just happen to have a camera attached? TrapTap will alert you of speed traps, red light cameras and school zones. Spend a little money on this nifty gadget, and you’ll save hundreds on all those traffic tickets you’ll no longer be getting.
Smart Charger and Locator
The Zus Smart Car Charger and Locator is a great gift for those of us like myself cursed with a terrible memory. It acts as a homing beacon for your car wherever you last parked, and as an added bonus acts as a charger for your phone. Never again will you spend more time looking for your car than you did shopping.
Bluetooth Phone Radio Synch
These nifty devices connect to your phone via Bluetooth, and then broadcast the radio signal for your car to pick up. Just set the broadcaster to a dead radio station, tune in with your car radio, and voila! Many even come with a remote for basic functions like play, stop, and skip, so you don’t even have to take your eyes off the road. Now you can introduce all your passengers to your strange and eclectic music tastes, and there’s nothing they can do about it.
An Insurance Adjuster’s Best Friend
Accidents are a major pain, especially when the other driver is adamant it’s your fault and there’s nothing you can do to change his, or his insurance agent’s mind. The good news is that pictures don’t lie, and neither does video evidence. Dashboard cameras will make sure you always have the evidence you need when dealing with insurance companies, and will definitely speed up the insurance process.
Organizers and Dividers
For people like myself who have a large SUV, sometimes you have a little too much space in the truck. Every time you hear a bump or a click, you wonder to yourself if it was something sliding around in the trunk or if your car is about to spontaneously combust. With a trunk organizer, you not only will be able to keep everything in its own little compartment, it’ll also cut down on how much room your stuff has to travel, so no more mystery noises.
Portable Jumper Cables and Battery
Jumper cables are something that is a must have in a car. Being stranded with a dead battery is a pain, and having to ask every stranger you meet if they can give you a jump is awkward and uncomfortable to everyone involved. Having a portable set of jumper cables with a battery cuts out the middleman, and you can just jump the car battery yourself. Just don’t forget to charge the portable battery from time to time, or its back to finding a good Samaritan to jump for you.
Portable Air Compressor
Flat tires are never fun, whether you get a flat on the road, or if you notice it before heading out in the morning. If the tire isn’t too badly damaged, usually getting a little air in the tire should keep it stable until you can get to a tire shop for a new tire or a patch. Portable air compressors let you fill up the tires on the go, without having to hunt for a gas station that still offers free air or change the tire completely. They’re usually powered by your 9V car outlet or cigarette lighter, and can save you a lot of headaches and frustration. It also means you can always fill up your tires for free, wherever you are.
Collapsible Shovel
As pretty as it is, snow is never fun to drive in. In the event you do get stuck out somewhere during a snowstorm, it’s sometimes best to wait it out if it gets really bad. In really heavy storms, or even just poorly plowed areas, sometimes the snow is just too thick to get enough traction, and your wheels just spin in place. With a collapsible shovel, you’ll be all set to dig yourself out and be back on your way in no time.
A part of car ownership is simply being prepared for anything. Almost anything can, and will go wrong while you’re on the road at some point, and these tools will help you tackle any issues that come up with ease.
