The necessary tools and preventative maintenance ensure that our vehicles can function at their best. With the essential tools every maintenance technician needs in their vehicle, you can be sure to have a safe and productive journey every time you are behind the wheel. Being aware of the potential for malfunction only reinforces the need and worth of keeping a solid set of tools in your automobile to ensure you remain road-ready.
Functionality Begins With Vehicle Inspection
When analyzing your vehicle, make sure to check it head to toe for malfunctions. Before any road trip, you should investigate the exterior of the vehicle as well as its internal components. Knowing how to keep things together with simple preventative maintenance goes a long way as you travel. Tools such as tire inflators, jumper cables, pressure gauges, and a socket and screwdriver set are items that you might keep on standby.
Preparation for Emergencies can Eliminate Hazards
Having a crisis while on the road is never a pleasant or ideal situation. There are a few tools designed for emergencies that you should never be without while driving. Having these tools on standby could mean the difference between your safety and extreme danger or injury. While most incidents are not usually fatal, it is important to prepare in the event something drastic does happen while on the road.
Safety
The life hammer provides a perfect example of an essential tool, covering all bases for the worst-case scenarios. It can break through glass and even has a built-in seatbelt cutter. A multi-tool like this is something no driver should ever go without.
Deburring
Without deburring tools such as files and wheel buffers, parts tend to corrode and oxidize, allowing for metal formations to occur that make upkeep that much more of a burden. This is especially true for nuts and bolts that need constant tightening and adjustment.
Locks
The necessity of having lockpicking tools on hand to unlock your car or free broken key parts is reason enough why everyone should have these handy gadgets. Keeping a set hidden under your car or beside the gas cap will always ensure that getting inside your vehicle is never an issue.
When on the Road, Less Is More
Sometimes, a more minimalistic approach can get the job done. It is always a solid idea to keep things like duct tape and a strong LED flashlight on hand. Something as insignificant as a tow strap or an extra quart of oil could mean the difference between being stuck and making it to your destination.
The key takeaway here is that you can never be completely safe or prepared for when and where your vehicle might break down. It is only a matter of time before you will need to do work on your vehicle to ensure it is fully functional for the road ahead. You can always be sure that having the essential tools every maintenance technician needs on hand will get you through even the most harrowing adventures.
Van Rundell is a writer and author who specializes in transportation, travel, guidance, health & fitness. With over 10 years of experience in the industry as a driver and an entrepreneur, he has seen it all. His tone is professional but friendly with a dash of humor thrown in for good measure. In past, he has been advising, educating and writing about transport for the public and professionals alike.
A qualified fitness instructor with over 5 years’ experience as a personal trainer and group fitness instructor, Van brings his deep knowledge of health and exercise science to his articles on health & fitness.
