Tool Kit to keep in the car

Just had the car broken into and they flogged the tool kit I had in there. It was a Supatool but I had been slowly replacing tools with better quality items over the past decade.

Want to replace it with a mid-range kit. Something around the 100 pieces but not too expensive as I don't use it too much. Wouldn't mind jumping on the 15% off eBay at the moment but I want to know what brand to look out for.

What's a decent brand for a general tool kit please?

Thanks.

Comments

  • +1

    This deal is still available:

    https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/227149

  • +1

    I'd check out the Supercheap Ebay store and see if there are any Stanley kits there that would be more suitable.

    • Yeah I saw they had a few but they are around $200+. Didn't want to spend that much on a casual kit.

  • May be cheaper in store then? Check out their current catalogue: http://www.supercheapauto.com.au/catalogue/default.aspx?utm_…

  • Crescent from Masters. Made in Taiwan. Or Stanley.

  • +1

    depends on how shit your car is, how adept you are and your thoughts about how likely you are to use it

    for any modern car, lets be real, a mobile phone and NRMA is the best bet

    i've driven a fair few shitboxes and/or highly strung high performance cars and on long trips to regional areas i would bring:

    coolant
    oil top up
    brake/pwr steer fluid
    5 litres of water
    screwdrivers
    adjustable wrench
    socket set
    wrench ring set
    multimeter
    fuses/bulbs
    sometimes two spare tyres
    jump cable/spare battery
    breaker bar
    torch (use a few $5 china crees w/jap eneloops to be sure)

    now obviously above is way overkill but i've been driving to areas with no mobile reception, the next car you see, next face you see is over an hour away

    i have had to do shit like change a tyre in the rain because you need to do these things if you want to get out of bumsville nsw

    better to be prepared than to be dead

    • +3

      Sounds like you were well prepared + great advice for extensive trips. But the OP was asking for a tool kit. :)

  • +1

    Tools are'nt tools…..Sol! So many factors will help determine a kit, which depends on the ability of the user, the budget, the vehicle space available, the type of vehicle and condition, where and when the vehicle travels out of town, and many more. Carring 100kg of tools insecurely becomes a killer in an accident, and the damage it can cause to the vehicle if not secured just right is going to destroy your budget and boot if not careful.

    Tools, whether basic or a full workshop lot like I have, are very price dependent. If you use a shifter once in a blue moon for eg, a tow ball, get a cheapie, but I have the best there is based on quality and the possible damage a cheapie can cause. Tools breaking on the first use because you are unskilled in their use or wrong tool available, and then there is 'I have tools, but darn, pity I did not bring a spare parts shop with me too'.

    I lifted an engine on the side of the road once, but I did move homes, all my mech' gear in a trailer from Bris to Darwin, and blew a welsh plug. So, yes I did have the parts, tools and knowledge to do this, as I was young and silly enough to not have RACQ. I could of easily broken something I did not have a tool for or no parts available either, as is the case today for everyone too, so it is such a variable question.

    Mid range, and basic 100 piece approx general $$, means something to you, but completely different to me, and the opposite to Joe Bloggs.

    How well or how much you will use them will determine the quality required, which only you know, and that will determine the range, price and brand name you end up choosing.

    Personally, as many of my hand tools are up to 60 yeras old, hand me downs from a dad to son both mechanics, and what ever good old but high quality gear I can find especially in the markets and garage sales. Stay away from the cheap rubbish in most stores today based on price, because you really are getting what you pay for. Make a basic list, find a box that you can secure in your vehicle, then work out what work you can actually do, and what parts you will also be carrying or have available, and go from there. Unless you are doing CV joints and or boots on the side of the road, you do not need that 27mm socket, or 3/4 drive anything, or even a Battery Rattlegun.

    There is not much I can't do on a car but I can't carry all the tools or parts I need to do that effectivily. I have RACQ for that and after being towed home, I have all I need to effect repairs,(mostly). Even if out of town, 90% of the time, what breaks on that trip is the one thing you did not pack for. I fix more 'other peoples' cars on the side of the road, and not my old collection of clunkers. A pair of squeezers, a phillips, a flat blade, a no 3 shifter, a torch, a 10,12,14mm combo and a mobile phone is all I carry now, and for last 5 years. Fixes most minor things given most cars are what they are, and spare parts are not around every corner.

  • I've been thinking of this one myself, what would fail on the road ? If the car is well maintained theirs only a number of things i can think of that would fail. Excluding murphys law.

    Starter motor, battery and fuel pump you will find out about when you go to start the car. At least you will be parked somewhere. I think the scariest one to me would be the alternator failing mid drive

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