Originally Posted By: JHZR2
Anyway, Im seeing some good trends. The purpose of this exercise was to try and pick out the most common and highest quality brands available, such that I can make an optimal small tool kit. It doesnt necessarily need to have five or ten tools, but the point is to have something small, light and stowable.
Careful, if you put too much money and thought into said emergency kit it might be so good you borrow from it to be your primary kit. I know if it were me the socket I'd need would have rolled into a corner of my garage floor, with my every intent of finding it next morning when it was light.
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This can be very important if, say, youre buying cars from far away and need to take them on long drives to get home.
Allright kiddies now it's time for a couple "bringing home beater" stories.
1) Saturn SL1 with a rod knocking, 6 miles, paid $95 for it, rode my bike to pick it up, brought a paper license plate and 1/2 gallon of water in a soda bottle. (was low). Made it.
2) Dodge dakota with a wiring issue below the fusebox preventing the starter relay from getting power. Previous owner was jumping the solenoid with a rock hammer (!). I ran a 3 foot 12 gauge jumper wire with alligator clip down to the solenoid (can climb in and do this with a 3.9 V6) then tied the other end of the wire around something near the battery. Gripped the stripped end with a pliers so I wouldn't have to use my fingers and touched to the positive battery terminal.
3) saturn with blown coolant temp sensor, was running so poorly it fouled a plug. (And the PO gave up on it) Brought two full tool boxes with me for pickup, switched the sensor, spliced on a new wiring pigtail, and scraped crud out of a fouled plug with a razor blade. Drove it home!
IMO if one is bringing home a suprise car they should bring as many tools as would fit in a couple tool boxes, 30-40 lb apiece. Even if one is flying they can check a toolbox as baggage. I did this once and included a detailed typed inventory (just so anyone wouldn't try any funny business), they frisked it and stole a 10 cent bic ball point pen... must have done it on a homeland security desk and thought it was theirs.
Now if one had a motorcycle or fancy BMW car, that'd already come with a factory tool kit.
A spark plug wrench would be #1 on a bike.