Buying a car - what else to buy?

Nodding_Donkey

A disposable camera in case of an accident. I know that most mobiles these days have a camera but sods laws says that the mobiles battery will be flat if you ever really need the camera.


And don't forget a hammer and some duct tape. If something is loose and it should be tight use the tape, if it's tight and it should be loose use the hammer.

interstellaflyer

Ultrasonic wrote: »

Have you sorted breakdown cover? Autoaid are cheap if you are happy to pay at the time of a call out and claim back later.

It's a new car, breakdown cover will be included.

oldtoolie

"a good-sized torque wrench" This tool is for setting the torque when you tighten a nut not for removing a nut. So you won't need one unless you do your own servicing. What you might need is a better tool for removing wheel nuts.

wymondham

headache pills and a small bottle of water

bluesnake

depending on your car design, you may want to hide a spare key on the car.

Those magnetic boxes are notorious for loosing keys

in_the_Cotswolds

Someone has already said a pair of rubber gloves add a black bin liner as well so if you do have to change a wheel you can put it in the bin bag and straight into the boot without getting everything dirty.

w211

oldtoolie wrote: »

"a good-sized torque wrench" This tool is for setting the torque when you tighten a nut not for removing a nut. So you won't need one unless you do your own servicing. What you might need is a better tool for removing wheel nuts.

Which is what I meant by "good-sized" i.e. a torque wrench long enough to provide the leverage, to remove the wheel nuts.

Furthermore, after you change the tyre, put the spare on, and put the wheel nuts back on, you would need to find and set the torque of the nuts, to ensure they are not too tight, or too loose, that the wheel may eventually fall off.

So, "good-sized torque wrench" will do two things when replacing a tyre with the spare:

1 - it will be a good enough length to provide the leverage to remove the wheel nuts.
2 - once the spare tyre is on, you can check the wheel nuts are at the correct torque settings.

oldtoolie

You would not want to use a torque wrench to loosen a bolt as you might damage it. Torque wrenches are expensive while a nice x shaped lug wrench costs about £5.

Snap On technical reference says: "Use a torque wrench to apply a specific torque value during the final assembly process. Do not use a torque wrench as the primary means of tightening or loosening fasteners."

Most people would not bother to use a torque wrench to tighten your wheel nuts. I just do it up as tight as I can with my lug wrench by hands and then do 1/8 of a turn with my foot. That has worked for me for 45 years. Biggest problem with lug nuts is when numpties at the garage use an air wrench to over-tighten the lug nut. You will be standing on your lug wrench if that happens.

patman99

A telescopic wheel brace is definitely a worthwhile investment.

Btw, I will 2nd using a smartphone with 'Waze' installed as the satnav app. Unlike TomTom, Garmin etc., updates are free and very regular. Just like the standalone satnavs, Waze does the speedcam warning. It also warns of red light cameras and hold-ups (it can be set to provide a live feed so when you find yourself stuck in a traffic jam, it signals 'home' with the details. These then get transmitted to other Waze users in the area and Waze will then recalculate the route to take them around the hold-up)