petee_c

When I first met my wife in the mid 90's she had an emergency candle, blanket, toque, jumper cables, small toolset and a bag phone in her little Nissan Pulsar... She was a country bumpkin that had to travel sometimes through rural areas of the Lake Huron snowbelt.... She might have had a collapsable shovel in there as well....

What's in your car?

Last winter, I was having problems starting my Golf, as it sat for days at a time without driving it. Eventually had to get the battery replaced. I made a jumper pack from a 4S Lipo battery and jumper leads which got me out of a jam or 2... I'm thinking about putting a small duffel bag in the hatch with blanket, candle, jumperpack and toque back in my Golf... My daughter will be commuting to UWO (90km each way) once a week for a nursing lab as residence is closed for the month of January...

theiceman

CAA card and Jumper cables ( CAA takes over 2 hours to get there these days )

pfitzsim

Here is what CAA recommends (lock de-icer may be a bit on the outdated side). I would add to that list a good old fashioned Swiss Army knife / multi tool. That being said I went to school for 4 years in the Eastern Townships in the early 90's and used drive a repair prone Saab 900 to/from the GTA and had one of these items in the car, being the snow brush. More out of stupidity/naivete than bravado.

• Flashlight (preferably crank-type, because batteries don’t last long in extreme cold)
• Reflective safety triangles or flares
• Small first-aid kit
• Snow brush and scraper
• Traction aids
• Small shovel with long handle
• Bag of abrasive material: sand, kitty litter (avoid road salt, which can cause your vehicle to rust)
• Plenty of windshield washer fluid
• Booster cables
• Gas-line antifreeze
• Lock de-icer (in extreme cold, keep it with you, rather than in your vehicle!)
• Paper towels
• Small tool kit (screwdriver, pliers, etc.)
• Extra fuses (for the vehicle’s electrical system)
• Warm blanket
• Extra socks, boots and gloves
• Hand and foot warmers
• Bottles of water
• Granola bars

993GT

gasoline and matches, if leaves me somewhere it's the end of it

but in all seriousness, jumper cables, obd2 scanner, a few basic hand tools are all great to have in any car

Turbodan

in the city, my last 2 CAA calls (recent for towing purposes) they arrived in less than 10 minutes

jumper5836

nothing I drive a Subaru

RDMcG

CAA card and a phone:

RonnyC

Tire Inflator, and sealant with portable battery booster... we drive up north a lot for ice fishing, snowmobiling far from towns. Hate to get a flat or not have the vehicle start because its so cold.

BIG smoke

Jumper pack/air compressor
Factory air compressor/and non expired tire goo

coat boots pants for everyone
jumper cables
basic tools
flash light
tire plugs, can of sealant/fixOflat
Spare tireless car - jack and wheels wrench, no spare tire to put on, but sometimes you need to take the wheel off the car to plug the tire.
Lowed car- always had a 2x4 to drive up on to get the jack under the car
And I have taught everyone in the house and every niece or nephew how to change a flat. You may not be strong enough, but you can boss someelse that lacks the life skill.
I too have CAA. Sometimes they are there in 10 minutes, -40? No car will start, it really could be 3 hours.
Crappy beater? Put the right oil in it. Synthetic W 0-15, new battery 🔋 it will start every time.
20-50w -30c molasses? Never.



goo

Bud Fox

Instead of CAA you can get the CT WE mastercard which comes with the gold roadside assistance that flat beds up to 200km

RonnyC

Speaking from experience, we were stranded up north of Haliburton - called Roadside assistance and they mentioned they could come pick us up. However, we were four of us, wife and two children and they could only take two. So I would have to leave my wife and daughter as I am not staying on the side of the logging road that winter night and my son is my first born so he has more rights....

Roadside assistance than would take my son and I to the nearest dealer which was in Huntsville that Sunday night and drop us off... Roadside assistance had no consideration for our accommodations, (where would we stay, shelter, food etc)... once we were dropped off in Huntsville, let alone leaving my wife and daughter 250 km's away in the dead of winter night.

All that talk up of how great these Roadside assistance, it is useless in situations you needed it the most. If I was at home or in the GTA, yes its helpful, but i would also have much more choices to choose from.

reacp911

CAA has come to my rescue a couple of time. I trust them. They've always come within the half hour

porsche0nut

^ 100%. Unless you're going outside of cell coverage, a credit card and a phone can get you out of anything! lol.

My #1 is windshield washer fluid. I can't stand a dirty windshield and not being able to clean it! Other than that the only other thing I've used is our tow strap... not for ourselves but for hauling other people out of ditches!

petee_c

Good ideas.... Definitely add matches and some kitty litter to my kit... I'll put some spare fuses in the glovebox....

I have a multitool in the Miata, but that car is a work in progress....

I had a small toolbox in the Jetta when I commuted...

BIG smoke

CAA and covid. There was a time when you could not get in the two truck with a driver. Don’t know what the status is now. But I bet, no guests. So even more important to be self prepared.