Toolkit

Hi,

Has anobody purchased any toolkit set. If yes, please let me know where it is available and how much will it cost. Also while going for a long drive, what spares should we carry leaving aside the ones provided at the time of purchase.

Regards,

Kaustuv

unless you are a trained mechanic who is aware of parts servicing under the hood, i would say there is nothing to carry apart from the 24x7 helpline number.

before leaving for long trip one can perform normal checks like tyre pressure including spare, coolant levels, braking conditions. carry standard tools that help changing tyres, fuse.

otherwise simply zip away.

Regarding the 24x7 helpline number.. Anyone has any experience about using this number at times of trouble...?

I do drive a bit when I get the chance (which is not very often nowadays I must admit - given the nature of my job). As and when I do, I am equipped with a few things:-

1. A tube less tyre repair kit. Repair of tubeless tyres is still not the commonest of services available in the hinterland as yet.

"http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/tyre-alloy-wheel-section/46353-diy-guide-how-repair-tubeless-tyre-puncture.html"

2. Connected with the above aspect, a foot-pump and an air pressure gauge.

3. A reasonable rope to act as a toe-chain if required (should you be driving through remote and difficult areas - and there are plenty of such areas in India).

4. A screw-driver set (not that you can do much with it as Mir says...it is an old habit from my Fiat Padmini days).

5. A flashlight.

6. Usually a can of brake fluid, a litre of engine oil, a spare can of petrol .... these though you can do away with.

7. A pair of spare headlight bulbs.

Take your pick as per convenience.

good tips by logan romeo...

according to me the most important ones from the above are
2 , 3 , 5 , 7

i guess the first thing one will do is to change the wheel with spare, so @loganromeo kindly give me some scenario where number 1 can be useful. if convinced i will go for the tubeless kit. i have heard of it but never convinced enough to actually buy one.

one more thing to carefully keep a tab on at all times.
Are you in GSM coverage area?
If somehow you miss GSM you could be in a bad shape specially when going to remote parts. Driving to remote areas anyways has its own thrill and adventures which can only be discovered and never predicted.

Absolutely right Mir..the spare tyre is the first thing you fall back on. There-on it is God Almighty alone and nobody else who can come to one's rescue. And if friend Murphy has a liking for you in life in general (I am referring to Murphy's Law here), well I would rather be prepared. I could be called an alarmist, well....so be it!!

Besides, the repair kit is pretty cheap. I bought the entire set from Karol Bagh in Delhi (from a whole-sale stockist) and paid in the range of 150-170 in all. A small price to pay for the kind of mental peace that it gives you while driving through central India.

As I said, it is one's own preference.

i guess should give it a thought. any standard company to whcih it belongs to.

Hi,

Thanks a lot for the suggestions. Tubeless tyres repairing set is definitely a very helpful option. A pair of lamps is already provided as standard accessories so a bit of relief.

The other items mentioned also seems important. I will purchase an extra set and keep it ready for travel purposes.

With Regards,
Kaustuv

one bottle whiskey and a cool blond

in one of my earlier cars i used to carry something similar to this product

http://www.nigrin.com/nc/products/productrange/produktdetails-888/article/nigrin-tyre-fit.html?tx_ttnews%5BbackPid%5D=883

this is a pressurized can with air and some sealant mixture. one can is meant for one tyre for one time usage. in cases of small holes this is suppossed to be used. you simply plug on the air valve of the tyre and let the pressurized mixture enter the tyre. this is the most simplest method i have seen so far. i used it only once. the tyre had lost pressure and was flat. i did not investigate anything and simply poured this can. however it took me only till nearest garage which was 500 meters away after which tyre was again flat. at the garage it was discovered that tyre needs replacement as something was wrong alongside tyre rim.

so all in all if the tyre is torn or has got a cut or any other issue apart from small hole puncture it is going to be useless. also in such cases i do not see any other method that can prove useful except replacing the tyre with a new one.

so basically the whiskey way should be better.

[i guess should give it a thought. any standard company to whcih it belongs to]

nothing standard, a collection of small tools. any decent hardware store / shop dealing with tyre repair repair stuff should have it.

i had a look at this kit with one of friends who had it in his car.
it had some cement sort of mixture which is suppossed to be plugged in the puncture hole. Steps to be taken for one to be able to fix it are:

- Get car on jack.
- Remove the tyre to locate the puncture. However i am not clear as to how to locate the exact puncture position.
- take the substance that caused puncture out of the tyre using force.
- check if the puncture is actually a repairable hole and not a good long cut. if it is a cut tyre has to be replaced.
- use a tool to clear the hole and widen it a bit so as to fix the sealant mixture in that.
- cut a small peice of mixture and plug it in that hole. since tyre is rubber its elastic property will seal without leaving any space.
- wait for some 5 minutes.
- inflate the tyre again.
- fix the tyre back.
- check for pressure and if needed inflate it to right pressure.

above process will take at least 45 minutes for a person like me and that too if visibility allows. in darkness i dont think this can be performed. however this is where the torch comes helpful.

can some one let me know whether some product similar to the one below is available somewhere.
http://www.nigrin.com/nc/products/productrange/produktdetails-888/article/nigrin-tyre-fit.html?tx_ttnews%5BbackPid%5D=883

this product may reduce the number of steps drastically. however in cases of long cut this is also useless.