Toolkit for 2025 Mav hybrid

[chrisofpa]

Had a friend of mine in the '70's who would drive back and forth to work on a 2whlr in a suit and tie. He would wear a set of loose fitting mechanic overalls while riding to protect his suit, and, for the occasional helping out others with flat tires on the side of the road. Dont see much of those helping out other folks these days...

Wow that's wild, I can say I never saw that in my life but that makes a lot of sense, it probably also helps a bit if you get caught in a down pour.

It doesn't appear you understood my comment above..


There are those of us who have made the choice to take measures to protect ourselves and our families rather than call and (only) rely on LEO support to protect us...

Not completely unlike keeping some complement of tools in our vehicles in hopes of effecting our repair -vs- just calling someone for assistance.



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Totally agree with this!

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[notfast]

If you get the ones with magnets in the bottom you can stick them on the side of the vehicle while you are changing a tire in the rain and have a mini awning to do it under.

I dunno if you actually tried that, but my objective would be to spend the least amount of time possible on the side of the road, not set up and take down a rain fly.

I recommend a pair of coveralls in case you're ever in the Maverick with nice clothing you don't want to get dirty while changing a tire or such, most of the time I am in jeans/tshirt or my work uniform so I don't concern myself with that.

I go with the class 3 reflective-jacket-and-overpants.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0D37DL1D7

Solves several issues that a lot of others already brought up...getting dirty, getting wet, laying under the vehicle, being seen, etc. I keep my jacket and overpants right behind me on the floor, or in the rear corner of the bed if I have back seat passengers.

Bright green reflective safety vest. The last thing you want is to be on the side of a busy road in clothes that don't stand out.

I prefer orange over green. Orange gives better contrast on overcast days and at night.

A scanner

If you're talking OBD-II scanner, I agree, though it depends on your technical capability. If you just want the ability to read codes, a $20 OBD scanner will do just fine.

If you have reasonable automotive knowledge, I got this GearWrench OBD when it went on sale for $100 and was pretty impressed. It does a solid 95% of what my $1500 Autel tablet can do and is more convenient to use since it's wireless, fits in a pocket, and uses a phone.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DBJGKGB7

I picked up a DeWalt Atomic impact wrench for changing blades on my Toro. I already had several batteries, so that was the brand I got. It's going with me next trip, in case of a flat. It is tiny and delivers 450 ft. Lbs.of break away torque. It should take off lug nuts with ease, but only if there is a safe place to do the work. If not, I am calling roadside assist, either Ford or Liberty insurance.

When I worked at a tire shop, I'd use an impact to save time. But on my personal vehicle, I prefer just using a breaker bar then spinning the lugs off with a cordless screwdriver rather than beating the heck out of them with an impact. I save the wear on the lugs for...the guys at the tire shop.

All you need is a "CELL PHONE"! I don't think you can fix any problem other then change a tire without outside help.

I suppose it's situational. If you have cell coverage then a cell phone is a great tool. I occasionally venture out of cell coverage, and not in the woods. Might be in the back 40 with no signal, or on parts of I-15, if you venture 10 miles off the freeway, you can see the cell towers but get no signal.

Of the stuff onboard that I have used in the last year that I mentioned, basically none of it was used to fix the car. Just handy to have when you're out and about. Like, I was at an event and someone's EZ-UP lost a bolt, but luckily I had one that worked.

Used the jump pack/air inflator to pump up my bike's tires because I forgot to bring the tire pump with me.

A set of three emergency reflective triangles to alert oncoming traffic that your vehicle is disabled - nice folding sets in a case on Amazon

I have a set of DOT-approved warning triangles, and it was one of the things I jettisoned on my last toolbox cleanout because I've been driving around with it for like a quarter million miles and never needed it. If I ventured on winding mountain roads frequently then I might keep them in case I broke down around a blind corner.

But for me in a non-commercial vehicle where space is at a premium, I just carry a personal safety light (a Guardian Angel, specifically) on the slim chance that I break down at night on a blind corner and the vehicle's hazard lights are not working.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08PL7XDF8/

 

[chrisofpa]

I go with the class 3 reflective-jacket-and-overpants.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0D37DL1D7

Solves several issues that a lot of others already brought up...getting dirty, getting wet, laying under the vehicle, being seen, etc. I keep my jacket and overpants right behind me on the floor, or in the rear corner of the bed if I have back seat passengers.



I prefer orange over green. Orange gives better contrast on overcast days and at night.

Excellent find, thanks for sharing!

 

[Escapologist]

I have a set of DOT-approved warning triangles, and it was one of the things I jettisoned on my last toolbox cleanout because I've been driving around with it for like a quarter million miles and never needed it. If I ventured on winding mountain roads frequently then I might keep them in case I broke down around a blind corner.

But for me in a non-commercial vehicle where space is at a premium, I just carry a personal safety light (a Guardian Angel, specifically) on the slim chance that I break down at night on a blind corner and the vehicle's hazard lights are not working.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08PL7XDF8/

My view on warning triangles is that you want the one that makes the loudest noise when it gets knocked down to give you that extra second or two to dive in the ditch.

 

[A112358]

I have a large hand-crank radio/flashlight that has a flashing bright white light mode. I've never had to use it in an emergency, but I would think it would be a very effective warning signal at night.

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