Owning a car comes with ongoing costs beyond just gas and insurance. Purchasing some basic gear and supplies upfront allows you to properly maintain and troubleshoot issues with your ride down the road. Rather than getting nickel-and-dimed at auto parts stores or mechanics, a few smart investments provide long-term value and cost savings. Here are a few must-have items for every car owner:
Essential Tools
At the very minimum, stock a basic toolkit in your garage containing sockets, wrenches, pliers, and screwdrivers in metric and standard sizes. A good quality jack and jack stands are musts too if you ever need to get under your car. Air tools like impact wrenches and ratchets earn their keep on tough jobs. Simple items like funnels, a trouble light, and tire pressure gauge are helpful additions as well.
Maintenance Supplies
Rather than buying supplies piecemeal as stuff wears out, stock up on commonly replaced maintenance items in bulk to save money long term. Keeping fresh supplies of oil, coolant, brake fluid, and filters on hand is smart for quick top-ups or changes. Check out value packs too, as you can often score bonus items or bulk discounts this way.
Diagnostic Equipment
Every car owner should have some basic diagnostic gear to troubleshoot issues without relying on pricey shop equipment constantly. Simple code readers and OBD scanners plug into your vehicle’s diagnostic port to retrieve trouble codes. Advanced scan tools reveal live engine data and provide customization/reset functions too.
Battery Gear
Having a quality battery charger for cars is super handy to keep your vehicle’s battery topped up and maintained during long periods of non-use. According to the experts over at Clore Automotive, smart chargers tailored for automotive use automatically monitor and optimize charge levels to extend battery lifespan. Portable jump starter packs can provide emergency starts if you get stranded with a dead battery.
Cleaning Supplies
Whether you are a weekend detailer or just take pride in keeping your wheels looking fresh, car cleaning supplies pay off. Basics include soap, degreasers, brushes, microfiber cloths, and a bucket kit for washing. Glass cleaners, tire dressings, and specialty products for trim, wheel wells, undercarriages, etc. allow you to give your ride that showroom gleam.
Automotive Tools
Go beyond basic hand tools and invest in some automotive specialty tools that make certain jobs infinitely easier. Examples include oil filter wrenches, breaker bars for stuck lug nuts, flexible universal socket extensions, pry tools, fluid transfer pumps, and exhaust gasket tools. Job-specific tools save headaches compared to wrestling with makeshift methods.
Protection and Prevention
Prevention is the best medicine when it comes to avoiding costly repairs later on. Rust-proofing and undercoating services pay dividends against corrosion damage. Investing in a quality battery maintainer extends battery life during vehicle storage. And fuel stabilizers, desiccant packs, and vapor corrosion inhibitors protect parts when a car sits idle.
Upgrade Parts
Once you have the right tools, take things a step further by upgrading components on your vehicle to higher-quality parts. Synthetic oils, premium filters, heavy-duty spark plugs, and extended-life fluids can improve performance and extend maintenance intervals. Upgrading brake pads, wipers, bulbs, and other wear parts to name-brand alternatives lasts longer versus cheap disposable parts.
Conclusion
While these investments require some upfront cash, you will save money in the long run versus constantly replenishing supplies individually or paying for professional services. Having the proper gear empowers you to DIY many repairs while extending component longevity. Who knows, you may even develop a new passion for automotive tinkering. Just be sure to pace your spending and expand your automotive arsenal gradually over time.
