Tools that every car owner should own in this day and age.

A real floor jack and stands, and/or ramps. Those little scissor jacks are damn near useless, and dangerous

 

A BIG floor jack. I just replace my puny Sears floor Jack with a huge, 100 pound, 3-ton jack, and now I can lift Prius way high! It's so much easier to get under.

Life's short. Get a big-nice person floor jack.

You also need a set of ratchets and screwdrivers. My advice, if you're starting out, is buy the biggest Sears Craftsman set you can possibly afford, but buy one with a molded case. In general, less expensive ratchet sets will come with only 1/4" and 3/8", but a complete set should include 1/4", 3/8" and 1/2". I've had Craftsman tools for thirty years (wow, am I really that old?). Every time I get into a job, I wind up grabbing this tool, that tool, the other tool... I'm underneath a car with a 13mm socket, and a 10mm deep socket, a few extensions... next thing you know, I've got about ten tools out, and I clean everything up... if you have your sockets in a molded case, you'll know if you're missing one. It is SOOO much better that way.

I suggest a 250-ish piece set. They almost always come in both SAE and Metric. They have some metric-only sets, but I don't think they have any in a molded case. Sears puts these sets on sale for about $150 - $175 regularly. I also have a smaller set of 1/4" and 3/8" which I toss in the car for long trips; it also comes in a molded case. I attached a picture of a typical $150-ish Craftsman tool set.

Sears will also sell you a huge set of screwdrivers for $20 when they go on sale. There are a few other items you'll collect over time, like torque wrenches, breaker bars, extensions, pliers, etc. But the $150-ish set will take you very far. But, Sears' torque wrenches (sold separately) are absolutely awful.

If you've never done car work before, this will seem like a horrendous amount of tools. But it's a good set for general auto work.

 

Click torque wrenches (3/8, 1/2).
12V smart battery charger that has an AGM battery setting.

 

I've never used one. Cause, if a battery is so old that it starts dying, I jumpstart it, drive to the auto parts store, and buy a new battery.

Then again, I live in warm weather California and I drive my car regularly. Maybe it's different in the real world.

 

Still have the original 12v battery in my 2010 that we bought in August 2009. No issues to date and when the car sits over night, I still get 12.8v at the post under the hood. I put 25-30 k a year on the car, so it gets good use.

No battery tender used, but I also live in northern ca, so not in any real weather for the last 2.5 years for my Prius . Last winter my uncle in upstate New York sent a pic of the winter weather there. The same day I sent him a pic of the blooming flowers we had in the front of our house .

 

I think these batteries can go 10 years if you keep an eye on the voltage, charge below 12.5v

 

Three likely scenarios.
1) Trunk light/map light/ cabin light left on. Battery is discharged below READY starting ability. Attach 12V charger, let it run, and auto end. All is well again. The smart charger will also let you know if the battery is no good too, when it goes through the diagnostics. You can always preemptively change the battery, for peace of mind.

2) Some people drive short distances, not long enough to keep the 12V battery fully charged. Such a battery is in a continual state of discharge and may live a shortened life. Periodic maintenance recharging with the smart charger would be a good thing. Yes, one could simply say, I will preemptively swap out the battery every 2/3/4 years for peace of mind.

3) Car not driven for a prolonged period of time for whatever reason (vacation, illness, etc). Attach 12V charger. Yes, one could simply disconnect the ground cable, but the battery would still self discharge. Yes, one could just buy a new replacement battery whe

Your car. Your money. Spend as you see fit.

 

I didn't mean any disrespect. I'm here to learn what I don't know. I didn't mean it like, "I don't own a battery tender so anybody who owns one doesn't know what they're doing."

Besides, I have a Plug-in Prius, and I'm not certain, but I think the charging system effectively acts as a battery tender whenever I charge the car.

 

I the "every car owner should have" tools category:

Tire Pressure Gauge
Pen and Paper

And really good to have, not mentioned above:

Tread Depth Gauge
Wheel Chocks
Plug Repair Kit
Flashlight
Reflective Emergency Vest
Traffic Cone or similar

Also: Jumper Cables, much maligned but ok if you just work smart, might save your bacon. I do have a heavy duty jump pack, but yeah.

 

No offense taken.

I just view a 12V battery charger as a very useful tool. Others may have a different view, and see it as an unnecessary expense. Buy, don't buy, it is ultimately an individual decision.

 

Don't get too confident that your battery is good based on measured voltage. Our 2011 had a battery that measured 12.7v at the posts that wouldn't start the car, no brake booster, no SKS door unlocking, and no dashboard lights other than an exclamation point (!).

 

The only thing I am confident about is I will be replacing it at some point. But until that point, I am not worrying about it only monitoring.

What prep did you do prior to replacing your 12v? @Rebound was saying that when it fails, it fails and when it happens he would go get another. My response is I will do the same thing.

There was a thread here about batteries only lasting 3 or 4 years and these batteries should be replaced as preventative maintenance. Everyone can chose how they support the economy.

My old man has a trickle charger for the many vehicles he has( he has more than any person needs or requires). He uses it when a car sits for awhile. I do not allow the Prius to sit and use it frequently. This should help extend the battery life, in addition to the environment it resides in ( which is not hot like certain climates).

I also limit who drives it to minimize the drain on the battery potential ( map light, door left open, etc). I often find when arriving home the dome light on the wife's 4Runner on from the kids leaving a door open. I make sure before I leave the car that I look at the dash and see the door ajar light not on. I also turn the headlights on and off manually and do not rely intake car to turn them off and do not sit in the car in ACC mode.

In the 7 years of ownership I have not had a deep drain on the 12v. I hope that continues into the future, but I know at some point I will be at the auto parts store or dealer replacing the battery.

 

I'm kinda the opposite, have more chargers than vehicles, lol.

 

If you are willing to part with one, I guess I am deficient .

Just be thankful you are in that position. When the time comes and the property is split, I have my work cut out for me.

He is the type that adds buildings on to the property and doesn't reduce. As an example, he has 12 riding lawn tractors 4 plow trucks and 5 operable vehicles. This excludes the "spare" parts vehicles rotting away in the woods.

At last count he has 5 outbuildings with 3 awnings for additional storage. And each has varying levels of inventory but most have a small walking path for navigation.

So the trickle charger is in use year round .

 

Sounds like a job for American Pickers.

 

That topic has been broached. He is not the most friendly to outsiders, so they would not be well received.

Mike and Frank were actually 10 minutes from the house once. They stopped by the old Saab dealer who still services them.

The stuff my old man has does not possess a lot of non sentimental value IMO. Its a lot of old family stuff other than more current vehicles of which are all rotted out due to being in northeast PA. He does have some interesting stuff that I will have make a trip out west:

1) old 50's David Bradley Tri Trac ( three wheel tractor my great grandfather had brought in on the train and use as a farm tractor.
2) 1961 Harley Davidson Super 10 that was great grandfathers last bike which we almost have restored (just got a new clutch cable last week and will install when I am out there in January)
3) A small church pew from the church my family attended for 125 years before it closed down last year due to low attendance
4) A safe full of old family rifles dating back to the late 1800's (he has 14)

Unfortunately Mike and Frank wouldn't see it as time well spent, although it would help my future endeavor

 

Lot of history there, thanks for sharing.

I've been watching a few Ken Burns specials on the States, so far: "The War", "The Civil War" and "The West". You guys have got some serious HISTORY, good, bad and terrible. Interesting watch, if you haven't already.

 

I have not seen them. Will have to look into that.

The most interesting thing about the Harley is he put 29 k miles on it. It might go 40 mph going downhill with a breeze pushing him. And the "suspension" is a set of rigid seat springs and very stiff ones in the forks. His was riding this in his 60's!!

It is amazing where technology has taken us. But thankful it has.

 

The real story of America is that a far-flung group of small merchants and farmers staged a successful uprising against the most powerful nation in the world, and started the world's first modern democratic republic. This small nation grew into the world's largest economy, the most scientifically innovative nation, and a leader of freedom, while it evolved into a democracy which extended freedom and equality to more of its citizens.

We sadly forget these remarkable accomplishments, and sadly there are those who abuse freedom in destructive and negative ways. But a free democracy cannot be any more perfect than humanity itself, I suppose.