What do I need in a car?

[Meckity1]

Yesterday I posted about when I could start driving after passing my test. Next week I am going car hunting. I know an incredibly safe place to look for cars (Styrin Motors, Leeds - salesmen work as a team, recommendations for them from all sorts, very nice when I spoke to them on the phone).

I'll need things for the car, won't I? I guess I'll need air freshener thingies but what else? Am I going over the top having a tyre repair kit? Do I just need a cloth? What about antifreeze and screenwash?

Please, any help that will stop me going into Halfords and coming out with a trolley load of unnecessary rubbish will be really gratefully received.

Air freshener thingies are not compulsory (I loathe them.)

Floor mats, ice-scraper (obviously no rush for that in Northern hemisphere), chammy leather, screen wash and a carton of oil. You'll have to wait til you've bought your car to buy the oil and mats. Do you know how to check oil and tyre pressure? Road atlas and possibly A to Z for your town/city.

Things I personally find useful to have in the car - tissues, hand cream, in-car phone charger, sun screen, torch, £20 note. A picnic blanket in the boot can come in handy. Ditto spare shopping bag. My wellies also live in the boot.

DisplayPurposesOnly I've watched people check oil, so know how to use a dipstick. I'll be learning how to check tyre pressure probably from YouTube.

I never thought of tissues! I know DH has a blanket in his car for winter, when it's icy, to get traction, but he drives up some serious slopes.

I love DH dearly, but he doesn't know how to check tyre pressure or add screen wash so I'm sort of teaching myself.

What about a fire extinguisher?

I carry an electric tyre pump. Very useful to be able to inflate your tyres without having to find a petrol station air-line.

Breakdown membership

Things that are shoved in various places in my car. Tissues. Torch. Bag to put rubbish in. Phone charger. Box of Belvita breakfast biscuits. Bottle of drinking water for me. Large bottle of water for dogs. Dog water bowl. Sunscreen for me. Ice scraper. Shovel is still in there in case of snow. Dog poo bags. Dog treats. Tweezers - for plucking chin hairs... the joy of menopause, and that way neither teenage dd can 'borrow' them never to be seen again. Road map for when sat nav goes bonkers. (I use the app on my phone rather than have a separate one). Waterproof jacket. Loads of vet bed for dogs to lie on. Towels for rubbing dogs down. A pound coin for supermarket trolleys. Several large carrier bags. Bits of silver coinage for parking ticket machines.

Bar a few CD's in the glovebox, I carry literally nothing in my car. I hate clutter in a car. DH's car on the other hand, oh Jesus!

Yes yes to breakdown membership (ideally with home start). Check if your bank offers it.

Fire extinguisher very sensible but I've never bothered in 30 years. If the car catches light, I'm going to hop out sharpish and stand a long long way back

It's not hard to check and top up oil and screenwash (I do think that's a minimum requirement). I've never learned to change a tyre - not that it's that difficult, but I'm not confident I'd be able to tighten everything up safely on the replacement. I'd rather await the breakdown!

Some great ideas here. I'm hoping to join AA breakdown cover with DH.

I will basically be doing the school run, hopefully calling in on the shops on the way there and back, so nothing adventurous, but you never know. Road map is a good idea. Obviously I have to be able to use satnav to pass the test, but I grew up using maps, and satnavs can get carried away.

Bags in the car, and trolley tokens, and a drink for me.

I've booked a test drive for tomorrow. So nervous. I learned in a BMW diesel and I'm testing out a Toyota petrol. It can't be that different.

We keep a repair kit, tire pump, battery jump pack, first aid kit, food, water. Collapsible shovel, and fuel can as a minimum. But we live more remotely than most.

I know if I brake down or get stuck I am spending at least one night in the car.

Knowing how to top up oil and screenwash is now part of the test - as it should be.

There are all sorts of things to add to things, like that redux thingy and stuff to add to screenwash. I went on my Morrisons grocery delivery page for cars and I wasn't sure what on earth I'd actually need and what I wouldn't.

You definitely don't need a tyre puncture repair. Nobody uses them. Try and get a car that comes with a full spare but the temp spares are also ok. Don't get one that comes with the fix-it foam stuff!

In my car I have mats, air freshener, phone charger, baby wipes, cloth (for wiping insides of windows), bottle of windscreen wiper fluid, a blanket, ice scraper and some shopping bags.

Top tip - AA/RAC get expensive on the renewal so flip between them or use green flag who seem to be always cheaper. We have green flag for 2 drivers so covers both cars.

Also if your car is older than say 5 years, you should get the home start.

Oil
Blanket
Spare bulbs
Warning triangle (never used)
Foot pump
Window breaker & belt slice thingy.

Oh yes, duster and chamois pad for condensation.

If you learned in a diesel you might find you stall a few times while you get used to a petrol. Its perfectly normal.

Handy if you have small DC - a few bags to carry stuff or be sick in 🤪, baby wipes, antiseptic spray/wash bottle for scraped knees (we use ours a lot!) and if you're extra paranoid a small first aid kit incl eye wash and a seat belt cutter/hammer thing. Also do bear in mind that heavy stuff should always be stored in the boot as you don't want heavy stuff to turn into projectiles in a crash.

donajimena I am not going to stress about stalling or being in the wrong lane. I know it's going to be a learning curve and as long as I don't become a hazard then I'm just going to go with the flow. Thanks for the reassurance though. For all of my brave words, I know I'm going to be flinching when I inevitably stall at the lights.

AlunWynsKnee Spare lights? That's a frightening thought!

thatwouldbeanecumenicalmatter - Thank you for the tip about putting stuff in the boot. I never thought of that. I will be transporting twelve year olds around. I may need headache pills for me!

Really appreciate all the tips - I feel like I need all the help I can get and I know I can rely on Mumsnet

Good luck with your test and car buying!

One last thought - any pets? If so, then some way of securing those so they travel safely too.

DisplayPurposesOnly No pets, just about-to-be teenagers. I have a hand held vac anyway.

Thanks for the help and good wishes. I haven't got a clue!

I have my breakdown cover as part of the goodies with my bank account. I also get worldwide travel insurance including the university age children travelling independently, and mobile phone insurance for up to five phones. It comes to £156 a year. Buying these separately would easily come to far more.

Spare umbrella to be kept in the car.
Spare emergency money- a £10 hidden in a cubby hole or glove box and pound coins.
A boot liner, or plastic to line the boot with. Saves mess if you might be going to a garden centre and taking home plants. Or football boots or other detritus that children accumulate.

Your husband doesn't know how to check tyre pressure or add screenwash?

Seriously?

He shouldn't be driving.

I will be transporting twelve year olds around. I may need headache pills for me!

Yes, sadly somethings that can cause a massive pain in the neck can't be put in the boot

Don't go to Halfords they are vastly overpriced, the supermarkets sell things like screenwash at a fraction of the price.

Also avoid Halfords wiper blades like the plague, the set I bought in Jan need replacing already.

I keep kitchen roll and cleaning stuff in there to have a quick wipe of the surfaces, apart from that everything is covered in other posts.

I am thinking of adding some kind of emergency shelter in case I breakdown/ have an accident and it is not safe to stay in the car, but then I drive in the Scottish Highlands where the weather can be wild and breakdown could take a long time.

My winter kit includes a snow shovel, grit, blankets and should probably include a flask for longer drives.

www.amazon.co.uk/Lomo-Emergency-Storm-Shelter-Bothy/dp/B00LZT1ET6?ref_=fsclp_pl_dp_1&tag=mumsnetforu03-21

Gingerkittykat Part of me really, really, really wants to be totally prepared with a storm shelter. However I live in West Yorkshire, nowhere near the Dales or Penines, so it may be slightly overkill. I can revisit the idea next November.

Foxyloxy1plus1 Bootliner is a great idea. I need to be able to take lots of stuff to the tip as I need to re-do the garden, plus recycling etc. And I never thought about an umbrella. I can see my handbag getting a lot lighter

MoaningMinniee I'll have a look into what happens if I upgrade my account as I know there are a lot of goodies there. We don't travel abroad much, so haven't bothered.

I really appreciate all the help and tips. It's a great adventure.