When it comes to repairing damage to your car, the general recommendation is that what should be done eventually must be done immediately. If you notice something wrong with your car, it’s always considered best to deal with it sooner rather than later, and potentially let a small problem balloon into a more long-term, big-picture issue.
But sometimes, time is of the essence, and you can’t afford to wait for a body shop to orchestrate a complete repair before accomplishing something else. Maybe you’re racing to the hospital for the birth of your child, or maybe you’re trying to get a friend to the airport in time for him to catch his flight. Obstacles do tend to pop up when you least expect them to, and when they do, you’ll want to be prepared.
With that said, here are three tools that we recommend carrying in your car at all time:
Fire extinguisher
Though cars do not spontaneously burst into flames on a regular basis, they do catch fire every now and then when something goes wrong. If and when that happens, you’re going to want to be prepared. A fire extinguisher is a necessity in every public building for a good reason, and a car fire can potentially be even more dangerous if you’re in the middle of nowhere with nobody around to help. Better to be safe than sorry
Tire gauge
It’s never a bad idea to carry a tire gauge in your car. This stethoscope-shaped tool tells you exactly how much air is in each tire. If you hit an unidentified object late at night and have no way of knowing what it was, you can at least figure out if it inflicted any amount of damage to your tires without having to worry about it much further
Air compressor
A tire gauge and an air compressor go hand in hand. If you do determine that a tire is underinflated, it sure would be nice to then be able to do something about it! That’s what an air compressor is for. Sometimes your tires can leak air even when they weren’t punctured. You can then save yourself time and money by simply re-inflating it yourself, although if you’re not sure what caused it or you suspect a punctured tire, it’s best to take your car to a body shop. But even in this scenario, an air compressor can buy you enough time to be able to do so rather than spend more money to have it towed.
We are your auto repair source
Fender Mender is the name for auto repair in the Charleston area. Whatever body repair you need, whether small body damage or a full collision repair, our team can help you get your car back to the way it was. If you’ve been in a recent accident, or have damage that requires fixing, contact us today. We’re ready to help you!