Learning About Automotive Tools

You might be accustomed to just going to the auto parts store or a location like 422 Auto Wrecking to pick up car parts as you need them, and you may have never thought about just keeping spare car parts on hand. However, there are a few parts that you might want to have around in case you need them. These are a few of the extras that you may want to go ahead and buy from a car parts store.

1. Windshield Wiper Blades

First of all, you may want to purchase a spare pair of windshield wiper blades. They're not expensive, and they're easy to change yourself once you get the hang of it. In fact, you may even want to keep a set of windshield wiper blades somewhere in your car so that you can change them if needed; after all, a pair of worn-out windshield wiper blades can cause a lot of problems if you find yourself caught in a rain or snow storm. Along with keeping windshield wiper blades on hand, you may also want to keep an ice scraper, squeegee, bottle of cleaner and bottle windshield wiper fluid.

2. Spare Tire

Some newer cars come with tire patch kits and other similar items rather than an actual spare tire. Some people use their spare tire and never end up replacing it. The last thing you want to do is end up on the side of the road with a flat tire and no spare, however, so it's a good idea to buy one if you don't have it. You will also want to practice changing a tire if you don't know how to do it; then, you'll know what to do if you do find yourself stranded. You will also want to make sure that you have a jack and any other necessary tools so that you can change your tire on the fly.

3. Fuses

A fuse can blow in your car without warning, but changing out a faulty fuse should be easy; you should be able to access your car's fuse box from the driver's side of the vehicle, and if you have extra fuses, you can just swap out the one that needs to be replaced. A small box of fuses for your car should not cost much but can be quite handy to keep in the glove compartment or in another easily accessible place for when you need it.