1. Dashcam
Today, a dashboard camera is as important to your car as carrying your mobile phone. These have a myriad of uses, from recording the front view and the rear view (if you have a rear one installed as well) that can prove useful if you get into a scrap with another person or vehicle. It is also useful in the case of a break-in into your beloved automobile – at least you have the evidence!
2. WD40 spray
Keep a can of WD40 spray always handy in your car because it is that one magic formula for everything – from removing stubborn stickers on the windshield to stop creaking doors, erratic power windows or squeaky panels. It is also surprisingly effective on most rattles and its super easy to use – shake, point and spray – and your personal peace is retained. Just remember to keep it stowed properly, or it may be running all over your car’s boot space introducing new noises!
3. Trash bins & bags
This is the one that most people ignore and this is something that you should especially use if you have small kids. Trash bins come in all shapes and sizes, and you also get trash bags – these can be used to throw coffee cups, chips bags or chocolate wrappers – a trash bin is so important for your car. Even if you are pulling tissues from a box, you need someplace to dispose them, right? Plus, your kids can use them without creating a mess in your beloved automobile.
4. Water
It is interesting to note how many people actually forget this. You must always have some form of hydration available in your vehicle – especially since air-conditioning induces dryness. You don’t have to keep cases of aqua in your car – just a few bottles will help. Today’s cars have a plethora of bottle holders and they should be used to their full potential. You can keep your own bottles replenished from home regularly or buy environmentally-friendly glass bottles.
5. Windshield sunshade
You must have seen those pictures of cars with cracked dashboards or faded interiors. India is undoubtedly a very hot country and the sun comes in especially strong through the windshield of any vehicle. Most of the time, we cannot avoid parking in the open and this is when the maximum damage is done, so a nice reflective windshield sunshade is very important, if you want to prevent damage to your car’s interiors.
6. Tyre Inflator
Even though our roads have improved tremendously, there are still plenty of bad stretches about. Modern tyres are amazingly resilent yet you never know when that odd nail or stone will puncture your tyre, and if this happens in the middle of the night, you are really doomed. A tyre inflator comes very handy in all such situations – just plug into your cigarette lighter socket and you can inflate your tyres to normal, before seeking out a puncture repair shop. Handy, eh? On that note, get a digital tyre pressure indicator gauge. Could come in handy.
7. Battery Jump starter
You never know when your car’s battery will give up on you (especially if is 2-3 years old, and having a jump starter handy is a good choice. Get one with a built in battery, and keep it charged regularly to ensure that you are not looking for unwitting doners should you run of juice at any time day or night.
8. Bungee cords
Bungee cords are probably one of the most versatile things on earth, and are amazingly strong and flexible, precisely why you might need them to tie things down, secure stuff anywhere in the car or you might simply need to haul some light stuff. Either which way, also keep a number of bungee cords handy – you never know when they might come in handy.
9. Escape Tool
Even though modern cars are completely safe, there might come a time, when you need to make a hasty exit from your car and the door locks might be jammed or simply not working. You need one of these emergency hammers and some even come equipped with a seat belt cutter. A very handy tool to have in the car and one that can potentially save your life.
10. First-aid kit
All cars come today with a rudimentary first-aid kit, but then these are hopelessly inadequate. What you need is a full-fledged first-aid kit available in most pharmacies. Again, as I said earlier, this assumes even more significance when you have small children, so a proper first-aid kit is even more essential. Also, don’t forget to pack in motion sickness tablets if you are planning a long holiday.
11. Windshield cleaning cloth
A windshield cleaning cloth. Believe me, this is one of the most overlooked items that people don’t keep in their vehicles and it is much required for visibility. Whether it is a hot day or a rainy afternoon, front and rear vision is very important and this is precisely where this kind of a cloth comes handy. You don’t need to keep anything very expensive, just a simple cotton cloth.
12. Rubber foot mats
Some call them 7D some 9D – but whatever the D, get proper fitted plastic/rubber foot mats because it is not always possible to keep your shoes clean when you step into your vehicle, especially with inclemental weather outside. Choose function over form and you will not be disappointed.
13. Dicky organiser
Now that I have told you about a lot of stuff to buy and keep in your vehicle, how do you keep it all organised? A folding dicky space organiser is perhaps one of the best things that you can get for your car. This keeps the stuff at the back in neat compartments, so that even if you take sharp turns or brake suddenly, then the stuff at the back won’t go flying around – at least you will not have to solve a crossword puzzle trying to figure out where your stuff has vanished into the little nooks and crevices in the boot of your car!
