XPost: comp.mobile.android   
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   VanguardLH wrote:   
      
   > I'm the type that relies first on physical over electronic.  That's why   
   > I have probably a couple hundred pounds of tools and emergency gear in   
   > my car rather than relying on calling AAA   
      
   I'm similar to Vanguard in that I rely on the confidence of self reliance;   
   however, we have wives and kids and grandkids, etc., who need that AAA card.   
      
   Personally, I've found that you can "share" the AAA card, as the only entity   
   that seems to care if it's "you" calling is AAA but not the truck driver who   
   arrives (he just wants to get paid by AAA in the end so he'll take anyone).   
   (at least in my experience anyway)   
      
   When a kid gets their first car, I generally gift them a "safety kit", which   
   contains, oh, offhand, from memory, the following dozen or so safety items:   
   1. HF magnetic light (AA only - I never buy AAA items - ever!)   
   2. tire patch kit (external patch) & tire air + sealant canister   
   3. safety vest (I used to add flares & triangles but they suck)   
   3. HF analog VOM (you don't need a battery to check DC voltage)   
   5. 3x5 flash cards, duct tape & pencil in a ziplock bag (to leave a note)   
   6. vise grip & philips/flathead & compact wrench kit (bicycle kits work)   
   7. HD Husky 4-gauge 20-foot jumper cables (but they're a PITA to re-pack)   
   8. Costco landscape black plastic bags (to put on the wet ground if needed)   
   9. Portable cigarette lighter air pump (they actually do work surprisingly)   
   10. aforementioned spare (usually expired) AAA card (for sharing purposes)   
   11. sometimes an ice scraper & sometimes a quart of motor oil (for old cars)   
   12. Some kind of zippered strong cloth bag (I get them at the Goodwill)   
      
   Did I miss anything that you would highly recommend that's in your kit?   
   (It's always a balance of size versus likelihood of dire need of course.)   
      
   I used to add a halon fire extinguisher, paper maps, two flares with nails,   
   two foldable triangle reflectors, a spare phone & a spare camera, but each   
   of those turns out to be more trouble than it's worth, particularly the   
   flares (which crumble over time) and the reflectors (which blow away in the   
   wind if they're small enough to be convenient).   
      
   The _best_ thing to have in your kit, is the knowledge that you likely have,   
   and that I certainly have, of how each of the systems work in a vehicle   
   (drive train, starting & charging, cooling, steering, braking, etc.) in that   
   my cars, by design, are older than my children (who are married with kids),   
   since that's the last time I bought a new car and none of my vehicles have   
   _ever_ been to a mechanic (I even do alignment and tire mounting & balancing   
   at home) - but I would assume most people don't know what we know.   
      
   As an OT aside, I _love_ the inherent confidence that my deep knowledge of   
   "working on a car" gives us in terms of the ability to fix almost anything   
   at the point of failure (or, if it's unfixable, such as a broken axle, then,   
   in California, a 511 call will get you off the highway for free, and that   
   shared AAA card can get you five further miles for free, and then you pay   
   for whatever is left but at least you'll be safely off the highway).   
      
   The good news is cars are simpler to maintain now than ever before, just as   
   phones are better, faster, and far cheaper now than they've ever been.   
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