porsche emergency kit...what do you carry?
 

Having had Porsches and tons of other sports cars over the years I have learned by experience to always carry tools and emergency parts when I travel long distances from home. Over the last few years we have frequently done 2K to 6K mile trips and even with the increased reliability of Porsche I still carry a kit with a water pump, thermostat, gaskets, a couple of common relays, fuses , tire plug kit, and serpentine belt. I have now added an ignition switch. And of course the tools to change each.
I would be interested in hearing what others have found useful on the road.

I travel light. Very light. :)

http://i1114.photobucket.com/albums/...ps3c442653.jpghttp://i1114.photobucket.com/albums/...ps57709f89.jpg

Much like thstone, AAA card and a credit card, a spare tire with the factory tools. I do carry a small set of jumper cables but that's intended for others.

I have never been stranded in the middle of nowhere, but I like to be prepared. If you take care of these cars they are very reliable, so I am more focused on the being able to deal with a flat tire and basic survival stuff. I would rather call AAA than try to change a water pump on the side of the road.

Among many other things, I carry: lug wrench, crescent wrench, screwdriver, pliers, extra fuses, gloves, mini air compressor, tire gauge, jumper cables, first aid kit, swiss army knife, flares, a blanket, and snow chains in the winter.

Same as thstone and Jamesp. While not the most durable cars if maintained properly they are reliable.

A very large survival knife, very bright flashlight, large Leatherman multi tool, and a high-capacity .45 auto.

No spare. No jack.

I carry more on longer trips.

Every vehicle we use has a version of this with a few decent quality hand tools added to it:

Justin Case Premium Travel Pro Auto Safety Kit - Walmart.com

One of these:

http://www.amazon.com/Slime-1034--T-Handle-Tire-Plug/dp/B000ET525K/ref=sr_1_1/191-6774465-4709564?ie=UTF8&qid=1422221679&sr=8-1&keywords=tire+plug+kit

That plug kit has saved my bacon several times.

Large Roll of Duct tape, Heavy Wool Blanket, wind-up flashlight and a Multi-use tool / Leatherman knock off. Usually a used serpentine belt also.

A bottle of wine with cork puller and glasses, some cheese and bread and a blanket with lawn chair so I have something to do while I wait for roadside service to arrive.:cheers:

Maybe I'm being over cautious, but besides the usual emergency tools, I carry a new nicely folded small tarp and bungee cords in the event that I can't get my top back up, and it rains.:eek:

Jump 'n Carry 660 portable jump starter, factory tool kit, extra set of metric wrenches, serpentine belt, ignition switch and small screwdriver, AAA card, credit card, flashlight, extra fuses and bulbs, GPS.

This is genius.

To the serp belt guys, do you carry a 21mm socket & breaker bar?

I have an old one-inch box end wrench and an a/c delete belt that I bought by accident. Adding the tarp. I suppose the tarp is not suitable for highway use.

you must be single? I removed my spare tire so my wife had more room in the trunk for the **************** she buys lol

Visa and BCAA card is all I need

Yes. I bought a large 21mm/24mm box wrench for this specific job, and it's in the car.

Has anybody here ever used the jumper cables for their Boxster any other place than their garage? Or a screwdriver?

I second the wine and glasses, Luv2Box!

The different countries here in Europe mandate you carry different obligatory accessories like reflective vest, warning triangle, fire extinguisher, bulbs, fuses, first aid kit.

I was going to say "My AAA card" but half a dozen people beat me to it. ;)

2 cans of Fix a flat.The extra is in case the first is defective.They make it now in a tire pressure sensor safe version.Not a problem for my Box as it is a year 2000.

If is is real cold outside,the pressure in the container is inadequate;so I CAREFULLY monitor the time when I place it near the engine area to heat it up for a few minutes.

The stuff will save your butt as long as the tire is not too wrecked.

I never even contemplated changing a waterpump on the side of the road, but having one with me gives me the option of renting someone's lift for a few hours and changing it or paying him to do it while I watch. After all, it isn't rocket science.
Our travels are not not centered around big cities and we may do thousands of miles without getting close to one. Try finding a Porsche dealer in Colorado or western Kansas.
A case in point is last week we were traveling with another couple who have a boxster when the tiptronic went into emergency mode. It was a weekend and the closest Porsche dealer was over 3 hours away. We could have called AAA and had it towed to the dealership and rented a car for the 2 or 3 days. Instead, I have a duremetric pro and it took less than 15 minutes to hook it up, find the fault and clear it. Drove it a bit and rechecked it and all was fine. Last year on the fall tour another couple had the same thing happen and they called AAA had it towed to the dealership and guess what they did..... cleared the fault, charged them almost $200 and sent them on their way. And they missed an event they had paid for and were looking forward to.
In less than 30 minutes I can change a belt, relay, fuse. In an hour I can change the ignition switch or a headlight switch. And if I can get to any garage with a lift a waterpump and thermostat takes 2.5 hours. And that is why I try to carry emergency parts even though I rarely need them. I also have 3 Porsches and many parts fit at least 2 of them and some all 3 so I will eventually need those parts in the emergency kit for routine maintenance.

Last long trip 2000+ miles I bought and carried with me a new AOS with cable clamp pliers.
Gave me something to think about - how I would change that on the side of the road on a hot engine

Along with Belt, sockets, breaker bar, Can of Fix-o-Flat, fuses, Fuel pump relay, gal. distilled water, quart of oil
Even for short trips 100-200 miles I carry some tools, water and always a fully charged flashlight

I always carry a piece of wood with me to knock on

Next long trip I'm adding the bottle of wine, cheese /crackers so I can relax a bit, let things cool down before working on the road side repairs

I figure if I have it, it won't break.

1. Two cans of flax fix. Have never used this product on the 986 though.
2. electric air pump.
3. Cobra battery jump start pack. Highly rated on Amazon will start an SUV. Fits in rear shelf cubby. Can charge cell phone.
4. X type lug wrench.
5. LOL 10 qts of oil, wrench and spare filter. Stupid but Boxster has so much space. I need to take that out.
6. waterproof packable ski jacket.
7. Usually distilled water jug.
8. utility knife and scissors.
9. antacid and advil.
10. fuse kit stashed in spare tire.
11. I had one of those tire plug kits, lost track of it. Need to replace.

I only drive weekends but it's usually hour plus drives. Friends live in the boonies or in the seaside communities.

Can of fix-a-flat and my USAA roadside assistance card and Visa.

If only it wasn't talking about tires, that'd be a wonder product.

All good info.
Also add "a used engine"

I built up a cheap Harbor Freight emergency tool kit, but the only spare part I carry is the old (but in good shape) serpentine belt. What else could you possibly change by the side of the road? You can get any part shipped air express anywhere in the country overnight. If your car craps out you are going to be there a few days.

The most important thing to carry on long trips is a service manual(s). The mechanic in some tiny town needs it for reference.

^ I recall posts where some re-attached their rear axles on the side of the road.

Speaking of which, I would recommend the screws that mate the axles to the transmission as a cheap thing to carry around that could help you out In a pickle.

I carry a scissors. PO had it in the car and I never removed it. Not sure what good it will do me, but I know as soon as I take it out...

Change of Underwear
If I experience a catastrophic engine failure - I won't need anything else in my emergency kit except that

Oooooh... Mr. rich man. Has two pair of underwear.:)

For anyone carrying fix a flat, you should be aware that it is a last resort. Once you use it, you will have to replace the tire, even if it could have been repaired. Or at least that is what my tire guy tells me. :cheers:

Went through that twice some yrs ago in my mustang, the product doesn't distribute evenly and tire balancing becomes impossible, I tried cleaning the stuff off from one of the tires, took me hrs and was still difficult to balance.

I keep a gallon of distilled water in the trunk. A Rag and that's it really.

Not "Porsche' but emergency related anyway; the frunk has a 42 pcs trauma kit (FirstAid, resuscitation kit, whatever you call those!). Stop bleedings, temporarily patch-up humans, what else it does lol Standard emergency equipment and knowledge for all my vehicles carrying love ones (touching wood now I tell ya).

Also have a roll of cheap grade duct tape. Multifunction but mainly used for those who want to play brave, walk or cycle in front of my car while I'm in motion. I certainly don't want one of these chap to bleed all over my carpet in case I have to take one to the hospital myself one day LOL

http://986forum.com/forums/uploads01...1422589414.jpg

As for the flat fix, I have had several flats in the boonies and non of them was ever a small puncture that would have been fixed by a can of flat fix. They tend to be longer jagged cuts or blowouts. First thing I did when I got the 987 was to buy a spare tire and throw out the flat fix. Takes up a bit of room, but on 2 occasions I have had to limp home on the donut over 150 miles rather than wait upwards of 4 days to get a tire shipped in. Before someone tells me there is a 50 mile limit on the donut, I am well aware of that, but you do what you must when the occasion demands.

mountainman, I agree, probably not going to be able to fix-a-flat standard tires. Fortunately with my 986, I do have a doughnut. Being a 13 year old tire and there doesn't seem to be replacements for them out there, we probably need the fix-a-flat for the spare

IMO, the key to being prepared in the case of a breakdown is to maintain your vehicle and routinely inspect it to catch problems before they strand you. If you see or hear a problem, fix it BEFORE it totally fails. Check tire pressure at every fill up. I keep a nice digital tire gauge in the door pocket for this. I have caught a lot of nails or screws in tires long before the tire lost enough pressure to be noticeable when driving. The new mandated TPMS are a good idea. I try to do a comprehensive check at every oil change. Check the cooling system for evidence of leaks (especially the reservoir - look for cracks), check the serpentine belt for cracking or noticeable wear, check the CV boots for cracking, check the battery terminals for evidence of corrosion, check all fluid levels, check brake pad thickness, check suspension for play and check the engine for fault codes. One of the most important things to check is that the spare tire is fully inflated (how many people actually bother checking the spare...?). I over-inflate mine to 65 PSI (should be 60 PSI) just to make sure that it will be full if/when I need it. Having a flat spare in the car is just carrying around useless weight. I will always take a spare tire over a can of Fix a Flat. Ask the guys in the tire shop what they think of Fix a Flat and I doubt you will ever use it. Personally, I would call a flat bed before I used it. It would likely be faster and cheaper in the long run. It does sell tires though... Oh, and make sure that your wheel lug bolts/nuts are properly torqued. If you can't remove a wheel because the kid at the tire shop tightened the lugs to 400lb/ft with his impact wrench, you will be stuck on the side of the road if you have flat with the little bar you get in the tool kit. BTDT, not fun. I now ALWAYS check and re-torque lugs if someone else pulls the wheels on my car. I do all my own work now, so that really doesn't happen anymore other than during front end alignments.

Rarely do problems that will strand you happen without warning. The exceptions to this are things like fuel pumps and crank sensors and maybe alternators. Jumper cables or jump boxes are good if you leave your lights on and run the battery down, but don't help if your alternator is dead. Coolant reservoirs usually crack and start to leak long before they totally fail. Water pumps tend to get noisy or leak before they go out. Catching those is especially important on these M96 engines. CV joint boots crack and spew grease before CV joints dry out and fail.

I have had two failures that kind of stranded me in the last 20 years (more before that when I wasn't as diligent and didn't have a garage). One was a failed fuel pump, and one was a broken battery cable. I was able to fix the battery cable with a new end after a ride to an auto parts store, and the fuel pump ran enough to get me home (less than a mile luckily) after I kicked the tank a couple of times. Once I turned it off in the garage, it wouldn't start again. I was lucky... I should have caught the corroded battery connector (common problem on that era of GM cars), and I knew the fuel pump would go out at some point (150k miles, 14 years).

In my business I deal with European auto repair shops all over the area. The number one thing that kills cars is people who try to limp their cars home after losing coolant or oil pressure. If the oil pressure light comes on, turn off the ignition IMMEDIATELY. Running the engine for any period of time without oil pressure WILL destroy the engine. If you lose coolant and cannot find the problem and refill the system properly, park it and have it towed. I can't tell you how many people try to limp their cars home, especially with no coolant thinking that because the gauge shows just a little warmer than normal they are OK, only to have the engine seize or destroy heads. What most people do not know is that coolant temperature sensors only read properly when in coolant. I saw one car that got so hot that it melted the intake manifold, engine covers and wiring harness before it seized. What could have been a minor inconvenience ended up totalling the car.

I have also seen a few lately where people mix the wrong coolant ending up with filling the entire cooling system with sludge. One shop has even made a sticker for their customer's coolant reservoirs that says something to the effect of "A tow truck is far cheaper than using the wrong coolant. Use only XXXX." They just had one car (an Audi A4 2l) where the customer used "what they had at the gas station" which ended up turning the whole cooling system into a solid mass when mixed with the OE coolant. It needed a new heater core, radiator, oil cooler and a complete cooling system dis-assembly and flush. They still aren't confident that the head and block are clear.

Sorry for the long winded post...

I just carry a set of fuses. There's nothing worse that blowing a fuse on the road and being stranded because of a 27 cent fuse.

Sounds like you're ready for a lot!

All good points, I also do the majority of my own maintenance and try to anticipate problems which may occur and head them off. But that isn't always enough. While most Porsche owners that I know take them out 2 or 3 time a month for a couple of hours at a time, I do 40K miles a year and once or twice a year I do a 6K mile trip in 3 or 4 weeks. Even if you have all your maintenance up to date and everything in tip top condition that is a long time on the road and things happen. A case in point is the IMS failure a few years ago on my C4. I changed the oil myself less than 2500 miles before, cut open the filter and checked for debris. Everything was perfect and it still happened. Good preventive maintenance is absolutely necessary, but it still doesn't mean you won't have a situation on the road. I try to do my due diligence before I leave, carry the parts that I could conceivably need on the road and then if that doesn't cover the needs I will have to call hagarty and get out the credit card and disrupt my vacation for a few days as a last resort.

Sounds to me like replacing the donut will be more of a costly hassle than replacing the full sized tire.

Fix-o-flat saved me once with an old beater car. I think it was Slime actually.
But I think I'd wait for the free tow from my insurance should the donut have an issue.
Better to see if the tire shop can still fix the donut. Fix-o-flat sounds like a absolute bottom of the list option.

Cork Puller:)

Phone and credit card.