16 replies to this topic

[Batmini]

Having rescued a fellow mini owner on the way to the Malvern mini show last weekend with the loan of a coil, just wondering what most on here carry as spares?

I maybe paranoid but here's my list:

Plugs
HT leads
Coil
Fuses
Cable ties
Insulation tape
Spare wire
Spanners, cutters, pliers and screwdrivers

[Minimattvan]

Sounds like a pretty good mini- "first aid kit" ! Mines not on the road yet, but was thinking along the same lines- never know when or what u might need!

[Rocket.]

My AA card is all I need

[KernowCooper]

Above +
Fanbelt
Rotor Arm
Spare Electronic Ignition Kit
Distributor Cap
Jumper Wires with Croc Clip Ends
Spare Multimeter
Electronic Fuel Pump
2 x 4 Terminal Relays
Mini Maglight
2ft 1/4 bore fuel pipe and clips

[CityEPete]

All the above and a classic car weekly to read

[New game mini]

None of the above +

Tow rope
My phone
My Dads number

Starting to think I should put together a first aid kit 😏

[lawrence]

Quite a few bits for me now I think about it.

Spare easy fit aux belt, litre of oil. 500mls pre mixed coolent. Few wiring terminals and crimp tool. Pokey type 12power tester. Spanner set. Screwdriver set. Allan key set. Socket set. Scissor jack. Locking wheel nut and wheel wrench. Exhaust clamp. 10high strength heat resistant cable ties. One of each bulb that may blow. Hid bulb and spare ballast. 3x kneeling carpet pieces. Disposable gloves. Block of wood for jacking on uneven surfaces. Reflective waterproof coat. Tyre pump and instant tyre seal stuff. Oh and a gallon size fuel tank for spare fuel!

I also do the occasional drill should something go wrong and know I have enought tools to fix anything that is repairable by the side of the road!
+have a friend with a trailer for last resort

It actually looks fairly tidy!


So that's all my spares haha

[mikal]

Because my road trip was from Melbourne Australia to Bali, Indonesia I took a few a few extra items with me:

 

Front wheel bearing kit

2 oil filters

Fuel filter

spare fuel hose

Tie wire and 12V wire/connectors

Exhaust mounts

Remote housing mount

radiator hoses

fanbelts

Selection of bolts etc

Spare plugs and ignition stuff. Coil, points etc

Fuel pump

Fuses

Light globes

Flywheel puller

Tool box

Fire extinguisher

500mL of concentrated Octane booster

 

So far (touch wood!) I've only used plugs (2 just failed on separate times), condenser (one failed and car ran like a dog, took me a while to work that one out ) filters and Octane booster (Some parts of Eastern Indonesia only low octane fuel available)

[Dusky]

I carry nothing but a fanbelt and tools
For daily use its not needed imho, she s pretty well totaly overhauled so nothing should break the comming 10 years :)

[smurfomatic]

In terms of spares, only a fanbelt, an old but serviceable set of plugs and some bulbs & fuses. Broken down in it a few times in the last five years, but mostly situations where carrying spares would make no difference - clutch failure a case in point! Electrical issues were a major problem for the first year or so, causing it to cut out at speed on one occasion. 

 

Prepared for most things by carrying spare oil, water and petrol alongside the tools: spanner and socket set, screwdrivers & pliers, hammer, multimeter, torch, jack & wheel chocks.  

[1984mini25]

My tool kit for the past 10 years with no extra breakdown cover has been...

 

Scissor jack, breaker bar, 11/16" socket and locking wheel nut, foldable wheel chock, cheap spanner and socket set, screwdrivers, pliers, hammer, a few random fuses, bulbs, screws and bolts, cable ties, Insulation tape, spare wire, small bottle of water, kitchen roll and plasters.

[surfblue]

Credit card

Mobile phone

Sense of humour

[monkey]

Damn you guys - you fuel consumption and performance must be rubbish with all these tools and spares you carry! If it's well maintained then it shouldn't break down!

Which ever car I'm driving (either the mini, ford galaxy or transit) I always just make sure I have phone and AA card! want to keep the weight down and put all the horses under the bonnet to good use!

[Batmini]

Damn you guys - you fuel consumption and performance must be rubbish with all these tools and spares you carry! If it's well maintained then it shouldn't break down!
Which ever car I'm driving (either the mini, ford galaxy or transit) I always just make sure I have phone and AA card! want to keep the weight down and put all the horses under the bonnet to good use!

I don't have the patience to have to wait an hour(or more!) for someone to then not know how to fix it :) I prefer to sort it and be on my way. I do regularly maintain mine, but every component can fail at some time. The guy i helped had spent plenty of money maintaining his car, but the coil still failed. I'm over a 100kg, so a couple more for some spares wont matter lol!

[spiguy]

I used to carry all sorts of parts. Have now narrowed it down a bit to :

 

Fuses

Some wire

Radiator cap (have come unstuck before with one!)

Fan belt

cable ties

Couple of plug leads

Rotor arm

Dizzy cap

Pint of oil

Litre of coolant

Small bottle of brake fluid

Crank sensor *

Throttle position sensor*

Vacuum pipes*

 

*The car is an SPi, and these are items that if they fail will either completely stop the car from running (crank sensor) or make it undriveable or barely driveable (vac lines and throttle pot respectively).

 

Touch wood, I have only ever needed a Rad cap, and at that it was only really an issue as I was on a long run. If I had been local or not too far away, could have limped it home with the leaking one.

 

Hope I haven't jinxed myself now, but in truth over the years my minis have been rock solid reliable. Sure, there have been clunks, odd behaviours, things not quite right, but my minis have basically been able to get me from A to B reliably. This is actually one of those areas that contrary to alot of peoples opinions, old cars triumph in.

 

I actually think that in real terms, old cars which are well maintained, and where the owners know the car and know their way around it, are more reliable than many modern cars, which with the slightest fail of a sensor / coil pack etc can end up at the roadside. Even though I have an injection car (single point) I would still say it is more reliable than most modern cars.