What spares and tools to carry in my VW – The Bare essentials

 in Aircooled Tech / Vanlife Travel  tagged aircooled / baywindow / bus / camper / campervan / early bay / flat4 / homeiswhereyouparkit / vanlife / volkswagen / vw bus / vw camper / vw spares / vw van / vwcamper / wayoutwestie by (updated 1115 days ago)

Whatever side of the fence you are on, whether you just carry an AA card or believe in taking everything including the kitchen sink, there will come a time when you break down. With any moving part (especially old ones) things break , its unavoidable whether you drive an old or new Volkswagen. Sometimes its just luck or Karma 😉

So what if you are somewhere in the middle, what are the most basic of spares and tools you should carry?

Tools

  • 2 x Phillips screwdrivers, one long and one short
  • 2 flathead screwdrivers, one long and one short
  • 6mm – 15mm spanners
  • Socket set 6mm – 21mm
  • Breaker bar
  • Allen keys
  • Feeler gauges
  • Hub cap puller
  • Multiple fire extinguishers
  • Bottle jack
  • Duct tape
  • Cable ties
  • Normal and thin nose pliars
  • Jump leads
  • Tow rope
  • Brake line crimp (can also be used for fuel line)

Spares

  • Rotor arm, condensor, points,  dissy cap and 1 x spare ignition lead
  • Throttle and clutch cable
  • Fan belt
  • Spare piece of fuel pipe and fuel filter
  • Fuel pump & pedestal
  • Rocker gaskets and rocker wavy washers
  • Bulbs and fuses
  • A few litres of Oil
  • 12v coil
  • Spark plugs
  • Brake fluid

Other

Having all the tools and spares is awesome. Knowing what your issue is and how to fix it is another story.

The Wayoutwestie Glovebox Survival Guide covers everything from service intervals through to what to do when you break down.

Available in digital download and hard copy here

In addition I also carry:

  • 2x fire extinguishers for safety
  • Wipes to clean your hands / face after you have made an awesome wild camping repair
  • Overalls to protect your clothes
  • A Haynes / John Muir or Bentley manual. (Trust me it helps to go old-school when you have no phone signal)

Round up

The above should get you out of most situations and even supply the AA man with what he needs if you’d rather he sort it for you. For a more in depth list if you are going on a epic adventure, you can read what we took on a 10,000 trip from the UK to the USA (including what we actually used) click here : What Spares to Carry in Your VW Bus