Winter Isn't the Only Time to Think About Your Trunk Treasure Chest

Continuing our journey through the rest of your trunk treasure chest, we come to a very important item - one that should be there in the winter, too - a set of jumper cables. Here's an interesting story that was told not long ago at a dealership. It seems that they were having trouble getting a car started with one set of jumpers so the lot boy, in all seriousness, said they needed the stronger, "winter" jumpers to get the job done.

It turns out that a salesperson, who wasn't in the car business very long, had tried to jump the same car and reverse polarity on the car totally so that essentially everything was fried, but the lot boy assured everyone the "winter" jumpers would do it. Well, they actually did do it, plus about $2,000 in new wiring and parts, but we won't go there.

The original jumpers that were used - and which are still in use today - are all you need. A standard set of 12-foot jumpers should get you through most problems. All you need is the second car to take the jump from. A more recent trend - actually one that's pretty good - is the jumper box that you trickle through the 12-volt port in your trunk. All you have to do, if your battery is down, is hook up the jumper box, let it sit for a couple of minutes and then crank the car over. If it's just a case of a low battery, your car should start right up and get going. If it's more serious, then it's time to layout some heavy bread for a new battery, preferably one that is in the 65 or more amp hour range. This way you'll have lots of overhead, if you accidentally leave your door ajar or lights on for part of the night. You should be able to at least eke out a crank and start.

Assuming that you had all of your belts and hoses checked before your summer trip or summer driving, it is still possible for you to lose engine coolant for a number of reasons (more in another piece) so to counteract this, it's a good idea to keep a five-gallon bottle of antifreeze/coolant in your trunk treasure box. A mix of 50 percent water and 50 percent antifreeze/coolant will protect your engine to about 25 below in the winter and to about 110 in the summer. It's a pretty fair tradeoff for the little added weight.

And, while we're on the topic of extra fluids to carry, it's always a good idea to keep a spare bottle or two of windshield washer fluid and keep it in the trunk. You'd be surprised how, just driving through a cluster of bugs, can use up a tank of windshield washer liquid so you should always have extra with you.

A spare can of the right synthetic oil is also a good idea, as this type of oil tends to allow engines to run at higher temperatures and give as much protection as older multi-grades. They also tend to stand up longer to use.

One thing you should never leave home without is a good GPS system, as long as it doesn't become the center of your focus. It should be here as an adjunct to your driving. Some cellphones offer this feature for a monthly fee, although both Garmin and TomTom are also good systems and will get you right where you want to go.

By now you can see, this list can go on and on so here are a few of the more important things to think about carrying.

Be sure to keep a blanket in the trunk. Not only is it great for picnics, but also it's also nice to have something to kneel on if you have to change a tire or to lie on if you have to check under your car. Also, a poncho-type raincoat isn't a bad idea as you never know when the downpours will hit and to keep your kids from chomping on each other's legs, it's a good idea to bring some trail mix or like light snack food and plenty of liquid for noncarbonated hydration.

That about covers the basics of the items you should keep in your trunk treasure chest. So, why do we call it a trunk treasure chest? When you need what's inside, it will be as valuable as a treasure.