... and how long are such car extinguishers good to use ("shelf" life....knowing that car's vibrations tend to play tricks with the powder inside the extinguisher...if it's a powder one...)
????

I live in the desert and go 4x4 wheeling.

Here is a list of things that have caused me to be broken down/have problems:

1. Flat tire
2. Power steering belt broke
3. Idle stabilizer started acting up
4. Radiator sprung leak (JB Weld slowed the leak)
5. Radiator hose sprang a leak
6. Alternator stopped working (running on battery power only)
7. Water pump started acting up (engine over heating)
8. Blew a head gasket (dead car)
9. Battery connection bad
10. Battery died
11. Starter stopped working
12. Fan clutch not working correctly (overheating)

The tools to fix these things will vary by vehicle.

A ½” breaker bar with lug nut sockets is a wonderful thing!

This is what I have: .

It's a Kidde Auto Extinguisher. Rated B-C (flammable liquids and electrical fires). It's not top-of-the-line (e.g. not high-capacity, not rechargeable, and not A-rated for cloth/paper), but it's inexpensive, small, and provides some coverage against more-common auto-related situations.

Has a pressure-test button that I check periodically, per instructions. As far as its useful life, the maintenance instruction label says, "This product must be removed from service 12 years after date of manufacture." Date-of-manufacture is included on the label. Arbitrarily, I'll no doubt replace them before 12 years. That seems like a long time to me.

Beyond that, I'll yield to our firefighting – and related – professionals on the forum.

I carry lot's of stuff in my truck. I am an offroader so I always try to prepare myself as best as possible, if you are in the bush many miles from the road you better be prepared I carry all this stuff from day to day driving also.

A set of sockets and wrenches
Hammers
Vicegrips
Channel locks
C clamps
Puller( for suspension work)
Breaker bar
Spare alternator
Spare starter
Spare hoses and belts
Spare tie rod ( plus special tool for removing it)
Lot's of bolts and nuts
Hi-lift jack
Bottle jack
4 ton come along ( hand winch)
Full size spare
Tire repair kit
Fire extinguisher
Jerry can
Full size Axe
Wood saw
Various oils and fluids

Plus I carry my personal survival kit and different survival items.

Derek,

Here is a list for my FJ60 LandCruiser. In addition I have survival kit and first aid kit.
Hope it is of some use.

TR

*PASSENGER COMPARTMENT*
INSURANCE/REGISTRATION
MAPS
City, county, region, state.
COMPASS
HALON FIRE EXTINGUISHER
PEPPER-SPRAY
MAG LIGHT
-SPARE BULB
-3 C BATTERIES
MINI MAG FLASHLIGHT
-2 AA BATTERIES
TIRE GAUGE
WINDOW SCRAPER
HAND WIPES
SPARE KEY
PHONE BOOK
DRY POWDER FIRE EXTINGUISHER
*TOOL KIT*
*INFORMATION*
CRUISER REPAIR MANUAL
JACOBS IGNITION INSTRUCTONS
*TOOLS*
VOM with-LITHIUM BATT. EXP 2020
CRIMP TOOL
SCREW DRIVERS
WRENCHES
SOCKETS
PLUG SOCKET
FEELER GAUGE
PLIERS
VISE GRIPS
JACK
LUG WRENCH
JUMPER CABLES
TOW STRAP
METAL FILE
SAFETY GLASSES
PRY BAR
SPARE PARTS
CRIMP CONNECTORS
WIRE
FUSES
FAN BELTS
RADIATOR HOSES
HOSE CLAMPS
FLUIDS/SEALANTS
OIL 2 QTS
SEALANTS
-LOC TITE
-LIQUID GASKET
-METAL MENDER
(LOC-WELD PERMATEX)
-LIQUID COPPER
TEFLON TAPE
RADIATOR FIX (ALUMINUM POWDER)
RADIATOR PLUG (PUTTY)
GAS TANK SEALANT (glue)
WD-40
MISC
TIRE FIX-PLUGS
GUNK TIRE FIX-CANNED
WINDOW CLEANER
HAND CLEANER
COVERALLS (DISPOSABLE)
WORK GLOVES
TIE WRAPS
BUNGIE CORDS
ELCTRICAL TAPE
DUCT TAPE
NYLON ROPE
SHOVEL
WOOD SAW
HATCHET
*WINTER KIT*
TIRE CHAINS
*LIGHT*
SPOTLIGHT
FLARES
STROBE LIGHT
ROAD REFLECTORS
*COMMUNICATION*
2m RADIO
*CONVIENIENCE*
PAPER TOWELS
NUPRIN
BARF BAGS

Bigger is better for the breaker bar. 6" of length can make a world of difference breaking the nuts loose. I use impact sockets for the lug nuts. I managed to split the wall on a regular socket. That & a small floor jack. Standard rims will place a vehicle too low for a bottle jack if the tire is totally flat.

I'll have to second that, I the third car back in a head on collision and watched an RV burn up with the driver in their seat unconsious/maybe dead because nobody had a fire extinguisher. I was on my motorcycle and still haven't figured out how to carry one there, but to this day I think that had someone had one I would have had time to get the driver out. Maybe not and I"ll never know but by the time I got checked that the back of the RV was empty I didn't have time to get the driver. I think had there been an extinguisher that would have given me the extra few seconds to get the driver out.

Hello X.
The thing about Slime is that you have to have it in your tires/wheels BEFORE you get a puncture. There were some older versioins of the same concept that pooled in the bottoms of your tires when they were stopped, therefore making any effort at wheel balanacing impossible. Italso voids your warranty.

I come from mesquite thorn country. Short of 10 ply Michelines, Slime or somthimg like it is the best you can do, but when you put in your tires, IMMEDIATLY do a long drive to make sure the stuff is spread around to not pool in your tires. Be prepared to have to have your tires rebalanced.

[I have known guys that drove LPG converted trucks that also used the gas to air up low tires. It made flat fixin real interesting]

I posted this a while back.

http://www.equipped.org/ubbthreads/showf...=true#Post37679

Don't forget a poly tarp. It has lots of uses:

You can use it to throw on the ground so you don't get your clothes dirty/wet if you have to kneel for a tire change or crawl under the vehicle.

You can throw it over you and the whole end/side of the vehicle so you can change that flat in the rain without getting soaked.

You can rig it up to provide shade if you break down and have to wait for help.

If you come upon a collision where someone has died, is covered in blood, or dismembered, you can cover the body to spare the rubberneckers the unpleasantness of viewing the body. Children especially don't need to see that sort of thing.

Sorry to be so graphic. <img src="/images/graemlins/frown.gif" alt="" />