Accessories

There is a threaded socket built into the crash structure at each end of the car, hidden behind a small removable cover in the bumper. The cover usually has a notch for a screwdriver blade or a trim tool. Lever gently, since the cap is painted and scratches easily. Wind the hook in by hand until it stops, then use the wheel brace through the eye to tighten it fully, because a hook that is only part engaged strips the thread under load. A good number of these hooks unscrew clockwise, so check before you force it.

Nothing else on the car is rated for it. A recovery load is high, sudden and often at an angle, and only the designated socket transmits that into structure designed to take it. Hook a strap around a lower arm and you bend the arm, around a bumper beam and you tear the mounting out of the crash box, and around a subframe edge and you distort a component that sets the geometry of the whole corner. On a battery vehicle the floor is occupied by the pack, so an improvised attachment risks a repair worth more than the car.

It depends entirely on where you drive, since these are national rules rather than vehicle rules. Several European countries make a triangle compulsory, several make a high visibility vest compulsory and expect it to be inside the cabin rather than in the boot, and a few add spare bulbs, a first aid kit or a breathalyser. Cross a border and the local list applies to you. Look up each country on your route before setting off. The whole kit costs less than a single penalty and takes up almost no space.

Two reasons, and both come down to shape. A liner made for your car reaches into the corners and up the sides, so a litre of spilt paint or a wet dog stays on top of it. It also sits still, because it is held by the floor contour rather than by friction. A universal mat cut down with scissors leaves gaps at exactly the points water runs to, and it shifts under a heavy load, which puts the load onto the carpet you were protecting. Bonded boot carpet is close to impossible to clean properly.

Assume not until the handbook says otherwise. With a motor permanently connected to the driven wheels, rolling those wheels spins the machine and generates voltage back into a system that may not be in a state to accept it, which is why so many manufacturers specify flatbed transport only. Some permit a short low speed tow with the vehicle in a particular mode. The practical advice is to find that page in the handbook now, photograph it, and show it to the recovery driver, because roadside is a poor place to start reading.

No. Tow eye threads are rarely a common bolt size, and many are cut left handed so that a twisting tow rope tightens the eye rather than winding it out. A hook that feels right after a few turns may have a close but different pitch. It then holds by a thread or two and strips under load, damaging the socket in the crash structure as well. If the old eye is gone, look for the OE number on the tool tray label. If you cannot find it, send us the details through the quote form and we reply within 24 hours, usually sooner.

The kit pairs a small compressor, powered from the 12 volt socket, with a canister of latex sealant. You connect the canister to the tyre valve and switch on, and the compressor pushes sealant and air into the tyre together. Driving off straight away spreads the sealant around the inside, where it is forced into the hole and sets. It copes with a tread puncture from a screw or nail but not with a sidewall cut or a large gash. It is only a way to reach a tyre fitter at modest speed, within the limits printed on the kit label. Tell the fitter that sealant was used before they start.

Yes. The sealant is a liquid latex suspension, and over time it thickens and separates in the canister. An old one may refuse to flow through the hose or fail to seal the hole it reaches. The use by date is printed on the canister label, and it is easy to forget because the kit sits unused under the boot floor for years. Check it when you check the tyre pressures. A canister that has been used, even partly, also needs replacing, because once the seal is opened the contents start to cure. Read the OE number from the old canister label and enter it in the search box.

Look for the key code first. It is usually printed on a card in the handbook wallet or on the original box, and sometimes stamped on the key itself. The code identifies the pattern so the correct key can be matched. Do not try a key from another car, because a near fit rounds off the pattern and turns a simple job into drilling. Keep the key in the tool tray or glovebox, never on the wheel. If the code has gone as well, a qualified mechanic can remove the nuts with an extraction tool and fit a new set.

Only at the marked lifting points on the sills. These are usually shown by a small notch, arrow or triangle moulded into the plastic sill cover. On a battery electric car the space between the sills is taken up by the pack, and a jack placed under it can dent the casing, crush a cooling channel or crack the seal that keeps water out. Seat the jack head squarely on the reinforced point, on firm level ground, with the parking brake applied and a wheel chocked. If a lifting pad is missing or split, check the OE number on the old one and replace it before the jack is needed again.

It varies by model and market. A typical tray holds the tow eye, a wheel brace or adaptor and a trim removal tool, and cars with a spare also carry a jack and handle. Cars without a spare carry the compressor and sealant instead. Kits are often raided before resale, and the tow eye is the piece most often missing, usually discovered at the roadside. Lift the boot floor now and compare the foam tray with what is in it, because each cut out is shaped for a specific tool. Note the OE number printed on the tray or on any remaining tool and search for it.

These compressors draw far more current than a phone charger, so they rely on a fused 12 volt socket with the car switched on or in ready mode. If the socket fuse has blown, the compressor stays silent, so check the fuse box legend first. Most units also have a thermal cut out that stops them after long running, and they restart once they have cooled. If the gauge climbs quickly and then stalls, the sealant canister is usually blocked or out of date. If the motor runs but no air comes out, the hose or valve connector has cracked. Check the OE number on the unit label before ordering.

Yes, because a charging cable is heavy, often wet and dirty, and has a connector whose pins and latch damage easily. Loose in the boot, it slides under braking, marks the trim and collects grit in the connector, and that grit can stop the plug locking into the socket. A fitted underbonnet tray keeps the cable contained, keeps its water away from other kit and frees up the boot. A moulded tray made for the car also clears the bonnet latch and nearby components. Check the OE number on your existing tray or cover, or ask us through the quote form and we reply within 24 hours, usually sooner.