What should you keep in your car in case of emergencies?

May 29, 2023

A: I would start with a portable air compressor and tire plug kit. Plugging a tire is a temporary repair, but it can get you moving again.

Also, pack a portable jumpstart pack rather than jumper cables. There are many to choose from — NOCO makes a good one — and WORX has one that can also work as an emergency beacon.

Make sure you have extra oil and coolant, some basic hand tools, reflectors/flares, and a first aid kit on hand.

Before the trip, change the oil (check and top off fluids), check the tires, and — if it has been a year or more — replace the wiper blades.

Q: Can you help me to understand the sudden proliferation of hard creases in the body panels of today’s new cars? Is it an aerodynamic thing? Is it a means to use thinner sheet metal? Or is it a design fad that may pass?

A: It is my opinion that it's just a styling fad — not as bad as the 1980s with cars such as the BMW 850, or the first-generation Cadillac CTS. Even the Ferrari Testarossa was considered ugly and way too overstyled when it was introduced in the 1980s.

Q: I have a 2006 Honda Accord with 560,000 miles on it. This car was purchased new and now uses a quart of oil every 800 miles. Should I switch to synthetic oil? What would be the cost/benefit?

A: In this case, I would stay with conventional high-mileage oil. Synthetic oil will not cause oil leaks, but due to its composition, it will find a leak.

Stay with what you are using and check the oil level every 500 miles.

Q: I am trying to get a handle on costs related to battery-operated electric vehicles. Could you kindly give me an idea of cost per mile or annual cost of maintenance of electric vehicles?

A: Using the AAA driving cost calculator, in the first five years of ownership, the cost of owning a battery electric car versus an internal combustion engine car are pretty similar.

If you are looking at just fuel costs, a gasoline vehicle may cost 18 cents per mile and an electric car would cost 4 cents per mile. Those costs will vary, based on where fuel/energy is purchased.

Electric costs can vary quite a bit, depending on where you live and how you charge. Depreciation and insurance costs can be more expensive. Some public charging stations might be free, while others can be a little pricy. If you charge at home, it depends on your local electric rates. I live in Massachusetts, and we have very high electric rates, but based on my limited use of an electric car, charging at home — even with a 120-volt charger — is still cheaper than the $3.59 I just paid for gas.

The Kia Niro is a good model to compare. The Niro can be ordered in an all-electric, plug-in hybrid, or gas/electric hybrid. During those first five years, according to AAA’s calculator, the costs will be similar. This is because the upfront costs are higher with the EV. The EV maintenance is almost none (no oil changes, brakes last a very long time).

I recently recharged a Kia EV 6 at an Electrify America 350 KW charging station. I added about 180 miles of range in 20 minutes at a cost of $9.60. Even a Toyota Prius (which gets 50 mpg) would cost more than that to refuel.

Q: I have a 2016 Honda Accord with about 93,000 miles on it. Until recently, texts were readable on my dashboard screen. However, they no longer appear there.

I took my car into a Honda dealership, and they were unable to fix it after spending a few hours trying to figure out the issue.

I called Honda America, and they said that Honda does not upgrade their vehicles as frequently as our iPhones are updated and there is nothing they can do. In addition, the GPS on my phone immediately stops talking as soon as I step into the car. I believe this is also related to a Bluetooth issue, which, again, Honda is unable to repair.

I realize that the car is almost eight years old, but the services that were guaranteed when I bought it should certainly continue. The car is still under a very extended warranty, but, of course, it doesn’t seem to cover anything that has happened over the years. Is there any recourse that you know of?

A: Unfortunately, this is common with many vehicles. As the operating systems change with phones, the car’s software/hardware does not always keep up. Some models will update the software but others can't, because the processors and other hardware cannot be updated. It's frustrating, but unless Honda comes out with a fix, there is no answer.

John Paul is the AAA Northeast Car Doctor. He has more than 40 years of experience in the automobile industry and is an ASE-Certified Master Technician. Write to John Paul, The Car Doctor, at 110 Royal Little Drive, Providence, RI 02904. Or email [email protected] and put “Car Doctor” in the subject field. Follow him on Twitter @johnfpaul or on Facebook.