How To Build Your Own Emergency Car Care Kit

[Mike PhillipsMike Phillips is verified member.]

How To Build Your Own Emergency Car Care Kit


After writing the article on How to safely remove a dried bird dropping I had been meaning on writing a related article for years and since we recently introduced these perfectly sized coolers for keeping beverages cool, I thought they looked perfect for making a small, portable Emergency Car Care Kit.

If you already have a small cooler or container of some type then use that, if you want a stylish looking tote that's also offers a water resistant interior, (in case of accidental spills), then check out our new Autogeek Cooler Tote.

The key idea here is to have a high lubricity spray detailer and a collection of premium quality microfiber polishing towels with your vehicle in case of an paint emergency.

What's a paint emergency?

Good question and the answer is anytime you're out and about with your car, truck or s.u.v., and a bird leaves a bird dropping on your car's paint... that's a PAINT EMERGENCY!

It only takes a few minutes for the uric acid in the bird dropping to start deteriorating your car's paint and actually etch the paint leaving a horrible looking stain that i some cases cannot be remove safely.

Because clear coat finishes are scratch-sensitive, you don't want to just grab any old rag and starting wiping the bird dropping off. Instead, plan ahead for such emergencies by putting together a small collection of products including the use of plastic baggies to store your microfiber polishing towels in to keep them clean and dry until their needed.


Note the tote is resting on our Cobra Guzzler HD Waffle Weave Drying Towel which has an inner core of open cell foam to enable it soak up water like a sponge as well as offer plenty of cushion for this photo shoot.

I really like the Guzzler HD for anytime I want to blot water off a finish instead of wiping the finish. Now on to the article...


The Emergency Car Care Kit

The Autogeek Tote is the perfect size for holding everything you need for paint emergencies.

Microfiber polishing towels are placed into sealable plastic baggies to keep them clean and dry, ready for use in any paint emergency.

The 1-gallon size will easily accommodate even the plushes of microfiber polishing towels.

For this Emergency Car Care Kit were going to use the two different styles of microfiber polishing towels, you can use your favorite for your kit.

First up is the Cobra Supreme 530 Microfiber Towel folded and placed individually into a 1-gallon, sealable plastic bag. We've included a 3-pack of this type of microfiber towel for our kit.

For the other side of our kit we'll include the Cobra Gold Plush Microfiber Towel with microfiber border. These are also available in a 3-pack on Autogeek.net

For spray detailers I've included 2 bottles of the Wolfgang Instant Detail Spritz and also a bottle of the Wolfgang Deep Gloss Spritz Sealant for a quick coat of protection after cleaning the paint. You can add your favorite spray detailer and if you like also a spray-on wax or paint sealant.


Everything you'll need will fit nice and neatly into the Autogeek Tote.

Ready to pack...

There's even enough room to include your favorite wax and even some detailing clay in-case you're in a situation where you need to kill some time...

Zip the lid shut...

Convenient carry handdles... (The Tote also comes with a shoulder strap)

The bottom of the tote has two long strips of Velcro attached to prevent the tote from tipping over and sliding around in carpeted trunks.

Nice and neat...

Like a good Boy Scout, you're always prepared...



Products Shown
Autogeek Cooler Tote
Cobra Guzzler HD Waffle Weave Drying Towel
Cobra Supreme 530 Microfiber Towel
Cobra Supreme 530 Microfiber Towel 3-pack
Cobra Gold Plush Microfiber Towel
Cobra Gold Plush Microfiber Towel 3-pack
Wolfgang Instant Detail Spritz
Wolfgang Deep Gloss Spritz Sealant


Related Threads
How to safely remove a dried bird dropping
What it means to remove swirls, scratches and water spots out of automotive clear coats

Tips & Techniques for using a Spray Detailer to Remove Light Dust, Fingerprints and Smudges
The practical differences between single stage paints and a clear coat paints

How To Choose The Right Wax or Paint Sealant for your Detailing Project

 

[Grizzly]

Thats a nice bag.

Its nice to have something to touch up the interior as well. The Meguiars Interior Detailer is nice for removing dust from the interior.

 

[Slava]

Nice write up as always.

Mike,
Will AG cooler prevent liquids from freezing in cold weather?

 

[sullysdetailing]

Nice write up Mike. Matt what size sub and watts?

 

[Matt S.]

Nice write up Mike. Matt what size sub and watts?

Image Dynamics IDQ12, the whole system is run off an Alpine PDX.5...the sub channel is rated at 300w but the actual birth sheet was around 400. Front four channels were tested at 100w each, so with the setup bridged as it is now, each front speaker is seeing 200w. I had to keep the gain way down and it's still insanely loud.

 

[m4gician]

so if I were to simplify...

1. get a lunch bag
2. carry spray detailer, spray wax
3. microfibres in a ziplock bags
4. wax and clay bars

beautiful.

Is ONR a good substitute for the detailer/clay lube (if mixed in seperate bottles?)

 

[mcpp66]

Great write up! I received one of these bags with a special but until I saw this write up I had no use for it. Now I do! Keep the good stuff coming!!!

 

[Matt]

Very nice Mike, I think this is an absolute MUST in any Autogeeks car!

 

[Kris R]

so if I were to simplify...

1. get a lunch bag
2. carry spray detailer, spray wax
3. microfibres in a ziplock bags
4. wax and clay bars

beautiful.

Is ONR a good substitute for the detailer/clay lube (if mixed in seperate bottles?)

Wrong. Do not buy a 5 dollar lunch bag. Buy a 20 dollar AG bag and pay for shipping.
Then as you and your wife and kid are walking out of the mall you tell them to sit tight while you clay, spray, wax and dry your car.

lol

I'm just messing with you mike. Nice idea though....:dblthumb2:

 

[christian900se]

Cool write up, I started carrying a similar setup recently and it has saved my car a few times. I do find that it makes my OCD worse by having detailing supplies available all the time haha.

Nice choice on Signature Series II, one of my favorites!

 

[Mike PhillipsMike Phillips is verified member.]

Thats a nice bag.

Its nice to have something to touch up the interior as well. The Meguiar's Interior Detailer is nice for removing dust from the interior.

I thought about adding something to the mix for interiors but the idea was to keep the product selection focused on preventing damage from a bird dropping with products that would help you remove the offending contaminant safely and then quickly restore some protection and shine.

When a bird dropping lands on your car's paint it only takes a few minutes for the Uric Acid to start etching the paint so it's important that you're prepared to remove it as quickly as possible. Because clear coat paints are scratch-sensitive, you need to have a high lubricity spray detailer on hand and ready to use as well as a soft microfiber polishing cloth.

A case can also be made for an emergency kit for the interior to prevent something like spilled coffee from staining a seat or carpet.

Nice write up as always.

Mike,
Will AG cooler prevent liquids from freezing in cold weather?

That depends upon how cold it gets I guess? If you're car is sitting outside in below freezing weather for an duration of time then anything exposed to those temperatures over extended time is going to drop in temperature. In the writing world a person could say it will help prevent products from freezing but you would never write it will prevent products from freezing, the key word here being help.

 

[JohnnyC]

Mike will the products stand up to the heat ?

 

[Mike PhillipsMike Phillips is verified member.]

Mike will the products stand up to the heat ?

Well the cooler is insulated but at some point or degree it's too hot for any paint care products, so you have to use your own judgment as to where to store your emergency car kit and for how long.

The earth and it's climate are always going to be an issue for car care products stored in your car... not much we can do about it...

 

[JohnnyC]

Thanks