Both of our Subarus came with several yeas of roadside assistance, and neither of us has ever used it. That said, there have been a couple of times when it would have been handy were it not for the facts that a) we were out in the middle of nowhere 100 miles or more from the nearest gas station and b) we were caught in a horrible winter storm. Both occasions involved low tire pressures. Our cars have self-monitoring which includes tire pressures; when the pressure is too low in any tire, a dashboard idiot light lights up.
We have customarily carried jumper cables, and in the past few years we have had battery problems with some of our older cars. Our son who lives in Omaha suggested that we get a TackLife cable booster for such occasions, and I bought one for around $50 a couple of years ago. It’s a portable, rechargeable lithium battery with booster cables to restart a car even when its battery is dead.
So, yesterday I decided to get a portable car tire inflator. Mine is a cordless Nulksen model, which like the TackLife booster, is recharged by means of a USB connection. I think it set me back about $40.
Here is my emergency roadside self-help kit.
These are worthwhile investments if you go on long trips and/or don’t have free roadside assistance or AAA roadside coverage.