People will tend to carry what has failed them in the past or a popular fail as recorded on the internet
This is not a bad thing but if it has failed after say 75,000 miles you could be waiting for a long time for it to fail again
Carrying spares is one thing having the ability to diagnose and fit the parts is another along with the tools
in 40 years of driving I have been recovered a few times
XR2 electronics failure
Astra GTE stranded at home electronics
Westfield 3 times destroyed gearbox on a track day and once repaired by the AA roadside with a battery terminal that had become detached from the battery
Z4MR electronics needed a reset with INPA twice (probably self inflicted)
Z4MR injector failure I made it to work and the RAC recovered me home) the RAC man carries a coil pack and a plug that would get you home, in the van as they are common across loads of BMW's but not Injectors
So it is not that easy to fix it road side if it is stoping you from moving
I have made it home with loads of other issues over the years just by driving in a controlled way to suit the issue ie slow puncture in that was not that slow just stop and pump it up, drive repeat.
It is best to check your recovery insurance is up to date and drive........
I've made it home with
- a broken throttle cable, using the manual choke and conservation of momentum
- a broken clutch cable using precise rev matching for clutch-less gear changes (luckily I'd honed the skill earlier in someone else's car), and avoiding stopping at all costs. Pulling away was an adventure involving pushing it down the road and jumping into the moving car...
- a broken exhaust at the junction between the downpipe and centre section (the consequence of driving a FWD car with a transverse engine always at either fully open or fully closed throttle). That left the exhaust dragging on the ground under the car. I used a roll of electrical cable looped around the mid section of the exhaust and tied to the top of the engine to keep it off the ground and ignored the horrendous noise and exhaust fumes entering the car
- a lost cotter pin from the gear selector leaving the car in neutral. More electrical cable dealt with that before a definite fix with a replacement pin
- a dead spot in the starter motor. Luckily the piece of timber I kept to prop open the boot was long enough to reach the starter motor and a passerby was kind enough to turn the key whilst I gave it a few whacks
- a broken rear screen (it shattered when I switched on the rear screen heater due to rust distorting the window frame and putting tension on the glass)
- a broken windscreen (I made a hole in it to see through)
- a broken gear selector fork leaving the car stuck in third gear. Lots of clutch slip and plenty of welly got it moving and it was easy thereafter
- a dead coil pack firing on five cylinders (I've done it twice and I don't recommended it)
- punctures as described by PDJ
- no radiator fan during a Sydney summer
- no brake pads - not worn, the friction material delaminated from the back plate after a track day
- a cracked cam cover (thanks to the enshittification of modern cars)
- an alarming amount of positive camber on one rear wheel after an exciting spin on a wet road
- a clutch that would slip at almost any rpm above idle. Avoiding slowing down was the key to keeping it moving.
- a car with a sealed for life automatic gearbox that would slip when the transmission fluid was too hot. As above - heat soak was the killer, so avoiding traffic maintained drive
The first six happened to my second car, as did a couple of punctures. Eventually, it did leave me stranded when several large pieces of the gearbox found themselves scattered across the Reading ring road. I swapped the gearbox for a second hand one in my parent's drive and the car kept going for another year or two.
North West Surrey
