Advice for emergency situations

I say this because sometimes when I discuss ways to deal with various situations on the road, some experts say the procedures I suggested are technically wrong.

However, they often forget that the advice is to be followed when something unexpected happens, and it is not for daily life. A small change in the situation and different factors can result in different advice.

For example, someone may ask how to solve the problem of a brake-fluid hose break and leaking brake fluid while driving in an uninhabited area. My advice would be to use a pair of pliers to squeeze the metallic hose in order to seal the leak. This procedure will leave you with brakes on only three wheels, which is adequate for you to get out of the "jungle" and overcome an emergency situation. Once you reach a garage or service centre, you may have to spend a considerable amount of money on repairs, including changing the hose.

Or in case the radiator springs a leak while you're driving in a secluded area, try to find raw bananas. Peel them and slice them up. Then push the banana pieces repeatedly into the spot of the leak. The banana will clog the hole and prevent water from leaking out. If you can’t find bananas, you can use a pair of pliers to squeeze the water pipe above the leak, so that you can at least travel to your destination and have the radiator repaired.

Sometimes, the leak in the cooling system may be due to old rubber hoses. If you are travelling and cannot find replacement parts, just use a plastic bag or food-wrap to tie up the hose at the spot of the leak. Tie many rounds but make sure you don’t tighten it too much or the water won’t be able to flow through. Then seal it off with adhesive tape – continue over the edges of the plastic bag or film by another two inches. Now you can fill water into the radiator and resume travelling. The important point in this kind of situation is to keep the radiator cap opened to lower the pressure. Also avoid using high revs and keep an eye on the temperature gauge.

As for a flat tyre, if you're unable to find the original size as a replacement, don’t worry, even if theory states that using tyres of different diametres may damage the differential. When in this situation and you have no other choice, just use the different size of tyre – but remember to drive carefully and slowly (60km/h maximum) and you can help prevent or lower the damage.

Sometimes, you may also discover a leak in the power-steering system. If you're not near a garage or service centre, you can substitute the hydraulic fluid with automatic transmission fluid. If not you can also use hydraulic fluid with an SAE as low as 10, or even autolube for two-stroke motorcycle engines as a temporary replacement.

If a nut on the wheel disappears, first check whether the wheel is one of the driving wheels. If it is, then you’ll have to solve the problem by borrowing a nut from another wheel to tighten the driving wheel for safety reasons.All this is advice that may not be followed in normal situations. But if you find yourself in an emergency or travelling long-distance, the advice above can help you get to the area where help is.

Solutions for emergency situations should only be used in times of emergency. They are not the same as daily maintenance that everyone should follow in normal situations.