I took my wife’s car into the dealership for a warranty a few weeks ago and while they were checking stuff, they said the car needed 1300 dollars of work (piston soak and replace some transmission parts). I ended up doing the soak with my grandpa and took it to a shop for the transmission (wasnt even an issue, just a rivot replacement on a wheel well cover) and ended up saving 700 dollars after accounting for tools, jacks, jack stands, etc.
I want to start working on my own cars for things that can be done easily without expensive specialized tools, and I might be buying a house in the next year. I just want to start getting a decent collection of tools to hopefully save money in the long run.
I currently have a huge range of screwdrivers, soldering equipment, plyer set, socket set, file set, wire cutters and a small tool kit with some misc stuff.
I am mainly looking towards a torque wrench and a good spanner/wrench set, but looking for suggestions on what to get. Holding off on power tools until I wrap my head around brands and batteries.
Look for a tool library near you. See if you can borrow some from neighbors. You’ll get the hang of doing jobs, and what good vs bad tools feel like.
Took me awhile to find a torque wrench when I was working a few weeks ago. Wish I knew tool libraries were a thing!
All good, we learn something new every day. Now if only there were a way to pass that hard earned knowledge on instantly 😆
Going against the spirit of the post and recommending nothing.
Start your project. Hit the store for what you need. Rinse and repeat.
Once you get a feel for what’s useful to you, keep your eye out at the flea market, garage sales, whatever.
I am starting to get that. I had to borrow a few things last time so I have an idea of what I need, but no need getting other things until they are in use.
Harbor Freight is your friend. Their cheap tools can suck and may break with repeated use, but that’s almost a feature.
If you use a tool often enough that you break it, then it’s worth investing in a quality version of that tool. If you don’t use it often enough to break it, you can get by with the lower quality.
I bought most of my stuff from there so far. A friend told me to look around forums to see what the “good tools” there are. I got mainly Pittsburgh tools since I’m just starting and they’re cheap, but is there anytime I should look at their more “premium” brands?
Don’t buy power tools at Harbour Freight.
I’m a big fan of Ryobi for bang for the buck power tools. They’re good enough that unless you’re a professional they’ll do you just fine, and they can be bought at Direct Tools Outlet online refurbished for pretty cheap.
They also haven’t changed the 18-volt battery interfaces ever, so you can grab one of their tools from the 90s and plug in a modern lithium battery and it’ll work. I like having the comfort of a tool that will be supported.
As for their “premium” tools - most aren’t that great for the price actually.
Check out the YouTube channel Project Farm. He does lots of head-to-head tool and equipment reviews, and he doesn’t accept free tools or sponsorships for any of his reviews.
In addition to the torque wrench, a breaker bar is helpful. You didn’t mention it but Allen wrenches are vital.
Also, all hail Harbor Freight. Great place to get cheap tools. If you don’t think you’ll use a power tool more than once a year, they have some great cheap shit too. They do have higher end power tools, but they have frequent sales so I would wait for one of those.
Otherwise, other tool choices come down to the type of work you’ll be doing. I do more wood stuff personally, but you sound more like a metal guy
Metal for the most part now. One of my cousins got into woodworking over lockdown and said I could borrow whatever I need from her (as long as she’s not using it)
Torque and breaker bar are my top contenders for stuff I will be using in the foreseeable future
Electrical meter
Tire air gauge
Tire patch kit
Air pump
Brake reset tool (forget exact name, I paid $10 and it pushes the brake piston back in when installing new brake pads)
Tire thread measuring tool (know when you need new tires)
Battery tester (test how many cca remain)
Battery acid tester
Radiator coolant tester
Distilled water to put in battery
Coat hangers (metal hanger can be cut and bent to hold things such as the brake caliper)
The tire patch kit saved me a few weeks ago.
Worth getting a multimeter and battery tester vs just a multimeter? Was planning on getting back into soldering and was thinking of just getting a good MM and using that for electric for home and car
The battery tester I have will put a load on the battery and calculate its life. It’s a bit different than a normal meter. I find it useful to know if my battery is good before I take a trip or once in a while, as it’s better to know more than just knowing the voltage of the battery. I don’t think it’s really necessary, but I find it useful and didn’t cost me too much.
A normal multimeter is great for thousands of things, even the cheapest harbor freight one is a great start. (you might find a coupon for it for free).
Here are a couple of items that I wish that I had picked up earlier. They are not required, but they greatly simplified my life.
- headlamp: Trying to balance or prop up a flashlight while working used to result in so much frustration.
- tin sheers: I love these so much that they have replaced scissors in most day-to-day applications
- flexible drill bit extender: So many screws are in places inaccessible to a drill body. This inexpensive item solves that problem. Magnetic wristbands: Keep those screws and bits from getting lost.
- level that is at least 2ft long: I really appreciate having a level that can span two studs (16")
- precision / mini needle nose pliers: I don’t need them often, but when I do I am always happy that I have them
- painters tape: I am surpised how often I use painters tape for all sorts of applications
My grandpa was a painter so I understand how awesome painters tape is lol.
I was gifted a 3FT level and have some long needle nose pliers. Got some flexible extenders at the store when I was buying stuff for the last project. A good headlamp or bright lantern is definitely on my list
