The Essential Toolkit: Top 10 Must-Have Tools for Car Repair;
When you are fixing your vehicle, a special set of tools — an inventory of specialized items that can make the process either hellish or fast and effective — makes all the difference. Whether your are a DIY home mechanic or a full-time automotive expert, having the right tools at hand is of paramount importance. In the following lines, we are going to examine the top 10 must have tools for car repair — the ten most important tools that every car enthusiast should have in his toolbox.
Overview
Correct tools will save time and ensure you don’t injure yourself or compromise quality when working on your car. Quality tools are worth the investment, making your D.I.Y repairs faster and easier. You will be well prepared to handle many automotive problems with this selection of tools, saving you money and time.
1. Socket Set
None should be without a good socket set. The CRAFTMAN of this toolkit is its versatility: you’ll use it with pretty much everything else in your starter kit. For starters, it will allow you to disassemble and replace your car’s parts. The good socket set should come with a full range of sizes, attached to sockets, of the two standard shapes, metric and standard (or imperial).
A set of screwdrivers with different pointed ends (flathead, Phillips, Torx, etc) is useful for removing screws from car panels, underside elements, and internal engine parts. Get a high-quality set with comfortable handles and smooth working action for tasks that might take you some time.
3. Wrenches
Every car needs a good bunch of wrenches. Get some combination wrench sets, with both an open-end and box-end; and some adjustable wrench sets.
4. Pliers
Pliers have three possible uses: gripping (e.g., for holding) cutting (e.g., for cutting wire) and bending (e.g., for making a hook at the end of the pliers). Long-nose pliers are useful for reaching into tight spaces. Locking pliers (such as Vise-Grip pliers) have a jaw that can be pinned in the closed position so they can be used to more effectively grip stubborn nuts and bolts.
Some of the work you do on your car will actually require you to get underneath, so you’d better have a set of sturdy but safe stands like these to support the car while you work.
A digital multimeter lets you check for voltage, current and resistance, which can help you figure out electrical problems with your car, such as sensors and circuits.
Replacing your car’s oil is a regular task, one that becomes easier if you use an oil filter wrench to remove and replace the oil filter. Find a wrench with a mouth that fits perfectly around the size of your car’s oil filter.
Flush water the locks of the car or of your home in winter. Professionals recommend this step to make sure everything under the temperatures and surge of winters is in great shape.
Removing air bubbles from your car’s braking system can be a chore, but bleeding your brakes will help your car’s brakes perform better. The brake bleeder kit will push out old brake fluid and air in the brake lines.
If you want to be sure of tightening the bolt just the right amount, you need a torque wrench for the job. Even if you want to see how much turn of the wrench is required to reach the right tightness, which is measured in foot-pounds in English and Newton metres in SI (metric) units, you must have a wrench for the task. This is faster, easier and safer than trial and error tightening. For example, a torque wrench is needed to make sure lug nuts on the wheel of your car are not overtightened, which could strip the threads, or under-tightened, which could lead to a potential accident if it’s the lug nut for a wheel support. By using a torque wrench, you can make absolutely sure you’re not going past the recommended tightness on the torque specification sheet.
A diagnostic code reader, commonly referred to as an OBD-II scanner, attaches to a car’s onboard diagnostic (OBD-II) port to retrieve fault codes and shed light on engine and emissions operating problems that might explain why your car’s ‘check-engine’ illuminated and, more importantly, diagnosing what might be awry.
Conclusion
Any person who maintains or repairs a car should definitely invest some money to build an efficient car-repair toolkit. Once you have the top 10 tools mentioned above, you’ll have the ability to perform all standard auto maintenance and minor repair tasks confidently. Remember, quality tools make you work faster and also contribute to your vehicle’s long life and reliability. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.
Invest well, care for it, and take pride in the fact that this toolkit will get the job done.