Working on cars is a necessity for some and a therapeutic experience for others. Whether you’re a natural tinkerer and a gearhead, or you’re preparing to take on a project to save money, you’ll need tools — lots of tools. Needless to say, it’s easy to get lost in the tool aisle of your local hardware shop, especially if you’re just starting out.
Because of that, the best thing is to start small, form a strong foundation of core tools, and build upon that as you go. This short guide will cover those core tools — that foundation that you’ll need to get started. By the time you’re done reading this, you’ll have a fairly good understanding of what it takes to work on cars in your own garage, and how to choose tools that will last.
Managing Expectations
Before we get started here, let’s talk about the elephant in the room. Depending on what you drive, there is a chance that you’ll encounter projects that are just too logistically demanding to take on at home. Here’s a good example.
Replacing a head gasket on an older B18 Honda engine is a whole different ball game compared to doing the same on an Audi 4.2 FSI engine. You can take the former apart in your garage easily, while the latter will require you to lift the car and drop the entire drivetrain in order to reach everything that you need to reach.
The alternative is tearing down the entire front end, which is not much easier. At the end of the day, some cars simply require more tools, equipment, and knowledge than most DIY mechanics have access to. That said, there’s no reason to be discouraged. Tinkering with cars is a skill just like any other. The more you do it, the better you are at it, and the more you learn how things work.
Most people start with basic maintenance items, such as brakes. A brake job is a great way to expose yourself to wrenching without getting in over your head. Tinkering with brakes may seem scary given that your brakes are the main safety feature of your car. However, you can do quite a lot of work without risking their effectiveness.
Jobs such as replacing brake pads or lubricating the caliper slider pins are all projects that are somewhat forgiving. Once you master these tasks, you can move on to replacing the braking fluid and bleeding the system. By then, you’ll have enough knowledge of how your brakes work to avoid potentially dangerous mistakes.
Getting the Car Off the Ground
While we’re on the subject of brakes, you’ll need a way to lift the car off the ground in order to get any work done. To do this, you’ll need a quality floor jack and a set of quality jack stands. The accent being on quality. Both of these components have to be top notch as they’re the only thing preventing the car from dropping as you work on it.
As far as floor jacks go, keep in mind that there are two types — standard floor jacks and low-profile floor jacks. The former will work on most standard cars, but you’ll need the latter if you drive a lowered vehicle or a car that is low from the factory.
When shopping for a floor jack, stick to proven brands such as AFF, Performance Tools, and others. Always get a floor jack whose rating exceeds the weight of your vehicle. The same goes for jack stands.
Cheap jack stands are not only a bad idea — they’re straight-up dangerous. Harbor Freight had an issue with one of their more affordable jack stands and had to issue a recall because of sub-par welds. In the end, you get what you pay for.
A quality set of jack stands and a good floor jack are a buy-once, cry-once type of deal. On the upside, they will last you a lifetime.
Socket Wrenches
If there’s a single tool that you’ll be using a lot, it’s a socket wrench. Most car components are held together by bolts of different sizes. Aside from a few Torx and Allen/Hex screws, you won’t find too much use for your screwdrivers in a modern car. Socket wrenches, on the other hand, will become your new best friend.
The key to finding good socket wrenches is finding ones with a good ratchet mechanism. Even though you’re not technically supposed to use a socket wrench to break bolts loose, you still want the ratcheting mechanism to be sturdy enough to take the abuse.
Depending on what car you drive, you might need a metric and standard (imperial set). The two are not interchangeable. If you own a European or Asian car, you’ll be using metric sockets. Many US-made cars require Imperial sockets although the largest US car manufacturers made the jump to metric for most components within the last few decades.
Extensions and Specialty Socket Wrenches?
Just like with most things out there, there are specialty socket wrenches designed for special purposes. Modern can manufacturers are constantly looking for ways to squeeze in more stuff in a rather limited space that is the engine bay. That means that some bolts will be almost impossible to reach. You’ll find yourself reaching for all kinds of crazy solutions just to get to that single bolt. This is where different extensions and specialty socket wrenches come into play.
Extensions will allow you to reach deeper into the engine. These come in a whole variety of flavors ranging from those that are just several inches long, to ones that are a few feet long. The latter is an extreme example, but you better believe that there’s a bolt in your car right now that would be much easier to reach with a foot-long socket wrench extension.
Specialty socket wrenches are a slightly different beast. They are fairly niche tools that address a very specific need. Some have a swiveling head so that you can remove or tighten bolts while the handle is at an angle. Some have a micro-ratcheting mechanism that engages ratcheting teeth with only an inch of travel or less.
Do you need such tools as a beginner? The answer is that it depends. There are relatively simple projects out there, such as replacing a belt tensioner on a Honda K24 engine, where having an extension is simply a must. On top of that, having the swiveling socket wrench makes the whole job so much easier. In the end, it depends on how your car was designed.
Spanners
Spanners are often overlooked by beginners because they appear to be a simpler version of a socket wrench. However, spanners have a special place in a DIY mechanic’s tool set. You’ll use them to break bolts loose, but more importantly, you’ll use spanners to lock bolts while you remove nuts using a different wrench.
Some places in your car are simply too tight to squeeze in a socket wrench. On the other hand, a spanner will fit quite nicely. Get yourself a set of open-ended spanners and ring spanners, or get combination spanners that feature both designs. You’ll need them.
Torque Wrenches
When engineers design modern cars, they take into account all kinds of factors. These include anything from the weight of oil you should put in your engine, to how tight certain bolts should be. Almost every bolt on your car has a torque spec that you need to meet every time you remove and reinstall a bolt.
The tool used to meet torque specifications is called a torque wrench. Can you work on cars without one of these? Sure, but you’ll always run a risk of shearing a bolt if you go too far or having the bolt fall out if you don’t meet the necessary torque specs. You’ll also find that torque specs vary wildly. For example, the crankshaft bolt is installed notoriously tight, while other bolts will snap right off if you apply anywhere near the same amount of torque.
Choosing torque wrenches is a bit more complicated. These are essentially measurement devices. As such, they need to be properly calibrated out of the box and able to retain that calibration even after hundreds of uses.
With torque wrenches, you literally get what you pay for. Get a good one and you’ll have a precise tool that will last you for decades to come. Just make sure to find out how often your new torque wrench has to be recalibrated and try not to drop it. A good rule of thumb is to never use a torque wrench to break bolts loose as that puts unnecessary strain on the internal mechanism.
Power Impact Wrenches
Power impact wrenches are an awesome tool that comes in handy when you’re dealing with stubborn bolts. If there’s one thing you’ll learn about cars, it’s that there are a lot of seized-up bolts on there, especially on the suspension systems of older vehicles. An impact wrench, or impact gun, takes care of this problem rather easily. You can always use a breaker bar as well, but, especially for those bolts that simply won’t give. However, most seized-up bolts will give in to a power impact wrench.
Finding a good one can be tricky, especially if you’re on a budget. It all comes down to the amount of effective torque they can deliver. To make things more complicated, cheaper impact guns will claim high torque figures but only deliver a fraction of those numbers when you put them to the test. Sticking to proven brands such as Milwaukee and others is highly recommended.
There’s No Substitute for a Good Flashlight
Wrenching on cars can sometimes last much longer than you thought. A 20-minute job can turn into a 3-hour one if you break something, run into a stubborn bolt, or have trouble removing something. These things happen, and when they do, you need to be prepared to work on your car after the sun goes down.
A good flashlight is a must in these situations. Whether it is a head-mounted one or a magnetic flashlight, you’ll need something that is easy to wield in tight spaces.
Telescopic Magnet
Last but not least, get yourself a telescopic magnet. Every single mechanic out there has dropped a bolt, nut, or washer into the dark abyss that is the engine bay. If that happens to you, you’ll quickly find out that you can’t stick your hand down there. A telescopic magnet turns such nightmare scenarios into a mere annoyance.
Build Your Tool Set Gradually
When you’re first starting out, it’s very easy to get carried away at your local tool shop. That’s how you end up with tools that you either won’t be using or ones that are just not up to the task.
Instead, build the foundation of your toolset and add niche pieces as you develop a need for them. That way you won’t have to do tons of research on a variety of different tools. Start small and work your way up.
