Starting my tool collection-what r your recommendations

[gypsychic]

I see a lot of advice about where to get quality tools inexpensively saying you can pick them up at thrift stores. Well I've been looking for over a year now and I have not found that to be the case. I'm in thrift stores quite regularly just for this reason. It makes sense that if a tool was in good shape you wouldn't really give it away.

With Black Friday sales going on before black Friday I thought it would be a good time to check the sales to start my tool collection. I've read posts on tools here and elsewhere. One on here was a combo wishlist/what do you carry with you that had so many tools I didn't understand it made me doubt I could do my own mechanical work. But I've squared my shoulders and my resolve and signed up for a class on how to change your own oil. Simple I know, but I need to start somewhere and it should also boost my confidence.

I've looked-up what tools are needed to do oil changes and tune ups and have made a list from popular mechanics or consumers report or someplace else I trust. I've looked at Sears and on Amazon as a place to compare prices. I've seen lots of badmouthing of Harbor Freight. Are they really that bad? Where else should I look to see price comparisons and buy from?

If you had $200-300 to start your tool collection what would you get based on what is needed to help maintain your vehicle mechanically? Bonus points if it helps with the conversion Would you get tools in kits or separately? How many wrenches do you really need? Sears used to warranty their Craftsman tools no questions asked. Is that still the case? Does it have to be Craftsman brand? Any other stores do that?

What I have right now (don't laugh-I live in an apartment and have had in the past people in my life to go to for things like this, even to borrow tools if needed): cordless drill and small collection of bits, needle nose pliers, crescent wrench, a few flathead and phillips screwdrivers, level, tape measure and probably a few other things that will not be helpful in maintaining my car mechanically but may be useful in doing the build.

Should I get a bottle jack or floor jack for a van? I'm thinking a scissor jack will not cut it.

And a sort of unrelated question but I've wondered about it-where do you fulltimers work on your vehicle? I'll work on my van in my apartment driveway at first but after I give up my apartment, what then. I've always seen signs in automotive parking lots saying NOT to work in their lots. Do they ever do anything about it?

Lots of questions I know. Feel free to answer the basic spirit of my question(s) without answering each and every one. As always thanks for helping a newbie out! Us newbies must seem so naive to you but I am a quick study and I'll pass it on down the line in time

GypsyChic

 

[SternWake]

Digital Multimeter or better yet, a clamp on AC/DC ammeter.

Needle nose vice grips. Standard vice grips.

Factory service manual for your vehicle. search E bay motors. Much better than haynes or Chilton, though the FSM assumes more basic to at least intermediate mechanical knowledge.

Harbor Freight's Pittsburg wrenches and sockets are fine, as long as you don't make your money turning wrenches and let your co workers see you with them. Some harbor freight stuff is true junk, and disposable.

Craftsman still has lifetime warranty, but everything is now made in China. I think HF has a lifetime warranty on their pittsburg wrenches and sockets too.

An appropriately sized bottle jack is good, but dense and heavy and needs some wood to spread the load on asphalt or dirt. Floor jacks are unwieldy to carry. A bumper jack is best if one goes offroad a bunch, and actually has bumpers capable of supporting the weight of the vehicle. Scissor jacks are fine too, but many are vehicle specific and require you use them in one of 4 points only on the vehicle.

Getting oil filters off can be tough. An oil filter wrench which fits your vehicle nicely can save a lot of cursing. Iffy lube joints have a tendency to overtighten oil filters and drain plugs.

I once changed my oil at night in a rest stop in Oklahoma. But I had cardboard and did not spill a drop on the ground.

Tools can get really heavy, really quick. It is difficult to pare down ones tools to what one needs as it is too easy to envision a scenario where such and such a tool is needed, and not having it makes the task impossible.

Acquiring the tools one envisions one might need, when one does not have much mechanical knowledge is even harder.

Your specific vehicle info could help others to respond with better answers, like a VW absolutely requires a 13MM wrench and socket, but there are very few fasteners that use 13MM on American vehicles.

 

[user 423]

You need a basic core set of sockets,ratchet and combination wrenches. Unless you plan to do a lot of your own work the 3/8" drive stuff will suffice. Sears sells a dizzying array of sets and sometimes you can get a good deal. Or look for less expensive sets on craigslist for garage sales touting 'tools'. Pawn shops sometimes will have good deals,too.

Misc: hammer,hacksaw,rubber mallet

 

[gypsychic]

Your specific vehicle info could help others to respond with better answers, like a VW absolutely requires a 13MM wrench and socket, but there are very few fasteners that use 13MM on American vehicles.

Sorry for any confusion. I haven't acquired a vehicle yet. I'm just trying to take advantage of the sales as it may be any day now or a few months away. Either way I will need them. I will probably buy American as they are more in my (limited) price range. VW are definitely not on my radar.

Acquiring the tools one envisions one might need, when one does not have much mechanical knowledge is even harder.

Yes, that's why I am asking for help. I don't want to waste money or space on things I won't need and I don't have the experience to know what I need right now. Maybe it's just to obscure a question to answer without a vehicle. I just thought I'd take advantage of the sales of the season.


Thank you for taking the time to comment. Have a good night.

GypsyChic

 

[LucyImHome]

Kudos to you to want to learn how to fix the mechanical stuff. It's something I should learn, and will, when I absolutely have to and can't get out of it! lol My son is a mechanic. I've looked at his manuals. It does look fairly straight forward, with good descriptions and pictures. With the promise of a good martini afterward, I'd probably be willing to tackle some of it. It's so sketchy to find an honest mechanic, it's wise to at least know some of the workings of your rig. Saves some money too.

 

[Almost There]

As a woman who has travelled alone extensively for decades, the most important tool I ever owned was knowledge.

Most repairs are beyond my physical abilities but the ability to understand what was going wrong, why and what it would take to fix it served me better than anything else.

Yes, when I owned a 35' RV I did my own oil changes. I was disgusted to find that while it was the same engine in the RV as in a Ford P/U, used the same filter and quarts of oil, it would cost me 3 to 4 times the price simply because it was in an RV. Heck I could even almost sit up under there, it was a whole lot easier than getting under the van to do it.

That aside, knowing whether something was an emergency that required pulling over RIGHT NOW, could be driven carefully to the first town or could be dealt with at my destination provided me with more capability than any set of tools.

It also became of major importance when dealing with mechanics who were not above trying to take advantage of - (take your pick) - a female, a blonde, an out-of-towner, an old lady....sigh!

I have horror stories to tell of some of my encounters.

Rather than trying to accumulate a whole bunch of tools, I'd accumulate knowledge.

 

[wagoneer]

Get a very good bottle jack and very good jack stands and 1-2 ft pieces of wood 2 x 4, 2 x 6. Sears wrench set. Assorted 1/4" phillips/ allen/ get a good nut driver. The great thing about getting good tools is they are sale able, in other words worth money. Junk will always be junk. When under a vehicle place your spare tire under with you IF something were to give your chances of survival greatly increase as your chest will be about as high as the steel rim. Please be safe

 

[Seraphim]

Sorry for any confusion. I haven't acquired a vehicle yet. I'm just trying to take advantage of the sales as it may be any day now or a few months away. Either way I will need them. I will probably buy American as they are more in my (limited) price range. VW are definitely not on my radar.


Yes, that's why I am asking for help. I don't want to waste money or space on things I won't need and I don't have the experience to know what I need right now. Maybe it's just to obscure a question to answer without a vehicle. I just thought I'd take advantage of the sales of the season.


Thank you for taking the time to comment. Have a good night.

GypsyChic

You can buy automotive kits in varying sizes from Harbor Freight. You don't need a large kit with with three different socket set sizes. Just a 3/8" set. If you ever need a larger set later, you can buy just the components you need at the time.

Specialty items:

Filter wrench for oil changes. The wrench will be in the basic kit. A small funnel.

Flat tire: jack, jack stand (safety), tire iron, a kit to plug holes in the tire, tire pump

Dead battery: jumper cables or jump box. Jump box requires shore power to recharge occasionally.

Socket for spark plugs, If you plan to change your own.

Perhaps a squeeze pump for transferring fluids.

Small pry bar (18" or so) comes in handy, for example, if you replace an alternator and need to leverage the alternator to tighten the serpentine belt.

Offhand, this should cover your basic needs. I've probably forgotten some thing, but others will fill in... Exactly how mechanical do you wish to get? How much do you plan to learn? But I think everything else can be acquired as you learn.

 

[Seraphim]

Something like this has most tools you'll need and is under $38. Then add to this the other tools I mentioned, and what others have thought of. A multimeter or sme such will come in handy at some point, but there's a learning curve involved. I built one as a kid from a kit and never used it.


http://t.harborfreight.com/hand-tools/hand-tool-sets/130-piece-tool-kit-with-case-68998.html

There are bigger more expensive kits, but they're overkill for your needs

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Note: the above is only a 1/4". Drive kit. 3/8" would be, in the long run, better, but I don't know if you could a complete kit with just a 3/8 drive. You'd probably have to buy a bigger kit, or a stand alone 3/8 socket set on the side. But this gives you an idea what you might need.

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And a bigger kit would be more expensive with a lot of redundant equipment

---

Cross posted with gsfish lol:

He posted one of the larger kits with three different socket sizes. No price listed that I could find. But for comparison purposes, Harbor Freight also has a 300 piece kit for $199. Not pushing Harbor Freight, just using apples and apples for comparison purposes.

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Heres a 3/8 kit for $7 more through Sears:


http://www.sears.com/apollo-precision-tools-79-piece-multi-purpose-tool/p-010V001483204412P

 

[Seraphim]

A sturdy and sharp pocket knife is often invaluable. I keep a folding multi-tool on my belt.

---

A roll of black electrical tape

 

[Vonbrown]

Throw in some screwdrivers and you should be all set.

http://www.sears.com/craftsman-145-...0934142000P?prdNo=13&blockNo=13&blockType=G13

 

[VanLifeCrisis]

Here is a set at Lowe's that is half off for two more days. Just for an idea of what is available.
http://www.lowes.com/pd_338518-2232...L=?Ns=p_product_qty_sales_dollar|1&facetInfo=

Kobalt seems to be a decent tool, has a lifetime warranty. Personally I like a standard tool box over these 'modern' plastic things. The 'organized' plastic things have a lot of wasted space and lock you in to specific tools, if you want to add some tools (and you will) then you need to start another box anyway.

In my tool box I use zippered bank bags to sort tools by type and keep my most commonly needed tools and the socket sets in the tray on top.

There have been several similar threads in the past.

Guy

this is 99....thats a good deal

 

[gypsychic]

Thanks everybody for your responses and perspectives. I'm noting them all!

Exactly how mechanical do you wish to get? How much do you plan to learn? But I think everything else can be acquired as you learn.

As a child/teenager I always was fascinated watching my uncles and guy friends work on their cars and wanted to learn. In my family and my blue collar neighborhood the prevalent attitude was girls work inside the house and boys work with power tools. That's a bit simplistic but you get the idea. I actually wanted to take autoshop in school but my mom wouldn't let me. I finally went with the flow and stopped trying to acquire the knowledge.

After I didn't have people in my life that I could ask for their advice/help with a 6-pack as payment I was earning a wage where I could pay for it, and my life was full so I didn't prioritize trying to learn a new skill. Now as a necessity from both financial and safety perspectives I am going to learn how to work on my own vehicle as much as I can. I have more time than money. I love troubleshooting things and working puzzles and I'm pretty good at it. All my aptitude tests in school said I should become a mechanical engineer. I ended up working in accounting, and while I was good at it, I disliked it for the most part.

As far as where I plan to acquire the knowledge, first off there are 2 classes given locally that I have signed up for. 1st being how to change your own oil and 2nd being how to do a tune-up. I hope to make some contacts at either of these classes that can help me continue my education. YT has many videos and there are books from the library. I've searched the adult education section of the local colleges for auto tech classes but haven't found any yet. When the weather gets warmer I'll probably put an ad on CL to barter. I have an organic vegetable garden and accounting/bookkeeping skills. Hopefully someone would be willing to let me hang out and watch and 'help' them as they work on engines in exchange for the exact things I can barter. I've already made a list of local car clubs and plan on making inquiries early next year. Someone would hopefully not mind me listening as they talk about their cars. If there's a will, there's a way to obtain knowledge.

@ almost there - yes I agree knowledge is power or at least peace of mind. See above

Lowes and Sears links are noted. I'll compare and buy one today. Thanks for the links!

GypsyChic

 

[SternWake]

I bought my current van in July of 2001, and did not really know much about working on it, or on vehicles in general, though I'd always been good with my hands and at 'macguyvering' things.

General maintenance is pretty different than Diagnostics and repair.

One time, my engine was surging and cutting out badly.

I did not know that it was just one of 2 fuel injectors had failed.
I did not know that I could have checked the computer codes which would have gave me a fuel injector code, that I could have seen and felt the one injector was not firing rhythmically.

I did not know that a new injector was 85$ and was extremely simple to replace.

I wound up paying over 600 dollars to have somebody else diagnose and repair this.

I'm still seething over it.

While bolt turning seems to be a focus of this thread, the digital multimeter is an extremely relevant tool. A clamp on AC DC ammeter, which is also usually a full function multimeter is hugely helpful when setting up the electrical system, or diagnosing what went wrong, which wires come and go where, and how much current any particular device is drawing.

Batteries are these mystery storage devices that perplex many as to what they can store and power, and the clamp on portion of a Multimeter can reveal boatloads of information and allow the electrically disinclined to grasp how much that lead and acid cube can actually power and how little most charging sources actually return to it.

Whatever vehicle you get, get the factory service manual for it as it will be for that specific model year, whereas Haynes or chiltons manuals will cover many model years and will have lots of information that is not relevant to your vehicle and add to the confusion and frustration.

Also, most every vehicle out there has a specific automotive subforum, perhaps several of them, and some people on these forums simply know most everything about a given model year, like me with my '89 dodge van and the experience I've gained through necessity over the last 13 years with it. I occasionally get an email or a PM or even sometimes a phone call from somebody I've never met asking about symptoms and I've pretty much been there, done that and tell them. I often get the 'well, you were right, thanks so much you saved me a bundle.' And if I was incorrect, i add the cause and cure to my knowledge base.

Once you get a vehicle, one of these platform specific forums can help you to obtain specific tools most relevant to that vehicle.

Soldering and crimping tools will come in handy when you do get a vehicle, so don't just focus on tools that allow one to turn fasteners.

 

[HarmonicaBruce]

This is a really nice socket set:
https://store.snapon.com/General-Se...ation-1-4-and-3-8-drive-100-pcs--P644870.aspx
Cheaper on ebay:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Blue-point-...1480598548&pt=Motors_Automotive_Tools&vxp=mtr
Expensive, but very nice tools.

I carry a cordless drill, and an oil drain pan.

 

[Spaceman Spiff]

Come on guys. You know you can fix anything with duct tape, a large pry bar, and a BIG hammer

Seriously, I would go with tools from a company with a warranty and stores all over. On the choice between Kobalt and Craftsman, I would go with Kobalt. The quality of Craftsman has gone down and Lowes is more financially stable.

You are smart to take some classes first. You should be able to try different tools and determine what you want before you buy.

As to what to keep them in, I prefer fabric bags; they store better than a metal box. I got mine at a thrift store. Plastic tubs work well also.

-- Spiff

 

[Seraphim]

Thanks everybody for your responses and perspectives. I'm noting them all!


As a child/teenager I always was fascinated watching my uncles and guy friends work on their cars and wanted to learn. In my family and my blue collar neighborhood the prevalent attitude was girls work inside the house and boys work with power tools. That's a bit simplistic but you get the idea. I actually wanted to take autoshop in school but my mom wouldn't let me. I finally went with the flow and stopped trying to acquire the knowledge.

After I didn't have people in my life that I could ask for their advice/help with a 6-pack as payment I was earning a wage where I could pay for it, and my life was full so I didn't prioritize trying to learn a new skill. Now as a necessity from both financial and safety perspectives I am going to learn how to work on my own vehicle as much as I can. I have more time than money. I love troubleshooting things and working puzzles and I'm pretty good at it. All my aptitude tests in school said I should become a mechanical engineer. I ended up working in accounting, and while I was good at it, I disliked it for the most part.

As far as where I plan to acquire the knowledge, first off there are 2 classes given locally that I have signed up for. 1st being how to change your own oil and 2nd being how to do a tune-up. I hope to make some contacts at either of these classes that can help me continue my education. YT has many videos and there are books from the library. I've searched the adult education section of the local colleges for auto tech classes but haven't found any yet. When the weather gets warmer I'll probably put an ad on CL to barter. I have an organic vegetable garden and accounting/bookkeeping skills. Hopefully someone would be willing to let me hang out and watch and 'help' them as they work on engines in exchange for the exact things I can barter. I've already made a list of local car clubs and plan on making inquiries early next year. Someone would hopefully not mind me listening as they talk about their cars. If there's a will, there's a way to obtain knowledge.

@ almost there - yes I agree knowledge is power or at least peace of mind. See above

Lowes and Sears links are noted. I'll compare and buy one today. Thanks for the links!

GypsyChic

Don't Rush - look around first. Instructor at your class may have some good ideas or contacts. Good luck with the classes.

 

[highdesertranger]

the best advice I have seen on this thread is having the knowledge. after that everything is easy(mostly). any tool that will do the job is a good tool. however good tools are an investment they hold there value really well. I will not do my harbor freight, Chinese tool rant here. but if you ever need to sell or pawn your tools, you are going to get nothing for that junk because that is what they are worth, nothing. highdesertranger

 

[LucyImHome]

I feel that a hammer is a very important tool to have. When you're sitting by the side of the road, at a loss for what might be the matter. you can assuage your frustration by beating on a rock with said hammer. A lower cost option is available. Find a rock, just the right rock, one that fits your hand just so. Use that to beat on another rock. Tules iz guud.
Oh, almost forgot! Sticks! There is absolutely nothing in life that can't be resolved by poking it with a stick.

 

[LeeRevell]

For any 1996 and later vehicle, I find that the less-expensive computer code reader is indispensable. It has saved me a lot of money in NOT needing to take the vehicle to a mechanic to diagnose simple problems I can fix. I keep it in the center console of my Grand Caravan for easy and quick use. Any store selling auto supplies/parts will have it.
I agree with the proper maintenance/service manual too, not just the simple Haynes type. The mechanic's manuals are pricey but worth it if you intend doing major work yourself.
Any make/model vehicle also has one or more good forum sites online, with knowledgeable members (some are professional mechanics) who can advise you.