Your Essential Garage Tools

Soldato
Joined
11 Sep 2009
Posts
13,911
Location
France, Alsace
I'm rebuilding my S4. A hose went about 10 months ago and I couldn't be arsed to fix it through summer as I was cycling and used wife's car when I wanted a car. She's replacing hers, so I can use her old one, and threatened I needed to get rid of the S4 or do something with it :D
So I cleared out one of our garages and I'm doing some work...

List of things currently found that need repairing (it grows daily tbh):

  • New Headlight ballast
  • New bulbs rear
  • Brake light switch replacement
  • Air con re gas
  • oil/filter/air filter & service parts
  • Front bumper repair (someone caught it with their car when parked)
  • Bonnet release repair
  • Rear bumper & valance repair (wife reversed it into a wall)
  • new headlight washer pump
  • Fix back of drivers seat (kids...)
  • Fix horn
  • Wheel bearing front
  • Valve stem seal replacement
  • Might as well do timing chain guides while there

I am handy enough to give anything a go. Not done anything for ages, but the wife wants to help out so we're going to rebuild it and make it back to it's lovely glory.
Now the garage is all clear and the car is slowly coming apart in there, I realised how few tools I have now. No idea where they've gone over the years of moving but not here.

I want to get the basics to make my life easier and I realised how much tools have come on in the last 10years.

I have basic socket set, but it's not great. I'd love your recommendations with any links as well of things you recommend.

My list so far:

- Good jack (widow maker is not my friend)
- Better, more full socket set or just more sockets
- impact wrench (make of mine really rates these for the money: https://www.direct-powertools.co.uk...A1apa0LperNvjctyUq1XQRf2WxEGjnooaAi4FEALw_wcB)
- Mat for my knees (god they don't like the concrete)
- Big light for the garage
- Good set of torx bits

What would you guys recommend for the above and anything you can think of to start?

Thanks!
 

mjt

mjt

Soldato
Joined
31 Aug 2007
Posts
19,999
I could quite easily do that, but then where is the enjoyment? I like doing this stuff, you obviously don't. Did someone step on your cat this morning? Catch a bit of shaft while doing up your fly?
:D
It was a joke, calm down.
I wish I had the space and the time. Thankfully I haven't had any major issues with any of my cars in about 6-7 years!
 
Man of Honour
Joined
26 Dec 2003
Posts
30,837
Location
Shropshire
Wall drive sockets good for getting bolts out that are past their best and may round with a normal socket.
Decent ratchet 1/2, 1/4 and 3/8.
Impact driver.
Decent screwdriver set I splashed out on a Wera set.
Set of ratchet spanners.
3 or more hands (including a baby sized one).
Selection of grease, copper,lithium,moly.
Blue roll for wiping up said grease.
Carpet cut off to lie on.

That's probably my must have general list from working on bikes.
 
Soldato
OP
Joined
11 Sep 2009
Posts
13,911
Location
France, Alsace
It was a joke, calm down.
I joke too :p it's Monday morning. *blows kiss*

Wall drive sockets good for getting bolts out that are past their best and may round with a normal socket.
Decent ratchet 1/2, 1/4 and 3/8.
Impact driver.
Decent screwdriver set I splashed out on a Wera set.
Set of ratchet spanners.
3 or more hands (including a baby sized one).
Selection of grease, copper,lithium,moly.
Blue roll for wiping up said grease.
Carpet cut off to lie on.

That's probably my must have general list from working on bikes.

Great list! I'm going to start putting together an excel sheet :D
 
Don
Joined
18 Oct 2002
Posts
22,697
Location
Wargrave, UK
A creeper is my favourite garage tool. It makes getting under the car and then back out again when I realise I've forgotten the socket I wanted, then back under again, and out again to get the correct socket this time, then back under again a breeze.
 
Soldato
Joined
2 Aug 2012
Posts
7,809
Depends on how serious you are going to get, but a decent sized compressor is surprisingly useful if you have the space/budget (9cfm or better).

Whilst there are plenty of battery electric tools available these days. Air tools are generally lighter and less expansive and there is a massive range for them out there. Compressor is great for everything from inflating tyres to spraying on underseal and a whole lot more in-between.
 
Soldato
Joined
21 Jan 2010
Posts
8,441
Location
Ceredigion
As a financially ruined student with no livelihood or future (who's idea was it to study engineering again?), I've managed to do everything on my project car with a 3/8ths socket set, a mismatched random collection of spanners acquired during a garage clear out, some tubes of Comma's best reduced price greases (copper, lithium, silicon), and Hilkas finest budget jacking set. I have recently, thanks to Christmas, added a breaker bar to the list, though I've yet to use it or yet to find a bolt I couldn't remove with the 3/8ths set or a chain of spanners. I think the entirety of what I have cost about £70.

Were I a rich man, I'd invest in a proper trolley jack - the ones used by professionals that get the car up in the after with two pumps, not a minute and a half of faffing. I'd also splash out on a good impact driver and a cordless ratchet (must be a high torque one though or kind of pointless in my view), along with a proper vacuum bleeder set which would make brakes and clutches much much quicker.
 
Soldato
Joined
18 Oct 2004
Posts
10,581
Location
Kent
I found a set of these to be very useful: https://www.screwfix.com/p/erbauer-...Q05QiA96yWMwivyvT1gaAnO4EALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds

The most labour intensive part of any work I do on the car is jacking it up and taking the wheel nuts off. These things make taking the wheels off much quicker as you can buzz the nuts on and off with a power drill. Obviously you still need a proper torque wrench to tighten them up, but it's much easier when you're trying to get that first nut back on while holding the wheel with the other hand.
 
Soldato
Joined
2 Aug 2012
Posts
7,809
Get two trolley jacks.

Seems like overkill, but if you are wanting to jack up both sides and put one end of the car on stands, it is much safer to use two jacks to raise the car evenly and place both stands at the same time rather than trying to jack up one side and then the other.

(Ditto, if you are actually wanting to put stands under all four corners, but more so! jack up one end, put on stands, then the other)
 
Soldato
OP
Joined
11 Sep 2009
Posts
13,911
Location
France, Alsace
Depends on how serious you are going to get, but a decent sized compressor is surprisingly useful if you have the space/budget (9cfm or better).

Whilst there are plenty of battery electric tools available these days. Air tools are generally lighter and less expansive and there is a massive range for them out there. Compressor is great for everything from inflating tyres to spraying on underseal and a whole lot more in-between.

Yea, I know a compressor would be nice. I'm not sure I've got the space really for it. It would generally be a nice addition though. It was always the dream to have a massive compressor and just slap on the tool I wanted, but this is my space:

C7D2quw.jpg

Plenty to get around the car, but otherwise...

As a financially ruined student with no livelihood or future (who's idea was it to study engineering again?), I've managed to do everything on my project car with a 3/8ths socket set, a mismatched random collection of spanners acquired during a garage clear out, some tubes of Comma's best reduced price greases (copper, lithium, silicon), and Hilkas finest budget jacking set. I have recently, thanks to Christmas, added a breaker bar to the list, though I've yet to use it or yet to find a bolt I couldn't remove with the 3/8ths set or a chain of spanners. I think the entirety of what I have cost about £70.
Ha this has been me for years and was all through uni. I had about 10 cars apart with bugger all. I just figure now I can afford to make it easier and quicker, so damn well will. Yesterday having the front wheels off and back on, to get bumper access, probably took me 30 mins with widow maker and the tools that came in the car to get the wheel off. Reckon I could do it in 10 mins easy with a nice jack and power impact wrench!
 
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