Every aspiring mechanic needs certain tools. You may be someone who wants to qualify in this trade and open your own repair shop or you’re simply a DIY enthusiast who wants to fix your own vehicles in your own garage. Either way it’s vital to know what tools you require to carry out this type of work. The most important tools every aspiring mechanic or DIY enthusiast should have include the following.
Car Diagnostics Tools
Technology is playing a greater role in all aspects of our lives, including the way we detect and fix motor-related problems. There are times when you need to find out why certain problems are occurring such as a check engine light appearing. The problem could be a simple one but it could also be complex, which is why you need ECU and OBD scanning software that will dig deep and find out exactly what is wrong with a vehicle.
The latest car diagnostics tools like TOAD (Total OBD and ECU Auto Diagnostics) carry out performance and health checks on most types of vehicles. TOAD is a collection of software applications and manuals you can download to your laptop. After downloading the appropriate applications, you connect the system to your car and identify any problems with its engine or emissions. If a problem is detected, this OBD2 reader will notify the user through its interface on your laptop. This system goes one step further. It also tells the user what needs to be done to fix any problems it identifies during its scans and checks.
Hand Tools
Some of the earliest tools ever invented are still as important today, as they have ever been. Despite improvements in technology, many of the most common tasks completed in a garage or repair shop are completed using hand-held tools. These tools twist, squeeze, screw, lift and tighten various components in a vehicle and are difficult to replace with an automated alternative.
The most important hand-held tools in a garage or repair shop include pliers, jacks, hammers, torque wrenches, sockets and ratchet sets, various types of screwdrivers and adjustable wrenches. When you’re buying these types of tools make sure they are sturdy and ergonomically designed for comfort. Without these basic tools, many tasks cannot be completed in a modern garage.
Work Lights
Mechanics and DIY enthusiast sometimes have to work in places where there is limited lighting. It can be difficult to see all the components under the hood of your car. The same is true if you’re working underneath your car where there is very little light. Using conventional torches or plugging in a lead with an incandescent light bulb at the end of it is not always ideal. It can even be dangerous.
A range of tidy fluorescent work lights are now available that give off less heat than other lighting systems. With many of these work lights, you simply clip them on to the vehicle your working on, so that you can concentrate on the job in hand.
Lifting Equipment
Much of the work done in a garage or repair shop takes place underneath a vehicle, in difficult to reach places. You may have a pit which makes it easier to work underneath a vehicle. However, some garages don’t or need to raise a vehicle above the ground to check for problems or fix problems. This means most aspiring mechanics should have the appropriate lifting equipment. This includes floor jacks, transmission jacks, jack stands and axle jacks. Larger car lifts are required if you will be carrying out this type of work on a regular basis and on larger models.
Wheel Service Equipment
A large number of car owners have various issues with the tires on their cars. Fixing problems with wheels should be a relatively fast procedure. Using the latest wheel service equipment speeds up and simplifies the process even more.
Automated tire changers are ergonomically designed to reduce the time it takes to change a tire. This is particularly important if you work in a high volume repair shop or garage where time is at a premium. Many are controlled by foot pedals which reduces the amount of labor even more.
First of all, you take off the wheel that needs to be worked on. This is then placed on the tire changer which removes the tire while it moves around the machines turntable. The tire is then checked to see how damaged it is. If it’s beyond repair, a new tire is fitted to the wheel using the tire changer again. If the original tire can be repaired, the same process takes place. The tire is then fitted back on the car.
Sometimes the wheels on a car wear out at certain points. This is often caused because the wheels of a car are not balanced properly. It affects the performance of a car and means tires have to be replaced more often.
To detect and fix this problem, a wheel balancer is required. Different models are available and most use digital sensor technology to detect any imbalances that may occur. Once an imbalance is detected a mechanic is then able to rectify the problem by realigning the wheels of the vehicle which is affected by the imbalance.
Having the appropriate tools and equipment in a garage is vital. It may be costly in the beginning. However, this cost should be looked at as an investment. The more tools and equipment you have, the more independent you become and the more services you can offer. Tools like the TOAD OBD2 reader, tire changers, tire balancers and different lifting equipment make a garage or repair shop a much more efficient place to work in.
