I took my wife’s car into the dealership for a warranty a few weeks ago and while they were checking stuff, they said the car needed 1300 dollars of work (piston soak and replace some transmission parts). I ended up doing the soak with my grandpa and took it to a shop for the transmission (wasnt even an issue, just a rivot replacement on a wheel well cover) and ended up saving 700 dollars after accounting for tools, jacks, jack stands, etc.

I want to start working on my own cars for things that can be done easily without expensive specialized tools, and I might be buying a house in the next year. I just want to start getting a decent collection of tools to hopefully save money in the long run.

I currently have a huge range of screwdrivers, soldering equipment, plyer set, socket set, file set, wire cutters and a small tool kit with some misc stuff.

I am mainly looking towards a torque wrench and a good spanner/wrench set, but looking for suggestions on what to get. Holding off on power tools until I wrap my head around brands and batteries.

  • @chiliedogg
    5•1 month ago

    Harbor Freight is your friend. Their cheap tools can suck and may break with repeated use, but that’s almost a feature.

    If you use a tool often enough that you break it, then it’s worth investing in a quality version of that tool. If you don’t use it often enough to break it, you can get by with the lower quality.

    • EdgarallenpwnOPEnglish
      1•27 days ago

      I bought most of my stuff from there so far. A friend told me to look around forums to see what the “good tools” there are. I got mainly Pittsburgh tools since I’m just starting and they’re cheap, but is there anytime I should look at their more “premium” brands?

      • @chiliedogg
        1•27 days ago

        Don’t buy power tools at Harbour Freight.

        I’m a big fan of Ryobi for bang for the buck power tools. They’re good enough that unless you’re a professional they’ll do you just fine, and they can be bought at Direct Tools Outlet online refurbished for pretty cheap.

        They also haven’t changed the 18-volt battery interfaces ever, so you can grab one of their tools from the 90s and plug in a modern lithium battery and it’ll work. I like having the comfort of a tool that will be supported.

        As for their “premium” tools - most aren’t that great for the price actually.

        Check out the YouTube channel Project Farm. He does lots of head-to-head tool and equipment reviews, and he doesn’t accept free tools or sponsorships for any of his reviews.