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As some have seen in the tech only forum I’m starting a job as a new tech. I’ll be doing entry level LOF’s. I was told I don’t need my own tools, but it’s a really good idea to have my own, as well as techs respecting the fact I have my own stuff starting out.
Can anyone recommend what I will need? I don’t want to give the snap on guy 2/3 of my check, and I don’t want to buy the wrong tools at Craftsman and Harbor Freight.
Any input is greatly appreciated. I might even bake you cookies.
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I just started a job in a local garage doing LOFs, fluid changes, maintenance, tire mount/balance and rotations, parts changes, and I’m learning how to do more every day.
You should definitely have your own tools. Your bosses tools will always go missing, especially the popular sockets (10mm, 13mm, 15mm, 16mm, 19mm impact, and 21mm impact) so take your own.
Craftsman makes good tools, but they are in the process of moving their production from the US to China. If your local sears still has made in the USA Craftsman tools (highly unlikely), then great, if not, the overseas tools will work too. you can also look into another good made in the USA brand like HUSKY for tools. As far as what you will need, The most important thing is a complete socket set.
This is what I started with:
http://www.amazon.com/Craftsman-309-Piece-Mechanics-Tool-41309/dp/B00ACDV9L4/ref=sr_1_11?ie=UTF8&qid=1414269490&sr=8-11&keywords=craftsman+socket+setThis is a great set to start with. It gives you a complete 1/4″, 3/8″, and 1/2″ drive set with shallow and deep sockets in metric and standard sizes, plus lots of other goodies.
You can cheap-out on sockets a little, but youll want a good quality ratchet set. Thats where you splurge on snap-on or matco, or even just a good made in the USA brand like HUSKY or older CRAFTSMAN USA.
Youll also need your basic screwdriver set and pliers set. Get decent quality, but really its your personal preference. Just like anything else in tools, you get what you pay for.
For LOFs of course youll need an oil filter wrench-actually a variety of them:
When you have the working room, these are great:
http://www.amazon.com/Channellock-209-9-Inch-Filter-Plier/dp/B0009WG5SU/ref=lh_ni_t?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DERI also like this ratcheting type ALOT(Bluepoint has a nice set with 4 sizes of these):
http://www.amazon.com/TOOLCONNECTION-FILTER-WRENCH-SWIVEL-LASER/dp/B00FZKCMM4/ref=sr_1_36?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1414270866&sr=1-36&keywords=oil+filter+wrench+setEvery car calls for a different type because sometimes you have the working room and sometimes you dont.
Eventually youll want your own power tools, especially battery-powered impacts and ratchets, but for now id say just borrow your bosses. They get pricey.
Tool storage is the least important thing youll need to worry about, however I highly recommend buying a tool cart:
http://www.harborfreight.com/large-steel-tool-cart-with-locking-drawer-90428.htmlSnap-on sells one just like this for $150 which isnt too bad considering itll be quality and guaranteed forever. Carts are nice because youre never working right next to your box. Sometimes youre on a lift farther away from your box, sometimes youre out in the parking lot, so a tool cart lets you load up your tools and any of youre bosses tools youll need to borrow. They also give you a portable table/worksurface to hold your crap.
Boxes are good for once you have alot of stuff. Unless your planning on doing this for a living, buy a cheap box-REAL CHEAP. I have a stack of craftsman boxes, I believe the cheapest model they offer. You can get killer deals at sears on toolboxes around the holidays so you may want to hold off a few weeks. To be honest Im not a huge fan of my box. I wish I had bought a HUSKY box, those seem pretty nice for the money.
If you work on stuff your gonna need tools. Don’t skimp out on hand tools. You may get to the point where youll be handing over two paychecks in a row to the snap-on guy, but youre gonna be spending money on tools-thats just how it goes.
Good Luck!I guess you took the Toyota job then.
Buy whatever is on sale. No that’s not a joke. If you can avoid it don’t spend any money on SAE you don’t have to. So basically to start you’re going to need your metric shallow and deep chrome 1/4 and 3/8. for 1/2 shallow and deep get impact sockets. A full set of metric wrenches 8-22, make sure it has ALL the sizes.
Cheaper kits tend to omit certain sizes so beware of that. To work on anything made since about ’95 you need 8 and 10 through 22, 24 is also good to have. If you have those sizes covered you’re prety much good to go.
You can buy a decent 1/2 impact gun for about $100, it won’t last forever but it will work. I would add more but I gotta go. Perhaps if someone made a video on this topic……..
Tools you will need as an entry level tech:
Fine tooth Ratchets: 1/4″,3/8″,1/2″ (3/8″ and 1/2″ in Flex if possible Expert, Snap-On, Gearwrench)
Sockets/adapters/Extensions/Universals to Match: 8mm-22mm, 1/4″-1″ (Impact over chrome if you can afford. Rarely will the thinner chrome sockets be needed starting off Grey Pnuematic or “Craftsman USA Made only” for starting out)
Decent Brand Normal Combination Wrenches: 8mm-22mm, 1/4″-1″ (Do not get sets that skip sizes. Gearwrench)
1/2″ Breaker Bar. (Craftsman is normally good and cheap)
1/2″ Impact (A good brand: Ingersol Rand, Air Cat, Snap-On)
Screwdriver Set (with Torx if you can afford. Craftsman)
Oil Filter Wrenches Big and Small Riveted plier style. Harbor Freight (Buy Blue Point FWA62121A if you do a lot of oil changes)
Creeper a cheap one will do to start. (You will need a different one in about 6 months)
A cheap pick set. Harbor Freight or Craftsman if you can afford (Buy a tool truck brand when you can)
A wire brush set. Cheap set is fine. (You’ll need this for batteries)
A cheap valve stem removal tool. I used a slimez brand from pepboys it is cheap.
A cheap dual chuck tire inflator without gauge and a separate tire gauge (Then buy a tool truck one when you can)
A set of decent brand pliers: needle nose, regular, slip joint (Channel Lock, Knipex, Klien)
A good pair of diagonal side cutters (Knipex)
1 pair of Vise Grips 7wr Original with curved jaws
1 chisel of decent quality (Craftsman or better)
A good prybar set. (Craftsman professional driving head or Mayhew driving head available @ Home Depot)
A good brand hammer: Ballpeen or 3lb Black Smith (Suggest hickory handle Vaughan, Estwing, Plumb, Craftsman)
A good engraver or punch set (Put your initials on your tools. It is better/easier to start now)
A place to keep all your tools.Most techs/mechanics start with craftsman brand. They are not the best and will not last against constant abuse aka as a professional tool. You will end up having to replace them multiple times but, normally are a good starting point and then end up at home (side work 🙂 ) when you replace with good brands. For combination wrenches the open end will be almost useless on craftsman wrenches; though they worked for me starting out mine were made in the usa. Most companies including craftsman/sears have discounts for students use them. The brands I state are suggestions based on limited funds if funds are unlimited buy the best money can buy you. The tools listed above will get you through tire, battery, light bulb and most fluid changes. It will also give you most of the stuff you will need for brake changes. The chisel and driving end prybars are for removing very stubborn oil filters (always ask for help before using them) I was lucky starting out I had a lot of my dads old tools but, had to buy everything metric. Don’t pass up yard sales, craigs list, estate sales, farm sales and ebay. There are a lot of people that sell their older tools because they gave up, got better ones, retired, and/or a family member passed away. These are perfect opportunities to pick up older normally better quality hand tools. I would steer clear of used anything electrically or air driven though.
Sorry forgot brightly colored flashlight and pocket expandable magnet. You are going to drop things these are very helpful for retrieving them.
[quote=”MDK22″ post=116727]Sorry forgot brightly colored flashlight and pocket expandable magnet. You are going to drop things these are very helpful for retrieving them.[/quote]
+1 on the flashlight and magnet, I also use a flexible grabber a lot. It’s saved my butt on many occasions. Used it today in fact.
There’s a few trinkets I’d add to the list. Oil filters are going back to a paper element with a reusable housing. Often enough, they need a specialty remover/installer. Since you’re in the Toyota dealership you’ll need the specialty filter tools if the shop isn’t providing them. Here’s the four cylinder version, and the six cylinder version. These became pretty much standard on Toyota passenger cars starting, I believe, in 09.
Some of these reusable cartridges need an odd socket size or a low profile socket. There’s a five piece kit just for those through Lisle tools. (Amazon link!) There are two more specific Lisle filter tools that are awesome in my book for the rest of your garden variety oil filters and they are here and here.
(For all the links I’ve posted, you can buy any of these tools wherever they’re available & convenient to you. I just picked websites that had pictures so you can see what I’m recommending.)
It’s still a good idea to get a couple sizes of the band style filter tools and a set of the filter pliers. Toyota dealer or no, you’re going to see a variety of makes and models to do oil changes on and no one of these tools will be the universal standard for every application.
Manufacturers across the board are getting silly with plastic push pins and you’d do well to get the special pliers and a small prying tool that Lisle calls a door upholstery remover. It’s actually great for the flat headed retaining pins in your wheel wells and the plastic covers you’re going to be removing for changing headlights and whatnot.
If nobody else wrote it in their post yet, a good set of torx bits and maybe some allen head sockets or allen wrenches would be in order. You might not need them SO much to start. But as you grow into your job, they’ll become more relevant. The torx headed screws are getting more and more use in every car nowadays. The smaller ones will be more necessary for you as you start out. The allen wrenches probably won’t be something you need so much of, but never hurts to have a set in the back of the box. The last thing rattling around in my brain would be a battery post brush.
Good luck. It’s been a pleasure trying to spend your money for you.
Unless you cannot keep downward force with another hand those special shallow sockets are a waste of money in my opinion we use the paper inside a canister style on big rigs and I did pms for months on end I got away with a regular socket you just have to be careful. I do agree later on he will need torx, e-torx, allens. Remember torx can fit into allen though the sizes do not correlate. Also an apolstry tool is good for later but, as for just starting out until he gets to brakes he is probably not going to need allen or torx. You are going to need all three types of those aka L key, sockets, and T-handles. But, once again that is later on. Basically buy the tools as you need them or when good sales go on aka 75-90 dollars off. If you try to get ahead of the game you will not have a paycheck the tool man will. If you need torx sockets the 1/2″ and 1/4″ drive proffesional impact ones from Harbor Freight hold up pretty well for me. When you get to those style bolt and scre heads make sure you are as far down into the head as possible clean the head out with a wire brush if need be its a lot better to take 15 ssecs then to try and remove a stripped one.
Quick heads up. Got a job at a dealership two weeks ago, got some tools and this thread (among the others) saved me a TON of money. Thank you, all of you for taking the time to share this knowledge with me and help me. I hope these threads, and this forum help other people like it has me.
i know a lot of people won’t agree. but i have a set of stanley tools that i’ve been using. they have a life time warranty. but i haven’t had any problems with the set i bought. haven’t broke any of the sockets or ratchets.
my craftsman set on the other hand…. i’ve broke the ratchet twice and one of the sockets got warped.
so i think im going to be buying from the stanley line of tools from now on. i’ve had a real good experience with them.
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