Automotive Tools

Automotive repair tools include things such as spark plug gap gages, oil can spouts, torque-gage wrenches, head pullers, and so on.

Automotive shop tools include heavy duty equipment such as block and tackle for raising engines, cylinder head grinders, and various metal cutting and bending automotive tools equipment. An automotive mechanic's full array of tools can cost tens of thousands of dollars and occupy an entire two-car garage. The most basic mechanic tool set is a formidable array of wrenches, sockets, screwdrivers, pliers, and many other kinds of automotive tool. It's typically stored in a heavy-duty steel locker about the size of a bedroom dresser, on casters that make it easier to move several hundred pounds of tools around a work shop.

Mac automotive tools are a famous brand name. Mac Tools is a brand of Stanley Tools. Snap-On automotive tools are the pinnacle of price and performance, the price being driven by excellent marketing. Matco and Cornwell automotive tools are nearly as good as Snap-On but not as expensive. In the "average" price and quality range are SK brand automotive tools and Craftsman tools; these are OK for the occasional tinker but in our opinion won't last as long in daily professional use.

Car diagnostic tools are expensive computerized devices that are virtually essential for serious automotive repair work these days. Every car made in the past 20 years is controlled by a built-in computer; a BMW has about five times as many lines of computer programming code in it as the space shuttle. Diagnostic tools plug into car computers to find out what's wrong and reprogram the computers correctly. Car diagnostics tools are also known as automotive scan tools.

Auto tools should be cared for much like any other tool. Keep them clean and oiled to prevent rust. Do not over-tighten nuts and bolts or you may strip the mouth of a wrench or the blade of a screwdriver. Keep your tools organized so you don't waste time looking for the right size wrench. Never use a tool for a task that it was not designed for; a screwdriver's handle does not make a good hammer. If you care for your automotive tools properly, they should last for decades.