Spannering for spanners

[Barbon Star]

I'm after a little bit of advice and am wondering what the essential items of kit someone looking to start working on their own car would need please

I'm starting to grow tired of forking over my hard earned for every little thing that may need doing to my car. I appreciate that things such as timing belt changes etc. will be beyond the capabilities of many amateur mechanics, but things such as changing discs & pads and performing oil changes are fairly straight forward right?

My current tool collection is frankly embarrasing for a 25 year old bloke, consisting of various screwdrivers, a regular hammer and a fking big hammer. What do I need to buy before even considering taking things off my car with a view to replacing them.

Currently thinking that I'll definitely need: spanner set, axle stands and well that's about it! Any suggestions on what I need and good brands / places to get them would be a great help.

TIA.

[P I Staker]

You are already most the way there with the hammers.

A big socket set, with at least 1/2" and 3/8th. Spanners of course, ratchet spanners are fantastic.

Depending on your car you might find you need Torx or Allen head bits for things like caliper bolts.

Some good levers of varying lengths.

Although you will always find you don't have at least one thing to complete the job though.

ETA: A 1/2" breaker bar,also torque wrench is good for wheel nuts although not strictly needed.

[juan king]

Go have a look at halford advanced professional stuff. Quality stuff at great prices. Comes with lifetime warranty too

[adeel_gt]

Good quality jack and axel stands.

[J4CKO]

Just thinking through some of my selection, amazing how it mounts up

A vice
Inspection lamp
Clamps
Mole Grips
Ramps
Axle Stands
Trolley Jack
Tin Snips
Brake windback tool
Oil filter wrench
Old washing up bowl (for oil)
Selection of funnels
Torque wrench
Torx, male and female
A Dremel is useful
Files
Cold Chisels
Bolt Splitter
PlusGas - Like WD40 but better
Valve Spring compressor
Piston Ring Compressor
Heat Gun and or Gas torch
Mig Welder
Vernier calipers
Wire Brush
Nylon hammer
Angle Grinder
Drill
Pillar Drill
Decent Socket set
Tie Wraps
Duck Tape
Jigsaw

[simoid]

...and a cuddly toy...

[chazola]

A decent quality socket set with ratchets and spanner set is a must, like previous poster said 3/8" and 1/2" are what you'll want most of the time, I find I like to use 3/8" ratchets and sockets the most with 1/2" stuff for the bigger jobs. Try and get 6-point sockets, they grip better than 12-point though 12 are useful to have too. If you're just working on European cars then a metric-only socket & spanner set is fine, 8-22mm will do you for 90% or so of jobs. 1/4" I use fore 'delicate' engine and interior work. You'll want Hex keys, different types of pliers, Torx keys, etc etc

Draper are a good budget choice, I use Teng and Craftsman mainly (American brand) but all the Halfords stuff I've got (esp. Advanced/Professional range) is decent quality too. Cheap sockets & spanners etc are false economy, they end up breaking and rounding off nuts etc...

A good quality long 1/2" breaker bar (with option to add a metal pipe 'extension' of your choosing) is a must too

[POORCARDEALER]

A decent box to put it all in

[ant427]

recently,i'v needed a multi meter,obd device,test light wiring diagrams.too much electrical mayhem not enough nuts and bolts!

[6fire]

Spannering for spanners? Top tip. Finish the job before the shops shut if you need the car the next day (eg fixing it on a Sunday and need it to drive to work on Monday), otherwise you'll need the one part/tool/whatever that you don't have and can't buy...

Get some mates around to help you get started - even if they're not mechanically minded, two sets of eyes / hands are better than one.

Invest in a good quality jack, stands and wheel chocks and make sure you only go under the car if you are absolutely sure it is safe.

As above, Halfords Pro is good stuff for the price, and they often have a sale on meaning you can get it cheaper.

[Buster73]

Served my time as a mechanic on BL ste in the 70's , I've still got all my tools from then including a wide selection of Gordon , Britool and a smattering of snap on gear.

My socket set alone must be worth a grand now at new retail prices , I open the lid and give it a spray of WD40 twice a year.

Will never part with them even though the majority never get used nowadays.

[Major Fallout]

juan king said:

Go have a look at halford advanced professional stuff. Quality stuff at great prices. Comes with lifetime warranty too

I can also recommend halford's professional stuff, not as good as my snap-on stuff.

But the thing is your woking at home on a sunday, you manage to fubar your spanner/socket/something. You can go straight back to halfords and get it replaced the same day.

[J4CKO]

One of my most useful additions to the garage was an old Dell pc from work and an old lcd monitor, great for playing MP3's/internet radio and ordering parts off Ebay whilst you remember or looking for "how to guides" or posting questions on forums for more knowledgeable people to answer, pcs are so cheap/free its a no brainer nowadays.

[Ki3r]

I was thinking of starting a thread just like this! My tool set consists of a 36mm socket...have to use my step dads tools for everything else.

Axle stands are a must .

[Ian Geary]

But a lot of the stuff below is over-kill for what the OP needs, e.g. piston ring compressor..

If you're on a budget, I would check out freecycle or car boot sales for things like axle stands or vices.

I would add disposable gloves and/or swarfega.


Ian

J4CKO said:

Just thinking through some of my selection, amazing how it mounts up

A vice
Inspection lamp
Clamps
Mole Grips
Ramps
Axle Stands
Trolley Jack
Tin Snips
Brake windback tool
Oil filter wrench
Old washing up bowl (for oil)
Selection of funnels
Torque wrench
Torx, male and female
A Dremel is useful
Files
Cold Chisels
Bolt Splitter
PlusGas - Like WD40 but better
Valve Spring compressor
Piston Ring Compressor
Heat Gun and or Gas torch
Mig Welder
Vernier calipers
Wire Brush
Nylon hammer
Angle Grinder
Drill
Pillar Drill
Decent Socket set
Tie Wraps
Duck Tape
Jigsaw

[J4CKO]

Ki3r said:

I was thinking of starting a thread just like this! My tool set consists of a 36mm socket...have to use my step dads tools for everything else.

Axle stands are a must .

Definitely, I augment mine with some ramps slid under the car with a stout piece of wood between them, having had some daft old bat reversed into our Fiat 500 whilst doing a three point turn I realised being under a car is not a great place to be if it gets knocked, old wheels are a good call as well, anything that avoids you trying to bench press a car as it squeezes your internal organs from the nearest convenient orifice. A chap on Scoobynet recounted the sad tale of his mate who died underneath a van as he hadn't been careful.

Suspect if the woman who hit the Fiat had knocked it off the stands and killed me, nobody would have ever caught her and it would have been recorded as being me not jacking it properly.

Seriously, take no chances with a tonne plus of metal when you are underneath it, there is no other situation where we put ourselves in that position, if you arent sure, dont go under it.

Oh, whilst we are on safety, get goggles, do not operate a grinder with a wire brush on it without them, decent gloves as well, I know a guy who removed a hand in his garage.

[Barbon Star]

Wow! Thanks for the response guys, and I'm glad I'm not the only one who's a little stuck knowing where to start. Some really great advice given, might have to have a look into the Halfords tools as they sound like a good starting point. With regards to buying good tools I really don't mind spending a little more initially if it means they'll last me better in the long run. Equally I don't think I need to go crazy just yet.

The point about starting jobs while the motor factors are still open is a great point I hadn't even considered, but certainly makes sense.

No garage at my current house unfortunately which probably limits the jobs I can do a little. I think the first two jobs ideally will be an oil change and then changing the front discs and pads. Any top tips? Other than putting the sump plug back on before putting in the new oil!?

[Winky151]

Barbon Star said:

but things such as changing discs & pads and performing oil changes are fairly straight forward right?

If they're the sort of jobs you're thinking of tackling then IMO a decent socket set (1/2 drive) 10mm - 21mm, spanner set 8mm to 19mm, screwdrivers & pliers should see you ok. Add to that an oil catch tank & oil filter wrench (plus axle stands, trolley jack & rubber gloves) & you'll get most DIY jobs done. You may on occasions come across a larger size bolt but you can nip to Halfords for that size individually & build up from there. You'll soon find most of the stuff you rarely use.

[LeeMad]

start with this http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/...
and this http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/...
and definitely a set of these http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/...

[sebhaque]

Find a friend with a Halfords trade card (they're incredibly easy to get hold of) and get yourself a Professional tool kit. Cost me £50 on trade and they have a lifetime guarantee. Nearly all the kit you'll need for a standard job:


My tool drawer isn't enormous, in fact it mostly consists of kits. I need more spanners: