What tools to buy for car maintenance? Any other tips?

[raildogg]

Hello everyone,

Ever since I've had cars I've always taken them to get serviced, usually at dealerships. It's always been what I've done due to my total lack of experience doing anything mechanically related on cars.

Now I want to do some of the maintenance related things myself - such as oil changes, tire rotations and possibly even more. What do you say?

One thing I'm unsure of is what tools to buy. The car is a Mazda 3 so the tools have to work on that. However, I wouldn't mind tools that work on other cars as well. So having a good variety will be good.

Also, I'm thinking of buying ramps but not quite sure. There are expensive ones, such as the RaceRamps but not sure if they are worth all that money.

Some people use an extractor to do oil changes but the oil filter on the Mazda 3 is under the car so I don't think that makes sense.

I would appreciate some tips please. Thank you very much.

 

[Yuriman]

Ramps are ramps. I built mine out of scrap 2x4's. They're useful, but I don't think you need to get anything fancy.

I'd recommend a basic metric socket + wrench set, a torque wrench, a breaker bar - one that isn't too long, a multimeter, and a set of pliers. After that, just get tools as needed. You'll likely eventually want a spark plug socket, and might want a jack that's a little better than the one that came with the car. I occasionally find myself needing (on top of the basic socket set) some extensions, deep sockets, and a swivel-joint. There will also be specialty tools you probably won't know you need, until you need them.

EDIT: A bluetooth OBD scanner might me nice to have on hand. You can get them on eBay for ~$5.

 

[Fenixgoon]

I have the raceramps - they are worth it.

Get a good socket set. Ultimategarage has a kickass basic Facom set for $80 (otherwise I'd recommend a Klein 3/8" socket + metric set to start).

Then, get tools as you need them - breaker bars, torque wrenches, allen drive sockets, etc. Get 1/2" sockets as needed.

A decent jack and stands are also nice if you want to do stuff that require the wheels off the ground.

 

[Banana]

Hydraulic jack.
Don't forget simple tools like a rubber mallet.

 

[IBMJunkman]

If you change you own oil be sure you have gallon milk containers for the old oil and have found a place to legally dispose of it. Like city disposal center or an Auto Zone.

 

[mvbighead]

A good jack - $100 is likely the price point. If you have a Costco membership, they have one that a LOT of people swear by, and I purchase that same jack and love it (though I think the model may have changed some (Arcan something or other)). For me, the jack was likely my biggest frustration early on, as I had some that basically required a bunch of adjustments to be able to get the required lift. A good jack that can start very low and raise fairly high without adjustment is very beneficial.

Jack stands are good to have. You could forgo them for ramps I suppose, but I feel much better under jack stands than I would under ramps. And for tire rotations you'll need them anyway.

For me, sockets are sockets are sockets. I bought a set of deep sockets in both metric and SAE from HarborFreight that were $24 a set (if I recall). I also bought several different sets here and there just to give myself plenty of options. You ought to be able to find a fairly decent set of tools somewhat cheaply.

A 'mechanic tool set' is good to have for the smaller jobs:
http://www.amazon.com/Stanley-STMT7...=1452131488&sr=1-1&keywords=mechanic+tool+set

Stanley is not going to be something that a career mechanic would want, but a DIY guy working on his own car can certainly do a lot worse. Plenty of people are very happy with them. Craftsman would be a step up, but likely to be double the price for a similar quantity. There are better brands than these two, but for a home DIY guy, I wouldn't spend the money on Matco/snapon etc, especially when odds are one will get lost at some point.

I would recommend a plethora of extensions that fit your ratchets. A good variety will allow you to come up with the required combination for a job in a tough to reach place. I also have a couple of sets of adapters for 1/4 to 3/8 and 3/8 to 1/2 and so on. Those allow me to use a smaller wrench or my stubby little wrench in tough spots.

A breaker bar is very useful. I found a very simple one at Menards for under $10, and with its size it is very easy to put a steel pipe on the end of it for extra leverage (also at menards for ~$20). The breaker bar does not ratchet, but typically you don't want that it a breaker bar.

Maybe down the road consider a compressor and impact wrench, but you definitely don't need them to get started.

 

[nk215]

The easiest you can do are tire rotation, engine oil change and brakes (pad/rotor), radiator flush, belts, spark plugs/coils, battery, alternators.

Just those jobs would save you thousands in the life of your car. They are rather simple and require just basic hand tools.

To make working on car more fun, I recommend good tools in addition of the above recommendations.

Jack: get the Costco 3 tons jack or Sear equivalent. 3 tons seems over kill but jack quality doesn't get serious until you get to this level (unless you are paying much more for racer type jack)

Impact: Don't get the air impact wrench. Get a good quality battery-power one. The one I use is snap-on but it's over the top for most DIY guys. Tough lug and most axle work require lots of torque. Don't use your impact to torque down nut/bolt, use it to take off the nut/bolt only.

Penetrating oil: a good penetrating oil and take a lot of frustration out of a job.

Work light: get a good work light especially working indoor or at late hours

Gloves/eye protector: protect your hands and eyes. Nothing worse than rust/dirt falling in our eye when laying under your car.

Good jack-stands, wheel chokes. I use a combinations of DIY (wood blocks) and regular jack stands.

Torque wrench: I don't bother with this until much later. Basically anything that has a seal gasket between the parts needs a proper torque. Valve covers, transmission pan, water pump etc.

Good quality hand tools including ratchets. Save money on cheap sockets but not on wrench, bad wrench can round nuts/bolts.

 

[SearchMaster]

For the majority of what you're talking about, a cheap socket set and maybe a torque wrench will be sufficient for tools, and I would recommend a jack and jack stands over ramps. I wouldn't get the absolute bottom price socket set because they probably won't last long but I have a set of very cheap Stanley sockets that were bought in a "gotta have it now and Walmart is open" situation a few years back and it has served me fine when I've used it. I got a jack with jack stands from one of the big box auto parts stores several years back and not had any issues - if I'm not mistaken they were on sale for like $20. Once I got the jack stands I've never used my ramps. Only one of my cars hasn't had a low front lip so I would have to use 2x4s to reduce the angle anyway which is a PITA (so if you get ramps, make sure they're long enough).

The torque wrench isn't absolutely necessary for many maintenance items but once you start getting into brake pad replacements and the like, you want them torqued to spec.

 

[PottedMeat]

a vise and a table you can mount it to

 

[pauldun170]

Hello everyone,

Ever since I've had cars I've always taken them to get serviced, usually at dealerships. It's always been what I've done due to my total lack of experience doing anything mechanically related on cars.

Now I want to do some of the maintenance related things myself - such as oil changes, tire rotations and possibly even more. What do you say?

One thing I'm unsure of is what tools to buy. The car is a Mazda 3 so the tools have to work on that. However, I wouldn't mind tools that work on other cars as well. So having a good variety will be good.

Also, I'm thinking of buying ramps but not quite sure. There are expensive ones, such as the RaceRamps but not sure if they are worth all that money.

Some people use an extractor to do oil changes but the oil filter on the Mazda 3 is under the car so I don't think that makes sense.

I would appreciate some tips please. Thank you very much.

I've been working on cars and motorcycles for decades.

Oil changes for a majority of cars on the road
1 Ratchet (don't cheap out on ratchets. Go for the good names)
1 Socket for the oil drain bolt (Google for your car. Might be 17MM). If you have an underside tray, get whatever socket you need for that.
1 simple low profile oil drain pan (don't bother with the ones with lids)
1 simple oil filter wrench (style depends on car. Some styles work better than others.

4 items that will start you off on the "I can do my own maintenance" road

I do recommend having a 5 gallon oil\gas can. Its a lot handier to just dump all the oil in there and then every couple of oil changes take it to where ever will accept used oil to drain.
I have 2. One for oil. another for coolant.

For basic oil changes, you don't need a ramp for a majority of cars on the road unless you have a monstrous head and t-rex size arms. Sure, its handy but it's not a necessity.

Build up from there based on what you actually need for the job in question and whats reasonable for the space you have (Garage? Lugging this crap up to your apartment? Buried behind a bush in your neighbors yard?)

You'll start building up a set of metric and imperial sockets. I have good ones and I have shitty ones. Everything from cheapo autoparts store specials to old school Craftsman. Before any job, read up on what you'll need and go from there. You can also just buy a set off the rack that comes with a a good mix.

Buy 2 QUALITY philips head screw drivers. One for common screws and one for tiny screws. Magnetics ones are a bonus.
Don't cheap out on philips head screw drivers or ratchets.

2 Flat head screw driver, one wee....one wide. You'll need these because engineers hate you and put flat head screws on things.

Screwdrivers are mandatory things that everyone should have anyway.

Adjustable wrench. Buy this because you will find your self not having the right socket when you need it. The smaller you go on adjustable, the more attention you should pay to the quality. this is another "household item" you should have anyway.

Allen keys. You can buy one basic metric set and one imperial set and be covered for everything.

Telescoping magnet. Because lifesaver

Hydraulic jack because I forget why
Ramp because because claustrophobia\WTF did they have to put the thing I need to get in the center of the underside!!

This is the type of thread where I'll start rambling so I'll stop here

 

[Subyman]

I used to change my oil and all that, but to be honest the quick change places are about as cheap for the entire oil change than it is to buy the oil and filter off the shelf. I think my dealer charges $15-20 for a tire rotation. It really isn't worth it unless you want a hobby.

 

[Yuriman]

I used to change my oil and all that, but to be honest the quick change places are about as cheap for the entire oil change than it is to buy the oil and filter off the shelf. I think my dealer charges $15-20 for a tire rotation. It really isn't worth it unless you want a hobby.

My car takes 2.5 quarts and the filter is $4, totaling about $15 if I use Mobile One. It has a magnesium alloy oil pan that is easily stripped, and is the better part of $500 to replace. I don't trust it in any shops after hearing horror stories about overzealous mechanics stripping these pans, and it's tough to find a $15 oil change that uses a high quality 100% synthetic.

If you're going to do oil changes yourself, you might appreciate having a Fumoto valve.

 

[nk215]

I used to change my oil and all that, but to be honest the quick change places are about as cheap for the entire oil change than it is to buy the oil and filter off the shelf. I think my dealer charges $15-20 for a tire rotation. It really isn't worth it unless you want a hobby.

I DIY because:

1) I know it's a job done right.
2) I don't have to wait. My local Costco do tire rotation for free but it takes a good 2-3 hours for that.

If you ever have to change a flat tire on a side of the road, you'll curse your dealer for torquing your lug nuts to 200+ ft-lbs.

If your car has cover plastic panels underneath (especially the kind of cars you need to remove the panel to get to the filters/drain plugs), get under your car and count how many fasteners/plastic clips are missing from those plastic panels. You'll be surprise.

 

[bryanl]

Get on the Harbor Freight mailing list and use their coupons, including 20% coupons. Current coupon has a pair of 3 ton jack stands for $20.

20-50 piece 3/8" drive ratchet socket set (Harbor Freight or Walmart) and a set of closed end/open end wrenches. Your only set of such wrenches should not be the ratcheting type since they can't fit into as tight spaces. An extra extension for the ratchet may be useful.

Torque wrench. Harbor Freight has good ones for no more than $12 with coupon.

 

[Torn Mind]

14mm,10mm will come in handy. Impact tool is for bolts with rust. Snapped bolts are no fun. Selecting electric or air impacts will depend on your living quarters.

 

[raildogg]

I truly want to thank EVERYBODY for their excellent replies. I appreciate the time taken to give such suggestions.

I've looked at the Facom set but not sure about it. I'm sure for an oil change, this will be the product due to the 17mm socket. But compared to something like a Stanley set, which has 201 pieces, this seems a bit lacking in terms of product offered. I'm sure the quality is there.

Basically, I'm looking for an all-in-one set that can do basic things such as oil changes, transmission fluid changes, etc. I have an undercarriage plastic tray I need to remove first so I need to find out what tools are needed for that.

LOL, I'm a little overwhelmed as a lot of the terminology used has me confused. Yes, I haven't worked with tools much.

I think I will probably go the jack route because that will be better if I decide to do my own tire rotations. I will get jack stands too.

Penetrating oil is for nuts that are stuck? I've found this - any good?

http://www.amazon.com/Belrauch-Hand...8&sr=1-1-spons&keywords=penetrating+oil&psc=1

The 5 gallon oil container sounds like a very good idea. This way I won't have to carry it every time I do it.

I can also go to a store near me and get a ratchet with a set of pieces. I think I might just go this route - get some ratchet with various pieces and some wrenches. This is for now; maybe down the road when I need something I can get it. Is an oil filter wrench really necessary? The dealerships have done the oil changes so I'm not sure. Is it because the oil filter might be on too tight?

Also, do you guys think that one should let the pros do tire rotations or is it a good idea to do them at home if possible? I have access to a driveway where I can do this stuff.

One of my concerns (for lack of a better word) is that since the car is 7+ years old and has a lot of miles (185K+), some of the nuts and bolts might be very tight and maybe rusted. I'm not even sure what kind of condition the oil drain plug is in. Just some hesitations.

This is what happens when you let others take care of your stuff for so long. Not so long ago, I didn't even know how to check my oil! Hehe.

Once again, thank you!

 

[pauldun170]

I truly want to thank EVERYBODY for their excellent replies. I appreciate the time taken to give such suggestions.

I've looked at the Facom set but not sure about it. I'm sure for an oil change, this will be the product due to the 17mm socket. But compared to something like a Stanley set, which has 201 pieces, this seems a bit lacking in terms of product offered. I'm sure the quality is there.

Basically, I'm looking for an all-in-one set that can do basic things such as oil changes, transmission fluid changes, etc. I have an undercarriage plastic tray I need to remove first so I need to find out what tools are needed for that.

LOL, I'm a little overwhelmed as a lot of the terminology used has me confused. Yes, I haven't worked with tools much.

I think I will probably go the jack route because that will be better if I decide to do my own tire rotations. I will get jack stands too.

Penetrating oil is for nuts that are stuck? I've found this - any good?

http://www.amazon.com/Belrauch-Hand...8&sr=1-1-spons&keywords=penetrating+oil&psc=1

The 5 gallon oil container sounds like a very good idea. This way I won't have to carry it every time I do it.

I can also go to a store near me and get a ratchet with a set of pieces. I think I might just go this route - get some ratchet with various pieces and some wrenches. This is for now; maybe down the road when I need something I can get it. Is an oil filter wrench really necessary? The dealerships have done the oil changes so I'm not sure. Is it because the oil filter might be on too tight?

Also, do you guys think that one should let the pros do tire rotations or is it a good idea to do them at home if possible? I have access to a driveway where I can do this stuff.

One of my concerns (for lack of a better word) is that since the car is 7+ years old and has a lot of miles (185K+), some of the nuts and bolts might be very tight and maybe rusted. I'm not even sure what kind of condition the oil drain plug is in. Just some hesitations.

This is what happens when you let others take care of your stuff for so long. Not so long ago, I didn't even know how to check my oil! Hehe.

Once again, thank you!

For stuck nuts or screws
http://www.craftsman.com/craftsman-...00P?sid=IDxCMDFx20140801x001&KPID=00947641000

+ a rubber mallet

Quick whack has helped me way more than the penetrating oil\spray crap on my shelves. While a can of penetrating stuff is handy, I highly recommend that impact driver along with a rubber mallet.

 

[someone16]

I wouldn't get a those xxx piece socket sets, most of the stuff in it is worthless and you are better off buying it separately.

For example, half of the pieces will be in imperial and it's not useful at all for doing what you want to do.

 

[Subyman]

My car takes 2.5 quarts and the filter is $4, totaling about $15 if I use Mobile One. It has a magnesium alloy oil pan that is easily stripped, and is the better part of $500 to replace. I don't trust it in any shops after hearing horror stories about overzealous mechanics stripping these pans, and it's tough to find a $15 oil change that uses a high quality 100% synthetic.

If you're going to do oil changes yourself, you might appreciate having a Fumoto valve.

I DIY because:

1) I know it's a job done right.
2) I don't have to wait. My local Costco do tire rotation for free but it takes a good 2-3 hours for that.

If you ever have to change a flat tire on a side of the road, you'll curse your dealer for torquing your lug nuts to 200+ ft-lbs.

If your car has cover plastic panels underneath (especially the kind of cars you need to remove the panel to get to the filters/drain plugs), get under your car and count how many fasteners/plastic clips are missing from those plastic panels. You'll be surprise.

I completely agree that the owner usually cares more than the $12/hr mechanic. As I've gotten older though, jacking the truck up in 28F weather, fiddling with recycling oil, and going through the motions for an hour or so isn't something I care to do anymore. Like I said, if you enjoy tinkering then changing the oil in your car is a good way to get some garage time in. I think going about it as an economical way to save money is a bit strange if you don't enjoy it since it can be done so incredibly cheaply by a dealer or quick change shop.

 

[Torn Mind]

Drain pan. There is an open type and one that is sealed. The latter is quite good for oil to reuse and transport. The open one is more far multipurpose use. Letting brake cleaner drip, draining coolant, etc.

 

[bryanl]

Get a large drip pan, about 2-4 feet across, to catch spills missed by the drain pan.

 

[ElFenix]

For stuck nuts or screws
http://www.craftsman.com/craftsman-...00P?sid=IDxCMDFx20140801x001&KPID=00947641000

+ a rubber mallet

Quick whack has helped me way more than the penetrating oil\spray crap on my shelves. While a can of penetrating stuff is handy, I highly recommend that impact driver along with a rubber mallet.

how does that work?

 

[Yuriman]

how does that work?

I used one of those last time I had my rotors off, to get the philips screw out. When you hit the butt of the impact driver, it converts that into a rotational impact, much like an air impact driver would have.

 

[eng2d2]

When I was younger, I went to a friends house and his dad had a nice garage with all the tools you can think of. I promised myself one day I want to have a garage just like his dad. Fast forward now with a family, I started with 150 piece special from sears on sale for $70 or 80 bucks. I was going to buy more and have the same amount of tools like my friends dad. I ended up just buying a sears toolbox with the $80 tools I got from sears and never added more. If you are not overhauling and work on cars on a daily basis, basic tools is all you need.

With the 80$ socket special I got from sears I added a breaker bar,telecsopic magnet, vise grip,adjustable wrench, hammer, mallet, screw driver set philips and flat head from sears. I also have some open wrenches regular and metric but hardly ever use them. I also have a ramp and preferred it more than my "free" jack stand. I like to use my jackstand but i feel like I am jacking the car all the way to the ceiling to slide a jackstand underneath the car. I hate the ramp because it is so long but i find it easier to slide under the car. I usually just slide it under the frame.

I also have a jack that fits in the case. Would love to have a big one but the little one is enough for shadetree. The big one is difficult to store in a 2 car garage with 2 cars parked inside.

You should check into the harbor freight stuff and read their review of tool you are interested in.

I rotate my own tires because the tire shop over torque the nuts.

 

[HeXen]

Secure car with jack stands before getting under the car after lifting it up...shit happens, rips can break, lungs can collapse. I suggest the proper tools for the safety of the job by getting a rated weight limit higher than your car