My son (age 24) wants to learn about cars by taking his apart. I want to buy him some basic tools as a birthday present. What brand and specific tools would you suggest? I don’t want to spend more than $250 right now.
I think Craftsman tools are the best way to go for value personally. $250 will get you a huge tool set with a lifetime warranty. I’ve only ever had one failure in 19 years with Craftsman tools (a socket split) but replacing it was a breeze-I walked into Sears, showed them the socket, and they handed me a new one.
There are some tools that may be better if you use them professionally everyday around the clock, but they will cost a fortune (Snap-On) and your son will never need them.
First be sure you are both clear on the difference between taking something apart and putting it back together so it works. Huge gap. Having the lad get a job in a junk yard might be cheaper. What is he going to drive as he takes his car apart. He may be able to sell it for parts. If you look around you can most likely find a shop manual(s) for the car with special tools needed for that car listed. Note that there may be engine/chassis manual, body manual, electrical manual and a few more possible. Best bet might be to get him in an auto program at a local community college. I know this is not the answer you are looking for, but good advice anyway. jkd
I agree with Dave G.
I vote for a Sears Craftsman set. Their hand tools have an unconditional lifetime warranty and the set can be “added to” as necessary. Sears has big sales, discount coupons, etc. Watch for ads.
Purchase the repair manual for your sons car and get a specific tool list…you or he can add to it if the hobby becomes serious. no sense in purchasing $250 worth of tools when you probably won’t use many of them.
I think that is a outstanding idea. I still have some tools that were given to me as a Christmas present about 45 years ago. That is a present that can last a lifetime and help him learn some very useful things.
I agree also that finding a sale on Craftsmen tools (which is always easy to do) is the way to go and will get you a lot of bang for the buck. A good basic set for around 150 dollars would be a good start. For the rest of the buget I also recommend you purchase a digital voltmeter (around 45 dollars) and, if possible, the factory service manual (at least for the wiring) for his car. If you get the meter be sure it can measure up to 10 amps of current directly. That can help in some testing cases. A meter is important to have and know how to use since so many things in todays cars are electrically driven.
For Christmas you can get him a OBD2 code reader. (Oh, yeah! That’s what I’m talkin’ about.)
Get him a set of combination open end/box end wrenches from small to around 1" maximum. Also get him a 3/8" drive socket set up to around an inch maximum with a ratchet. For screwdrivers get a flat blade and a No. 2 Phillips drive screwdriver. An Allen drive combination tool is good too. A 1/2" drive socket set with a ratchet and a breaker bar will be in order later if he is seriously into auto repair.
There are metric and inch wrench and socket sets; he will need both versions depending on his car brand.
That will get things going. As he progresses, more tools will be needed so he can run out and get what he needs. This process never ends for me; periodically need a new tool.
A CAN-OBDII code reader, not just OBDII, is a resourceful tool to have; cost is from $50 to $80.
Besides Craftsman tools, the only other suggestion is whatever tool set you purchase, make sure it comprises of mostly metric wrenches and sockets. Not many vehicles using SAE sized hardware anymore.
Tester
I strongly disagree with this. The cost of buying tools seperately is extremely expensive and should only be done as a last resort. For example, let’s say I need a deep socket from Sears and they charge $8 for it. If I bought it in a set it would cost me about $1. The value that you get in purhcasing a set of ratchets and sockets together as a set is tremedous.
Besides, these tools will coem in handy down the road for other things besides cars that need repair around the home or require assembly whether it’s a treadmill or bicycle. Everyone should own a basic set of tools.
I vote with the Craftsman folks, and look to their sets, you’ll get twice the tools for your dollar. One change - I’d put maybe $175 in one of their sets, and put the rest into all the other tools he’ll need - screwdrivers, hammer, vice grips, channel lock, crecent wrench, that kind of thing. A drill and set of bits would also be good, but might blow your budget. As for the tool set, I’d go with one that has a good set of wrenches, some of their sets pump up the tool count by including lots of small sockets.
Also, like others have said, it’s easy to take it apart, hard to put it together right. A manual’s mandatory, more important that extra tools.
I concur with the majority here that Craftsman offers the best value for the weekend mechanic. I prefer the Snap-On tools that I bought when I made my living with tools, but now that I work at a computer and work only on my own cars, I don’t buy new Snap-On tools any more.
When you say “Taking his apart”, you mean that he wants to do his own maintenance, correct? Not that he wants to completely dismantle a motor vehicle?
People who do their own work save a lot of money on repairs. Sometimes they break stuff, but so do the pros. The biggest difference is not the $100/hr labor cost you save. The big difference is that a pro will quote you a price that involves replacing everything related to the problem because they don’t want a comeback. They make more money and have less problems if they just replace everything in sight rather than diagnosing the exact problem. When you do the work yourself, you fix only what has actually failed. I own four high-end European cars, three with high mileage, and it shocks me what my friends pay for auto repairs. I could not afford to own these cars if I paid others to maintain and repair them.
A hydraulic floor jack, some decent jack stands, some ramps (I prefer plastic), and a work bench, a basic Craftsman tool set, a manual for his car, an inexpensive torque wrench, and an inexpensive voltmeter (digital is not vital for his purposes).
I work on my own cars whenever I can. I use Snap-On tools, they are high quality. However they are also high price. Craftsman are ok, you get decent tools at a more than decent price.
Today, there are many sources of good tools. I would go to Walmart and buy every set of tools they have (and you may have money left). I use those tools and I find NOTHING wrong with them.
I did say TODAY’S tool sources, as opposed to yesterday’s. And, the quality, though not the absolute BEST, is still good enough for light use. If you abuse ANY tool, you can break it, and, that’s IS what breaks most tools.b
Wal-mart? Other than being cheap, how else do these tools benefit you or anyone else? I have the following issues with tools purchased from somewhere like Wal-Mart:
-Wal-Mart tools are likely made in China and their sale benefits this Chinese company.
-The tools will not be as sturdy as a quality tool like you would get from Craftsman or Snap-on. I’ve had multiple tool failures over the years and it’s always been with affordable tools that are typically manufactured in China (Taiwan seems to be significantly better in quality though).
-If a tool breaks don’t expect to walk into Wal-Mart and grab a new one off the shelf no questions asked like you can at Sears.
-If you need a speciality tool in the middle of a major project don’t expect to find it at Wal-Mart.
-I prefer to buy American made tools which helps employ Americans and supports an American company. Craftsman hand tools are made in the U.S. by Danaher.
This is just my opinion of course…
Night courses at a state trade school is a good way to get the training. It’s great to take a car apart, but if you want it to run later, training is a good thing. Then, after three tries and breaking lots of things, maybe it will run. Shopping is good too. Try not to get a tool set with a lot of separate screwdrivers. I have a Craftsman ratcheting screwdriver with a lot of interchangeable ends and the large sets of accessories are on sale everywhere. You can get big screwdrivers anywhere. Mechanics will turn their belt around so as not to scratch the paint with the buckle. A 24 or 32 ounce hammer is good. An 8 or 16 is useless. About a 60 piece set is probably the minimim from Craftsman but get fussy about how many hex keys you get stuck with. The tips are all you need and those will be like the screwdriver ends and the smaller sizes will come with the same set. You always get stuck with things you will never need, but a half, three eights and one quarter inch drive socket sets are almost always needed. Harbor Freight has lots of tools to complete any collection. Lots of fun anyway.
I’m another satisfied Craftsman customer for over 30 years of working on cars (hobby, I’m not a pro). Make sure you get US-made tools – I’ve seen some Chinese ones that are not the same quality.
Twotone
My vote: Sears Craftsman, NOT Sears Champion!
Lifetime unconditional warranty is a priceless feature.
I got a Craftsman tool set in 1975 that I’m still using. Rather than replace missing 3/8" and 1/2" ratchets, I picked up this tool set for $99.
It goes on sale for $99 every month or so. It’s a good value for the money.
Ed B.
I strongly disagree with this.
Actually I like this way of purchasing tools. Although I’d probably start out at purchasing $250…then growing from there. I haven’t worked as a mechanic in over 30 years…but over the years I’ve collected well over $2000 in tools. A professional will easily have over $5000 and that’s not including the $2000+ tool chest.
Now you’ve gotten lots of advice, but you really haven’t told us much. What is your son’s level of expertise? Does he already do the normal maintenance? Is he wanting to do more major work, such as modifying the car? What kind of modifications? This would help us better answer the question.