What equipment is essential for you while working/detailing on your car?

toastedpickles

Seen it on the home page in electrical and thought it would be interesting to start here, not sure if its been done before but meh!

So what piece/pieces of equipment are essential for you while working/detailling on your car?

For myself it would be a 13mm socket+ratchet and an led flashlight

mickdw

torx bit set and a socket set will go along way.

Mycroft H

Torque Wrench.

Mycroft H

Plus a good 1/2" - 1/4" socket set. From a decent brand too; Gedore, Snap On, Teng etc.

Noccy_Mondy

A vice grips and a hammer do all of my jobs, irregardless if they are the proper tools for the job or not :P And a swear jar is also an essential! :pac:

mickdw

Noccy_Mondy wrote: »

A vice grips and a hammer do all of my jobs, irregardless if they are the proper tools for the job or not :P And a swear jar is also an essential! :pac:

The farmers toolbox

Interslice

mickdw wrote: »

The farmers toolbox

Hopefully not an aircraft mechanic up in knock :P

Ded_Zebra

Aside from tools the most important thing to have it a nice clean and dry piece of cardboard to lie on also some small stools or steps are handy for sitting/ standing on.

ldxo15wus6fpgm

My tiny tiny flathead screwdriver that can just about fit anywhere.
Socket set and torx bits.
Also P38 :pac:

Ded_Zebra wrote: »

Aside from tools the most important thing to have it a nice clean and dry piece of cardboard to lie on also some small stools or steps are handy for sitting/ standing on.

Get an old pillow and double bag it in tough bin bags. Much more comfy and not as cold!

Mycroft H

I've a load of acquired BS scaffolding boards that I'm tempted to turn into a ramp. Cut them up, lay them flat on each other, tie them together and job's a good one.

Ded_Zebra

Mycroft H wrote: »

I've a load of acquired BS scaffolding boards that I'm tempted to turn into a ramp. Cut them up, lay them flat on each other, tie them together and job's a good one.

We made a set of ramps in the exact same way and they are brilliantly handy

joujoujou

10mm T-bar socket and PH2 screwdriver.

And loads of other tools.

MetzgerMeister

Metallica/Rammstein/some sort of metal playing on a stereo.











Also, pressure washer

jimgoose

I have a couple of decent socket-sets, including that 150-piece Halfords Pro one that has everything and anything in it. Ratchet spanners are incredibly handy too. I have plenty Torx bits and sockets, and three excellent value torque wrenches that cover just about everything. On the subject of vice-grips, I have five - two baby ones, one of which is an alligator snout, and three full-size, one of which is an Irwin and another is a rare Petersen, which is with me nearly twenty years. I can't remember the last time I used any of them - the most important thing about Vice-Grip-Fu, Grasshopper, is knowing when not to use it. Which is most of the time.

dr.fuzzenstein

Hydraulic Jack, two axle stands, socket set (LIDL, don't laugh, they work so far), two old fashioned Werkzeugkasten with assorted tools (wrenches, pliers, screwdrivers, vice grips, etc...), old bits of carpet ripped from the house for lying on, several torches (LED from, yes you guessed it, LIDL), phone for looking up stuff on the internet, taking pics and using as an mp3 player, oil suction pump, extendable wheel brace (yep, LIDL), drill, bits, angle grinder and several large hammers varying in size.
Ass. bits:
WD40, lithium grease, copper grease, brake disc cleaner, brake fluid, white spirit, coolant, gallons of oil, transmission fluid, can of petrol, can of diesel, cable ties, duct tape, black tape, super glue...
Also, 25 litre cannister for waste oil, to be emptied every now and then, old was basin for draining oil into, old bucket to throw oil filters into.
For myself: Marygolds, dirty old black cargo pants, dirty old anorak, dirty old safety boots, dirty old cap, safety goggles and (not that I need them with my ears after 20 years of heavy metal) ear muffs.
It's sometimes a nightmare, doing a 5 minute job and spending an hour getting all the sh*t together that I need...
For detailing?
Rag and soapy water.

Stavros Murphy

Cheque book - I find it's able to solve almost every issue I ever have with a car. It's like a multi-tool.

Viper_JB

Every time I work on the car the list get's longer...

king_of_inismac

Definitely invest in a good inspection light (one from draper or similar). There's nothing worse than trying to fix something you can't see. They are a life saver

Mycroft H

Headlight works too, especially for underneath the car.

dr.fuzzenstein

Stavros Murphy wrote: »

Cheque book - I find it's able to solve almost every issue I ever have with a car. It's like a multi-tool.

You got the right idea :-). But a major job looms and I can't afford to have it done.
So right now waiting on a delivery from online automotive, two each of front springs, shocks and top mounts for my Cmax. At £225 for the lot I really can't complain, but of course now I have a weekend of work to look forward to.

REXER

Some fantastic silicone bath mats that LIDL sell from time to time. About 5mm thick, great for kneeling on (I keep one in each car for flat wheels out on the road). Also a non-slip table cloth that LIDL were selling about 7/8 years ago, with a thick rubbery surface and a thick fibre backing. Great for a bit of comfort and insulation when rolling around under the car on my back.

Then all the usual full tool kits, socket sets, ring spanners, flat spanners axle stands and trolley jack.

Just about every time I need to replace a clutch on one of the families cars its mid winter and the frost is thick on the ground. Nasty!

REXER

Oh, and to add to my list above, the most useful tool that I use is Google, very very versatile tool esential in anyones tool box!

YbFocus

I usually find upon finishing that a few new knuckles or sometimes a whole finger would be nice

REXER

YbFocus wrote: »

I usually find upon finishing that a few new knuckles or sometimes a whole finger would be nice

Don't go there, thats part of the memories that I try very hard to suppress!

dr.fuzzenstein

REXER wrote: »

Oh, and to add to my list above, the most useful tool that I use is Google, very very versatile tool esential in anyones tool box!

+1
I once removed a rear caliper from the MX5, took it apart and 3 random bits fell out. I found a great video on YouTube detailing exactly step by step how to pull them apart and put them back together again. Not a hope without that video, now those calipers have turned from a screaming nightmare into a doddle.
Yes, I agree, without the internet at my fingertips I would do a lot less myself.

And new on my list, OBD Bluetooth dongle to hook up with my phone, let's hope it keeps whatit promises.

REXER

dr.fuzzenstein wrote: »

+1
I once removed a rear caliper from the MX5, took it apart and 3 random bits fell out. I found a great video on YouTube detailing exactly step by step how to pull them apart and put them back together again. Not a hope without that video, now those calipers have turned from a screaming nightmare into a doddle.
Yes, I agree, without the internet at my fingertips I would do a lot less myself.

And new on my list, OBD Bluetooth dongle to hook up with my phone, let's hope it keeps whatit promises.

Definately on my to do list as well. The folks selling the flashy expensive units must be cursing what is now available!

dr.fuzzenstein

REXER wrote: »

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Definately on my to do list as well. The folks selling the flashy expensive units must be cursing what is now available!

Main garages want €70 minimum to hook up and look at fault codes, that is before they do anything.
Yes, their equipment is a lot more sophisticated than my poxy OBD to Bluetooth adapter off Fleabay and does cost a lot of money, but so does the lift and you don't see many garages charging €70 to lift your car.
During the height of the boom, print shops wanted €5 to put a CD into a computer, open it and print it.
One of those things is gone and the next will soon go the way of the Champagne Mojito too.
Too many business got used to charging silly money for things that weren't worth it, like €2.20 for a danish and €4 for a coffee at the petrol station.
The businesses that realise that and adapt will survive.
The name of the game is called economy of scale, charge less and make the money back on volume. Irish businesses struggle with that concept, just look at jumbo packs of anything in Dunnes, I found as a rule they cost more per kg or liter than the smaller packs, ripping off the gullible is still alive and well here.

sogood

The radio sitting on the shelf in my workshop/shed. While struggling with something difficult, I find the listening to Joe Duffy always reminds me that there are people a lot worse off out there.
And my kettle. Coffee is a must when I have to stand back and consider my next move.
And then, the trusty overalls. I've ruined more good jeans and tops by starting some simple little job, only to have it develop into something more substantial.

dgt

I couldn't assemble a list, too many essentials and with each car that list grows....

I'd say an essential is a box of booze when you're finished up

Stavros Murphy

dr.fuzzenstein wrote: »

You got the right idea :-). But a major job looms and I can't afford to have it done.
So right now waiting on a delivery from online automotive, two each of front springs, shocks and top mounts for my Cmax. At £225 for the lot I really can't complain, but of course now I have a weekend of work to look forward to.

cheque book is my favorite tool, but for some unknown, unfathomable reason, I'm usually under somthing clutching a vise-grip, 13 spanner and somthing oily. I feel it may be a lacking in me.

dr.fuzzenstein

Stavros Murphy wrote: »

cheque book is my favorite tool, but for some unknown, unfathomable reason, I'm usually under somthing clutching a vise-grip, 13 spanner and somthing oily. I feel it may be a lacking in me.

We just can't help it, I am actually looking forward to this upcoming job, maybe I'm a masochist who enjoys pain.
I still fondly remember previous jobs, on the MX5, brakes, timing belt, water pump, radiator, exhaust and a million oil changes on the CMax mostly just oil and doing the brakes, not to mention the hundreds of small things one does around cars.
If we could remember the cold, the skinned knuckles, black nails, the dirt, the desperation when something goes wrong, the endless hours spent crawling on the floor in the filth, the hassle from the OH for spending the weekend working on the car (even if it is her car, she never complains when she's driving it, unless she's pointing out what else is wrong with it), we wouldn't be doing it.
We must be clinically insane and yet we do it over and over again and call it fun. :D

Stavros Murphy

dr.fuzzenstein wrote: »

We just can't help it, I am actually looking forward to this upcoming job, maybe I'm a masochist who enjoys pain.
I still fondly remember previous jobs, on the MX5, brakes, timing belt, water pump, radiator, exhaust and a million oil changes on the CMax mostly just oil and doing the brakes, not to mention the hundreds of small things one does around cars.
If we could remember the cold, the skinned knuckles, black nails, the dirt, the desperation when something goes wrong, the endless hours spent crawling on the floor in the filth, the hassle from the OH for spending the weekend working on the car (even if it is her car, she never complains when she's driving it, unless she's pointing out what else is wrong with it), we wouldn't be doing it.
We must be clinically insane and yet we do it over and over again and call it fun. :D

:D you been spying on me??? :pac: