I took my wife’s car into the dealership for a warranty a few weeks ago and while they were checking stuff, they said the car needed 1300 dollars of work (piston soak and replace some transmission parts). I ended up doing the soak with my grandpa and took it to a shop for the transmission (wasnt even an issue, just a rivot replacement on a wheel well cover) and ended up saving 700 dollars after accounting for tools, jacks, jack stands, etc.
I want to start working on my own cars for things that can be done easily without expensive specialized tools, and I might be buying a house in the next year. I just want to start getting a decent collection of tools to hopefully save money in the long run.
I currently have a huge range of screwdrivers, soldering equipment, plyer set, socket set, file set, wire cutters and a small tool kit with some misc stuff.
I am mainly looking towards a torque wrench and a good spanner/wrench set, but looking for suggestions on what to get. Holding off on power tools until I wrap my head around brands and batteries.
You can never have too many clamps, screwdrivers, or tape measures.
Ryobi cordless tools are great consumer level battery powered tools. They aren’t as high of quality as Milwaukee or DeWalt, but for the average homeowner, they are more than good enough. That said, I do prefer my DeWalt drill and impact because they are more compact, but for all the rest, Ryobi is fine.
Also a good tool box and tool bag. Having a place for everything makes finding and using your tools so much easier, and having the bag to fill with tools for whatever job you’re tackling has proven to be a game changer.
I’ve had a cordless Ryobi drill for close to 15 years. Both batteries and charger still work. I’ve used it in a few major projects over the years and it’s not let me down. It’s not the strongest or fastest drill out there, but I’ve definitely got my money’s worth from it.