Building the Ideal Toolbox For Working on Your Own Vehicle

Besides being one of the most satisfying experiences, working on your own car also saves you a ton of money that you’d otherwise spent on maintenance. Plus, you learn how to tend to your car while on the road, which can save you even more money on towing services in case your car malfunctions in the middle of nowhere.

However, in order to do all of this, you need some basic tools. There are so many different auto hand tools suitable for a wide range of repairs. In fact, you can repair almost anything on your car if you have the skills and knowledge. I understand that this is not the case for most vehicle owners, and that’s perfectly fine. If you’re one of those people who want to start working on their car themselves, here are a couple of hand tools you should buy to create the ideal toolset for doing your own repairs.

Wirecutters and Pliers

From installing a stereo system to wiring new off-road headlights on your bullbar, wires and pliers can help you complete a wide range of electrical projects on your vehicle. Get pliers in different sizes to accomplish that, as well as some wire strippers and cutters. These auto hand tools are affordable and versatile, and you can build your collection slowly from scratch as you need to perform different repairs.

A Socket Set

Sockets are arguably the tools you’ll most frequently use when repairing your car. A proper set should include metric and imperial sizes of drivers and sockets. You can get thin-walled sockets and extensions for specific situations. Some brands sell entire kits that will have you fully covered, so you might want to look into those.

Wrenches

Wrenches help you deal with nuts. What many people don’t realize is just how important setting the nut to the proper torque is. Under torquing a nut can quickly become a problem and it may put you in some life-threatening situations. Over torquing it, on the other hand, can make it shear and difficult to remove. For that reason, a torque wrench is an absolute must-have for anyone working on their car. Get an open-ended and a ratchet wrench to deal with bolts and nuts.

Screwdrivers

Anything that needs to be screwed or unscrewed requires a screwdriver. And you know that there are plenty of things to screw and unscrew when working on a car. Get a complete set of screwdrivers that include a flathead. Some bigger screwdrivers can double as prying tools, while others that are small enough can help you perform more delicate electronic work.