This is every tool you’ll need to be ready for your first day as a beginner mechanic in an auto repair shop.On day one, you don’t need fancy tools. Leave that expensive Snap-On gun for later. Just make sure you have the tools on this list and you’ll be able to perform all the tasks handed to you by your boss. Brands may differ as every mechanic as his favorite tool brand so buy the one you want. But remember that some tools may be bought cheap while others just can’t.
1. Oil Filter Wrench
As a beginner mechanic, you’ll mostly be assigned to maintenance work such as tire mounting, inspection and, of course, oil change. This is an unavoidable thing. Every new mechanic has to go through this period. To be a pro one day, you first have to learn the basics. That and also because nobody else wants to do it. Anyway, get used to it. Work hard, learn everything you can and, one day, you’ll be happy the new guy is doing all the tire work too.
In the meantime, make sure you get yourself a good oil filter wrench. I Suggest use 2 or 3 differently sized oil wrenches. They work better than strap wrenches or plier models but you’ll need to get a couple of them to fit smaller or bigger oil filters. It all depends on where you work. Honda and Toyota, for example, almost use the same filter size for all models but Ford, on the other hand, uses a wide range of oil filter sizes.
2. Ratchet and Sockets
We’ll go through the obvious ones first. You’ll need a ratchet, in fact, three.
You’ll need a 1/4in, 3/8in, and 1/2in ratchet with matching socket sets. This is probably the tool you’re going to use most so buy a good one. I strongly suggest you buy one of those complete ratchet set.If you are on a tight budget, just buy the 3/8 ratchet with only the metric sockets. As for most of the tools on this list, you can always only buy the metric set since the vast majority of cars you will be working on in real life will require metric tools.
3. Wrench set
Pretty obvious too. You’ll need a good wrench set.Once again, you can buy the metric ones first. If money is not a problem, buy a set of ratchet wrenches too but know that these don’t replace the normal ratchet set. Ratchet wrenches are super useful for numerous tasks but their heads tend to be a bit thicker and won’t fit everywhere so make sure you buy the normal set first.
4. Impact Gun
I’ll never say it enough. Buy a quality impact gun from the start.And because we now live in the future, buy a cordless one.Worth mentioning, check out the Milwaukee ONE-KEY impact gun. They feature 4 customizable torque settings you can set up using an app on your phone or your computer.
5. Screwdrivers
Of course, you’ll also need screwdrivers.You don’t really have to buy a full set of screwdrivers since you’ll only use the flat and Phillips (cross) screwdriver.You may want to buy a big flat-headed screwdriver too. It’s a pretty handy tool when nothing else works.
6. Pliers
When it comes to pliers, it’s really difficult to choose. There are so many different pliers models, shapes, and lengths. To each is own. But as for the bare minimum, make sure you get at least a pair of these 3 pliers: normal, long-nosed, and cutter pliers.You’ll never have enough different pairs of pliers but get those three first. You can buy more later on.
Post time: Nov-23-2020