Insights From An Auto Technician: Essential Tools Every Driver Needs
Whether you use your vehicle to get you from A to B, or you’re the unofficial mechanic of the family, there are certain tools that we believe everyone should invest in. We gathered our auto technician team together to pick their brains on what tools every driver should own.
Gear and Tools You Should Keep In Your Vehicle
Experiencing a breakdown is one of the worst things that can happen to anyone. Creating a breakdown bag with a few useful tools to keep in your vehicle will make sure you’re best equipped to handle anything that might happen.
Safety Vest and Warning Triangle
Before attempting any roadside repair, you want to make sure you stay safe. No matter how good or poor visibility is, if you’re working on the side of the road you want to make sure that other drivers can easily see you. A high visibility safety vest will make you easier to see, especially on dark roads, while a warning triangle (ideally placed at least 100 feet from the vehicle) will inform other drivers to be cautious of your presence, and move over.​​​​​​
Jumper Cables
Jumper Cables are a piece of equipment that nobody thinks to purchase until they need them. If you have ever been stuck with a car that won’t start because of a dead battery, you understand the feeling of relief that comes with seeing someone come to your rescue with jumper cables. A popular alternative to jumper cables are lithium booster packs that can jump start a car without the assistance of another vehicle. The only downside of these devices is that you will need to actively monitor the charge to ensure you don’t get stuck with two flat batteries.
Jack and Wheel Spanner
Your vehicle should come with a jack and wheel spanner, but there has been a recent trend of manufacturers no longer fitting spare wheels, jacks and wheel spanners to newer vehicles. While the logic is that if you don’t have a spare tire, you won’t need any of the tools there are still plenty of maintenance tasks that require you to take off a wheel. Having the option to take a wheel that no longer holds air down to a tire shop, without needing a tow truck is overlooked, and is one of the situations we see very often. We do recommend that if your car is going to be without a wheel for any extended period of time, you lower it onto a jack stand and remove the jack.
Tire Sealant, Puncture Kit and Air Compressors
While we are discussing jacks and wheel spanners, it’s recommended that you be prepared for punctures. We’ve pulled all sorts of debris out of tires, from the usual culprits like nails and glass to the absolutely bizarre, like deer antler fragments and a pair of needle nose pliers. Most punctures can be repaired on the side of the road and will extend your tires lifespan long enough to get you to the tire shop. Tire sealants are great for small punctures as they seal the gaps around the debris letting the tire hold air once again, while puncture kits will need to be used if the debris is large enough to need to be pulled out. Finally, a 12v socket compressor will make sure you can inflate your freshly repaired wheel.
Must Have Tools For Every Auto Technician
If you’re more technically inclined than the average driver and want to build out a toolbox to begin doing maintenance tasks on your own vehicle, here are some of the tools our auto technicians wouldn’t be caught without.
Torque Wrench
Almost every bolt you will be removing and tightening on your vehicle will have a recommended torque rating. You can think of a torque rating as the level of tightness a bolt needs to be set too. Over torquing a bolt can lead it to stripping the threads, stretching or snapping, whereas under torquing it can lead to the bolt backing out or not sealing components correctly. Invest in a high quality torque wrench and follow your vehicle’s manufacturers torque specifications whenever possible to ensure your repairs are safe and correct.
Impact Gun
While some tasks do require manual hand tools, once you have experienced the ease of whizzing off bolts with an impact gun it’s hard to ever go back. Electric impact guns have come a long way in the last 20 years, with some being able to hold their own against their pneumatic counterparts. Gone are the days of needing a shop compressor to run impact guns and an electric impact (and impact sockets to match) should be on every auto technician’s Wishlist.
OBD2 Scanner
All modern cars are required to be fitted with an OBD2 port, which acts as the main diagnostic port ​​​​​​ for all your vehicle’s computers and sub systems. Every error and fault gets logged by the computer which can be read then cleared while doing the repair, drastically cutting down time spent on diagnostics. Even a task as simple as resetting a maintenance indicator often needs to be done through an OBD2 scanner. Some more advanced scanners will allow you to adjust settings on your vehicle, such as giving your BMW a Rolls-Royce iDrive starting screen.
Auto Technician In Pompano Beach
Foreign Affairs Motorwerks is home to world-class auto technicians. At Foreign Affairs, we specialize in auto repair for all cars. Our team is experienced in repairs and performance enhancements from McLaren to Dodge. If you’re looking for the leading exotic auto repair facility in South Florida, visit Foreign Affairs Motorwerks or call us at 954-746-0488 to book your car.