what kind of tools and stands, lighting do you have to work on your car???
03-01-2008, 05:27 PM
#3
AudiWorld Senior Member
Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: Frederick, MD
Posts: 1,458
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Buy lifetime warranty ones such as Craftsman....
All european cars are in metric and have torx and alen bolts all over the place. That should guide you somehow I think. You must have a torque wrench and a braker bar as well
03-01-2008, 07:09 PM
#5
AudiWorld Super User
Join Date: Aug 2002
Posts: 19,660
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Your garage becomes well stocked as you work on the car and realize what tools you DON'T have
and you run out to buy them spur of the moment to complete the job. That's how I stocked my garage.
03-02-2008, 03:16 AM
#7
AudiWorld Member
Join Date: Jun 2001
Location: NoVA
Posts: 129
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Re: what kind of tools and stands, lighting do you have to work on your car???
If you really are starting fron scratch, consider getting good stuff (but over time, as you can afford it) instead of running out to Pep Boys or their equivalent.
For example, many years ago I was almost crushed to death when my MK2 Scirocco hit the garage floor when a cheap jackstand collapsed. I spent much more to recover from that debacle than I "saved" by using cheap stuff.
If you want good stands consider the ones from AC hydraulics. Over time, the increased cost is easier to handle, especially when they don't start tearing up the floor, and keep looking good. They are among the safest ones I know about.
THe recommendation for Craftsman tools is a good one. They are at least pretty good quality, and the ablity to get a quick replacement on the weekends from stores all over is a godsend.
For lighting, you can probably never have too much. You can have too much bad light, though. By that I mean that the typical 4 or 8-ft "garage" fixtures you see at Home Depot, etc typically come with bulbs that are hard on sensitive eyes, and worse, don't reveal color adequately. They also tend to come with poor quality starters what flicker and buzz in cold weather. Check out Paralite at http://www.fullspectrumsolutions.com/full_spectrum_fluorescent_bulbs_33_ctg_1.htm for more detail. Griots also have very nice (but expensive) fixtures. I'm guessing you are relatively young, but as you age, you will find that the default single 100W light in the center of the garage becomes less and less useful to do actual work. That's because as eyes age, they require much more light. If you plan to stay in your house, add or plan ahead to add, as much light as you can- you will need it eventually. Use multiple circuits to allow better control (you may not want or need all the available light all the time, so wire accordingly).
You didn't mention it, but managing your stuff, especially tools, is key to enjoyment in the garage. Invest in good tool chests, as the cheesy ones will be, well, cheesy-looking in short order. Then you will end up replacing them later, anyway, spending more than the good ones cost in the first place, and enduring crapppy ones until you do replace them.
Finally, make a plan for how the garage will be used, and how you want to build it out. Even though you may not execute all of it at once, having a plan to refer to helps reduce the head-slappers when you do something impulsive that has a deleterious effect down the line.
I spent a lot of time thinking about my garage, and it turned out just as I had anticipated. Yours probably deserves the same thought!
For example, many years ago I was almost crushed to death when my MK2 Scirocco hit the garage floor when a cheap jackstand collapsed. I spent much more to recover from that debacle than I "saved" by using cheap stuff.
If you want good stands consider the ones from AC hydraulics. Over time, the increased cost is easier to handle, especially when they don't start tearing up the floor, and keep looking good. They are among the safest ones I know about.
THe recommendation for Craftsman tools is a good one. They are at least pretty good quality, and the ablity to get a quick replacement on the weekends from stores all over is a godsend.
For lighting, you can probably never have too much. You can have too much bad light, though. By that I mean that the typical 4 or 8-ft "garage" fixtures you see at Home Depot, etc typically come with bulbs that are hard on sensitive eyes, and worse, don't reveal color adequately. They also tend to come with poor quality starters what flicker and buzz in cold weather. Check out Paralite at http://www.fullspectrumsolutions.com/full_spectrum_fluorescent_bulbs_33_ctg_1.htm for more detail. Griots also have very nice (but expensive) fixtures. I'm guessing you are relatively young, but as you age, you will find that the default single 100W light in the center of the garage becomes less and less useful to do actual work. That's because as eyes age, they require much more light. If you plan to stay in your house, add or plan ahead to add, as much light as you can- you will need it eventually. Use multiple circuits to allow better control (you may not want or need all the available light all the time, so wire accordingly).
You didn't mention it, but managing your stuff, especially tools, is key to enjoyment in the garage. Invest in good tool chests, as the cheesy ones will be, well, cheesy-looking in short order. Then you will end up replacing them later, anyway, spending more than the good ones cost in the first place, and enduring crapppy ones until you do replace them.
Finally, make a plan for how the garage will be used, and how you want to build it out. Even though you may not execute all of it at once, having a plan to refer to helps reduce the head-slappers when you do something impulsive that has a deleterious effect down the line.
I spent a lot of time thinking about my garage, and it turned out just as I had anticipated. Yours probably deserves the same thought!
Trending Topics
03-02-2008, 03:57 AM
#8
I think you need to define a price level. If price is no object, then you get...
... a four-post lift and a full set of air tools, with compressor.
The best "tool" I ever got was a nice, solid rolling tool cabinet. Before I had it, every job was chaos, and the aftermath was not pretty. Now it seems like cleaning up and putting away takes a fraction of the time; and the next time I need everything, I can find it.
I have an aluminum floor jack (cheap) and four craftsman jackstands.
I go Craftsman/Sears (also sold in KMart) for things that need to be good. But for the neanderthal tools (sledge hammers, pry bars, etc.) Harbor Freight is fine.
The best "tool" I ever got was a nice, solid rolling tool cabinet. Before I had it, every job was chaos, and the aftermath was not pretty. Now it seems like cleaning up and putting away takes a fraction of the time; and the next time I need everything, I can find it.
I have an aluminum floor jack (cheap) and four craftsman jackstands.
I go Craftsman/Sears (also sold in KMart) for things that need to be good. But for the neanderthal tools (sledge hammers, pry bars, etc.) Harbor Freight is fine.
03-02-2008, 10:04 AM
#10
Quattro. started with one of the metric 99-piece Craftsman boxes, which has gotten a lot of use.
and, get the additional set of extensions, reducers and wobbles. and a magnetic tool. the rest is just get as you need.
watch for sales at Sears because they often greatly reduce the prices on certain tool sets, which you'll find that buying the entire set is cheaper than buying just 2-3 from it. I found that out when I wanted to get some special size screwdrivers and ended up buying that one that had ~20 in a set because buying the 2 small ones was ~$6 each and the set was $19.99 on sale from $29.99
watch for sales at Sears because they often greatly reduce the prices on certain tool sets, which you'll find that buying the entire set is cheaper than buying just 2-3 from it. I found that out when I wanted to get some special size screwdrivers and ended up buying that one that had ~20 in a set because buying the 2 small ones was ~$6 each and the set was $19.99 on sale from $29.99
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
Albatrossboss
Parts For Sale - Archive (NO NEW POSTS HERE)
7
12-03-2015 01:08 PM
SloopJohnB@mac.com
A6 / S6 (C5 Platform) Discussion
8
09-02-2015 07:28 AM
