Classic_car_phanatic
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- Sep 22, 2013
- Messages
- 11
I am a novice to the automotive industry (weekend wrencher) and would like to know if cordless drills such as a Dewalt 18 volt are used by mechanics. Are they? Do I need one?
Do beginner auto mechanics need a cordless drill?
- Thread starter Classic_car_phanatic
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6brzina
Well-known member
Yes they are handy. I also use an 18v impact. I went with the dewalt 12v max drill and impact at work, and retired my 18v tools to my home tool box. Definitely look at a combo, plenty of stuff can be done with cordless on cars and trucks.
DieselSaves
Well-known member
I don't use a cordless drill much for mechanicing but the are dozens of other shop tasks I use one for. We usually hit the pawnshops for good deals on Makita or Dewalts. If I ever do have to drill anything on a vehicle I grab the cordless.
OP
Classic_car_phanatic
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- Sep 22, 2013
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Yes mechanics use cordless drill/drivers for what though?
I use mine for removing screws in door panels and such as well as occasionally drilling out broken bolts or rivets. I use a right angle drill for tight spots like exhaust manifolds or for thread repair on aluminum oil pans. I have a 18v Hitachi impact driver and drill combo combo I got off Bigskytool. I'd like to switch to the Milwaukee stuff though, mostly so I can get the cordless 3/8 and 1/4 ratchets.
I use my lightweight and small 12v Makita drill and impact almost every time I work on my car. I don't like to final tighten the lugs nuts and large bolts, with an impact, so I crack them with a breaker bar and use the impact from there on. In reverse for the install. I, also, use the clutched drill (with the 1/4 hex drive) for many small bolts for on and off.
If I can help it, I try not to use tools with cords and hoses.
I don't know what I would do without these cordless Makitas.
If I can help it, I try not to use tools with cords and hoses.
I don't know what I would do without these cordless Makitas.
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theoldwizard1
Well-known member
Personally, I would get a corded 1/2" drill with triple gear reduction first. Add a lighter duty 3/8" later.
Trey T
Well-known member
No but an impact driver would be useful too loosen bolts. Don't get in a habit of using power tool to tighten bolts if you're newbie.
Do you need one as a beginner, absolutely not. There are plenty of tools that a mechanic would give priority to before a drill motor. Do you have a complete set of hand tools? You will use them much more than a drill motor. If you can't do it by hand then I would suggest getting the hand tools to do a job before getting power tools. You are not trying to make flat rate here so taking a bit of time with a hand tool works for you. Now if you had asked does a beginning homeowner/handyman need a drill motor I would have answered a bit different.
lg
no neat sig line
lg
no neat sig line
sberry
Banned
Get the drill. Get a decent one. Battery powered with a 1/2 chuck and if needed you can get a right angle attachment for around 20$ I think.
Zeke
Well-known member
I've never cared much for most right angle attachments. But everyone can use a cordless drill and they don't cost that much if you shop.
My 1/4" hex impact is awesome. Will tighten the lugs on my f250 about perfect. Not even turn with my breaker bar. Great for brakes and unit bearings. Use it all the time on my racing kart too.
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crewchief888
Well-known member
lots of cordless tools are being used by DIY'rs and pros as well every day.
if you're asking the question, the answer is probably no, you dont need one..
wanting one is a different story
if you're asking the question, the answer is probably no, you dont need one..
wanting one is a different story
Nocturnal-G
Well-known member
Drilling out rivets for window regulators.
Mazdaspeed
Banned
- Joined
- Dec 7, 2013
- Messages
- 180
A drill is necessary, doesn't need to be cordless. Drilling out broken stuff, mounting new stuff that isn't OEM (ie not bolt in) and the other big use is a wire wheel to clean things up.
scaron
Well-known member
i think everyone can make use of a good drill... i am just an amateur mechanic as well as a very DIY-minded homeowner and like a few other folks above discuss, i've found that a good place to start out is a well-built, corded, 1/2" unit. you also might just want to spring for a hammer drill right out of the gate... that was one thing i kind of wished i had thought about more because now i have two drills; one hammer drill, one not-a-hammer drill. on the other hand, it's nice to have some variability in power and most hammer drills tend to be beastly.
the primary job for a drill in a garage setting (i've found) is probably drilling out broken studs/bolts and running screw extractors. so i think you are really going to want the power that the 1/2" corded units are going to give you when you are taking on steel, etc. i can't think of anything else you'd really use a drill for when working on a motor vehicle unless you are one of those people that likes to use a power driver on like EVERY fastener (edit: no offense intended just a difference in style). then, i guess go ahead and grab your box of hex bits and turn away. me, i prefer to use hand tools as much as i can and only bring out the "heavy equipment" if it's beyond my physical capabilities.
though, again, this is not how i earn my living. but you sound like a hobby guy, too. imho you can break a lot of stuff and round off a lot of fasteners with a power driver; if you're learning as you go, you get more of a feel and you can _develop_ that kind of feel for what you're working on with hand tools.
so i'd say hold off on buying the drill until you find yourself in the middle of a project where you need it. spend the money on some more sockets or a new ratchet instead
unless you are totally loaded up with hand tools, then, yeah, a power drill should probably be the first power tool in your arsenal.
the primary job for a drill in a garage setting (i've found) is probably drilling out broken studs/bolts and running screw extractors. so i think you are really going to want the power that the 1/2" corded units are going to give you when you are taking on steel, etc. i can't think of anything else you'd really use a drill for when working on a motor vehicle unless you are one of those people that likes to use a power driver on like EVERY fastener (edit: no offense intended just a difference in style). then, i guess go ahead and grab your box of hex bits and turn away. me, i prefer to use hand tools as much as i can and only bring out the "heavy equipment" if it's beyond my physical capabilities.
though, again, this is not how i earn my living. but you sound like a hobby guy, too. imho you can break a lot of stuff and round off a lot of fasteners with a power driver; if you're learning as you go, you get more of a feel and you can _develop_ that kind of feel for what you're working on with hand tools.
so i'd say hold off on buying the drill until you find yourself in the middle of a project where you need it. spend the money on some more sockets or a new ratchet instead
unless you are totally loaded up with hand tools, then, yeah, a power drill should probably be the first power tool in your arsenal.
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RCStocker
Well-known member
If you are just starting out any drill will do. I would spend my money on good used tools first. Remember everything can be done by hand. Even a hand drill will do the job.
If you are a beginner then I would not worry about it at this point.
If you are a beginner then I would not worry about it at this point.
cburnscrx
Well-known member
Um, no. Get a good drill, any major brand...DeWalt, Makita, Milwaukee, ect. In many instances you can get a good drill used off Craiglist. This is one of those instances where you will notice a difference (ie torque).
creativecars
Well-known member
A drill is a great tool, cordless has its place and so does corded. 3/8 “ for standard type jobs, ½” for HD work. Regardless of mfg. Get a L-ion battery. Even the less expensive brands will perform as good or better than the previous high dollar brands with older technology.
EdT
Well-known member
A cordless drill is a very handy thing and there's a wide range of prices. If you're shopping used, you are always going to be safe assuming that the batteries are no good even if the thing spins around when you pull the trigger. This leads to the battery replacement issue where you will find that the cost of new batteries for almost any brand is about the same as replacing the whole drill with, often, TWO batteries. Some brands (RIGID for example) have a "lifetime " warranty on the whole thing including the batteries IF the original owner properly registers the product when they buy it. So, a used Rigid is not going to have the warranty for the second buyer. Lots of manufacturers have sets of tools and , in your case, the drill and impact driver would be a good bet.
One thing you might consider is a really "cost effective" solution from Harbor Freight. It might not be your finest tool for the rest of your life, but I was there last week and they had an 18v drill with one battery and a charger for about $16 and batteries were about $12. So, how far wrong can you go. Get something like that and see how much you use it and if it becomes a go to tool you can look into better ones at a later date. If you find you never use it, well, it was only $16. One Dewalt battery pack would cover 4 or 5 of the HF drills.
One thing you might consider is a really "cost effective" solution from Harbor Freight. It might not be your finest tool for the rest of your life, but I was there last week and they had an 18v drill with one battery and a charger for about $16 and batteries were about $12. So, how far wrong can you go. Get something like that and see how much you use it and if it becomes a go to tool you can look into better ones at a later date. If you find you never use it, well, it was only $16. One Dewalt battery pack would cover 4 or 5 of the HF drills.
sberry
Banned
I am all for saving money and I preach the value in "some" cheap tools but this is a do yourself a favor pinch point. Buy a new good battery drill, this is a staple of any good tool set. mechanics, home, wood, all of it. Its a once you get it tool you will come up with things that havnt even occurred to you at this point.
I been doing this a long time and its still a tool I am amazed with, I saw the first pathetic one when I was a kid and it looked cool. Believe it or not Black and Decker was revolutionary as was Skil and quality finally trumped but my first real one was a 9.6 Makita, great tool, got us off to a start. Now have 4 28V ones and had them quite a while.
I been doing this a long time and its still a tool I am amazed with, I saw the first pathetic one when I was a kid and it looked cool. Believe it or not Black and Decker was revolutionary as was Skil and quality finally trumped but my first real one was a 9.6 Makita, great tool, got us off to a start. Now have 4 28V ones and had them quite a while.
sberry
Banned
Personally would buy a 5 pc set and then another dr4ill with 2 more batteries. hahahaha A spare flashlight. Those are so good. These batteries are so good its what you are buying. I saw someone buy a 110 steel light etc you got to put D batteries in and thought somehow a 70$ battery (already got a drill) was insane to put on the worlds most handy light you can buy ruff duty for 30$. The circ saw is ok but the drills, the light and recip saw is priceless.
I have made all kinds of temp drives for them and electric corded does work but the freedom from cords has let some imagination fly. I use that little auger bit all the time. Great pilot for pounding wood posts in tight, allows shain link posts to be dropped in and steel fence posts are easy to follow.
Second pic was a wire puller, 3rd a jack I use regular and 4th my Dad had a hand ice auger was tedious to say the least. I added a pilot bit a plastic ring larger than the bored hole and an adapter. Bore a foot of ice in 30 seconds.
I own 2 Milwaukee 1/2 electrics like new, I can count on one hand the times I have used them in the last 10 years and before that was mostly where a bat drill didn't have power for driving heavy screws and bits.
They are wrist twisters and good riddens for the most part. Now they designed the torque so it doesn't toss a man off a ladder, can be adjusted, work with small conc bits and you can regulate the speed with pressure on larger bits, a man can stall it.
I have made all kinds of temp drives for them and electric corded does work but the freedom from cords has let some imagination fly. I use that little auger bit all the time. Great pilot for pounding wood posts in tight, allows shain link posts to be dropped in and steel fence posts are easy to follow.
Second pic was a wire puller, 3rd a jack I use regular and 4th my Dad had a hand ice auger was tedious to say the least. I added a pilot bit a plastic ring larger than the bored hole and an adapter. Bore a foot of ice in 30 seconds.
I own 2 Milwaukee 1/2 electrics like new, I can count on one hand the times I have used them in the last 10 years and before that was mostly where a bat drill didn't have power for driving heavy screws and bits.
They are wrist twisters and good riddens for the most part. Now they designed the torque so it doesn't toss a man off a ladder, can be adjusted, work with small conc bits and you can regulate the speed with pressure on larger bits, a man can stall it.
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sberry
Banned
zakmartin
Well-known member
I use my Hilti 180SF 3/8" cordless drill all the time. It's especially useful for undoing all the undershroud screws on my car whenever I have to do an oil change (I think there's 16 of them). Lately, I've been finding myself grabbing the cordless drill more and more often rather than firing up the air compressor. It's just a lot easier. Still, for larger or stuck-on nuts and bolts, the air tools really are the way to go.