Hello and question about impact wrenches

[white_335i]

Hello -

Want to introduce myself here. Came across this forum while searching for reviews on torque wrenches and I am very happy to find this forum. I just bought 2 'project' cars and wanted to do some basic maintenance/suspension work. Never worked on cars before and have no knowledge about tools other than screwdrivers. I spent at least 5 hours a day on this forum for the last 3 weeks, and managed to learn about different types of sockets/ratchets/wrenches(thanks to this forum) and used some of the hot deals posted on this forum to start building my tool set.

After spending almost $3000, I think I have a basic tool set to do most of the maintenance work on my cars. Bought 5 different torque wrenches in different sizes(some used snap on/matco from ebay and new proto(recent zoro sale), gearwrench 120xp ratchets in flex and standard(trident), armstrong maxx flex ratchets(advance auto coupons), 255 piece craftsman tool box and a 40" Craftsman premium heavy duty top tool box. I need to unpack all the shipments and organize them in the tool box. Will upload some pictures later..

I also bought a craftsman electrical(corded) 1/2" impact wrench on Friday. I initially wanted to get the cordless C3 impact wrench, but after reading reviews, decided to go with the corded model. I have been watching some videos on youtube about impact wrenches and came across the IR W7150. Naturally I did a search for W7150 on this forum and came across Milwaukee M18 fuel impact wrenches and started reading about both. I decided to return the craftsman impact wrench and get the IR or Milwaukee (both 1/2 and 3/8). I know this question has been asked a lot of times, but which one do you guys recommend? They cost about the same, but the M18 has the 5 year waranty and I like the idea of brush less motors. I guess for a diy guy like me either one would be plenty, but what do you experts recommend?

Sorry for the long post and thanks in advance for your replies.

 

[Farmall450]

That's a big initial investment, I guess I didn't buy all my tools at once....

Welcome to the forums.

Honestly, I'd just keep the cman. Remember, the tools don't make the mechanic..

 

[Ruger_556]

For a diy I'd buy the Milwaukee just because there are so many other tools that share a battery.

 

[white_335i]

For a diy I'd buy the Milwaukee just because there are so many other tools that share a battery.

Thank you. Can I use the 4 amp battery from the m18 1/2 on the m18 3/8th? Does the 3/8th has a 3 amp battery?

 

[Running Fat Man]

Wow.

I was going to say you went overboard, but then I realized you would basically pay $3K to take your 335i to the shop one time. So if you DIY 2 or 3 projects on your car, your tools will have already paid for themselves.

It was a good idea to return the corded Craftsman. The Milwaukee M18 FUEL is a hell of a line and will meet all of your needs and then some as a DIYer.

Get a couple of decent breaker bars from HF and a couple of pair of their 6 ton jackstands, and decent floor jack and you will be set.

 

[Running Fat Man]

Oh since you seem to have many of the major bases covered, here are some other useful tools/materials that I find essential (Im not a pro, but a DIYer like yourself).

-magnetic wand
-magnetic plate(s) to hold fasteners
-needle nose pliers
-thick jaw pliers
-small and large vise grips
-dykes/diagonal cutter
-antiseize
-liquid wrench
-synthetic grease
-small, medium, and large zip ties

 

[turdferguson13]

I was going to say you went overboard, but then I realized you would basically pay $3K to take your 335i to the shop one time. So if you DIY 2 or 3 projects on your car, your tools will have already paid for themselves.

Lol so true! Love the engine but it has some issues.

Go for the m18! I'm picking up the m18 fuel 3/8 impact after Christmas. I've been very happy with my m12 products so far and the warranty, like you mentioned, is great.

 

[white_335i]

Thanks all. 335i is long gone left me stranded on the high way couple times(hpfp). Sorry for the confusion guys.. I now have a E46 M3 for weekend and a e90 328i for daily. My wife drives a civic. So, I have 3 cars to maintain. A little investment in tools now will pay off over the long run and I guess it gives me a reason to run around and buy more tools

'Running fat man', thanks for the list. Torque wrench's has cost me 1/3rd of the budget. I bought the truck brand torque wrench's thinking that if I don't use them, I can at least sell them easily on ebay. I did buy magnetic handle, magnetic tray, nut drivers, some basic pliers(all from craftsman) and gear wrench 3/8 and 1/2" breaker bar. I also bought 2 ton arcan jack, rhino ramps and 2 pairs of craftsman professional 4ton stands. I will look in to the other stuff you mentioned. Got to love the holiday season sale

I will place an order for the m18 3/8 tool(no battery) and 1/2" with 2 batteries. I will also order some SK impact sockets in 3/8 and 1/2 sizes..

 

[white_335i]

Forgot to mention, I also bought the brake bleeder kit. 'Bavarian Autosport Brake Bleeder Kit with Catch Bottle '

 

[Hopalong604]

You would need a couple of good jacks and at least a set of jack stands.

 

[GoodEnough]

I would gain some more experience before you keep buying tools. There is great advice here, but some of it over the top beyond what you'll need. If you have deep pockets, no big deal, otherwise, you might overspend on things you don't need.

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=227269

 

[white_335i]

You would need a couple of good jacks and at least a set of jack stands.

Thanks. Bought a arcan floor jack and 2 pairs of craftsman 4 ton profession jack stands

 

[white_335i]

I would gain some more experience before you keep buying tools. There is great advice here, but some of it over the top beyond what you'll need. If you have deep pockets, no big deal, otherwise, you might overspend on things you don't need.

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=227269

Thank you. Will check the thread.. I was actually thinking about this. The impact wrench will be the last 'big' purchase that I will be making for a while..

 

[nicksnothereman]

Hello -

Want to introduce myself here. Came across this forum while searching for reviews on torque wrenches and I am very happy to find this forum. I just bought 2 'project' cars and wanted to do some basic maintenance/suspension work. Never worked on cars before and have no knowledge about tools other than screwdrivers. I spent at least 5 hours a day on this forum for the last 3 weeks, and managed to learn about different types of sockets/ratchets/wrenches(thanks to this forum) and used some of the hot deals posted on this forum to start building my tool set.

After spending almost $3000, I think I have a basic tool set to do most of the maintenance work on my cars. Bought 5 different torque wrenches in different sizes(some used snap on/matco from ebay and new proto(recent zoro sale), gearwrench 120xp ratchets in flex and standard(trident), armstrong maxx flex ratchets(advance auto coupons), 255 piece craftsman tool box and a 40" Craftsman premium heavy duty top tool box. I need to unpack all the shipments and organize them in the tool box. Will upload some pictures later..

I also bought a craftsman electrical(corded) 1/2" impact wrench on Friday. I initially wanted to get the cordless C3 impact wrench, but after reading reviews, decided to go with the corded model. I have been watching some videos on youtube about impact wrenches and came across the IR W7150. Naturally I did a search for W7150 on this forum and came across Milwaukee M18 fuel impact wrenches and started reading about both. I decided to return the craftsman impact wrench and get the IR or Milwaukee (both 1/2 and 3/8). I know this question has been asked a lot of times, but which one do you guys recommend? They cost about the same, but the M18 has the 5 year waranty and I like the idea of brush less motors. I guess for a diy guy like me either one would be plenty, but what do you experts recommend?

Sorry for the long post and thanks in advance for your replies.

That's a lot of torque wrenches man. When I say "a lot" I mean excessive and I don't think you bought a beam. You'll have to explain that one.

Otherwise...when starting out try to be as careful as you can with the stuff that's going to be hard to warranty/replace. Also, you probably don't need two sizes of impact wrench just get a 5 dollar reducer 1/2" to 3/8" (meaning get a 1/2" impact wrench and a impact grade reducer) the housing themselves is probably going to be around the same size so there's not going to be much if any advantage to having dedicated drive impact wrenches. First time I've heard that one.

 

[Running Fat Man]

Thanks all. 335i is long gone left me stranded on the high way couple times(hpfp). Sorry for the confusion guys.. I now have a E46 M3 for weekend and a e90 328i for daily. My wife drives a civic. So, I have 3 cars to maintain. A little investment in tools now will pay off over the long run and I guess it gives me a reason to run around and buy more tools

'Running fat man', thanks for the list. Torque wrench's has cost me 1/3rd of the budget. I bought the truck brand torque wrench's thinking that if I don't use them, I can at least sell them easily on ebay. I did buy magnetic handle, magnetic tray, nut drivers, some basic pliers(all from craftsman) and gear wrench 3/8 and 1/2" breaker bar. I also bought 2 ton arcan jack, rhino ramps and 2 pairs of craftsman professional 4ton stands. I will look in to the other stuff you mentioned. Got to love the holiday season sale

I will place an order for the m18 3/8 tool(no battery) and 1/2" with 2 batteries. I will also order some SK impact sockets in 3/8 and 1/2 sizes..

Honestly,

You can make do with the Harbor Freight torque wrenches for $30 collectively (1/4, 3/8, and 1/2) $9.99 with the regular coupon. If I were you, I would return all the fancy torque wrenches and go with HF ones. They are more than serviceable. If you just HAVE to have a name brand torque wrench, keep a 1/2 dr one with a 20-250 ft/lb range and get a Harbor Freight 1/4 in dr one to supplement it.

As somebody else said, its good that you are getting quality tools, but take your foot off the gas for a little bit to assess what it is that you need, what it is that you end up using most, and what direction you will need to go for future tool purposes. The wealth of knowledge that this board has is there for your use, so use the tools you have now to gain some experience and then let that experience guide your future purchases.

 

[firebox40dash5]

Thank you. Can I use the 4 amp battery from the m18 1/2 on the m18 3/8th? Does the 3/8th has a 3 amp battery?

You can use all the XC (fat) batteries on anything. You may or may not be able to use slims on some tools, I don't own any. I know Makita had their "heavy" tools keyed to prevent their slim packs from fitting... you could trim the key easy enough, but performance would suffer, and the amp draw could kill packs faster.

Every Fuel kit I know of comes with 4.0ah batteries, or 2.0ah slim packs. I have the 3/8" and it could be a decent stand-in for a 3/8" air gun if you're used to doing everything by hand. I haven't tried the 1/2" bigun' to say how it does, but it sounds interesting. I have air though, so I haven't gotten to the point of wanting to part with my money for it yet. I wouldn't waste my money on both sizes unless you mean the 2763 "high torque" 1/2" gun, otherwise do what the guy above suggested... I slip a 3/8-1/2 adapter on mine when I need to use 1/2" sockets, it's only about half an inch longer that way.

And yeah, what's with the torque wrench collection? I work in a shop, and we have 3 torque wrenches: 1/2" in clicker and digital (just for stuff measured in degrees) and a 3/8" clicker. You could get away with a 1/2" digitial, 3/8" clicker, and a little 1/4" screwdriver type and be able to do just about anything.

Double edit: The $75 and $85 Husky torque wrenches at HD are USA-made by Danaher/Apex/whatever name they're using today, and are the same as their Gearwrench and Matco equivalents... from the mouth of my Matco guy, who usually plays semantics to claim Matco's version is better.

 

[Mike662]

Welcome to the forum. $3k does sound like a big initial investment, but if I add up the cost of the tools I've acquired over the years, I'm sure it's well north of that. I admire your desire to jump into auto repair, having never worked on cars before.

Just to add to what others have said....buying both a 3/8 and a 1/2 cordless impact seems like a bit of overkill for someone just starting out in DIY. I am also a DIY guy, and I get by just fine with just a 1/2. The 3/8 would probably speed up a lot of jobs (again, key if you are a pro) but I haven't seen the need yet. Plus I have a air ratchet that I can use to spin smaller fasteners off in a hurry.

5 torque wrenches does sound like a lot, but of course that's your call. If you find you don't need all of them, you can always resell them on ebay or here. FWIW, I have the 3/8 and 1/2 Husky's from HD that Firebox mentioned, and they work great for me. Even warrantied the 1/2 when the ratchet started slipping after years of use, and got a new one no questions asked.

Regarding the truck brands, be careful about warranty. SnapOn recently changed their policy (search on here, there was plenty of discussion), so that if you don't have a receipt, you may not be able to get a tool warrantied via the company. So, if you also don't have a relationship with a truck, you may be out of luck. Having said that, I have some SO stuff, and the quality is unbeatable. Just carefully consider your options.

The only other piece of advice I would give someone just starting out doing their own work is this....you are going to need to develop a "feel" for working on stuff. By that I mean, how hard can I turn/pry/twist on this part before I damage it or snap off the bolt. When I was just learning, I broke a few bolts off that I probably could have gotten out without damage if I used a better technique (penetrating oil, heat, more patience, a smaller pipe on the breaker bar....you get the idea).

Anyway, welcome to the forum and happy holidays.

 

[white_335i]

That's a lot of torque wrenches man. When I say "a lot" I mean excessive and I don't think you bought a beam. You'll have to explain that one.

Otherwise...when starting out try to be as careful as you can with the stuff that's going to be hard to warranty/replace. Also, you probably don't need two sizes of impact wrench just get a 5 dollar reducer 1/2" to 3/8" (meaning get a 1/2" impact wrench and a impact grade reducer) the housing themselves is probably going to be around the same size so there's not going to be much if any advantage to having dedicated drive impact wrenches. First time I've heard that one.

I have a 3/8 beam from Craftsman that I bought 2 years ago to work on a motorcycle. I sold the motorcycle and never had to use the beam.

I originally thought of buying just the 1/2 impact, but if I am getting the K2/22(2 batteries), the bare 3/8 impact is not going to be much and just have a dedicated tool and if I don't use it, I can always sell it on ebay..

 

[white_335i]

And yeah, what's with the torque wrench collection? I work in a shop, and we have 3 torque wrenches: 1/2" in clicker and digital (just for stuff measured in degrees) and a 3/8" clicker. You could get away with a 1/2" digitial, 3/8" clicker, and a little 1/4" screwdriver type and be able to do just about anything.

Double edit: The $75 and $85 Husky torque wrenches at HD are USA-made by Danaher/Apex/whatever name they're using today, and are the same as their Gearwrench and Matco equivalents... from the mouth of my Matco guy, who usually plays semantics to claim Matco's version is better.

I initially bought 2 of the craftsman digiclick torque wrenches and then after finding this forum and reading several issues about their clciker style torque wrenches, I decided to return those and get something more reliable.

I tried to install hard travel bags on my motorcycle last year and stripped the bolts using a 12 mm wrench . I want to be careful this time around and thought of buying a decent torque wrench. I know I can still strip bolts with a torque wrench .

I need 3 different size torque wrench for my M3, some thing to read 88 in/lb(~ 8 ft/lb?), 18 ft/lb and a 1/2 for wheels/suspension. Started shopping on ebay, found a used precision instrument 3/8 micrometer(40 - 200 in/lb), a new snap on 3/8(5 - 75 ft/lb). Bought those and took them to a shop that I get my motorcycle work done and the guy tested these against his recently calibrated snap on's. The PI was out of calibration by a decent margin and the snap on was good. Instead of paying 45 to get the PI calibrated, decided to get a new one and thought about getting the gear wrench clicker. When I saw the zoro 30 % sale, I ordered the Proto 1/4 50-250 in/lb and the 1/2 50-250 ft/lb. The new proto's came with calibration certificates, but I will still take them to the shop for a quick check.. Yesterday, I was on ebay looking for something else and came across 2 auctions that were ending in 15 min.. Matco 3/8 (50-250 in/lb) and Snapon digital atech 3/8 (5-100ft/lb). I got the matco for 58 and I paid a decent chunk for the snapon(225). I will play around with these and see what I like and sell the others. I will bring the count down to 3.. I know I will loose some money, but at least I know I tried them all and kept what I like

I will be done with my tool shopping after I place an order for the impact wrench and some impact sockets. Waiting to see if there are going to be any after Christmas sale. I know I went overboard(my initial budget was less than 1000), but I guess I have a 'decent' tool set explore the diy arena. Will have to wait and see on how much I will like my new found hobby..

Thank you all for the suggestions. I really appreciate them.

 

[Running Fat Man]

I will be done with my tool shopping after I place an order for the impact wrench and some impact sockets.

Thank you all for the suggestions. I really appreciate them.

One suggestion: Sunex 2669:

http://www.tooltopia.com/sunex-tools-2669.aspx

I think the Sunex 2669 is the best deal going for impact sockets for a DIY-er. The 2669 is the metric set and has 39 pieces in both long and shallow sockets (9mm - 30mm) and if you take advantage of the Tooltopia deal, you get the extensions as well. $125 + shipping, unbeatable and covers all your impact needs.

 

[BK13]

and then after finding this forum

Yeah, this place is pretty good for initiating a tool buying binge...

 

[928'er]

Never worked on cars before and have no knowledge about tools other than screwdrivers.

My first recommendation would be to sign up for a basic auto shop course at your local JC before you spend any more money. You'll learn a lot and get to use their facilities which will have things you don't - such as a lift.

Second recommendation would be to pick up the factory shop manual for each vehicle you're going to be working on. One of the first things I did when I got my first 928 was buy the 9(!) volume workshop manual. It cost about $400 at the time, but paid for itself the first time I used it.

When I first started wrenching on worn out rusty English sports cars I stripped a lot of fasteners and broke a lot of things. Eventually you will develop a "mechanical sympathy" for how much torque is enough and how much is too much. Haven't broken or stripped anything in years.

By the way, welcome to GJ

 

[white_335i]

One suggestion: Sunex 2669:

http://www.tooltopia.com/sunex-tools-2669.aspx

I think the Sunex 2669 is the best deal going for impact sockets for a DIY-er. The 2669 is the metric set and has 39 pieces in both long and shallow sockets (9mm - 30mm) and if you take advantage of the Tooltopia deal, you get the extensions as well. $125 + shipping, unbeatable and covers all your impact needs.

Thanks, I added them in my shopping cart yesterday. I am also looking at the gearwrench impacts in 3/8 and 1/2 metric? I think the max size in the gearwrench kits is 24mm. Is there a significant difference in quality?

 

[white_335i]

My first recommendation would be to sign up for a basic auto shop course at your local JC before you spend any more money. You'll learn a lot and get to use their facilities which will have things you don't - such as a lift.

Second recommendation would be to pick up the factory shop manual for each vehicle you're going to be working on. One of the first things I did when I got my first 928 was buy the 9(!) volume workshop manual. It cost about $400 at the time, but paid for itself the first time I used it.

When I first started wrenching on worn out rusty English sports cars I stripped a lot of fasteners and broke a lot of things. Eventually you will develop a "mechanical sympathy" for how much torque is enough and how much is too much. Haven't broken or stripped anything in years.

By the way, welcome to GJ

Thanks for the advice. What is JC? please ignore my if that is a stupid question. I have the bentley manuals for both the cars.

I think I have gathered a lot of information over the last few weeks. I need to put them in to action. Heading to the BMW dealer tomorrow to get some parts..

 

[928'er]

Junior College - they usually have night courses.

 

[jmm]

I tried to install hard travel bags on my motorcycle last year and stripped the bolts using a 12 mm wrench . I want to be careful this time around and thought of buying a decent torque wrench. I know I can still strip bolts with a torque wrench .

You can't buy a tool for everything. A lot of knowing how to wrench is innate, or based on a 'feel'. Case in point: stripping a bolt that holds a saddle bag. Wrench a while and you'll be able to feel out decent ball park torque loads.

Another tip: when you're not working on the clock, and your work is a thing you can take your time with and enjoy, you don't necessarily need the tools the pros use. You can do tons with very little. As that ability to improvise grows, so will your ability as a mechanic. Don't take this as me trying to turn you against top tier tools, I'm definitely not! Take it a job at a time; don't buy for every job you could ever imagine doing.

You did good returning that Craftsman. I don't have the M18 Fuel, but I'm damned envious of my buddy at work that does. Seriously!

 

[skruft]

I have a couple of cordless impact wrenches that are fine but, to be honest, I don't use them that much for auto repair. A mechanic I know who uses them constantly repairs small boats, so he has more small fasteners that are a little stuck.

As to torque wrenches, I do use those quite a bit and prefer the clickers so that I don't have to watch a meter. But I use the meters too. I think two, one in inch pounds and a heavy duty one, ought to work. For the inch pounds, if you will need to torque anything that is a very low number, be sure the wrench will read the low numbers.

 

[vga]

Lots of good advice has been given by the OP. I will only add that you already have a great start on tools. I would slow down on buying more tools and now buy special tools as req'd for the jobs. Enjoy the DYI as this can be alot of fun and save money at the same time on repairs.

 

[mrborohachi]

you sound like a really meticulous guy. Check out Faxon Auto literature: www.faxonautoliterature.com/‎ they are a source for used "FACTORY" service manuals from cars, bikes, to NASA.

BTW I applaud you for wanting to torque things to the right torque, how much longer does it take tire shop guys to get out a clicker torque wrench to do wheels right? Even in NASCAR pit stop competitions the judges check that lug nuts are up to correct torque with a clicker torque wrench. Teams get deducted points for any that aren't up to torque

 

[white_335i]

You can't buy a tool for everything. A lot of knowing how to wrench is innate, or based on a 'feel'. Case in point: stripping a bolt that holds a saddle bag. Wrench a while and you'll be able to feel out decent ball park torque loads.

Another tip: when you're not working on the clock, and your work is a thing you can take your time with and enjoy, you don't necessarily need the tools the pros use. You can do tons with very little. As that ability to improvise grows, so will your ability as a mechanic. Don't take this as me trying to turn you against top tier tools, I'm definitely not! Take it a job at a time; don't buy for every job you could ever imagine doing.

You did good returning that Craftsman. I don't have the M18 Fuel, but I'm damned envious of my buddy at work that does. Seriously!

Thanks for the advice. Definitely will take it small. I don' want to bite more than I can chew. Will start with fluid changes and then attempt belts/pulleys. I think that I will boost my confidence to proceed further when I get there

I work from home. I don't mind both cars sitting on jack stands for few days. I think that is a huge plus for me to not rush in to anything..

 

[white_335i]

Junior College - they usually have night courses.

Thanks. Will look in to that..

 

[white_335i]

For the inch pounds, if you will need to torque anything that is a very low number, be sure the wrench will read the low numbers.

Thanks. for this reason. I bought 40-200/50-250 in/pounds torque wrenches in 1/4 and 3/8th. My plan is to use the wrench between 20 and 80% of their scale.

 

[white_335i]

Lots of good advice has been given by the OP. I will only add that you already have a great start on tools. I would slow down on buying more tools and now buy special tools as req'd for the jobs. Enjoy the DYI as this can be alot of fun and save money at the same time on repairs.

I think I have all the basic tools that will keep me going for some time. I had to order couple special tools for the M3, fan clutch/water pump pulley holder.. My last order this week will be for impact wrenches and some impact sockets.

 

[white_335i]

BTW, I just walked in to sears to return the corded impact wrench and I found a 12 pc metric 6 point 1/2 easy to read deep sockets for 44.99. grabbed the last USA made in the store and used my points to get it.

 

[Running Fat Man]

Thanks, I added them in my shopping cart yesterday. I am also looking at the gearwrench impacts in 3/8 and 1/2 metric? I think the max size in the gearwrench kits is 24mm. Is there a significant difference in quality?

I have no experience with the Gearwrench impacts, but Im comfortable saying that Sunex are probably better or no worse than equivalent to the GW in impacts. I believe both are china made, but Sunex is really, really high quality for the uses you are going to be using it for. I wouldnt even hesitate - Sunex all the way - especially with the tooltopia deal with the extensions.

 

[Running Fat Man]

BTW, I just walked in to sears to return the corded impact wrench and I found a 12 pc metric 6 point 1/2 easy to read deep sockets for 44.99. grabbed the last USA made in the store and used my points to get it.

When it comes to Sears, make sure to sign up for their Shop My Way Rewards (SMWR) so you can maximize the value on your purchases. Also, learn to use the website as many times items are cheaper on line and you can use coupon codes to further get value. You can buy on the website and use the store pickup option for convenience.

There are members here who are experts at judicial use of the SMWR rewards to get mucho good deals.

 

[928'er]

A '59 Triumph TR3 taught me auto mechanics when I was a starving student in the early '70's.

I had zero mechanical background and was ignorant as a tree about mechanical systems. For example, the clutch went out and I was preparing to pull the transmission to replace the physical clutch. A friendly counter guy asked if I was sure that it really needed a clutch and offered some diagnostic help. Turns out all I needed was a new slave cylinder - I knew nothing about hydraulic systems.

I drove that car for 7 years - eventually rebuilding the engine and everything else - replacing the ring gear, building one transmission out of two, doing body work and painting the car. I took every auto shop class I could get.

The TR3 got me through college and the first year of law school before I sold it. Bought it for $400 (probably had 300k miles on it when I got it) and sold it for $5,000.

Moved on to a series of Rover 2000TC's, a couple of Rover 3500S's, Alfa Spyders, BMW 2800CS, etc.

I bought my '82 Porsche 928 in '94 and have done all my own work. The only times the car has been in the shop has been for alignments and body work (got rear-ended big time!). I will have owned that car for 20 years in May. I've only had my '89 928 for about 2 1/2 years, but again doing all my own work.

So, it's do-able, just take your time, learn all you can, and gratefully accept when someone offers a helping hand.

 

[turdferguson13]

BTW, I just walked in to sears to return the corded impact wrench and I found a 12 pc metric 6 point 1/2 easy to read deep sockets for 44.99. grabbed the last USA made in the store and used my points to get it.

You'll like those sockets. I've given my set heavy use for 2 and a half years with no issues.

 

[scarney1988]

My advice on the impact is shop a system that you like and not the specs of one tool. If the Milwaukee 18v line has all the tools you want/need and you can afford it than go for it. Almost all cordless tool brands are present in my shop (ryobi, Milwaukee, makita, snap on, dewalt, etc...) and each person swears by their "brand". Also, it may not hurt to look at the cost of replacement batteries for and compare.

I use Sunex impact sockets professionally and have no complaints. I like their flip sockets as well. I use the flip socket on the daily and others as work demands.

Your torque wrenches will serve you well. Treat them well and you should get many years of service. Some may deem them unnecessary, but if you are committed to using them than I certainly wont discourage you.

At this point, you need to start with some basic maintenance on your vehicles and get started learning. The books from this man have helped me many times. I saved all of his books from when I was at Community college and they have served me well for quite a while. I think oil changes, drive belts, filters, batteries, fluid changes, light bulbs, and things like that are a good start. Otherwise, learn what/why/how of all the major systems before you start doing brakes and more mission critical repairs.

Above all, remember you can't know/have it all, but you can try .

 

[white_335i]

When it comes to Sears, make sure to sign up for their Shop My Way Rewards (SMWR) so you can maximize the value on your purchases. Also, learn to use the website as many times items are cheaper on line and you can use coupon codes to further get value. You can buy on the website and use the store pickup option for convenience.

There are members here who are experts at judicial use of the SMWR rewards to get mucho good deals.

I've been using the SYWR. I atually 'mis-used' the coupons couple times I actually used the points to get the impact sockets today. Also if you buy online, Discover card has the 10% cash back..