New general service tech

[Jweebothee]

Ok, so I have a new job as a lube/general service tech at Midas, I have a lot of **** *** tools, that I want to replace when the tool trucks come and I have some extra $, having never set foot on a tool truck, I ask of you, what is the proper etiquette for a tool truck virgin? I want to look and see what I want and make a wish list, but don't want to waste the dudes time also, any advice is appreciated,

 

[FigureItOut]

The kind of guy that'll ask this question just isn't the kind of guy that's going to make a bad etiquette error. Just introduce yourself, tell him what you do, poke around and buy something under $50 that looks cool, if there is anything. The rest of these guys will guide you further.

Sent from my XT1575 using Tapatalk

 

[Banshee365]

The proper etiquette is to bend over and take it without asking questions. LOL

You'll spend a fortune buying all of your general use tools off the truck. If it were me I would go another route for the sockets and extensions at least. Nice ratchets are important so do your own research and buy those separate if you want. Tool truck companies certainly have their place with some things but unless you're ready to really commit to a long term credit program you can do the same job with countless other brands of quality tools.

I don't work professional as a mechanic in a shop environment but work with my tools nearly every day at home. I've got all USA Craftsman sockets and extensions and mainly use a Gearwrench 120XP long handle flex 3/8" ratchet. It's an amazing ratchet for the money and I have never broken a socket. If I needed to replace my sockets and extensions or really any tool in my box I would be filling a cart up at HJE with SK tools. I've started buying a few SK tools and am extremely happy with them. My old Craftsman sockets are doing everything I need them to do but if I had to replace them SK get's my business.

It may be best to balance purchases off the truck and elsewhere in your position. Take advantage of money or weekly specials as your tool guys offer them. There are some pretty good deals to be had doing that.

 

[gonmad54]

Be prepared to give up your first born child If you are set on spending your money on a tool truck the driver will have no problem working with you and show you what he has on the truck (at least in my experience). Just be careful. It is very easy to walk off the truck with a bunch of stuff you don't really need.

 

[ihateminimumwage]

What trucks stop by the shop? Don't get too far into impulse buying, but see what your coworkers are using that makes work faster and easier.

 

[Ironhorse74]

Look at what they have. Figure out what you need. Then go on ebay and see what it goes for there. Check the pawn shops. Think of the tool trucks as predatory lenders because that is exactly what they are.

 

[Jweebothee]

Thanks all, im too broke to even consider dropping a lot at one time hahaha, mostly what I want to upgrade will be ratchets (def want snap on) after trying out a coworkers, and chrome sockets, pretty much decided I want gear wrench ratcheting wrenches after trying out my bosses set. As for pawn shops......well, around here, they **** lol,

 

[gdocktor3]

My recommendation is to buy Snap On dual 80 ratchets from truck or eBay and new SK or new old stock Proto sockets, again from eBay. Gearwrench ratchet wrenches are good, but I would recommend buying a double box version because their open ends aren't that great. Get a good set of regular combination wrenches for the open end aspect.

 

[ihateminimumwage]

Thanks all, im too broke to even consider dropping a lot at one time hahaha, mostly what I want to upgrade will be ratchets (def want snap on) after trying out a coworkers, and chrome sockets, pretty much decided I want gear wrench ratcheting wrenches after trying out my bosses set. As for pawn shops......well, around here, they **** lol,

Definitely have a look on eBay when you put some funds away. I've found some lightly used (but just dirty) Snap-on ratchets for under half what the truck wants, and if it turns out you don't like a certain type, it's easy to resell on there and not lose anything.

Recently picked up a 3/8" Locking flex comfort grip and 1/4" quick release flex comfort grip for $120 shipped for the pair. Cleaned them with some purple power and they're as good as new. I bought them planning to sell the 1/4" QR to offset the overall cost, but it's become my new favorite ratchet, so there is that danger...

If you're looking at Snap-on for chrome sockets, save a fortune and buy Williams USA made by Snap-on. My 1/4" set came with a Snap-on socket accidentally on the rail. Same sockets (said to have a little less polish, but I'm not getting into that discussion) at a fraction of the cost.

If you're open to other brands, there are tons of options discussed around here (SK, Wright, Proto, Armstrong, Williams, etc). Lots of folks here are big on the "Industrial Brands" because you can pick up a lot of the same tools sold on the trucks for pennies on the dollar. And it's good to know the OEM of a lot of tools.

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=249851

 

[sonic.apex]

Tool trucks aside, have you considered second hand 'new' tools? Better than what you have now, maybe used etc but they'll surely be better than "**** *** tools"

 

[bobcatdan]

Big thing is to get the feeling for what kind of guy the driver is. Is he a guy you would almost want as a friend or is he a total ****. Remember when it comes to buying on a tool truck, it's the personal service that adds to the price of the tools. Having a reliable driver who can take care of any problems is what sets them apart then buying from the Internet. Make your current tools work for now. Start by buying what you find you need that you don't have. Once those bases are covered, then you can upgrade the current tools that you find really *****. Remember nice tool sets aren't made over night. Don't go crazy on the truck account and make the agreed timely payments.

 

[sberry]

Stay off that truck. You are already broke. Too many ways to buy tools today, too many things work about as well at a fraction of the cost and an oil drain plug doesn't care what wrench you use. I have a dbe cman I like to use, 3$ or less at a flea and the Chinese make one about as good yo can buy new for about the same price.

 

[d.mcfarland]

I say buy the basics that you want and will enjoy using all while making you more efficient.

You have to think what your boss expects of you and do what you can to get there quickly. The tools will help, but in the end the user is the biggest variable to the equation.

 

[bcradio]

Thanks all, im too broke to even consider dropping a lot at one time hahaha, mostly what I want to upgrade will be ratchets (def want snap on) after trying out a coworkers, and chrome sockets, pretty much decided I want gear wrench ratcheting wrenches after trying out my bosses set. As for pawn shops......well, around here, they **** lol,

Not sure why you want Snap-On chrome sockets... not much advantage there

I can see the ratchets though.

Also, yes the pawn shops around here are terrible.

 

[Heavy Metal Doctor]

As others have said, the fact that you are asking is a sign you'll be fine no matter what. There's not set rules for how you deal with the tool man. Get a feel for what kinda guy he is. Talk to other techs and see what his reputation is. Don't be greedy and understand they generally have a set amount you will pay per week (usually 1/10 of balance owed). Don't expect to walk off the truck with a 1000 dollar tab the first time you see the guy. I'd pay up front for a few things till he gets to know ya, then maybe you see some larger item you want to run a tab on after you've established that you will be around / make your payment every week.

As for what to buy: I'm just gonna give you the same advice my mentor gave me 20 years ago when I was a newbie in the shop:

1st priority is to buy what you NEED first to get the work done.
Buy quality, regardless of brand / source, cheap tools can often let you down, sometime they can even hurt you in the process.

 

[Schurkey]

Walk onto the truck, tell him you're a newbie, look around at the selection, then ASK FOR A CATALOG AND A PRICE LIST.

The guy may tell you to just look on-line. Me, I want a paper catalog and price list.

Point being, you've now had your first interaction on the truck, you've seen some eye-candy, you've asked the dealer for something, and you've seen how he treats you. NOW you're prepared to do some research on tools and pricing. Don't feel you need to buy anything until the next time he shows up--and if you're treated poorly, or you don't feel like buying from the tool truck, you won't have to step on the truck until you change your mind.

 

[rcupp]

If I was to get on a tool truck the first thing I would ask is to see the used tool bucket...
Usually they are all paid for so he will wheel and deal them to get rid of them.

Ebay is your friend, you find what you want on the truck and pick it on Ebay for a lot less, no payments, no debt!

 

[Mastermind]

That weekly payment wears you down. As others have said, there's a lot of tools out there. If I was a newbie now, gearwrench would be the name on a lot of chrome in my box. I like their sockets, love the Taiwan wrenches, and the bogo deals are sweet. Check out the truck tools equivalent thread, will save you a whole lot of money.think of what you are gonna ask of a tool, like I wanna rip stuff apart with my pliers, I use snap on. Dainty little hold or pinch stuff? Anything will work. Also check out the hf pass/fail thread, not everything there is junk. And some of that cheap junk will get ya by for a couple months till you can buy something better or find a deal or a used one comes in etc. Whatever you spend your money on, take care of it. Clean, organized, right where it should be.

 

[theoldwizard1]

Do not go into debt buying name brand tools !

 

[Phantom552]

When I started, I had a mix of what was available around town... Craftsman, Kobalt, Husky, HF, etc.

By now, it's all been used pretty hard, the ratchets were replaced with snap-on within a few months, but everything else held up reasonably well. I usually bought off the tool truck because I wanted to splurge on something nicer to replace something i used a lot at the time. It was almost never because I actually had to replace a tool due to failure.

Start off with whatever you can get that does the job and fits your budget. Harbor Freight will probably fit the bill for the first year or more. As a GS you'll mostly be using 10-17mm sockets for oil changes, batteries, and the like. you'll probably need a small set of torx and hex sockets too (German cars use them for oil drain plugs occasionally) and ford loves using torx on belly pans... Torx also shows up as air box screws occasionally as well. For sockets, any decent set of metric 3/8 should cover that size range. Home Depot (Husky) has a small set of 3/8 and 1/4 bit sockets that will keep you covered. Ratchets, whatever you happen to have will work fine for awhile. If you feel like splurging, add a long handled 3/8 flex head from your tool truck of choice for some extra versatility.

 

[Schurkey]

If you feel like splurging, add a long handled 3/8 flex head from your tool truck of choice for some extra versatility.

Long-handled Snap-On 3/8 ratchet was one of the best tools I ever bought. I had the dealer install a pushbutton socket release repair kit into it. It was my favorite ratchet for twenty five years...until I bought the Snap-On long-handle Roto-ratchet.

 

[heytrid]

buy a good/accurate torque wrench, ask the truck about trade ins, you do not need the fancy digital one to start, this will be your #1 key tool for being a professional and starting a career. Look after it and it will last you a lifetime, name brand wrenches do hold value pretty decent (if you buy a used one for $200 and keep it nice you can normally sell it for $200)

Sockets - stated above, anything that is not going to fall apart will work for you
hex keys - Bondhus (they make snap ons set that sells for 2x)
Hammers - one that the head wont fly off is the only thing you need to worry about
Screwdrivers - buy a good set (wera, snap on, mac, etc, etc) as rounding out a phillips will screw you over quick
pliers - channel lock are good and pretty inexpensive, move up in quality (if you want) as you wear them out.
Wrenches - gearwrench ratchet wrenches put up with a pile of abuse haha
Ratchets - Gearwrench are fine for you to start, as you have money or they start to get noisey upgrade into what you want (snap on for me) this way you will see what you will use the most and will get the most use out of, that being said once you get 1 good ratchett it is not long until you replace all of them.

As someone starting out my only advice I can give is be thorough and pay attention to detail, these are the key parts that make a good tech. write clear and concise notes as sometime you will have to go back months on a job that might have come back and are blaming you... basically protect your own *** is priority #1 .

 

[Phantom552]

Long-handled Snap-On 3/8 ratchet was one of the best tools I ever bought. I had the dealer install a pushbutton socket release repair kit into it. It was my favorite ratchet for twenty five years...until I bought the Snap-On long-handle Roto-ratchet.

Haha yeah, that was the first tool I ever bought off the tool truck... One snappy long-handle 3/8. Used it for every job for a long time after that. Never tried a roto ratchet, but I have been eyeing up a new Snap-On SX80B lately...

 

[MattVette89]

Thanks all, im too broke to even consider dropping a lot at one time hahaha, mostly what I want to upgrade will be ratchets (def want snap on) after trying out a coworkers, and chrome sockets, pretty much decided I want gear wrench ratcheting wrenches after trying out my bosses set. As for pawn shops......well, around here, they **** lol,

If you're broke, the truck is a terrible idea.

There is nothing wrong with wanting to upgrade your tools. But be smart about it. Ebay, Craiglist, GJ classifieds have some good deals.

Example - A Snap on F80 ratchet is $105 MSRP on the truck. Some dealers won't budge off of price. Avoid those guys. Some dealers will work with you and give you a cash discount, take care of tax, etc. But that's still $100. The other day on ebay a guy posted a brand new F80 for $46 shipped. Used ones in excellent condition are in that price range all the time. Now consider that price break/difference across all the tools you wish to purchase.

I'm not saying the truck is bad. I love truck tools. But everything I buy off the truck is on promo or sale.

So for a person who is self admittedly "broke" you won't do yourself any favors buy buying shiny new tools off the truck for list price and potentially going into debt to do so.

Good luck.

 

[Mastermind]

Yes, your pen is your most used tool. Cya- cover your ****. If it's the kinda shop that has you torque lugs/drain plugs, write it down. "Drain plug- 20 ft lbs" etc. Write it after you do it, like when you go to put the wrench away, look at the setting before loosening the spring, put it in its drawer, write it down. Systems and patterns keep you consistent and make you faster. Figure out your pattern, like this- pull drain plug, check tire pressures, pull filter, inspect suspension, install drain plug, install filter. Figure out your fastest repeatable way of doing what you need to do. From keys up to keys down.

 

[chris142]

Ask for the months flyer.maybe what you need will be on sale

 

[Skin]

If you're one of the rare people on here who isn't a snob about your tools and has good self control then stay off the trucks entirely. You're the low man on the pile at a Midas, probably pulling in less than 40k before taxes, dental, insurance, obamacare etc.., there is no sense in spending thousands just to get basic combos, ratchets, and sockets. Get yourself a couple Gearwrench master sets. The ratchets and sockets are excellent for the money and will serve you very well. If you MUST have USA then look into similar sets from SK. The GW XP ratcheting wrenches are excellent also, including the extra long flex. Look at astro pneumatic for air tools/specialty tools, companies like Tekton for pliers and screwdrivers, Sunex for bit sockets/impact sockets etc..

 

[chrisnazzy]

I regularly do business with Snap-On, Mac and once in awhile Matco. I'm not sure if it is like this everywhere but every dealer I've dealt with will usually allow most guys to have a "truck" account of $200-$300 or more. I've always used this option because it allows me to spend a little here and there, budget, capitalize on the flyer deals when they come up and I never have to pay any interest. I generally pay between $25 and $50 a week when I'm running a balance.

I'm not a lube tech but we have 4 at any one time in my shop and I obviously get to see their tool purchases and hear feedback. If you want to get started on Snap On I agree with others about waiting on the sockets and wrenches. I see so many guys go on the trucks and end up buying hundreds of dollars of tools before the even have the basics. With what I have listed below you would have badass ratchets, screwdrivers and pliers that you would use every day and once you paid him down a little you could add on as you find other tools you would like to have. Consider starting with:

1/4" drive T72 or TL72 or TF72 Ratchet

3/8" drive F80 or FL80 or FF80 Ratchet

(Sounds like you've gotten to try one of these. Not hard to see why they are considered one of the best. They will also happen to turn any brand socket!!)

SGDX80 8 pc. Instinct Screwdriver Set
- or -
SDDX70 7 pc. Hard Handle Screwdriver Set
(add "R" for Red, "O" for Orange, or "G" for Green for either set

196ANCF Needle Nose Pliers w/ Cutters

Of course any quality tools that you can get at a discount on Ebay or GJ classifieds is only a bonus. It is important to not get into a lot of debt but I am definitely of the opinion that there isn't really any harm in allowing yourself to have a couple hundred $$ budget to start investing in lifetime USA tools. Also +1 for SK sockets and Gearwrench ratcheting wrenches. Good luck, have fun and make that tool wishlist at home with catalogs, GJ and internet at hand.

 

[Finky198]

I'm also in the camp of getting yourself a good 3/8" (FL80, FF80) ratchet and be done for now and pay for it in full with cash...

Its a good way to get to know the tool guy and get a catalog.

Don't go into debt with the truck its NOT WORTH IT... buy what you can afford, when you can afford it... until then learn the in's and out's of your job, and when you get a raise or promotion buy more tools....

start a tool jar and put some money away each week it will add up quickly....

 

[MississippiWrenchTurner]

I defiantly suggest like others to get on the truck and talk to the dealer and to get a feel for the guy before you spend money on the truck. I love snap on ratchets and recommend them. I think the tool truck tools are great and are defiantly an investment a tech should make over time. However there are many quality alternatives to tool truck brands. If you'll get on Amazon you can find many deals.

For good socket sets you should try some of the SK or Grey Pneumatic sets I have some of both and they work great!

Check Amazon for:
Most of my wrenches in my box are either SK or gear wrench.

If you are looking for great pliers look up Knipex they have great sets for reasonable prices.

Check local home improvement stores for:

I have also found that some Kobalt ratchets are very good for the money they make one long break-neck 3/8 ratchet that is amazing.

I also recommend husky screw drivers from homedepot they have one set that covers all of the basics as well as long Phillips and flat heads. It also includes some stubby' so, precision, and Torx.

Another husky recommendation is there assorted torx and hex head socket set its like $30 and does the job.

I think these suggestions will give you a great start and a good alternative into diving into tool truck debt without sacrificing good quality tools!

 

[sberry]

I bought a set of metric hex bits from Walmart one weekend for a job, the thought was I would replace them if needed. This is 15 yrs ago, use them on brake work. 13$.