Why are American's tool boxes so big?

[gsingh]

Its a techstream lite. Laptop based, need the mongoose cable and subscription from toyota. Subscription is 1000 a year for unlimited use, reflashes, etc. https://techinfo.toyota.com/techInf...h!-763014416?_pageLabel=ti_ts_lite&_nfpb=true

Thank you sir. I got 5 toyotas in the family and I have a program a ECU for a matrix. this will make for a good purchase.

 

[mopar01]

Is this another one of those threads where non mechanics tell mechanics what they should be using?

I'll say it again, most people have no idea exactly what it takes to fix anything that comes in the door. You think you do but you don't.

Oh and those dreamy German shop pictures....gimme a break. That's as real as a Victoria Secret catalog.

What? Would that ever happen on here? Guys who couldnt find their *** with both hands telling us we only need a small box because they saw a picture of a tech in a shop and thats how we should work. Or they guys that say we shoild buy our tools from anybody but the truck.

 

[GTA Matt]

Not sure why an f350 and a toyota next to eachother is offensive, but i find that hilarious. Maybe they will breed? The spawn could look like brundlefly.

It gets better, I have one with a Prius getting an evaporator core and a Roadrunner 440 6 pack car getting headers in the same pic together ...

Thank you sir. I got 5 toyotas in the family and I have a program a ECU for a matrix. this will make for a good purchase.

Its pretty slick how it operates, when you hook it up and identifies the vehicle, it will tell you if any reflashes are available, very easy to navigate.

 

[shockwave]

i generally have a bigger box for alot of specialty tools from all manufacturers and a few bolt/nut/washer/o-ring drawers for odds and ends

most people i know work 90% out of there toolcart and keep the big box for testers/and specialty tools etc

 

[bart1]

...It would be nice if more European mechanics chimed in though as I think we may be going off the illusion that they can do all their repairs out of 3 drawers of tools or a carry box. I find this hard to believe and would like to have a better understanding of how Automobile work is performed in Europe.

...

I'm a redneck who doesn't wrench for a living, but I do have a very good friend who is a German mechanic. He doesn't have a large box, but many small ones and they are not very organized to me. He seems to be able to find what he needs though. He's been running his own business for 20+ years, and doing well for himself, so I guess it must be working.

 

[Fretters]

but I'd like to say that if you look back in history America is 2-0. Enough said. Germany or Britain. I know it has nothing to do with tools but I think that there needs to be no stones un turned due to the heated conversation.

It'd be even better if you gave us a clue as to what the chuff you're referring to.

 

[redwrench60]

It gets better, I have one with a Prius getting an evaporator core and a Roadrunner 440 6 pack car getting headers in the same pic together ...

I have a Hybrid Saturn and a jacked up Diesel GMC brodozer side by side in the shop right now. Guess I can't work on any of Spoon's stuff either

 

[jb3]

Lol I'm just a ******* big tool box lover that has to many tools according to some of they guys on this thread, but I'd like to say that if you look back in history America is 2-0. Enough said. Germany or Britain. I know it has nothing to do with tools but I think that there needs to be no stones un turned due to the heated conversation. Also gta Matt I think that you are completely in the right telling d nozzle to f off.

Go america.

In that case we should admit that those pesky foriegners did burn our capitol that one time, but it was all good, we were redecorating anyway.

 

[Fretters]

Compensating for something America?

Yeah, weak allies.

Or possibly the fact you need N times more planes due to having an inability to hit a barn door from ten yards away with a barn door seeking missile, so the more you can throw at it the greater the chance of actually hitting it?

I love threads like this. It amazes me just how many people have such a **** or nonexistent sense of humour. The above paragraph was a joke btw, (well, mostly ), for those of you deficient in the joke detection department.

Seriously ladies, stop taking things so seriously. I've seen pubescent girls with more humour than some seem to display in this thread. The whole thread is based on nothing more than one persons opinion, (or it may just be an outright troll). If some are taking it as seriously as you appear to be, you're not making the 'large item to mask some other insecurity' issue seem any less likely. You're just playing right into the O.P's arms. To answer the toolbox question regarding over here, yes, our mechanics do in general seem to have smaller boxes, judging from all of the ones I've seen over the years. However, that doesn't mean that there aren't storage units, cupboards, store rooms etc. aplenty with occasionally used odds and sods in them.

I'll never figure out why people seem to have either a yearning to justify their choices else attack others who disagree as seems to be so prevalent on here. I believe someone put it quite succinctly earlier. Some of you really do need to be thicker skinned. If any of you need any pointers regarding how to ignore someone, I'm sure I'll be slagged off by some regarding this post, so I'll merrily demonstrate the technique to them.

 

[Farmall450]

Or possibly the fact you need N times more planes due to having an inability to hit a barn door from ten yards away with a barn door seeking missile, so the more you can throw at it the greater the chance of actually hitting it?

I wasn't aware we sent you any of our missiles to try out yet.

 

[Fretters]

I wasn't aware we sent you any of our missiles to try out yet.

Apparently you tried, but they they ended up in Europe instead.

 

[fireeqpsrv]

I agree with a lot of GJ member posts already. It could all depend on what kind of shop you are in as to what all you may need. I do not have a huge box in a shop. I am a mobile service provider so it all is in a service van. That being said, if I was to put the tools in the van into a box it would be a large box.

I am a fire engine mechanic. I deal with a lot of rural departments in the middle of no where some of which are hours away from my home. That is both standard and metric sockets, wrenches, nut drivers, allen, from the small size up to 2 1/2 in sockets. plus metrics up into the 30's wrenches to go along with that. wire tools, testers, mallets hammers, screw drivers. pullers, and a full array of pipe wrenches. My work does not allow me the liberty of not having a tool that is needed. I have to carry all the tools that i regularly use but also the odd stuff that on occasion I have to use such as a large set of battery terminal crimpers.

If you want a a good example a sterling chassis with a Mercedes engine with computer controlled pump with the rear body built at another factory shop. Metrics up to 36 on the motor, torx thoughout the cab, metrics allen on many of the accessories, standard allen and bolts on the pump, multiple types of electrical connections both foreign and domestic.

I believe as from previous posts everyone has a reason why the have the large box or why they do not. all reasons either way are correct. It is a matter of preference and need. I am sure that no one likes to have that much money ******* in tools and boxes, but if the job dictates that you need to have such the array of tool to complete the work then it is a matter of need to have. Yes there are people out there not just in the us but probably all over the work that have tools the show off or to think that they are better that other mechanics but that is the way of life. Nothing can be done about that. I do not slight them because those of us that actually need those tool love the great savings we get when we get to buy them off of craigslist or pawnshops.

 

[Cosmicowboy]

Or possibly the fact you need N times more planes due to having an inability to hit a barn door from ten yards away with a barn door seeking missile, so the more you can throw at it the greater the chance of actually hitting it?

I love threads like this. It amazes me just how many people have such a **** or nonexistent sense of humour. The above paragraph was a joke btw, (well, mostly ), for those of you deficient in the joke detection department.

Seriously ladies, stop taking things so seriously. I've seen pubescent girls with more humour than some seem to display in this thread. The whole thread is based on nothing more than one persons opinion, (or it may just be an outright troll). If some are taking it as seriously as you appear to be, you're not making the 'large item to mask some other insecurity' issue seem any less likely. You're just playing right into the O.P's arms. To answer the toolbox question regarding over here, yes, our mechanics do in general seem to have smaller boxes, judging from all of the ones I've seen over the years. However, that doesn't mean that there aren't storage units, cupboards, store rooms etc. aplenty with occasionally used odds and sods in them.

I'll never figure out why people seem to have either a yearning to justify their choices else attack others who disagree as seems to be so prevalent on here. I believe someone put it quite succinctly earlier. Some of you really do need to be thicker skinned. If any of you need any pointers regarding how to ignore someone, I'm sure I'll be slagged off by some regarding this post, so I'll merrily demonstrate the technique to them.

Good post. My post was in jest, just adding to this (goofy to begin with) thread that is going downhill.

 

[fozzy]

I bought a large box (Snap-On Classic 96 triple-bank) simply because I wanted it. Overkill for a shade tree mechanic...absolutely. Is it full? No quite. It will be if we keep having dealer sponsored buys like SK day, maybe a year or two. You can call it overcompensation, necessity, or whatever you want. For the pro's, it may be required, for others like me it may be a desire to have a US made box filled with US made tools. Why would someone buy a new car with a warranty made in (fill in the blank) when you could buy a 1988 Yugo for a fraction of the price when it still accomplishes the same job? My point is that sometimes, practicality takes a backseat to desire. I would be surprised if anyone on this forum hasn't been guilty of this at one time or another in their life.

 

[Fretters]

Good post. My post was in jest, just adding to this (goofy to begin with) thread that is going downhill.

Aye, I'd figured your post was a piss-take too, (that was a corking photo you chose too, might I add). I've been working on the same philosophy as yourself throughout this thread. This is a thread which just can't be taken seriously if there's an ounce of humour in attendance.

 

[spoon671]

Conceivably a mechanic could be versed in many models

Versed, yes. Well versed, not likely.

Unless his toolbox is super huge, in which case that mechanic knows how to do everything!

 

[Fretters]

Versed, yes. Well versed, not likely.

Unless his toolbox is super huge, in which case that mechanic knows how to do everything!

As the saying goes: "It's not the size of the wand but the magic of the magician....". The original context of that saying seems awfully fitting too, considering the post it's in response to.

I'd say your wind-up has run its course matey. You're just grasping at straws now.

 

[spoon671]

I have a Hybrid Saturn and a jacked up Diesel GMC brodozer side by side in the shop right now. Guess I can't work on any of Spoon's stuff either

Just because you can work on a diesel, and a hybrid, doesn't mean you know what you're doing. You're still failing to see the point of my posts.

Shops like yours that are "capable" of fixing anything that rolls into the driveway, are the same shops that often times make problems worse on cars. They'll break something while trying to fix something.

And just a friendly jab your way -- With those jalopies sitting in your bays, do you really think I'm going to bring my S4 to you? -- ehhh maybe for a brake job? I'd be hard pressed. I've even seen big toolbox guys screw up oil changes.

If my Bosch Motronic needed diagnosing, or if my differentials needed playing with, I might take my car to Felix before I take it to you. ;-)

 

[west wind]

For me as an American worker. I think it has to do a little with pride. I take pride in the work I perform, and am always organizing and looking for better ways to do things, which includes having the latest tools and technology. More tools equalls bigger box which equals more organization.

 

[jb3]

And just a friendly jab your way -- With those jalopies sitting in your bays, do you really think I'm going to bring my S4 to you? -- ehhh maybe for a brake job? I'd be hard pressed. I've even seen big toolbox guys screw up oil changes

He works on vehicles, samsung cell phone repair might be a waste of his time.

 

[RedneckWelder]

Just because you can work on a diesel, and a hybrid, doesn't mean you know what you're doing. You're still failing to see the point of my posts.

Shops like yours that are "capable" of fixing anything that rolls into the driveway, are the same shops that often times make problems worse on cars. They'll break something while trying to fix something.

And just a friendly jab your way -- With those jalopies sitting in your bays, do you really think I'm going to bring my S4 to you? -- ehhh maybe for a brake job? I'd be hard pressed. I've even seen big toolbox guys screw up oil changes.

If my Bosch Motronic needed diagnosing, or if my differentials needed playing with, I might take my car to Felix before I take it to you. ;-)

A) Your Audi is nothing special.
B) None of us are going to starve by being denied the pleasure of working on it...so feel free to take it to whoever you want to take it to that you deem an "expert"

C) Cars are cars, for the most part. It's not rocket surgery to work on 'em. Pain in the *** many a time, yes, but ******* bolts and nuts are ******* bolts and nuts, and as long as someone isn't a hack and has decent mechanical skills and takes care not to be a bull in a china shop...

 

[monomach]

I came up as a tech in a Ford dealer and now work in an import dealer that does carry Audi. Do I still get to work on Spoon's car or has my time with Ford tainted me?

Is this another one of those threads where non mechanics tell mechanics what they should be using?

I'll say it again, most people have no idea exactly what it takes to fix anything that comes in the door. You think you do but you don't.

Yes, it is.

Oh and those dreamy German shop pictures....gimme a break. That's as real as a Victoria Secret catalog.

I work in a dealership that sells several import makes. My shop is just about that clean. We don't have all that free space to run around in, though.

WOW! It seems the touchy-feely Nancy's took this thread over. The original question was a valid one but few have really gave up legitimate reasons as to why we in the U.S. seem to have the need for large tool boxes. It would be nice if more European mechanics chimed in though as I think we may be going off the illusion that they can do all their repairs out of 3 drawers of tools or a carry box. I find this hard to believe and would like to have a better understanding of how Automobile work is performed in Europe.

GeaseMonkey44 nailed it rather well I think.

I mentioned it briefly before. I have a German MB tech working for me. He doesn't own any SAE tools and his dealership in Germany provided pretty much everything other than sockets sets/wrenches/screwdrivers. He didn't even own air tools until he came over here. He had to borrow my ball joint press because he was expecting there to be a set for the shop.

I guess their tool room was a hell of a lot bigger than ours. All ours has in it are the manufacturer-specific things that each line automatically sends us.

 

[RedneckWelder]

I came up as a tech in a Ford dealer and now work in an import dealer that does carry Audi. Do I still get to work on Spoon's car or has my time with Ford tainted me?

You touched common, peasant FORDS! UNCLEAN! UNCLEAN! UNCLEAN!

 

[2oolhound]

It is said that human beings only use about 1/10th of their brain power. There is still potential for 90% more output of the human brain. Now a tech in Europe somewhere may specialize in Audi transmission maintenance for vehicles built over a 10 year span and he could be very adept in it however after rebuilding these same trannys day in day out for year after year he is not even using 1/100th of his brain power as there is so much repetition. After work he may hang at a disco and store some cool manoeuvres in his gray matter to impress others on the dance floor. He can probably remember if he's watched that episode of his latest favourite brain dulling tv show too. His buddy in the next bay who is the front end specialist may be dam near a golf pro when he leaves work and he's counting the days till he leaves for good.

On the other hand in many walks of life there are individuals who are genuinely interested in their craft and seek knowledge continually, before during and after work. APMECH comes to mind but there are many others on this forum. These guys astound me with how much they know and the things they continually are doing. The concept of one guy being proficient in maintenance and repair of many makes of automobiles and all the different aspects of their design shouldn't seem impossible to anyone ...unless they aren't using that 1/10th of their brain often enough.

 

[rancherbill]

Great thread!

I like big toolboxes, but whether they are really necessary !?!

I am intrigued by the blue tool box at the front of the truck. Who make them, it looks like a useful design.

I also like the overalls the mechanics are wearing. I see mechanics with shirts and droopy pants frequently and the overalls are more functional.

 

[spoon671]

A) Your Audi is nothing special.
B) None of us are going to starve by being denied the pleasure of working on it...so feel free to take it to whoever you want to take it to that you deem an "expert"

C) Cars are cars, for the most part. It's not rocket surgery to work on 'em. Pain in the *** many a time, yes, but ******* bolts and nuts are ******* bolts and nuts, and as long as someone isn't a hack and has decent mechanical skills and takes care not to be a bull in a china shop...

A) Uh, yeah it actually is, and I guarandamntee you'll never see one in your bay. And if you ever do, you'd be on Google for hours.

B) Agreed. You won't starve without my business, but that isn't my argument anyway so you're wasting your time there.

C) Only hacks say "nuts and bolts are nuts and bolts". Mechanics are much much more than nuts and bolts man. It's common knowledge that some vehicles require special tools, special equipment, and special technique. Some makes and models require more than simply "decent mechanical skills" - your words. But you're too busy working on sloppy F350's and Saturn's anyway... sooooo maybe I'm wasting your time?

 

[Blöckw@rt]

Ok...some guys are loughing about the cleany shops here in Germany/Europe

But a messi shop even need only a Hazet Assistent ! :

 

[Ruger_556]

Damn... This is getting interesting. I don't own an Audi so I guess I must be hack Isn't the internet great?

Oh, and we're all make full service so I guess that means I shouldn't be allowed to touch anything because no one could possibly be knowledgeable in more than one brand or type of vehicle.

 

[spoon671]

I came up as a tech in a Ford dealer and now work in an import dealer that does carry Audi. Do I still get to work on Spoon's car or has my time with Ford tainted me?

Touché!

I wouldn't necessarily consider you tainted. But I would question, understandably, how much training Audi has put you through. Quattro gen V? ;-)

 

[monomach]

There's an S4 in my lot waiting on a VOR part. When I get to work tomorrow, I'm going to go outside, get on my knees, and pray to it 'cause today I learned that they're special.

All this time, we've been treating them like they're just cars.

edit: well, VW says I'm certified to work on mighty feats of engineering like the S4 right down to lowly VWs, so I should be ok. I did the required hand-on classes and get sent to all of the propaganda gettogethers when a new generation of a model is released...but you'll be shocked, I'm sure, to learn that like 75% of getting factory certified for Audi is watching videos on a computer and doing an unsupervised one-time test for each one.

 

[OutsideMachinist]

 

[spoon671]

Mine has eight cylinders. Sorry @OutsideMachinist. Funny meme tho.. ;-)

 

[RedneckWelder]

There's an S4 in my lot waiting on a VOR part. When I get to work tomorrow, I'm going to go outside, get on my knees, and pray to it 'cause today I learned that they're special.

All this time, we've been treating them like they're just cars.

edit: well, VW says I'm certified to work on mighty feats of engineering like the S4 right down to lowly VWs, so I should be ok. I did the required hand-on classes and get sent to all of the propaganda gettogethers when a new generation of a model is released...but you'll be shocked, I'm sure, to learn that like 75% of getting factory certified for Audi is watching videos on a computer and doing a one-time test for each one.

I cannot believe you treat these PINNACLES OF GERMAN ENGINEERING like a mere car. What have you ddddooonnnneeeee? Don't tell the Germans, they might get upset and invade Belgium...

Also, RE that part, is it being hand delivered, in an aluminum attache briefcase handcuffed to the arm of a loyal German AUDI courier, flying first class directly from the Fatherland to the United States?

 

[JKady]

That's about right!

It's funny, I work on LOTS of Audi's (Even the big kid ones, not the low rent models), and I have yet to find one that isn't just held together with nuts and bolts... It's just a car. A BMW is just a car. A Mercedes is just a car. Being from Germany doesn't turn it into an alien space craft that nobody can work on.

Though, I did just have an A8L (4.2 V8) come in that the customer did his own water pump on, that didn't end well.

 

[Ruger_556]

edit: well, VW says I'm certified to work on mighty feats of engineering like the S4 right down to lowly VWs, so I should be ok. I did the required hand-on classes and get sent to all of the propaganda gettogethers when a new generation of a model is released...but you'll be shocked, I'm sure, to learn that like 75% of getting factory certified for Audi is watching videos on a computer and doing an unsupervised one-time test for each one.

Shhhhh man! Don't tell people that Oh, wait a minute That's what factory training is like for everything else too...

 

[monomach]

I cannot believe you treat these PINNACLES OF GERMAN ENGINEERING like a mere car. What have you ddddooonnnneeeee? Don't tell the Germans, they might get upset and invade Belgium...

Also, RE that part, is it being hand delivered, in an aluminum attache briefcase handcuffed to the arm of a loyal German AUDI courier, flying first class directly from the Fatherland to the United States?

Well, the part is shared with some VWs so it's likely made in Mexico...soooooo it's probably not coming from Germany. I'll keep my eyes peeled to see whether it gets a corporate ****** and get back to you, though. Maybe we'll get a mixed guy named Heinz Ortega or Jose Dusseldorf or something.

 

[RedneckWelder]

Shhhhh man! Don't tell people that Oh, wait a minute That's what factory training is like for everything else too...

****, the secrets out now. Dammit guys...we had them thinking it was mystical knowledge bestowed upon by the wizened engineers, passed down secretly and guarded carefully. Like a mechanical Skull and Bones society.

Now they know it's just us staring stupidly at a computer clicking through to get to the test at the end...like a rat in a maze trying to get to the cheese...

 

[monomach]

****, the secrets out now. Dammit guys...we had them thinking it was mystical knowledge bestowed upon by the wizened engineers, passed down secretly and guarded carefully. Like a mechanical Skull and Bones society.

Now they know it's just us staring stupidly at a computer clicking through to get to the test at the end...like a rat in a maze trying to get to the cheese...

We'd better come up with a better story. I'll try.

When I was first hired to work on mighty German autos, I was abducted by special forces commandos of the Bundeswehr and put on a top secret military flight to Germany. They escorted me to a classified VW/Audi engineering facility 30 floors below the Reichstag building. It was hot ****; the whole place required retina scans, blood samples, and all of that voodoo.

I was kept in an unlit cell and fed nothing but knackwurst for a twelve year training program before they even allowed me to touch an S4. No one would speak English to me; they just rattled instruction at me in German. If I looked confused, I was caned by the nihilist from the "V-dub in da houuuuuuuse" commercials. You don't want that. He just wails away at you until your flesh is in tatters, chanting "unpimp ze auto" the entire time.

Needless to say, I got very good at not looking confused and at flashing the VW gang symbol.

...and I'm tired of making this up. Yep, computer videos. If you don't know an answer on a test, you can just google it and cheat. It's the same for guys in Germany.

 

[spoon671]

Here's the real story:

A mechanic breaks his bank account buying thousands and thousands of dollars worth of tools and more tools and even more tools and bigger tool boxes and then more tools to fill the monster tool boxes so he can break his back to work on F350s and Saturns and S4s all day...just to make a living.

Idiots. That's my point. You can make the same living, or more likely even a better living, as a manufacturer specialist. Your income won't be offset so much because you won't be spending as much money on tools that you don't need and tool boxes that take up too much space.

Someone said it earlier: here in America, bigger is better. Not more efficient is better. No wonder the rest of the world dislikes Americans and our attitudes.

 

[monomach]

Here's the real story:

A mechanic breaks his bank account buying thousands and thousands of dollars worth of tools and more tools and even more tools and bigger tool boxes and then more tools to fill the monster tool boxes so he can break his back to work on F350s and Saturns and S4s all day...just to make a living.

Idiots. That's my point. You can make the same living, or more likely even a better living, as a manufacturer specialist. Your income won't be offset so much because you won't be spending as much money on tools that you don't need and tool boxes that take up too much space.

Someone said it earlier: here in America, bigger is better. Not more efficient is better. No wonder the rest of the world dislikes Americans and our attitudes.

Look, fella...It's pretty clear that your experience with toolboxes is confined to seeing the one owned by the guy that you pay to work on your beloved S4.

You should leave it at that.

You're one of those guys who knows nothing about the industry and spends his time talking smack about the folks who work in it...right up until we see you make a thread with a title like "Need help from VW/Audi techs" in the Free Parking section. You're not the first of your kind we've seen around here.

You know, the specialized jobs are full. What's your suggestion for the techs that don't have them? Go on strike until their shops convert to certified manufacturer service centers? Tell the guy who rolls up with an 88 T-bird needing a tune up that they don't want the work because they're not Ford ignition specialists?

Hell, if that guy somehow gets lost and wanders into my dealership, I'll happily sell a tune up to him and I'll even give the RO to my factory certified Subaru tech if he's not busy. He's not an idiot. I'm sure he can manage to work on more than one make without tripping all over himself and setting the building on fire.