In another thread, a member (HunterCO I think) mentioned that he had ~$100,000 in tools for his shop. Obviously, this goes above and beyond hand tools and such.

I've learned that mechanics get more than a little frustrated when they hear somebody say something like "Hey, all you need are some common hand tools and a code scanner. The computer tells you what's wrong!" They get frustrated, because:

1. It's not true
2. There's ALOT more to troubleshooting modern cars.
3. It margianalizes their profession.

This got me to thinking - what are some of the cool things you guys use, that the regular Joe (like me) doesn't typically have at home? Why do you have it? What does it do for you? How do you use it? Talk to me. I like cool tools.

Similarly, if you*HAD* to, could you get along without them? Does your experience allow you to do more with less (helping a buddy outside the shop, for example)? Do you have them because it hastens diagnosis and therefore improves profitibility?

There's something else worth discussing: Your profession is frequently maligned. We've all heard the stories of incompetent machanics, and even outright thieves. We've seen the exposes on the news. Now, I know there isn't s single professional mechanic like this among our arfcom brethren, so I don't want to talk about that.

I'd like to hear your thoughts on the public's perception of you. Just vent a little. Tell me about bonehead customers, too (kind of like a good "Tales of the FFL" or "Tales of the gunsmith" thread). Most importantly, I'd like to hear your thoughts on the DIY guys, working on complex modern vehicles at home. Do they ever end up in your shop? Do you know any amatuer mechanics (guys at home), who are actually pretty good?

I'd also like to know what got you into it. Why did you become a mechanic? What kind of work (or vehicles, or...) do you specialize in? What do you like about your job? What do you hate about it?

Just talk. You guys fascinate me, sometimes.

To the non-mechanics - NO GENERALIZED BASHING. Please, I beg you. I want to hear what our resident professionals have to say about things, and I don't want them to nut up because people are being assholes.

Maybe a dealership has $100,000 in tools. All the little private shops I've ever been to ,in 2 states, have 1 or 2 lifts, 1 big diagnostic machine (I think it cost a fortune) and a couple big rolling tool boxs with hand tools.

I'm not a "real" mechanic, so I have no clue, but it sure doesn't look like $100,000 to me.


ETA: what I find funny about todays computerized vehicles and the guys who are trained to fix them is I took my truck to the dealership awhile back because I was suddenly getting horible mileage and the exhaust stunk horrible. The guy says he can't tell me anything unless the engine like comes on (meening the engine has put out a "code" for what is wrong) So he says he'll check anyways, keps it over night, says he checked "everything" wich meens hooking up to the computer wich we already knew had not coded. Says there's nothing wrong. (I had read the manual wich said that in heavy service the cat needs to be serviced at exactly the mileage I was at at this time, wich I had told him about, he said he'd never heard that before)

Anyways, I leave with my truck totally running like a dog and the light comes on about a day later, by now someone told me to go to the auto parts store, wich I do and they tell me it is missing on #7 cylinder. A set a plugs fixed it.

I don't want to bash mechanics, but I think the new mechanics are "in the computer age" just like everythingelse. They can't hear a miss, they have to be told on the computer? On my old '77 caprice I'd hook up my spark tester to each plug wire and see wich one isn't working, pretty easy.

Quoted: Maybe a dealership has $100,000 in tools. All the little private shops I've ever been to ,in 2 states, have 1 or 2 lifts, 1 big diagnostic machine (I think it cost a fortune) and a couple big rolling tool boxs with hand tools. I'm not a "real" mechanic, so I have no clue, but it sure doesn't look like $100,000 to me.

Most I seen rent the shop so dont own the lifts and stuff.  

Also brand of tools matters, Snapon and a few others are alot more.  Seen someone pay $50-60 for a Matco freon can punch that you can get at Autozone for $10, exact same thing, just diffrent name on it

Just in hand tools

Cool and uncommon are
angle head wrenches
Crows foot wrenches

No it is not easy to "make do."  Your question is like asking "why can't the .mil use 22LR in their M16 to save money?"

How did I start?
Fixing trucks payed more than driving them

Sorry no photos of cool tools may eta later.

Quoted: Also brand of tools matters, Snapon and a few others are alot more.  Seen someone pay $50-60 for a Matco freon can punch that you can get at Autozone for $10, exact same thing, just diffrent name on it

Sometimes this is true sometimes it is not

Quoted: No it is not easy to "make do."  Your question is like asking "why can't the .mil use 22LR in their M16 to save money?"

No, no, no. You misunderstood me. If didn't ask if it was easy (I know it isn't), I asked if you could make do if you HAD to. You're allowed to say "Yes, but it would SUCK".

Are there any uncommon (to the average Joe)tools you use that are absolutely indispensible? Talk about those, too.

I do pleanty of my own wrenching on all of my vehicals. I'm a machinist/mechanic combination I guess. I also make custom knives on the side.

In addition to the standard hand tools and special tools for mechanican I have a small metal lathe, a mill, a surface grinder, two disc grinders, two belt grinders, two heat treating ovens and a 25lb Little Giant power hammer.

I've used all of these tools to machine custom parts for my many vehicals and firearms.

Some really good Snap-on wire cutters, reliable strippers, good calibrated crimpers, and a heat gun. Oh, and a good multimeter.
Set of Snap-on screwdrivers, standard, long and miniature and a 1/4" drive deep and shallow socket set, and you can do what I do.
Aircraft Avionics.

Having said that, I have a ton of tools that fall out of this category.
Mostly Snap-on.

I spent about eight years as an Army mechanic. Still do my share of wrenching to get missions accomplished.

My favorite "high speed" new tools are a set of stubby ratcheting wrenches. They make tight spots so much easier!

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/photos/93900-93999/93923.gif

I was a Caddy mechanic at a Caddy dealership in Dallas from 1995 - 1999. Most mechanics have between $3000 - $10,000 in personal tools at the shop. I had about $3000 in tools but heavily subsidized my stash with Stanley and Craftsman when I could. I think the average mechanic had ten years experience and accumulated about $7000 in his toolbox and tools.

The biggest cost is specialized tools for performing single tasks on specific makes/models.

In addition to personal tools mechanics are responsible for purchasing, the shop will purchase shared tools. Our shop had a 'tool room' full of them. They can range anywhere from $100 for a set of custom pliers to $2000 for a 'Tech I' to $10,000 for diagnostic computers.

A medium size dealearship with a service department will easily have $100,000 in tools in the garage plus possibly $10,000 in their service manual library if they've been around for a while.

Quoted: Just in hand tools Cool and uncommon are angle head wrenches Crows foot wrenches No it is not easy to "make do."  Your question is like asking "why can't the .mil use 22LR in their M16 to save money?" How did I start? Fixing trucks payed more than driving them Sorry no photos of cool tools may eta later.

I needed some crows foot wrenches and most places looked at me like I was crazy.  I ended buying a complete SAE and metric set from Sears catalog.  However, I had to make my own by cutting the box end off of a combination wrench.
Other home-made tools include a special device to remove oil pumps from old Subarus and driving rear seals for Ford transmissions.

I bought my dad a 50 dollar or so tool at autozone so he can plug the tool in, see what code got set, and turn off the check engine light.

I have a handheld otc scanner that cost 3500 or so, napa employee pricing, a few years back.  It can record data events while driving the vehicle, it shows you what things are doing as they do it.  For instance, you can watch what the map sensor or o2 sensor is doing.  You can see rpm the computer is seeing and what the transmission is seeing and all sorts of stuff.  Basically you get to watch everything the computer or computers of the car are watching.  It cost a lot but it is a heck of a step up from seeing code 41 turned on the check engine light.  It needs upgrades now and then for software and that can be a few hundred to I don't know what.

I don't make a living working as a mechanic, most insist on being called automotive technician.  I was going to become a full time mechanic and went to a 2 year tech school but eyeball problems caused me to seek work in a cleaner environment.

A small roll around tool box, 2 feet deep, 4 feet high, and 5 feet long can easily hold 20k in snappy tools.  I worked in a spring shop and worked on suspension mostly.  Since we also worked on big trucks I wound up with stuff up to 3/4 inch drive ratchets and some 1 inch impact sockets and an adapter so I could use them on my ratchet.

Some classmates who worked at a toyota dealer needed small stuff and pretty much all metric.  That saved them a lot of space and money since they did not need duplicate sockets and wrenches in standard sizes for the most part.  Their big tools were half inch drive and they mostly used that for lugnuts and big suspension stuff.

Most tech schools have an industrial tool rep, ours was snappy, and they sell basic tool kits at a discount so you get hooked on expensive tools and when you start working full time you buy their tools.

The automotive tech school had more tools than most shops, we had an in floor brake tester and a roll around dyno and all sorts of cool stuff.

Most corner garages that have been in business for a while will have 50k or more in hand tools.  Start messing with some of the better performance shops and you will find people who have roll around tool box combos that cost more then 5k for just the tool box combo.

For some things you can troubleshoot without all the hi-tech stuff.  A lot of it depends on how well you know the vehicle or manufacturer and how complicated they make stuff.

Mercedes has umpteen computers in their vehicles and a few years back had lots of electrical problems.  Even dealers were having problems getting everything tracked down the first time the vehicle was in for work, and they generally have the best information from mercedes on how to fix stuff.

The worst customers were those who would tell you they could do it but don't have the time, and then tell you how to do it.

Or those who brought in a box of parts while following a tow truck bringing their project to you.  A lot of these had symptoms when running but now they are apart and don't run so you have to fix something without knowing what was going on to begin with.

I hated working on just cars.  These days stuff is crammed in everywhere and I don't like it.  I liked working in a spring shop since you worked on big stuff and could beat on things with a hammer and be doing your job.  We had big hammers and prybars and all sorts of huge tools.  I did king pin resleeves for the most part and it wasnice having room to roll my creeper seat into the wheel well of a semi and set up the cutting tool and get things running and then go work on something else while the cutting tool did its job.

When a 1 ton truck or a station wagon or something came in for suspension work it was nothing compared to working on big trucks with big springs.  Things were going to air bags on the semi trucks as well, those were fun.

To some extent the car on a tow truck and box of parts is like the gun shop that sells someone a ruger 22lr semi-auto handgun and then gets a box of parts to reassemble because the person took it apart to clean it but can't put it together.  Some people just are not mechanically inclined and should accept that.

The majorly modified stuff was always interesing as well.  Lots of places run on book time but when something does not exist in the book you can't go by book time.  So someone who took a half ton truck and stuck a big block in it and then twisted the frame makes for an interesting job.  The shop did some frame work, mostly on semi-trucks where you stretch or shorten the frames to fit a driver's needs.

We worked on lots of those big half millon dollar rv coaches and stuff.  We would get brand new ones in for aftermarket stuff and it was a hoot to have to test drive something to make sure it was safe to go back to the dealer and see less than 5 miles on the odometer or something.

I don't know what o'gara and hess is called now, that may be wrong but it sounds like that.  They did armored vehicles in the cincinnati area.  We would get 3/4 ton fleet order burbans in for suspension mods so they could handle the extra weight that was soon coming.  Kind of fun having a stripped 3/4 ton burban with a 454 in it.

We also did 1 ton atm service vans, those things were built before coming to us and the front suspension had so much weight on it we generally put air bags inside the coil springs and used air pressure to set the alignment.  Each air bag was set up seperate from the other and we put stickers in the engine bay right by the air valves so if something happened they would know what pressure to set things to.  We put in the heaviest custom wound coils and that was not good enough, so those coils and air bags inside each coil got the job done.

Overall it just depends on how much a person can watch, listen, feel, and think as to how well they do figuring things out.  I knew mechanics who specialized in stuff, like working at a toyota dealer, and they got to where they knew certain engines had this or that problem with this or that sensor and they often had parts ordered at the parts desk before popping the hood on the vehicle.  If you have been around a while I guess that is ok.  As a newb I could not believe I would get to that point.

I figure some of that is what you were looking for.  I will check back later and see how things are going.

Overall it boils down to the simple fact that some people know they can work on cars, some people think they can work on cars, and some people better go to work so they can make some money to pay someone to work on their car.

It is the middle group that brings in problems like a hacked wiring harness that starts smoking while you are figuring out why their trailer lights won't work.

Quoted: Quoted: No it is not easy to "make do."  Your question is like asking "why can't the .mil use 22LR in their M16 to save money?" No, no, no. You misunderstood me. If didn't ask if it was easy (I know it isn't), I asked if you could make do if you HAD to. You're allowed to say "Yes, but it would SUCK". Are there any uncommon (to the average Joe)tools you use that are absolutely indispensible? Talk about those, too.

Yes I did have trouble with your question.  You see there are different kinds of "make do."  Some people I'm related to honestly have expected to do cold forging with a pair of pliers.  I do not lie.  So a person like that would say "you have pliers, make do."  So that type of makin' do just don't work out well.  Now I make do with two 6 inch ratchet extensions and stack them together when I need longer, because I don't have a longer extension.

Like I said before one attitude is like using MK262 ammo in an A1 upper.  Yes it will shoot and it is not unsafe but accuracy will probably be in the minute of barn category.  The other attitude is like putting two 22LR in a 44Mag chamber, yes 2 X 22 = 44, and it still is not smart, or safe or workable to do so.

Quoted: Quoted: Just in hand tools Cool and uncommon are angle head wrenches Crows foot wrenches No it is not easy to "make do."  Your question is like asking "why can't the .mil use 22LR in their M16 to save money?" How did I start? Fixing trucks payed more than driving them Sorry no photos of cool tools may eta later. I needed some crows foot wrenches and most places looked at me like I was crazy.  I ended buying a complete SAE and metric set from Sears catalog.  However, I had to make my own by cutting the box end off of a combination wrench. Other home-made tools include a special device to remove oil pumps from old Subarus and driving rear seals for Ford transmissions.

I've got a 15/16 sluging wrench.    You know how long a person has been in the industry by the number of custom tools in their box.

I like using the blacklight looking for leaks on a/c sytems and fuel leaking into the engine oil from injectors. It's kind of fun to bring it home and survey the area around your bed too!

I'd have to estimate that I have $60,000-$70,000 worth of tools in my toolbox and with my toolbox it would be close to $100,000.

I have about $8 dollars worth of mechanics tools, but I have a bazillion dollars worth
of gun smith tools, jigs and parts. I got into weekend gunsmithing as an inexpensive hobby for relaxation.

This is an older picture of my tool box.  It was taken around march 2006.  Since then the tool cart was traded in on a much larger unit, that is more stable with greatly increased storage capacity.  The downside is that its a bitch to move sometimes when I am working on something large like an S class.
I started with a craftsman setup that my parents started me out with when I was a teen.  I added to it, and worked out of it for about 3 months or so professionally.  I bought a double bay matco, that I kept about three months.  I traded that matco in for the bottom box pictured.  It cost about seven or eight thousand back in 2000.  I later added the hutch, top locker, and then in 2006 added the side lockers.  
I share a workbench with my neighbor when I need one because I have no room in my bay for one.  I buy almost everything I need for myself.  I hate having to look for the shop's tools, and if I can actually ever find the damn things chances are its broken, or I get the "I'm using it right now" line when the fucking thing hasn't been touched for hours.
Our shop has two occilloscopes.  One of which is always broken, the other belongs in a science lab, not under a hood.  I asked my boss for a new one, he declined.  I spent two thousand dollars on  an OTC Solarity.  I got it for a hell of a deal and was able to negotiate a tool truck payment plan.  

I spent over $12,000 last year alone on tools.  I am probably pushing around 50K in tools.  I have been doing this for 7 years in april.  
I work on my Dad's 70 chevelle a lot, and not having proper tools irritates me to no end, so often for christmas or birthdays or just because I will show up with tools to stock his garage with.
Customers have no idea what it takes to fix a car sometimes.  I can make things look easy because I have done it a thousand times.  I can knock out complex diagnostics quickly and easily because I have invested in the tools I need to get that job done quickly and easily.  For the longest time my shop was plauged with parasitic current draws that were almost impossible to find.  If you let the battery go dead, then the problem would fix itself.  Next week, the module would act up and you would have a pissed off customer back.  I personally worked on cars for weeks trying to find these problems.  They can be so intermittent sometimes, and when you have 20 or 30 modules on a car, it gets complex.  Enter the occilloscope.  Shut down the networks, tap the CAN bus with a scope, and sit back and watch.  When you still have activity after 15 minutes, somebody isn't going to sleep....  Start unplugging CAN connectors until you lose your signal.  Fire up the laptop, run a diagnostic, see who doesn't answer, and there is your problem!  Wham, bam, thank you ma'am.  This can be done in thirty minutes on an easy car.... it used to take weeks.  Sometimes just resorting to trial and error because nothing was consistent or worked.  Well worth two thousand dollars.
I have all kinds of brands of tools though.  Much of what I bought when I was new was Matco.  I have a little snap on, mostly quarter drive because quarter drive snap on tools do not break like other brands do.  Snap on also makes specialty tools I cannot get anywhere else.  My shop cannot keep a snap on dealer, and I am sick of the inconsistent service and astronomical pricing.  I rarely buy them now.  
My Matco dealer angered me a few years back.  I rarely buy anything from him anymore either.... the tools are merely average, mostly the same rebranded stuff you get elsewhere.  The toolboxes are second to none, so I hang on to mine.
We have an independent tool guy, who is good to deal with.  He often has lower prices and great service, so I stick with him as much as possible.  
Our Cornwell tool guy downright embarrasses the other tool guys with pricing.  His stuff is often 30-50% less than what the other big names charge, and they have professional grade tools.  I cannot remember having to warranty a cornwell tool for any reason.
Mac?  What a joke.  We can't keep a Mac dealer either.  My OTC solarity scope cost me $2,000 from cornwell.  Mac sells the IDENTICAL tool, branded as a Mac, for $2,800.  Where is my other $800 going?  Plus they want something that expensive on a credit account with interest, as if they weren't raping you to death in the first place.
Currently I have five tool guys that visit my shop.  I regularly do business with two of them.  They treat me well and the prices are right.  Snap on and Mac lost me simply because we cannot consistently rely on there being a snap on or mac man at my dealership.  
Gear wrenches are the best thing since gravy.  I have three sets, and wouldn't trade them for the world.  Mercedes-Benz specialty tools come from several different makers, but they cost a frigging fortune for anything.  Even buying them at cost is a major investment, especially since we must pay for them all at once, instead of on a truck account.  I have an electrical test kit that contains a bunch of connectors for breaking out harnesses and doing diagnostic work.  It cost $420.00, I added a "decade" box which allows me to create various resistances with switches, another $400+, then I bought some newer connectors that were added over time, so I have over a grand in this one little plastic carrying case.  If it says "Snap-on" on it, its made out of gold, if it has a Mercedes star on it, its made out of platinum as far as pricing goes.  The thing is, A genuine MB special tool works better than anything else most of the time.  Sometimes you'll get your money's worth, other times it sits in the box collecting dust.  Its unreal how much money the shop has in specialty tools, many of which have never even been used.  We have exhaust hoses that are specifically for the SLR McLaren, which I have never used, not even once.  They cost $3,000.  We have a lift I may have used five times, that is specifically for that car.  There is a cabinet which I keep an inventory of that has the SLR specific stuff, I guess there is $15K of tools which are only for that model.  We sold ONE SLR, and got another from a customer that moved to the area.  Except he never drives his, so all this for one car pretty much.

Our entire shop is wired for the internet, with about ten computers throughout the shop for 20something techs.  We have six laptops connected by wireless cards to the network used for diagnostics on the cars, except we usually have two that are broken at all times.  Fix one, another breaks....  They are Mercedes specific, and you cannot even load any kind of software unless it came from Mercedes.  They are made by IBM, and have large touchscreens, but no built in keyboard or mouse.... they run windows XP.  We added keyboards to most, and mouses to some.  One has a large occilloscope module on it made by Hermann, but its virtually ALWAYS broken and nobody knows how to use the damn thing anyways.  Its waaaaaay too complicated.

I have a set of Matco wrenches from 8-32mm I think.... I keep a set of gear wrenches in standard length from 8-36mm I think.  I have stubby gear wrenches from 10-19mm, and some swivelly headed ones I never use.  I have a set of matco mid depth chrome sockets in 3/8 drive that I use more than any others, although my set of four blackhawk torx sockets are seeing more and more use every day.  I have large sets of Hazet torx sockets, internal and external, that I will occassionally use when my normal everyday stuff doesn't cut it.  My Matco torx sockets on a rack see regular use also.  I have some ball headed allen snap on sockets that are a life saver, particularly in 5mm.  My quarter drive stuff I already said is mostly snap on.  You can really lean on that stuff and not break it.  Strangely enough I prefer my 1/4" craftsman ratchet to my snap  on or cornwell ones.  I use two swivel handled blackhawk ratchets more than any of my other ratchets.  I hardly ever need 1/2" drive stuff, other than my impact for the 17mm wheel bolts.  I have some specialty and deep sockets in 1/2" mostly for driveline stuff that I use once in a blue moon.  I seriously use the same tools over and over day in and day out... most of those are kept in my tool cart.  They perform and can be relied on.  Much of what is in my large tool box is specialty stuff that I don't use nearly as often, but need to have on hand anyways.  I have a small matco 3/8" air ratchet for tight places/fast run down of fasteners and my large snap on 3/8" "wrist breaker" air ratchet for heavier jobs.  My 3/8" IR titanium impact is awesome on brake calipers and stuff, while the 1/2" titanium comes out for the stuff that won't come loose under normal persuasion.  For drill bits, the turbomax bits by Irwin are awesome.  I don't use anything else anymore.  You can spend an hour drilling out a window regulator or you can spend five minutes....  I go with the turbo max bits and replace them at first sign of dullness.  For taps and dies I have a large snap on set in metric and standard, and an extra large set of Hanson in metric only.  Good extractors, reverse drill bits, and taps and dies and quickly unfuck an otherwise hopeless situation.  There is no frustration like having ruined threads and no way to repair them in time to get the car back to the customer, or having to replace a part because the threads cannot be readily repaired.  
It would probably actually surprise many people at how small my socket and wrench collection is.... I simply have what I need and not much else in that department.  But if I want to break out some heavy duty diagnostics, I am well equipped to handle that on a Benz.  I can check your current draw inductively, or through an ammeter.  I can put a switch on the battery to check current draw through the meter or go straight to battery power without ever interrupting current flow.  I can break out almost any kind of connector without piercing insulation or back probes, but can do that as well.  My occilloscope will do almost anything those "giant" SUN machines of your could do, but will fit in my hand.  Its also fast, has a four channel scope capability, and very versatile.
I have my own jump start box, my own roll around battery charger, various compression, leak down, fuel pressure, transmission pressure, and a/c gauges.  I also have my own a/c system flusher, the finest leak detector money can buy, torque wrenches from 1/4 to 1/2, scredrivers and almost every bit imagineable, in triplicate.  I still use a little black and decker cordless screwdriver though, because my $40 screwdriver is better than the $150 model the trucks sell.  I also don't care nearly as much when its time to replace it.  I got one of them "skewdrivers" which are really handy to have sometimes.  I still use craftsman nut drivers on the rare occassion I need one, and keep a small set of craftsman wrenches in metric and standard.  Once in a while someone will install a standard nut and bolt on a car for an accessory or something....  Also once in a while you find a 7mm nut.  So I hang on to that craftsman for that reason.  I have two wrenches that are almost cartoonish in nature because they are so large.  A 42 and a 46mm for oil lines on the SLR.  I used them twice and found it hilarious the whole time because they are so large.  They were made by Armstrong, which matco sells in the larger sizes.  I have a rack of 1/2 sockets from little bitty to really big.... I have used maybe three of them.  I have a set of snap on and matco impacts in 1/2", that I rarely ever use.  I have some 3/8" deep sockets, but never really need anything beyond mid depth.  I keep a couple racks of 3/8" snap on sockets strictly for working in areas that I dare not take my "normal" tools, like interior work on a designo "mystic white" edition interior.  I don't use allen wrenches much, so craftsman is fine there, but allen sockets I use all the time so matco is good for me there.  They have held up better than my snap on allens have, which always seemed to twist up on me. The matco sockets I warranteed just once for three of them, because they were worn enough to start stripping heads on bolts.  I have some snap on universal torx and metric standard depth sockets.  On a locking extension they are unbeatable for transmission removal and exhaust manifold bolts.  These are the sockets other companies WISH they could make.  My matco univeral impacts suck in comparison, and the chrome universals are such a joke I don't even bother with them.  I just throw the chrome snap on socket on a locking extension and put it on my 3/8" impact.  I have yet to damage one.  If you have a feel for things and know your limitations, then you probably won't break many tools.  I only break a couple tools a year, usually when I know I am abusing them.  I have some I know I can absolutely rely on even when I abuse them, and some I know I can't lean on at all or they will break.  One of my favorites is a 3/8" electric impact wrench.  I used a snap on for years until the batteries died, and replaced it with an IR titanium.  The snap on was much better, but I couldn't get a snap on man at the time.  An electric impact is great for things like seat bolts, almost any light work underhood, brake rotor screws, encapsulation screws, and a billion other things.  Even better when you have to work out in the parking lot with no access to compressed air.  Seriously though, 5-10% of my tools do 95% of my work.  Its just that the other 5% of the time can really cost you some serious coin if you don't have the equipment to handle it properly.  I want to get through that 5% as quickly as possible to get back to my 95% so that I can make some money.  That 5% can quickly become 50% or more of your work day when things are not going according to plan.

Lately more than ever I have been thinking I fucked up.  I don't like coming to work much anymore.  I don't care for all the B.S. that goes with the job.  I am primarily a secretary and occassionally get to fix cars the way I see it.  Providing the required documentation for warranty sucks, as mercedes thinks that nothing ever breaks....  When we have a pattern failure that effects a large number of vehicles, most companies would probably update the part and just accept the mistake.  Mercedes denies that there is a problem, issues bulletins for "alternative" repairs that DO NOT WORK, and makes getting authorization to replace the part difficult to obtain.  In many cases it involves calling and speaking to a specialist to get an authorization code.  Don't cross a T or dot an I and they kick back the claim.  Then you get a manager screaming at you over the $3,000 part mercedes will not pay for and you cannot put back on the car, even though it fixed the problem.  

Warranty pay cuts have been so severe across the board you are lucky to break even on anything warranty.  I feel like I am working for Ford sometimes after reading blueovalnews.  Mercedes almost refuses to pay diagnostic time at all.  In order to get paid for a major undertaking, you have to call the technical hotline and get a case number so the claim won't be kicked as "excessive labor".  I would like to be able to make the money I USED to make at this job, without all the new headaches and problems.  I have a harder job that pays less than when I started.....

I have no idea what I could do, and make good money at.  I have only ever worked on cars.  I just would really love a 40 hour a week job that paid well.  Not like what I deal with now.... If there is no work coming in to the shop, I can't make any money.  If the customer doesn't buy the job I try to upsell, I can't make any money.  When you get an out of warranty car in, you have to strip search the thing, write up a laundry list, and hope that when you throw it at the customer, something sticks.  Things didn't used to be this way where I work, and its depressing.  I don't want to leave the area because my parents live here, and I like it here.  I don't want to leave mercedes after having so much invested in my career, but it just isn't the same anymore.  It sounds shitty, but sometimes our decisions boil down to "Do I want to make this customer happy, or do I want to eat this week?"  Instead of spending a little extra time on that car, it gets blown out the door so you can grab whats left of the little bit of work that came in that day.  I work with liars and thieves, who consistenly make more hours than I do, because they get away with it.  They can charge more for the same job, upsell unneeded work, sell questionable work that can either wait or simply isn't needed, and they get away with it.  So long as you turn hours, it isn't a problem.  My morals don't allow me to do those things.  I don't sell the snake oil garbage, I don't sell work that isn't needed, or doesn't fall in line with what the manufacturer says is needed.

Then we have the customers who do not want to pay to have their car fixed.  Your "perfect" car just magically fell the fuck apart when you came to pick it up.  That scratch, this dent, bent wheel, broken lens, cracked wood trim..... it all wasn't there before.  We have to fill out sheets detailing all the little imperfections in everyone's car because of this, which makes the whole process take longer.  If its not documented, then the customer knows they'll get whatever they want for free.  If you put on a set of brakes today, and the check engine light comes on tomorrow, ITS ALL YOUR FAULT AND I AM NOT PAYING FOR ANYTHING.  I often think we deal with more than our fair share of that crap.  If I make a mistake, I have to fix it for free.  I do not get paid hourly, I don't make a cent while repairing that car, and all the while am losing money because I am not working on something else.  So every time something like this pops up, and my WONDERFUL service advisors don't have the balls to tell the customer to fuck off, I end up getting screwed.

All in all, I realize that this turned in to a rant.  Its life as I see it right now, my particular situation where I work.  I used to love my job, and now I find myself wondering where it all went.  I had a great work environment, made as much money as I wanted to, and it seemed like I had a lot less crap to put up with all around.  I have considered looking elsewhere.... even occassionally checking monster.com and stuff.  The thing is, a lesser car line wouldn't have the potential this one does.  Things could always turn around and everything could be better again, and then I would be stuck on the other side of the fence.  I have seen it happen to many of my former co-workers.  When I first started over six years ago, I had a shop full of veteran techs, some having been there 30 years, many 10-20 years.  Almost all of them are gone now.  I am a veteran tech from the "old school" and I have only been there almost seven years.  I don't know what the future holds, and am simply taking things one day at a time.  If something better pops up, then I would certainly look into it.  Until then I still have bills like everyone else and have to keep at it.  

I guess you like Sponge Bob

Quoted: I guess you like Sponge Bob

Whatever gave you that silly idea?

I've got about $50K in hand  tools, bottom box alone was $6K.
I'm at a John Deere dealership that also sells Yamaha ATV's & works on cars & heavy trucks.
On the Deere equipment, the most valuable tool is my laptop with Deeres' Service Advisor software (company pays for the software, laptop's mine).
ALL the manuals are on it, as well as the capabilities to diagnose, record  & reprogram.Deere systems used CCD in the past, but is CAN/BUS now, even the climate control is on CAN.
An example of the laptops use would be when installing new injectors the injector serial number must be entered into the ECU to calibrate fuel delivery, I can also perform individual cylinder power contribution & injector cutout tests, as well as compression tests. I connect to the machine with bluetooth and even get online with mother Deere for help.
For sure its one tool I cant do without, aside from my Fluke multimeter.



At home, I have 2 lathes, a Bridgeport mill, and surface grinder I cant do without.

saturnstyl, that's exactly what I was looking for. Way cool.

Can you (or anyone, really) tell me about general troubleshooting with a scope? I've seen this done, and it fascinates me, but I'm not sure what it is they're doing, exactly. I'm the kind of guy that would actually drop $2000 on one, if I thought it would be useful. This seems like one of many things that differentiates professionals from the home DIY crowd (like me).


I like to think of my night time and weekend wrenching as a hobby, not as a way to save money. I really enjoy it. I'm not sure I'd want to do it for a living (it'd suck the fun out of it, and the pay concerns me...), but I sure enjoy myself nonetheless. It's something I can't explain. I just like working on things. Always have. I actually enjoy it for many of the same reasons I enjoy working on computers. I ended up as a "computer guy" because I sort of fell into it, and it's the easiest way I know to make money. And still, I'm fascinated by professional mechanics.

There's alot more to respond to, but I'm tired and it's bed time.

I'll hit this tommorow.

Well,

If you get into major structural repairs to aircraft, like I do, $100,000 in tools is considered a "good start".

I have over $20,000 just in pneumatic rivet squeezers, and probably another $15,000 in specialty tools that have little use outside my field.   I cannot really use lesser tools, because I have to comply with detailed blueprints, often to a tolerance of .002.

tg

lets see if it worked....





this is the only tool you will need

Quoted: snip

WOW! that is quite the response. I for one reallly enjoyed your posts a while back on the SLR. That was a real treat to see the inner workings of that car. Everytime I see your tool chest I just drool. I am not a mechanic, just a computer guy, but I love tools, and When I actually buy  a house, I am going to make sure it has a huuuge garage.

This space for pics of my little tool box, will take them in the AM.

I've got an extensive tool set, mostly high end Harbor Freight stuff and a home made tool box (cardboard).

I've got over $40 in hand tools alone, which number in the hundreds.

Yeah, all the guys on my block dig my garage skillz big time.

I used to turn wrenches for a living, and now I work in a different part of the industry.  Probably one of my favorite tools is the GearWrench.  They are fucking awesome.  I also love crowfoot wrenches, swivelhead sockets, and ball style allen wrenches.  

Former auto tech now a heavy equpment / crane machanic on the docks...

Just did my tool box inventory.. $86,000  (our company insures our personal tools)

Odd tools?

Lets see... Really the only odd stuff we have is BIG stuff... 8 foot wrenches, 10" sockets....

We have one of these..

hydrauilc torque wrench... 4,500 ft/ lbs max...

We got one of these...

Exothermic cutting torch (Broco) Lots of fun!!!

I work on things like this.. BYW- thats a full 60,000 pound can

Those machines are tested to 110,000 pounds..
A few facts about a top handler service..
Change 14 gallons of motor oil..
change 18 gallons of tranny fluid...
top off the hydraulic tank.. Usually around 30-40 gallons for a "top off"
change 25 gallons of 90w gear oil
Grab the man lift and lube the lift chains with "Chevron rock drill oil" 60' in the air
15 tubes of grease
Rotate tires.. That requires 3/4 of a day and three people, one fork lift, 2x 100 ton bottle jacks, a 100 ton tire press, 2 10 pound hammers and 2 gallos of tire lube.. Tighten the 48 lug nuts on each wheel to 150 ft/lbs and air up to 140 psi!


And those big cranes that load and unload the container ships...
I don't even want to get into what it takes to service one of those things!!!

Its been really slow lately, If I remember I will take some pictures of my junk tomorrow and post'em up.  
A scope is really valuable when you NEED one, but you rarely need one, even in the field working on cars every day.  Its often easier on ignition systems to swap parts until you find the problem.  Reason being, many modern cars have multi coil ignition systems, or use one coil for two cylinders, stuff like that.  With experience its easy to remember pattern failures, its easy to tell what failed by how the car is responding, and if that fails just swap coils, wires, plugs between cylinders and see if the problem moves.  A scope is handy for looking at things you cannot see with the naked eye (duh) but what I mean is problems that occur so rapidly you cannot measure them with normal multimeters.  It allows you to see voltage over time, and freeze that data for analysis.  A glitch of high or low voltage in a network can bring the whole system down.... it might only need to happen once.  It also will likely "fix" itself when you cycle the key.  You need to be able to tap in to the bus, monitor the car, and hit the freeze button when things go haywire.  You can then examine your saved data to see if the problem is with the network.  Eventually you can track down the soucrce of the glitch by eliminating processors.  Something like that would never show up on a multimeter.  I could theoretically use a meter to see if the network is active, but it will not be fast enough or accurate enough to show me exactly what is happening on it.  I can hook up to a wheel speed sensor and spin the tire and see exactly what is output from the sensor itself, not what the computer outputs as the actual value.  Sometimes a module will substitute data instead of using what is being sent to it.  These default values appear normal, and make your life hell because you cannot tell whether or not the value is "real".  You need to be able to see for yourself whether the sensor output is correct.  After all this diagnostic work is completed, you will need to have a nice, large selection of hammers on hand to find one that is the right size to smash that fucking module in to little bitty peices for all the aggravation it caused you.
There are also a lot of little tricks that go with the job, like learning how to bypass certain things to create a desired result.  Our outgoing model S class does not use a steering lock, it uses a shifter lock instead.  Its part of the drive authoriztion system, and locked to the vehicle.   You can't just swap a shifter from one car to another, and a failure means the car is stuck in park and you can't move it.  We found removing the shift knob and smacking the rod with the hammer will often cause the "guts" to "jump" and let the shifter go in to gear.  There is a side effect though.... this can only be done with the key out of the ignition.  If you start banging on the shifter, which is located just behind the SRS module, you could pop all the chutes, and generate about $10K of revenue for the parts department inadvertently.  So you need to smack it to neutral, then start the car and drive off.  Mercedes puts the cupholders in all the cars near the most expensive electronics... they are always either on top of a $5,000 radio/nav unit or just behind the shifter so you will spill your drink in to it and the shifter will fail.  I have replaced a bunch of them.  Nothing like a little sour milk or coca cola gluing all your parts together down there.  
 One of my strangest tools is a wooden box I made.  It contains a $4,000 radio from a 2006 ML500, a bunch of wiring and junk, and an ignition switch from a C class.  I aquired the radio through an insurance job I did.  Some dummy left the sunroof open, and it filled up wihen it rained.  The radio initially didn't work, then I got it working, then it quit again, so I replaced it, along with a bunch of other parts that got wet and were ruined.  As per the usual procedure I hung on to that pile of expensive stuff for about a month after the car left, sometimes the insurance companies want their parts back.  I was about to throw it out, but decided since it cost 4 G's I would hook it up to a battery first.  It lit up and started working.  Having spent a month drying out, it began working again.  Cool.  It played for about 10 minutes and then shut off.  Almost all our cars will allow you to turn on the radio without inserting the key, after 10 minutes of no network activity, the radio will shut off automatically.  I searched through my pile of used, broken parts that I had laying around.  I found an ignition switch for a C class.  The lock solenoid died, but the switch was still electrically functional, and it had a key with it.  It "worked" but you couldn't turn the key.  I took it apart and bypassed the lock solenoid.  the switch is the network master, it actually creates the network.  So I rigged me up an old computer power supply, put a small network bus bar in the box, and installed my radio and ignition switch.  You power up the power supply with a trigger switch, then put the key in the switch and turn it.  The radio will then turn on and play all day long, until you take the key out.... the radio turning on and off is all handled through network messages from the ignition switch.  So I wired everything up with some panels I bought from radio shack.  I have 4 channel speaker outputs, RCA jacks for auxillary audio input (I hook my computer to it and play sound through it), I have weather band, am/fm, and CD player all right there.  It does everything it would do inside the car.  I put a break out panel on the front, I can tap body CAN, chassis CAN, 12 volt power and ground and the MOST network all right there on the front.  I can bench test components that way, that ordinarily could not be bench tested.  Its pretty cool, but I am no carpenter so the box could be better.  I could install navigation if I could get a nav drive!  If I wanted to play with my scope and read known good patterns, I can do it right there on my toolbox.  This smaller radio also replaced a large kenwood surround reciever and 5 disc cd changer, gaining me back valuable real estate on my toolbox.  
When I get bored, I can come up with some wierd stuff to do.  I once made  a water gun out of a windshield washer pump and a couple 9 volt batteries.  With a amall orifice and 18 volts, it would shoot really far!  I have never gotten to do anything cool like intentionally pop an airbag or stuff like that.  
Most of our vehicles keys have normal RF signals for lock and unlock, but we also use IR.  This is a redundant system, but the IR also allows you to roll up or down all the windows in the car before you get in it.  Its nice in the summer time to let all the heat out before you get in.  You can use a digital camera, or the night vision system on the new S class to see if the key is sending a signal, because those cameras will pick up the IR signal so you can see it.
I don't have a lot of home made tools, but I have some nifty little fiber optic repeaters I made.  They allow me to unhook the fiber optic connection to a component and bypass the component.  Its nothing special, just some guts out of old modules and a peice of rubber tubing.  It makes diagnostic work a hell of a lot easier though!
Enough of my boring everyone to death.  I will see what I can do about some pics tomorrow.  Pictures are worth a thousand words.

saturnstyl
I would love to read your post on the mentioned SLR. Do you have a link to it? I tried searching for it.

Quoted: Enough of my boring everyone to death.  I will see what I can do about some pics tomorrow.  Pictures are worth a thousand words.

Boring? Even with you massive paragraphs, I still read the whole thing. I am looking forward to the pictures though.


BTW do you have any recommendations on any literature or websites to learn more about CAN?

Quoted: saturnstyl I would love to read your post on the mentioned SLR. Do you have a link to it? I tried searching for it.

Its not there anymore.  I had to delete all the pictures, it ate up all my ARFCOM photo server space.  I will do another thread next time I do a service, I try to document everything important for the owner to have.  There were probably fifty pictures of various car parts, and I simply needed the room for other stuff after everyone had seen it.




These are just a couple I beleive I took in august 2005 during the PDI of the car, before it was sold.  Servicing it is pretty involved, even for the most minor things.

Quoted: Quoted: Enough of my boring everyone to death.  I will see what I can do about some pics tomorrow.  Pictures are worth a thousand words. Boring? Even with you massive paragraphs, I still read the whole thing. I am looking forward to the pictures though. BTW do you have any recommendations on any literature or websites to learn more about CAN?

Lessee if I can bust out an oversimplified explaination because I'll admit I am a bit rusty on specifics, and Benz probably doesn't have the exact same stuff other companies use.  Then again, they might, I have become almost single minded now and know very little about what the other companies do anymore.

CAN = Controller Area Network.  

Networks are used to share information among several different computers, or control modules.  Information is shared to reduce redundancy.  For example, My engine computer needs to know the coolant temperature, my instrument cluster needs to know also, for the coolant temp gauge, and my climate control also needs to know coolant temp to properly control heater core temp.  Thats three sensors, that all do the exact same thing.  So I just install one single coolant temp sensor, and I can use a really short length of wire, and just hook that sensor to any module that is close by, even if it has nothing to do with coolant temp.  This module will transmit on the network, and tell every other module what the coolant temperature is.  They all get the same information at the same time.  You save money on sensors, you save money on wiring, and you save wieght by only having one sensor with less wiring.

Now I have 30 computers all talking at the same time... much like in a crowded room, the conversation is mixed and I can't understand anything.  We need a Bus master.  The Bus master is the time keeper.  He has a clock, and all the modules are programmed to speak only at a certain time.  At one o' clock, my Engine computer is allowed to transmit his data to everyone, at 1:01, the transmission has a turn, and so forth and so on.  Everyone takes turns and the communication is clear, everyone is heard in turn.  Of course all this takes place at much faster speeds than we can comprehend, so you need an occilloscope to "see" what is going on.

The CAN network is actually two wires, CAN high and CAN low, which transmit mirror images of each other.  They run to a "bus bar" which connects several modules together.  You can then also connect two bus bars together, or more if you have a large network.  The redundant messages over CAN high and low help reduce interference, and on some low speed fault tolerant networks, allow the system to operate in the event of a failure.  

On Mercedes, the ignition switch is typically the "Bus Master".  It has the clock, it is the boss of CAN.  It tells the network when to wake up, and when to shut down.  Many Mercedes use more than one Network, for example we have a "Body CAN" and a "Chassis CAN" which operate at different speeds.  Since the two cannot be connected directly, the Ignition switch is the gateway between the two.  It selects the required messages and rebroadcasts them over the other network.  

Messages on the CAN bus also have prioritization.  Messages from the Airbag module have priority over everything for example.  If the Airbag module senses a collision of sufficient severity, it will immdiately tell the engine to shut down, door locks to open, and hazard lights to turn on.  If the a/c system was trying to send a message, it is simply ignored because the Airbag has priority.

When I hook an occilloscope up to CAN, I usually just find a BUS bar, and plug in to it.  I set my scope up to read the signal, and monitor CAN high and low simultaneously.  I check to make sure that the signals are mirror images of each other, and that also they are within the voltage range acceptable for CAN.  Any higher than spec, and the computers cannot "see" the messages, because they are only looking within a specific voltage range for messages.

A common problem we have with CAN systems is a module will not "go to sleep" or turn off when it is commanded to.  This causes the module to continue to draw power after the car is switched off.  You see, we don't use a relay or switch to provide power to the module, it is always powered up, and uses CAN messages to turn itself on and off.
When it stays active overnight, it can draw the battery down and kill it.  Hooking up a scope to the network allows me to see if there is still activity on the network after I have shut it down.  I can then eliminate the offending module and find out exactly which one is staying on when it should be off.

CAN has a number of advantages, but with that presents some diagnostic challenges.  In many cases it can help you track down a problem easily, because if several modules are all getting information from the same sensor, and all have fault codes for that sensor, then either the sensor or the wiring is suspect.  Sometimes the "invisibility" of the messages can really mindfuck you.  Since you cannot see for yourself exactly what is being transmitted, you must rely on what the modules report.  If a module says one thing and does another, it can be very difficult to track down.

I hope this was clear enough to understand.... I am not the worlds greatest for explaining things to people.  As you can tell, I am also a nerd.

I'm lucky in the fact that the company provides all of our truly heavy tools, but I have a fucking fortune sunk in MAC hand and air tools.Everyone should have at least one 85.00 pair of slip-joint pliers

Our new trains have data ports on the various systems and have to be troubleshot/reset via laptop, but the company provides them. They even provide our Snap-On tool boxes

I did buy a whole 3/4" drive set tho....that one hurt a bit.

Quoted: I'm lucky in the fact that the company provides all of our truly heavy tools, but I have a fucking fortune sunk in MAC hand and air tools.Everyone should have at least one 85.00 pair of slip-joint pliers Our new trains have data ports on the various systems and have to be troubleshot/reset via laptop, but the company provides them. They even provide our Snap-On tool boxes I did buy a whole 3/4" drive set tho....that one hurt a bit.

The lexus dealer next door bought everyone the exact same two bay matco toolboxes.  I would be MEGAPISSED if I was required to use a "company" box.  I am not locking MY tools in someone else's box.  I am also not leaving behind my big box for a little tiny one.  I thought that idea sucked when I heard about it.  My box is my little home away from home.  Its also an outlet for personal expression, and I am sure the boys at lexus are frowned at when they decide to decorate or personalize a bit.
Keep in mind that if you have a set of keys to a company box, then so do they.  Nobody has keys to mine except me.  

As for the 3/4" drive, I have one single socket.  I use a 1/2" adapter for it.

Today I was looking at a set of plastic scrapers on the snap on truck.  They are red, plastic, edged scrapers for scraping gaskets.  They were nothing more than sharpened plastic.  He said $75 with a straight face and I got the hell out of there.  
If you don't have a cornwell dealer, call up and see if you can get one.  They are usually around 30-50% less for the same stuff, and it IS professional quality.

tag for later.

Four years into owning my own shop and many, many years of being a mechanic, I have too much invested in it.

I recently finished a new inventory for an insurance policy:

My personal tools and all shop equipment, not counting computers, faxes, etc... but only tools is close to 300,000 in replacement value.

Throw my employees tools into it and it gets farther up there. It really isn't hard too rack up these bills, I spent almost 75,000 on tools last year.

Smoke machine/evap tester: 3500.
New Tig welder: 3500.
Two new lifts, installed: 8000.
Aqueous parts washer: 7500.
Spot welder: 1500.
Plasma cutter: 4500.
Tire machine: 9000.
Scan tool: 11000.
Etc, etc, etc....

My shop.

And if any qualified mechanics in Virginia are looking for a job, please e-mail me!

We primarily do Porsche/BMW/Subaru/VAG race/rally preperation and street performance, mostly Porsche.

Won the NASA Spec-E30 national championship last year, built the winning Rally America PGT car, built the ESRC and USRRC 2wd championship winning car, and have way too much fun.

Oh yeah, forgot to add: the 10,000 dollar rotary air compressor, hose reels and air system.

Our family owned shop has well over 100,000 clams invested in tools & equipment, and it's not hard to do (just look at saturnstyls setup).  My "gotta have it" tool is the Snap-On "MODIS" diagnostic tool.  It gives me Live Data Stream so I can see what your veh. is doing in real time, as well as a Snap-shot & /or movie functions where I can go into your cars PCM (computer) history and see exactly what conditions and specs were when your car met the criteria to set a code(s), as well as a Lab Scope function to watch waveform data in real time, and output / functional tests where I can manually activate certain relays and solenoids for testing purposes and checking circuit integrity.  The problem with our industry is many "techs" don't take the time to :

1) Listen to the customer - have them describe their drivability issue in their own words

2) Test drive the vehicle to verify/duplicate the complaint, as well as note any other   pending issues

3)  Know your craft - anyone can pull a code - that's why Autozone sells so many Oxygen sensors - just because the code sets, it doesn't mean the parts bad.  It may be a properly functioning sensor letting you know you have a problem (i.e. vacuum leaks, low fuel pressure setting Oxygen Sensor lean codes).  Learn proper diagnostic strategy & apply it!

4) research TSB's (technical service bulletins) & recall data - I have diagnosed many cars with scan data & TSB's before I've lifted the hood.

Tagged for pictures n'stuff later.

But here's a picture of the old - Snap-on KRL1001 and KRSC31 roll cart.

I've been working as a mechanic for about  17 years now.  I've worked mostly at Honda dealers but have done a little of everything over the years.  We had an inventory for replacement value for the insurance a few years back.  One of our sister dealerships got ripped off and they came up about $3 mil. short on how thay were insured.   A lot of the stuff I've bought I on sale or used, but when you get ripped you have buy it all now at full price  I have somewhere between $80 AND 100,000 now.

Quoted: I've been working as a mechanic for about  17 years now.  I've worked mostly at Honda dealers but have done a little of everything over the years.  We had an inventory for replacement value for the insurance a few years back.  One of our sister dealerships got ripped off and they came up about $3 mil. short on how thay were insured.   A lot of the stuff I've bought I on sale or used, but when you get ripped you have buy it all now at full price  I have somewhere between $80 AND 100,000 now. img.photobucket.com/albums/v414/madmathew/KIF_1114.jpg

Side note - How's that hutch working out for you?  I bought a 1023 last year and I'm looking to buy the hutch sometime later this year when I get $nap-on paid off a bit more.

I am not a professional mechanic. Most of my uncles on my father's side are. In fact, "professional" is only the tip of the iceberg with these guys:

My oldest uncle started out as Sugarloaf/USA's only mechanic and then retired a couple years ago as "Chief of mountain operations." He ran the whole mountain (the "go" side, not the "show" side). There is virtually nothing, I repeat, nothing    that this guy can't do with regards to engineering and mechanics. Over the course of his life, he was a national champion enduro racer, a factory test rider and bike builder, machinist, metalworks fabricator, etc, etc, etc.

My next oldest uncle is the chief mechanic for the local concrete ready-mix company. Dozens of trucks, many pieces of earth moving equipment are all under his care. Talking to him about mechanical issues is like talking to a nuclear physicist, it makes my head spin at times.

My next uncle was the head mechanic for my local town. All the trucks and school buses were his dept. He retired last year and is now building and restoring vehicles full-time on his own. He also built his own flat-track race car (I helped on this project) that is now complete and he and my oldest uncle are testing it all around New England.

My dad, while not a professional mechanic, is a pretty darn good backyard farm mechanic. He's more MacGyver than mechanic, though, and the things he's capable of is impressive.

Then there's me. I'm even less capable as a mechanic than my dad, but can do quite a bit of the little things and routine maintenance is fun. Welding/fabricating is no big deal to me, either, as I've made or repaired many things with a welder.

I have a roll away tool chest that's well-stocked. Most of my tools are Craftsman. The tools I consider to be most handy are wratchets and sockets, a pair of electrician's pliers/wire strippers/cutters, and WD-40.

With the genius we use at work for all of our vehicles, he gets by with only a few tools.  He has friends at most of the dealers so he can borrow many of the specialized tools he needs.  His brain and experience are his most important tool by far.  I have about 50 times (yes, literally) the amount of tools he has, but I can't do a 1,000th of what he can.  Cars and parts are now so expensive that it pays to hire someone good at the job.  I sympathize with any mechanic that is frustrated with the ridiculous "the computer tells you what's wrong" statement.

Also brand of tools matters, Snapon and a few others are alot more. Seen someone pay $50-60 for a Matco freon can punch that you can get at Autozone for $10, exact same thing, just diffrent name on it

I've ruined about half a dozen of those AutoZone or comparable piece of junk freon punches so one that isn't made out of pot metal would be worth $50.  I should have bought a better one 25 years ago.  I've wasted several expensive cans of old freon when one of them has broken.

As a wild-guess, I think I have around $175k worth of tools that I've inherited from my father, uncles, and brothers since I'm the only one in my generation or older still alive and none of my brothers and most of my 24 uncles didn't have boys.  I'm moving cross country very soon so I've been giving most of it away.  The biggest chunk is going to the guy I mentioned above and to a friend that works on antique tractors.  I have a bunch of John Deere-branded tools that are at least 75 years old that my current plan is to drop them off at a museum in South Dakota assuming I-90 is passable.z

When i moved to my current job i had to move my tools into my basement and had to have them assesed for insurance purposes.  The assesor told me they had to be assesed for replacemnt value and we dugout the snap on catalouge.  $58,954 replacement value.  i have (short list)

snap on standard, midlength and deep sockets in impact and standard.  Metric and SAE 1/4, 3/8, 1/2, 3/4
SK socket adapter and wobble U joint sets for impact and standard
snap on ratchet and extension sets for above sockets
Snap on  1/4, 3/8, and 1/2 inch impact wrenches
SK metric wrenches from 3mm to 38mm
snap on sae wrenches from 1/32 (point wrench) to 1-9/16
snap on scrwdrivers and nut drivers full sets
snap on punch and chisel sets
snap on hammer sets (steel and brass)
IR 1/4 die grinder and bits to match
IR grinding/facing tool (for facing cyl heads and blocks during gasket replacment)
SK tie rod end removal and installion set
nebco noid lite set w/ extesion harness kit
strut spring compressors
misc snap on and SK pry bars and pinch bars
Snap on MT2500 OBDII complaint scantool with domestic and imnport chips and keys
Snap on MT599 digital osciscope with lead package and computer software package
blue point wire feed welder
snap on multi meters (2 or 3 different)
bunches of electrical testing probes, plugs, meters etc etc that are used on one model or line you have to buy to finish a job and never use again.

plus all those littel tools that add up to big bucks but you cant think of to list.

I spent 7 years as an ASE cert auto mech in Ford and chevy shops and it all adds up fast.  Especially when the shop wont pay for any diagnostic tools.

SW

I am not a pro mechanic, but I do a fair amount of my own work, dodge ram & old chrysler musclecars.  

My favorite tools over the norm are,

Hydraulic 2 Post Lift.  Enough Said.

Big Industrial Ingersoll Rand air compressor, and air tools.  Impacts, air body tools, media blast booth, air is awesome.  

Big 3/4 dia brass rod.  I can hit any steel part without damaging it, great for removing bearing races without damaging the housing.  I am not a hammer happy guy but, 30+ year old parts need encouragment pretty often, and brass is the way to go.  

Gear wrenches & Stubby wrenches.  They are near invaluable.  

Specialized pullers. Same as above.  With the right puller, I can disassemble and rebuild various parts without damage.  

Quoted: Snap on MT2500 OBDII complaint scantool with domestic and imnport chips and keys

I love the Snap-on brick.  Lots more than the SOLUS or MODIS.

Quoted: This got me to thinking - what are some of the cool things you guys use

My brains and experience. They're worth more than all the shop tools put together. I've worked with a lot of guys over the years that tons of tools that never got used to actually fix something, because they didn't know how to find the cause of the problem to begin with.

In my experience, the one thing that sets a really good mechanic apart from a parts replacer, is that the really good ones don't just want to know how to find what part wrong. They also want to know why it went bad. They will know not just how to replace something, they will know how it works.

If you know how a part, or system, works and does it's job, it makes it infinitely easier to find out why it isn't working.

All the electronic sensors and controls have made it much more difficult to find the source of a problem because the ECM/PCM will try to compensate for a part that's not up to snuff, but not yet totally failed. Electricity does funny stuff. On modern systems you're frequently working with very low voltage sensor signals. Doesn't take much in the way of corrosion, a poor connection, a bad ground to make a system act funny.

Dealerships in particular will see "pattern failures" that  independants don't see. Lots of parts get replaced by non mechanics that don't need to be replaced because of things like that.

Quoted: Quoted: Snap on MT2500 OBDII complaint scantool with domestic and imnport chips and keys I love the Snap-on brick.  Lots more than the SOLUS or MODIS.

+100

Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: Snap on MT2500 OBDII complaint scantool with domestic and imnport chips and keys I love the Snap-on brick.  Lots more than the SOLUS or MODIS. +100

The MODIS is an MT2500 on steroids - I started out using a Mastertech, went to the MT2500, and IMOH the MODIS is superior to any scan-tool avaiable to the aftermarket industry.  With that said, a skilled tech with a "brick" is more valuable to a shop than a poser with a MODIS - but the MODIS has a lot more capability, when in the right hands.