Reddit reviews B'laster - PB-TS - Penetrating Catalyst - 4-Ounces

Hey! I started much where you are and had no real way of learning from someone else on what to buy, what to look for, etc. etc. I've got a few tips for you!

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When I first started wrenching, I thought I needed air tools. Every mechanic's shop has airtools. Cars are big and mechanical, and it made sense that I'd need something beefy to pull them apart. TOTALLY FALSE. I'll let you know that 90% of my tools are handtools from harbor freight and I probably spent no more than $200 on the collection. Here's a rundown of my most used/invaluable tools:

• 3/8" drive socket wrench from harbor freight. Composite handle, great mechanism, very comfortable, very light. I have a nice set of kobalt socket wrenches. They don't shine a light on this bad boy in my experience. I have and use 2 pretty regularly. You might be able to get away with just an adjustable wrench.
  
• Impact sockets. Little bit beefier than regular sockets, but I very rarely come across an instance when these are not the answer.
  
• Color coded deep sockets. When the impacts aren't the answer, these are. I've only got a set of metric, and haven't needed to buy the SAE set yet. I won't buy them until I need them. The color coding seems trivial, but is HUGE when you're sick and tired of being under the car, just want to finish since the sun went down and your tired. Going for the blue socket is much easier than sliding around in relative dark trying every socket to see if it's right. That fucking sucks.
  
• Universal joints. Not 100% necessary, so don't buy them until you need them, but holy hell do they make life easier.
  
• Extensions. Access is everything when it comes to wrenching. These ones wobble, you might not like that. Try them in the store. Poking 18" of extension up into a crevice is all fun and games until your socket starts flopping around and you can't control it. Double entendre. The alternative are non-wobbling extensions. I have the non-wobbly ones. They've worked totally fine and I don't find that I need the wobble ones.
  
• Adapters to make all your junk work together.
  
• Breaker bar. When your arms fail you, this won't. Don't go for the cheapest. I did and snapped off the end. Totally fucked myself in my work parking lot.
  
• Torque wrench. Almost the most expensive tool in my arsenal. Torque specs are very important. This wrench is cheap as fuck, and people say it's a comparable buy to the snap on wrench. I love mine to death.
  
• Adjustable wrench Like having an entire socket wrench set in one single tool. More elbow grease, but very convenient.
  
• Body panel pry bars. You will need these for general "gentle" prying on body panel snaps. Where a screwdriver would mess up the paint, these are surprisingly effective.
  
• My crown jewel: The impact driver. This is my singularly most used tool. Get this with a set of bits, and you'll be unstoppable. Of course it's not necessary, but it makes 2 minutes of wrenching a 2 second affair. Add it up and it saves a lot of time. These and These are what make my impact driver the best tool in my arsenal.
  
• JACK STANDS. Cars are heavy, make sure it's safely supported and you'll be confident every time you go under your car.
  
• Jack to actually get your car up.
  
• Plywood squares to put under your jack stands, and jack. Jackstands have small feet that sink in grass and asphalt. Plywood stops them from sinking
  
• PB Blaster, or penetrating oil. This stuff will pay for itself the first time you use it. Loosens the bullshittiest of bullshit.
  
• OBD2 reader This bad boy combined with a $10 app on your phone (DashCommand) will let you communicate with your car's computer. I can read codes, clear codes, see voltage, and boost and vacuum pressures. I can see RPMs, engine timing, rich/lean conditions and any other shit that I'll never need to see. Troubleshooting is 100 times easier with this. Most auto stores will read codes for free, but they won't clear them.
  
  And that's basically it. Lift your car on level ground. Use jackstands. "Getting to" the actual issue is always like 80% of the work. The work itself is pretty easy generally. Youtube and reddit ( r/mechanicadvice, r/cars, and r/justrolledintotheshop ) are invaluable resources. These people know their shit and they know yours too. PB Blaster is magic oil. If something goes wrong, get it on video for the experts to see and hear instead of describing a skrrt skrrt sound when you're turning left then right, you know? Get cheap tools to start with. When they break, you know that you use them enough to justify better ones. If I've told you not to skimp somewhere, it's because I've skimped there before and I don't want you sitting there defeated. Buy tools as you need them. Start basic, then expand. It's not called a collection because you bought them all at the same time from the same place.
  
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  I got my start by changing my oil. Then my brakes. Then replacing this, then that, and now I'd feel comfortable working on a brand new vehicle. I'm no expert either. Just casual stuff. Building confidence is a big part of it. I wish you luck my man. If you ever need anything, let me know and if I don't have the answer, I'll find it for you.
  
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  To clarify. The tools I listed above are 99% of what I use.

I've never used that brand, but I've used other liquid wrench penetrators and it seems to be about as good as WD-40.


PB Blaster is what I use, and it works miracles.

http://www.amazon.com/Blaster-Chemical-PB-TS-Penetrating-Catalyst/dp/B0016GXONM/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1324156262&sr=8-2