Adding MMO after Regane

[CharBaby]

I have alot of tools but I don't need a code reader. The autoparts stores in my area do it for free and I have frieds that also have them. We often borrow tools from one another.

And what does the amount of posts have to do with a code reader?

 

[demarpaint]

It took me a lot more than 2401 posts to buy a code reader. Vikas was helpful in my selection.

Honestly all kidding aside it is a great tool to have. It has already saved me a lot of time and hassle.

 

[Vikas]

Amount of posts indicate your interest in the mechanical aspect of the car. Would you not buy a decent spark plug wrench? Would you borrow one from your friend?

When it costs about $25, there is no reason not to have one.

If you had one, you would have known the code rather than speculating on it.

- Vikas

P.S. I badgerd DemarPaint relentlessly until he finally gave in and purchased the scanner

 

[demarpaint]

Originally Posted By: Vikas


P.S. I badgerd DemarPaint relentlessly until he finally gave in and purchased the scanner


That you did! If I hadn't formally said thank you I'll do it now! THANK YOU!!!! A solid investment, money well spent!

 

[Vikas]

What ends up happening is that many people essentially never get a good enough solution because they complain that a great solution is too expensive for them. There is a terminology for that but I do not remember it exactly ...

I see this happening in many cases but more often on tools. For example, people will keep on harping about not having money to buy Makita/Dewalt as their first rotary buffer but then snubbing their noses at el cheap HF rotary.

Same thing with the scanner; they want to own the one with ABS/Airbag/Livedata/graphing/multi-colored display (with Sanp-On name). When the CEL pops up in their own car, they have to drive to local Autozone which is unfortunately little bit off their usual track and can't get there until the weekend after the next because they are busy

Twenty five bucks on code reader or HF rotary will not bankrupt (collective) you or prevent you from buying a better one when you get your next paycheck if that is how you live. Skip a visit to girly bar and you have extra twenty five bucks in your own pocket instead of tucked under some floozy's

Excuse my rant!

- Vikas

 

[CharBaby]

Originally Posted By: demarpaint
Originally Posted By: Vikas


P.S. I badgerd DemarPaint relentlessly until he finally gave in and purchased the scanner


That you did! If I hadn't formally said thank you I'll do it now! THANK YOU!!!! A solid investment, money well spent!


Twist my arm a little more and maybe I'll get one. The CEL is out again so, if it comes back on maybe I'll be ready.

 

[Spyder7]

Originally Posted By: Char Baby
Originally Posted By: demarpaint
Originally Posted By: Vikas


P.S. I badgerd DemarPaint relentlessly until he finally gave in and purchased the scanner


That you did! If I hadn't formally said thank you I'll do it now! THANK YOU!!!! A solid investment, money well spent!


Twist my arm a little more and maybe I'll get one. The CEL is out again so, if it comes back on maybe I'll be ready.


I own a code reader by virtue of it being built into my Scangauge. It was a big bonus that did factor into it, although the many other features in it did as well.

Prior to getting the Scanguage, a code reader was on my list of tools to aquire - but its a big list, so had I not got the Scanguage its hard to say how long I would have gone before it made it to the top of the list.

I have most of the basics covered pretty well now (pro grade sockets, assorted pliers and wrenches, screwdrivers, multi-meter, dremel for small body work jobs, solvents, degreasers, intake cleaner, electrical contact cleaner), but there's still a big list of more specialized tools I'd like to own (like an angle grinder and orbital sander, to name just two), and will be buying as they either go on sale or the need arises (whichever comes first).

I check the weekly Can Tire flyer sales and buy from that, looking for pro grade tools (life time warrantied), and try to add something every pay day.

My first tool set was composed of a basic, well worn socket set and adjustable wrench. Its grown a lot since then.

-Spyder

 

[Vikas]

Don't get hang up on the "pro" part. You don't have Harbor Freight there but I have heard Princess Auto is just as bad Cheap tools are better than no tools.

- Vikas

 

[Spyder7]

Originally Posted By: Vikas
Don't get hang up on the "pro" part. You don't have Harbor Freight there but I have heard Princess Auto is just as bad Cheap tools are better than no tools.

- Vikas


I agree. What winds up happening, though, is that with the big list of tools I started off without, I had a big variety of things to pick from, and by matching it up with the sale items from Can Tire, I was able to get them at 50%-75% off their regular price. I recall one day discussing this at work with a co-worker, and I added up what I spent on my two latest visits and compared that to the regular prices that I added up separately: the average for those two trips (I spent $60 on one trip, and I think $75 on the other) wound up being about 65% less than regular retail.

Most of my tools are Mastercraft. My dremel is a more inexpensive Jobmate (the cheap in house brand) that I got for $15 with a 30 piece attachment set and a one year warranty.

I've been to Princess Auto a few times, but each time left empty handed. Their store layout is the most disorganized I've ever seen, and their prices are actually higher than Can Tire when you make it a habit to follow the flyer and time your buys accordingly; also with Can Tire I know I'm getting quality products that, with the Mastercraft lineup, should last a lifetime and only ever need to be purchased once.

The stores here are also well stocked and lay out their sale items well, making them easy to find and the trip quick and painless.

Quality is important to me. The socket wrench from my original socket set broke part way through the job; this would have been a major PITA if that first cheap set of hand me down tools hadn't included a second socket wrench that allowed me to complete the job.

Better tools also have stronger tips, making them less prone to strip bolts, etc, or leave behind metal shavings.

I don't think anyone should get too hung up on a brand to the point that they pay so much they have to fore go additional tools, or go without completely; but when you shop carefully and pre-plan your buys around good sales, you can get quality tools and pay the same price, or less, than the cheap alternative. This is my method.

-Spyder

 

[Spyder7]

I should add that my purchases were spread out over several visits. I think I spent $200-$250 so far. Given the span of time they are intended to be used over, and that an auto shop or dealer is a last resort for me, I consider it a sound investment.

I have the basics covered well enough now that there's not much within my level of knowledge and skills that I can't do with the tools on hand; so I've shifted from bi-weekly tool shopping to monthly payments on a diploma level auto mechanics course via correspondence (my job precludes the ability to attend anything class based, as it is both 12 hour shift-work oriented and an "on call" position).

Next spring when the weather starts to warm up I will resume the sale hunt and tool expansion, as there are a lot of my projects I have planned for next summer (everything from minor ongoing body work to a major tuneup). I'm also looking at picking up a cheap beater and project car in the under a grand price point; though as this will be a second car, I have all the time I want to shop around for the right candidate.

These investments in tools and knowledge will pay dividends there as well, and I envision my total price paid for tools and the course I'm doing to eventually pay for itself in saved diagnostic and labor costs. Even more so if I decide to moonlight part time at a shop at some point for the purpose of attaining more hands on experience and the experience required to do the ASE exams.

-Spyder

 

[Vikas]

I visit HF once in a while. I pick up stuff if it is on sale and if I can use coupon. However, some of their stuff is so bad that I just could not make myself to buy it. If it looks half way decent and garagejournal has few PASS votes, I pick it up just-in-case.

I do same thing with Sears and their occasional Gearwrench sale. One can get pretty decent deals with good warranty.

- Vikas

 

[Spyder7]

Sears makes good stuff, but good sale prices are rare and prices are high. HF sounds like Princess Auto - except that at Princess Auto you have to roam 20+ aisles, and then maybe you find what you're looking for.

My last visit was to look at their code readers (this was pre-Scanguage). Nowhere in the store, after combing every aisle could I find one - yet a friend had mentioned he'd seen them there for a decent price, prompting the visit.

Now its WM for oil and CT for everything else. Though I'm set on both for long enough now that I've set aside (or am trying to - I still look) buying more of either until I do my spring OC.

-Spyder