Major Automotive Service Technician Tools Found In Every Garage
When embarking on an auto career, the first things you learn are the ins-and-outs of using the most popular industry-standard tools. In addition to these, however, there are other major tools not usually found in the garage of the hobbyist, but are absolute necessities for the automotive service technician. These tools are indispensable to building up your business from the ground-up, or becoming a valued member of a pre-existing team.
Tools You Can’t Do Without
Early in your auto career, you’ll come across the full range of electrical issues with the parts of a vehicle. As such, a voltmeter is an essential piece of diagnostic equipment, which drastically cuts down the amount of time you would otherwise spend trying to find shorted wires and faulty connections. Often sold together, a multi-meter for the checking of amperages is just as important.
Because a busy automotive service technician can easily encounter tens-of-thousands of bolts, screws and holes in a short period of time, you’ll find air-powered ratchets, ball drivers and power drills to be merciful instruments of construction and disassembly. They save your joints from inflammation and injury and allow you to easily tighten and loosen disagreeable bolts and screws.
For big jobs that involve razing down the thick metal of a car, cutting and making adjustments are easily handled by this next popular tool of the automotive service technician: the plasma cutter. Reaching temperatures hot enough to ionize the surrounding air, this is essentially the perfect knife and slices through hardware like butter. The plasma cutter is an indispensable welding tool that will serve you well in your auto career.
A work light is an absolute must. Even during the brightest day, there are nooks and crannies in the back of the garage where darkness dominates, and it is crucial that you see what you’re doing. Work lights come in super-bright halogens and low-energy LEDs, where the lack of an extension cord and power adapter proves handy.
Extensions and swivels are mechanical tools that allow you to reach and manipulate hard-to-reach bolts, which are either deeply-embedded in some corner of the car, or surrounding by too many other machine parts at an awkward angle.
Jacks and jack stands are instruments of dual-importance, so much so that they’re sold as the feature of many starter packages for the beginning auto mechanic. The jack is for removing car wheels safely, by allowing you to slide underneath the multiple-ton vehicle to inspect the underbelly.
These represent just slightly more than a handful of the essential tools you’ll encounter in auto careers, and serve as the bare minimum for a serious mechanic. Vehicles develop all kinds of problems through wear-and-tear, and these tools help you effectively apply your knowledge in finding solutions for satisfied customers as an automotive service technician.
Diy Battery Desulfator For At Home Reconditioning
A DIY battery desulfator is a device that rejuvenates batteries in order for them to perform like brand new. Here’s a scenario for you: Your typical car battery’s life span is about two to four years. After that, it eventually dies – sometimes while you’re running pretty late to work or sometimes on a family cross country trip or sometimes just at home when you’re about to start the car up. Regardless of when or where it conks out, it’s dead and the situation renders your car useless. So, you haul the off to the recycler’s and spend some cash for a new one so that you can use the car.
But what if you could actually recondition the battery and make it work like brand new before it died out? The good thing is – you can! Most car batteries (and batteries for other machines and devices) can be reconditioned or refurbished in order to make it work like brand new and prolong its life expectancy.
What Causes The Batteries To Deteriorate, Anyway?
Over time, the inside of the battery starts to undergo a process called sulfation, where the lead plates (the part of the battery that produces the electric charges) become coated with sulfate. The coat creates an insulation on the lead plates, which causes then to produce a lower voltage charge. Eventually, the coating becomes so thick that the battery can no longer hold any charge. When this occurs, the battery is considered ‘dead.’ However, the reconditioning process simply de-sulfates the battery in order for the sulfate build-up to break down. This clears up the lead plates, allowing the battery to produce more charge, allowing it to work normally like it usually does.
Can DIY Battery Reconditioning Be Done?
Battery reconditioning can be done at your local automotive service shop – or you can do it yourself. All you need is a desulfator or Nanopulser. This device works by emitting high voltage pulses right into the battery. The pulses force the sulfate crystals to break down and dissolve, rendering the ‘bad’ or ‘dead’ batteries useful or almost like brand new.
Where Can I Get A Battery Desulfator?
Battery desulfators can be purchased online or from local vendors – or you can have someone make it for you. Some desulfator devices come with chargers, and can range anywhere from $25 to $100. Or, you can choose to make your own DIY Battery Desulfator from scratch. Making one is simply easy and can be created using a number of items that are available from hardware and electrical stores near you.
A good guide should provide a proper work plan and should give you a diagram to follow in making your own battery desulfator. Once you have the device on hand, try practicing on spare batteries or ‘bad batteries’ that you may be able to purchase at a cheap price.
It’s a good idea to use the desulfator at home as a preventative measure. Meaning, battery reconditioning should be done when the battery is still alive, as a preventive measure – as a last minute resuscitation measure once the battery dies.
[Top]Nissan X-Trail The Best Value SUV
Nissan X-Trail The Best Value SUV
The X Trail was added to Nissans off road range in 2001 and is something of an unsung hero. It is a compact 4×4 with practical boxy lines. Dynamically, the X-trail drives great on-road making it better choice than rivaling BMW X3 or Volvo X360. The X-Trail is the best option for those looking for a dependable yet enjoyable 4X4 car. It also returns a great value for money in terms with generous standard kit and strong resale values. The overall look of the Nissan X-Trail remains the same since 2001 apart from the light tweaks it received in 2007, but the X-Trail doesnt really need any change in design as it is a winning formula that still feels fresh and has helped the Japanese manufacturer flourish through the off road vehicle market. The X-Trail has a rugged look thanks to its chunky bumpers and dark scuff plates. Inside it has a luxurious but practical cabin that feels upmarket with high quality materials.
Having said that, the dashboard looks a bit odd with centrally fitted screen which looks like a substandard after market accessory. The X-Trail is powered by a 148bhp 2.0litre and 171bhp 2.0litre diesels mated with a six speed manual gearbox. The gearbox is smooth but it drives a bit firm and on motorways there is a lot of road noise. Having said that, it performs great on the bends thanks to the firm set-up giving it an edge over the agricultural Land Rover Freelander. The X-Trails appetite for revs makes it an entertaining car to drive. However, like other Nissans, the X-Trail is also not the best at stopping and takes 62.6 metre to stop when brakes are applied at 70mph, the rivaling Kia Sorento (larger in size) does the same in 52.6 metres.
The X-Trail managed to score only four out of five stars in Euro NCAP crash test rating, which is same as the Toyota RAV4 but one star less than the Land Rover Freelander. However, the standard safety equipment includes six airbags, AntilocCK Braking System and electronic stability control. The four wheel or two wheel drive can be selected with a touch of a button that adds to the drivers confidence. Nissan cars have a strong reputation for reliability and the X-Trail has performed really well in owner satisfaction surveys. It finished ninth in Auto Express Driver Power Survey.
The X-Trail boast 603 litres of boot space which can be increased to 1,773litres on folding the seats, that is 100 litres more than the rivaling Freelander which is larger in sizes. There is plenty of legroom for the passengers at the back and cabin boasts a huge glovebox and lots of cubbyholes. The driver enjoys a comfortable position thanks to highly adjustable seat and steering wheel. All of these make long journeys easy for both the driver and the passengers. The X-Trail returns fuel economy of 44.1mpg which is on a par with its rivals. However, it enjoys high residual values as compared to its rivals plus the kit levels are impressive. The Sport version gets a sunroof, Bluetooth connectivity and CD changer. All of these combine to make the X-Trail an appealing package for buyers.
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