Automotive Hand Tools

DIYers, Give Yourself a Hand Tool

Are you determined to replace the oil filter in your car, stop the oil pan from dripping on your garage floor or tackle a tire rotation from your driveway? NAPA sells hand tools for every automotive replacement parts job from the best brands like Carlyle Tools by NAPA, Craftsman and Gearwrench. Although a collection of professional-level garage tools is built over time, there are a certain set of hand tools that will cover a wide range of auto parts projects.

Some of the most common automotive hand tools to keep in your toolbox or tool chest are hammers, mallets, screwdrivers, lug wrenches, hex keys (Allen wrenches), chain wrenches, pilers for crimping and ratchet sets. A top-end socket set should include standard and metric sizes. And, nothing beats extensions and thin-walled sockets for working in tight spaces.

Don't get tempted to use a standard house tool for specific automotive repair tasks, especially when a specialized part exists. For example, snap rings are found all over a vehicle from U-joints to wheel hubs. So put down that Philips screwdriver and grab a good pair of snap ring pliers. NAPA has an ideal reversible set that can handle both external and internal snap rings.

Make sure your shopping cart includes standard measuring tools, including everything from ones used in general DIY home projects (ruler, tape measure, chalk reel, level and carpenter square) to customized automotive measuring devices like a tire gauge, spark plug gap gauge and feeler gauge. Even add standard mechanic supplies for cleaning off grease and grime: gasket scraper, wire brush, parts washer brush, polishing pad brush and soldering flux brush.

Additionally, NAPA now carries insulated hand tools made by Carlyle. Because modern electric vehicles and hybrids contain extremely high voltages and amperages, it is critical to have the right tools to keep you protected when working on them. Thus, NAPA provides insulated hand tools like Wire Stripping Pliers and Long-Nose Pliers for your safety. Check out our entire sets of non-conductive EV tools, including this six-piece Hex Key Set and the seven-piece Screwdriver Set. And, don't forget to add to your cart the precise protection you need for routine maintenance and repairs on EVs and hybrids, such as Hybrid Electric Safety Gloves. For more information on EV Tools versus ICE Tools (internal combustion engine), refer to the What You Need to Know article from our NAPA experts.

A Professional Shop, From Tiny Tools to Heavy Hitters

Itty bitty reaching and retrieving tools like hooks, picks, tweezers and T handles are extremely powerful when a mechanic is in a pinch. From using needle-nose pliers to reach deep into a crevice for a fallen nut or relying on a locking set of pliers to help tug something loose, no set of mechanic hand tools is complete without many varieties of grippers. And, a magnetic pick-up tool can add that small amount of superpower to get a lost piece into a greasy hand.

Bigger hand tools, bent on destruction, should also take up space in your home garage. Pressure, corrosion and heat can warp automotive parts so that they are too tight to remove using standard hand tools. Breaker bars and the pry bars give you a mechanical advantage to budge a stuck bolt or ripe off a stubborn brake rotor.

Garage hand tools are also critical for holding materials in place, cutting alloys, rubber, wire and plastic and grinding metal discs, plates and more. This list includes simple C clamps, trigger clamps, files, putty knives, chisels, hole punch sets, retractable utility knives and multi-function precision tools.

Do you want to improve your hand-me-down or estate sale tools with flex handles and replacement grips? Or are you wanting to start from scratch with a brand-new complete tool set? NAPA has the tool supplies for those who tinker, as well as mechanics, machinists and masters with tool kits ranging from 50 to 200 pieces for less than $200 dollars to heavy-duty technician's sets for more than $1,000 designed for professional development and a certified vocational education curriculum.

From funnels and hose pinchers to inspection mirrors and knife sharpeners, NAPA now offers NAPA Rewards. Get one Point for every $1 you spend! Sign up today and save.