The garage, in addition to serving as a “home for the car,” usually stores old furniture, a bicycle, a lawnmower, garden equipment, winter tires, or an artificial Christmas tree. This happens when the garage also serves as a storage room or attic. It is different in the case of a home-grown mechanic with a passion for DIY. With such an owner, the garage becomes a place to spend every free moment.
A home garage doesn’t have to be just a cluttered place where you leave your car overnight. A well-arranged and equipped garage can become the kingdom of every DIY enthusiast and amateur mechanic.
Garage Furniture: Workbench, Garage Stool, and Creeper
A workbench is essential equipment for a DIY enthusiast and a hobbyist mechanic. It makes work easier. It has a strong, damage-resistant steel top and drawers. More expensive models boast a heavy-duty workbench with locking cabinets for storing tools. An additional important element of the table’s equipment is a vice, which allows you to immobilize the part being repaired or the workpiece being processed.
A special stool is a supplement to the working table. Garage stools come with wheels and a handy tray for odds and ends. When performing various repairs on a car, you often have to get under it. Lying on the floor is neither comfortable nor good for your health. A mechanic creeper, equipped with wheels and an ergonomic, adjustable headrest, will help you slide under the car more comfortably.
Garage Tool Kit
Every DIY enthusiast cannot do without equipping their workshop with the necessary tools. A mechanic will need a set of flat or open-end wrenches and a set of socket wrenches with a ratchet to repair and modify a car. Several types of screwdrivers will come in handy – for mechanical applications and with insulation and magnetized tips for electrical work.
It is also worth buying a set of screwdrivers of different sizes with replaceable flat and Phillips tips (bits), designed for performing precision work. In addition, a wheel wrench (a socket or Phillips), an adjustable wrench (with adjustable jaw opening), a solid hammer with a rubberized anti-slip grip, a set of Allen keys as well as Torx keys, and universal pliers are often useful in the garage.
For more advanced repairs, e.g., on chassis elements or for unscrewing wheels, an impact wrench will be useful – electric (mains or battery-powered) or a pneumatic wrench connected to an oil compressor. In the case of engine repairs, you cannot do without a torque wrench which allows you to tighten screws and nuts with the appropriate force.
If you plan to perform periodic inspections of your car yourself, do not forget to stock up on an oil filter wrench and a spark plug wrench. The garage should also have basic power tools. A drill with a set of drills for metal and wood, an angle grinder (or multi-grinder), and a cordless screwdriver (or nutrunner) will often be needed.
Set Up Good Lighting in the Garage
Garages are usually dark rooms, most often without windows. Precise manual work or repairs require good lighting. To ensure comfort at work, it is absolutely necessary to equip the garage with several strong light sources – both stationary and portable.
Good lighting will help you park your car without stress and ensure comfort and safety at the workplace. Install hermetic ceiling lighting with LED fluorescent lamps in the garage . They are economical and at the same time provide good working conditions.
A strong, portable light source is a workshop lamp. It is resistant to damage and falls thanks to the use of a protective basket integrated with a special housing. Workshop lamps can be equipped with a traditional light bulb or LED diodes.
They can have a long power cord and a hook (or magnet) for hanging, e.g., on a chassis element or under the open hood of a car. Additionally, you can get a headlamp, a so-called headlamp, which will illuminate the workspace well, e.g., when working under a car. Cordless lamps are also available; they are easy to use but require charging.
More Garage Tools to Consider
Car Jack
Garage owners should supplement their toolkit with a stable car jack (post or frog type), which will allow you to quickly change your winter to summer tires or perform various repairs on your own. The jack should provide comfort, but you should not forget about safety. If the car is to remain raised for a longer period, e.g., for the time of replacing a suspension element, it is absolutely necessary to use stands (trestles).
The vehicle is lowered onto them so that it rests on stable supports and does not fall on the person working under it. Additionally, it is worth getting plastic wheel chocks that will prevent the vehicle from rolling.
Battery Charger
A charger should be part of every garage, because you never know when your car’s battery will give out. When choosing a charger, look for a microprocessor model with a charging current of at least 6 A. This type of device automatically controls the charging voltage and current, and also allows you to check the battery charge status.
Such a charger detects the battery type (6, 12, or 24 V) and adjusts the charging parameters accordingly. In addition to the charger, a mobile multimeter is also useful, which will be useful for checking the efficiency of the battery charging system. It allows you to measure any electrical values, both in the car installation and at home.
Oil Compressor
The compressor is used not only to check and top up tire pressure, but also without having to visit a gas station. It can be used to clean (blow) various elements and repaired parts, it powers pneumatic tools (e.g., an impact wrench for unscrewing wheels), a paint gun, or a snowman lift.
Pressure Washer
A pressure washer will be useful to every garage owner, not only for touchless car washing, but also for keeping the driveway and property clean. In addition to taking care of the aesthetic appearance of the car, the high pressure generated by this device allows you to thoroughly wash even hard-to-reach places such as the engine compartment or chassis.
In addition, the washer will help refresh paving stones, wash garden tools after work, or a bicycle after a trip. More expensive models are equipped with a set of additional accessories, e.g., special nozzles and brushes for cleaning the bodywork with a special liquid that produces active foam.