Top Five Tools – UnderhoodService

Top Five Tools

Gary Farber, president
Debra Farber, vice president
All Brand Auto Service
Kensington, MD

Snap-on MODIS — A powerful tool for a broad range of diagnostics and applications.

Identifix — A world of information on one website. By checking www.identifix.com before starting a technical job, diagnostic time is saved because the answer is usually right there.

Snap-on Smoke Machine — Many different kinds of uses, including finding intake manifold leaks.

Hunter 411 4-Post Lift — Has the capacity to lift a Ford F-350 quad cab truck in the air. A heavy-duty lift that is able to accommodate those extra-large vehicles that most shops can’t service.

GearWrench Ratchet Wrench — Quick and simple, and easy to use.


Mick Cipolla
Courteous Car Care
Largo, FL

Snap-on A/C Machine — Excellent machine, easy to operate, very accurate, great ROI.

ShopKey — Fast, in depth, great flow charts, easy to navigate when downloading discs onto hard drive.

Coats Tire Machine and Snap-on Wheel Balancer — We’ve been able to mount and balance tires others couldn’t. Very fast and accurate.

Snap-on Vantage Scope — Easily trace out intermittents and voltage drops, and monitors wave forms.

And lastly, my most important investment — the professionals I am so pleased to work with every day — Cindy Kocik, Mike Gotay and Chuck Reynolds. They set the standard by which all others will be judged. With Cindy flawlessly performing those important everyday operations that we so often take for granted, and Chuck and Mike for their commitment to their craft, to themselves and to our customers. Employing master techs has been the best investment to date — not just in income, but peace of mind — quality repairs, confidence, professionalism and a sense of family. When everyone shares the same goal, everything else falls into place.


Chris “Dr. Mopar” Ketteman, owner
Dr. Mopar’s High Performance
Burlington, NC
www.DRMOPARSHP1.bravehost.com

The crew at Dr. Mopar’s participates in the annual AMC/Mopar “Hospice Nationals” Show, a national car show/race/swap meet to raise money for Hospice. The show is held at Roxboro Dragway in Timberlake, NC. Thanks to all those in the crew, who use these tools.

Central Hydraulics 3-Ton Heavyweight Floor Jack — We enjoy the all-steel construction, the heavy-duty wheel casters, yet at being 147 lbs., it moves around the shop easily.

Pittsburgh 1/2” Torque Wrench — Accurately measures torque. Durable, helps us ensure that all motor rebuilds, from high-performance ones, to daily drivers, have proper torque on all bolts, nuts.

Actron Self-Powered Timing Light — Very accurate on degreeing timing. Have had many good years from it, and hope to have more.

Campbell-Hausfeld Air Compressor — Very reliable, never have problem with slow buildup of pressure, always quick.

And last, but not least, is our 2-Ton Foldable Shop Crane from Central Hydraulics — This has been put to good use, and doesn’t take up much space, if any, in our shop. All the above tools are just some of the many we use. We have a one-bay shop, and perform restorations, routine maintenance, high-performance motor, tranny and rear end rebuilds, all on Dodge, Chrysler, Plymouth, Jeep/AMC vehicles only.


Harry Raines, owner/ technician
Autoworks, Inc.
Murphysboro, IL

Here is a list of my top 5 favorite tools/equipment:

Genisys System 2.0/Scanner — It’s user friendly, affordable, loaded with information.

Streamlight Stinger Flashlight — It would be hard to find a brighter flashlight.

Mastercool Portable Cooler — It keeps the shop at cooler temperatures on hot days. (A swamp cooler that really works!)

Firepower/FP200 MIG Welder

Pocket Screwdriver — It’s always handy.


Mikey Yu, owner
ASE-certified L1 master technician
Mikey’s Auto Repair Muffler & Brakes
Houston, TX

ALLDATA Information System — Shows TSBs and proper procedures of automotive repairs.

Snap-on Scanner — Monitors, graphs and reads sensors; input and output.

High-speed Internet — Great for finding other technicians’ opinions and to search parts options worldwide.

Worldwide Emission Machine/Computer — Has dyno capabilities; reads hydrocarbon, carbon monoxide and NOx readings. Good for emissions repair.

Canon Digital Camera — Enhances parts that are faulty; good for documentation of broken/faulty parts.

You May Also Like

AACF Celebrates 65 Years Serving the Aftermarket

AACF will be announcing more details about this commemorative fundraiser April 1st.

The Automotive Aftermarket Charitable Foundation (AACF), a 501c3 supporting people in the automotive aftermarket industry and their families during the hardest moments of their lives, said it is "thrilled to recognize 2024 as the year the organization celebrates its 65th anniversary, a testament to decades of heartfelt assistance to families within the automotive aftermarket sector." Originally established in 1959 as AFFTA, AACF owes its inception to the visionary spirit of Don Schlenger, a beloved figure in the automotive aftermarket industry.

Bendix Releases Technical Materials for ADAS Support

They are designed to help technicians properly set up, inspect, and diagnose several components integrated with ADAS.

Dayco Adds Almost 30 Part Numbers in March

The 29 new part numbers will be available by the end of March for distributors interested in adding to their product coverage.

ASE Designates June as Automotive Service Professionals Month

ASE urges industry members to embrace Automotive Service Professionals Month as a platform for expressing gratitude.

ZF Aftermarket Releases 80 New Parts

The latest additions expand coverage to more than 5 million vehicles in operation.

Other Posts

Vehlo Acquires Shop Management Software, Shop-Ware

Shop-Ware is a cloud-based shop management platform catering to independent automotive aftermarket repair shops.

Auto Care Association Launches REPAIR Act Video

The goal is to emphasize the need for federal REPAIR Act legislation, according to the Auto Care Association.

ASE Education Foundation, Goodguys Continue Partnership

Goodguys is one of many industry relationships the foundation has developed to help solve the technician shortage.

Valvoline Celebrates Female Service Center Employees

As women make up more than half of all drivers in the United States, Valvoline is taking steps to increase their vehicle care confidence.