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As I understand it, mechanics in the US brings their own tools to the workplace. Am I right ? Here in Denmark, the shop facilitates the tools for each mechanic. Special tools are often shared and put somewhere, where everybody has access.
But it´s the shop owner or manager who tells you which car you need to fix, right ? What if it´s a car that needs some special tool you don´t have ? Are you required to buy it yourselves ? It could be something like those triangular headed bolts that VW has started to use ….
Edit: I´m sorry, I forgot to introduce myself. I´m 52 yo and I´m from Denmark. Also a certified mechanic. Soon I´ll add A/C certificate. Mostly workied on japanese and german cars. To be more specific, mostly Mazda, VAG´s and Opel ( GM)
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It varies, but most techs in the U.S. provide their own hand tools. This would typically include tools for special bolts as you describe. The shop will typically supply special tools and shop equipment. Special tools might be various brand specific pullers or fixtures. Equipment would typically include lifts, jacks, test equipment and a shop compressed air system.
Same in the Uk we provide all hand tools most special tools are bought by the company but a lot techs buy the most common ones to have in there box as a shared tool is an abused tool.
I personally will buy any tool needed for the brand I am working on I draw the line at buying tools for anything other than the brand Which are sales department pay or any expensive diagnostic test equipment is typically paid for by service.
It can vary here in the US, because it’s completely up to the business owner. I have worked at shops where they provide about everything, and then I have worked at a shop where the ONLY thing the shop provided was the bay with a lift. Now I work at a dealership, and while you provide all of your own tools but diag equipment and special tools they provide, but many of the more common tools most techs buy. Like someone said, a shared tool is an abused tool. Sometimes you get tired of running around a shop trying to find a tool you need, it can be counterproductive and stressful, especially when working flat rate or commission.
About the businesses that provide little or nothing, they are often the best paying. Jobs like that also limit who can work there, so less competition. The job I had I said the owner provided nothing, I was going to make the investment but it just wasn’t a very busy shop, so I wouldn’t have made a return but the pay grade was great. Guy I know that works at this used car lot, they provide NOTHING, and they only give him a commission, they don’t even take out taxes, he has to do all that on his own, something you probably would never hear about in Denmark. He owns and maintains his own A/C machine, trans jacks, anything and everything. The money he makes is worth it.
most of places i know are techs supply their own tools. i personally would rather have my own so that i do not have to share to bunch of morons.
some would even keep special tool so that no one else can do that job except them. I had engine timing tool that was in my bay because i was one of engine guy and only one uses them…i rather be perfect…not eyeball crap. anyway back to topic.
i had worked with a tech who supplied a/c machines and such to the owner.
I know in asia that like a dealership would provide everything. their pay so low anyway…some i know around 25k annual.my dad owns an electrical contracting business…he told me that basic handtool for each worker but, powertool is company supplied.
way too much to invest on tools and knowledge…
north america is expansive to do anything for mechanic trade…heavy duty tools would cost even more money to their job.I am a big rig tech. I have worked at 3 different shops 1 franchise, one good ol boy dealership that turned franchise, and now a good ol boy dealership. It varies per shop in the US. Normally the way it works is any hand tools, power tools, etc you provide up to 3/4″ drive. Half the techs have their own 3/4″ drive stuff because its not abused and well to be honest you can find it.
Specialty tools ie sensor sockets, seal /bearing drivers, pullers/pushers, press’, jacks, jack stands are provided by most shops. Where i am at now they do not provide air lines, fittings, or wheel chocks which is not normal. You would also be lucky to find a sensor socket. Shop tools are normally the cheapest gd thing that they can buy that doesn’t break the first 3 times you use it. Our floor jack for big rigs is “new” aka 3-4 months old. Its already missing 3 grease fittings, has only been greased once by yours truly and that is because after i greased it, it locked the wheels up (real quality). We have “new” heavy duty jack stands that do not have any dip in them for holding the axle. This gets very sketchy when you have to beat on things with sledge hammers or use 5-6′ prybars. Also where I am at currently unless it is digital you better own the diagnostic tool. So coolant pressure testers, specific gravity testers, etc they dont have anymore someone thought it was a good idea to throw them out…..
We are required to supply everything except special tools. I’m at a gm specific dealer but trying to become the diesel guy for our team and getting ready to start buying my own specific special tools so I can find them. The two diesel guys on the other side of the wall have them all in their boxes I’m sure. Our special tool room is so scattered you can’t find anything which makes it a pita to do a lot of things as you spend most of your time searching for them rather than turning tools.
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Shop equipment like jacks, trans jacks, jackstands, oil caddies, A “decent” Scantool most shops here in the USA will provide.
The rest is up to the tech.
I work on all makes and models so my tool inventory is huge. The thing is, if and when I leave, those go with me so it’s fine with me that I provide my own tools. It’s expensive but you’ll always have it because it’s yours. And yes, I hate sharing too. LOL
SO… let´s say your boss tells you to fix this car, but the specific repair requires a specific tool. Are you required to get that tool and make the customer wait while getting it ? What happens if you can´t afford that tool right now ? Will your company step in and get it for you and make you pay for it later or is just “too bad” for the customer ? How does that work ?
Depends on how the tech is paid and how much the tool cost and if you can get the tool in a timely manner.
If it’s a specialty J tool (tool made specifically for auto manufacturers for a certain procedure and there is no alternative) and I don’t have it, I make the shop pay for it or refer the job to the Dealer.
If it’s a simple sub $75 tool, and the job pays enough, I’ll buy it myself. Cool thing about my shop is we can buy tools at cost and apply them to a monthly employee bill which comes out of the next big check (commission) so you don’t have to purchase out of pocket.
Where i am at if you don’t have the tool they tell you to figure it out. If there is no way some times they tack it on to the price of the repair other times the send it to the dealer shop. Some times they send it to the dealer and have one of our guys check the work and then charge them for both. Other times they send it and it comes back and they tell them they had to send it to the dealer. It all depends on the customer what they want or need and what they are willing to pay. When we send it to another shop though they know we reinspect so very rarely do we have a problem.
If it is a dealer and not independent, the shop will procure special tools. Seeing that you work on Mazda, you know about the special timing tools needed for L series engines. Every dealer I have been at has supplied those. We actually have a full cabinet of special tools, and if the right ones aren’t in it, Mazda could yank our franchise.
In the US, like the others say. The shop pays for shop tools and chemicals, we take care of the rest. In the dealership I worked in you were allowed to borrow the tool twice. After that you are obligated to buy your own. That is how we dealt with sharing. Mostly in a pinch, we would allow others, however if it became a habit, they needed to step up and get one for themselves. It worked.
This isn’t a very black or white area, it’s more grey. Most major tools are furnished by the shop. Examples would be alignment machines, tire machines, hydraulic presses, spring compressors, etc. Hand tools and air tools are generally the responsibility of the technician. When it comes to diagnostic equipment, its all a matter of where you work. I have had some shops furnish a scan tool, and others ask that you furnish your own to supplement what they have, to some requiring you to furnish one. I have two scan tools, an older OTC/Matco Determinator, and then a Verus pro. The Verus I keep current, just spend the $1k for the updates, ugh. The old one is there for the old OBD1 cars, as it’s more reliable on data display. Now when it comes to needing a special tool for a job, it all depends. In order to really be successful in this business, you must operate with a business sense. You are essentially a subcontractor to a shop, as you are providing nearly everything you need. How expensive is the specialty tool, and how often will you be needing it? Example 1 is the Cadillac Northstar waterpump socket that fit the earlier engines. You had to have it to do the pump, and it was like $60? back in the day. I have used it probably 10-15 times, and so I can safely say I got a return on the money, I made money with the tool. The waterpump tool for the ecotech GM engine, it’s not real expensive either, and I have used to 2-3 times now. Not a real often used tool, but a huge time saver, and there a lot of those engines out there. Odds are, you will need to do one at some point. For the 4 or 5hrs it pays, it doesn’t take long to recoup that investment, vs standing around or doing oil changes, right? Now here is a different example, BMW inline 6 with their blasted dual Vanos system. Overly complicated, variable cam timing system. In order to remove it and reinstall it, especially with a head removal, you must have the alignment jig to set it back up right. It’s not cheap, something like $400 or more for the set. Unless you work on a lot of BMW vehicles with that engine, it’s not worth buying. Borrow the tool, or rent the tool from someone, but you’ll never get your money back if you buy it. OK, maybe buy one used, and resell it when done, if time allows and you can find one. I had that situation, the other tech at a franchise chain shop I worked at, diagnosed a bad head gasket. Kid driving it overheated it and took out the gasket. The tech got whiny and said he was tired of doing major engine work. It got dumped on me after it was already sold. I advised at that point we need special tools, but the service writer/manager blew me off. Did the job, marked all the 22 gears(ok not literally but there are a few) in the dual vanos unit, and with the head machined(cant believe the machine shop saved the head) I couldn’t get it to all line up perfectly and not set a code. It ran fine, but the PCM didn’t like it. Went back up and told them, I need the tool to fix it, and they tried to push it on me to buy the tool. Nope, stood fast on that, I wasn’t going spend that money on the one time I’m going to use it. I think it got sent to a german shop for them to adjust it. So basically, look at how many hours that job is paying, how much is the tool, how often will YOU use it(not everyone else unless you are charging a fee), and how much money do you have left after every hour you flag(your profit). You really want to avoid sending cars to other shops or dealers, as you are potentially losing business. The more you can keep them in your doors, the better you are.
Now when dealing with diagnostic tools, that’s a little different game. It’s more like in between a tool box and specialty tools when justifying the cost. FIrst, its a major expense if you’re getting good stuff. Second, it doesn’t actually make you money directly like a specialty tool, but rather it helps you get the jobs that make you money. You can opt for the shop to furnish that stuff, but it usually is mediocre stuff and you’re lacking a lot of what you need. One franchise chain I worked for, cut my teeth in 20 years ago, they started buying OTC genisys scan tools for all the shops. Not the best things out there from the get go, and the vast majority of the guys using them only used them as glorified code readers. Another chain shop I worked for(same brand actually) had snap on Modis scan tools with all the accessories. I hated the weight of the thing personally, and you had to wait on whoever was using it to get done. Made diag jobs rushed as a result. Again, most guys used them as code readers, the lab scope leads had never been opened. Also wasn’t well taken care of. A different franchise operation(not the same as the ones I worked before) had a slew of OE tools, witech, tech2, IDS, VCDS, and even some clunky tool for a lot of the euro stuff that was a lot like a launch. The vast majority of the diag work done did not require the OE tools(ok VW I used the VCDS, best for the job on those turds). The scantool they had for all makes was slow as snot, and really not great except on euro. Where I am now, they have an OTC Encore, which hardly ever comes out. Aside from the chain with Modis scan tools, none of them had a labscope. I grew tired years ago of the game and bought my own scan tool, and labscope. Still have two scopes now, one on my Verus, and a Vantage pro. No more waiting on someone else to to finish with the scan tool, no more waiting on it to get updated, and you learn to use your own tool much better. That, along with knowing how to use a labscope, I get all kinds of diag work, often problems that other shops cant resolve. Even had a GM dealer call us to take on a chevy they couldn’t figure out, lol. A slow day I may only hook up my scan tool once, busy day, 4-6x. The guys in the front of my shop luckily are pretty good at getting diag time sold on jobs and selling the shop to customers. As a result, having my own scan tool, being good with it, as well as the other diag equipment(good DVOM, scope, temp gun, thermal imager, and borescope) I get a return on my investment. I saw my income double in the last 6 years.
What can you get from the last paragraph? If you use a scan tool as a code reader, you’re not a diagnostic technician, you’re an autozone guy. You also will never get a return from buying $10k or more in diagnostic equipment. If you use a tool often, you’ll make money. If you don’t, either you need to market yourself to use that tool more, or need to sell it. Finally, the most important tool you will ever own, is your brain. It requires updates, ie training both online and classrooms to keep up. The better it is, the more money you make. The parts store training classes are mediocre at best, you can do better out there.
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