Good, complete equipment is the foundation of any auto repair shop. What elements should be kept in mind to start work?
The basis for effective operation is good organization of the workplace. You may not see it in many Polish garages, which have stopped at the stage of chaos, but clutter delays the execution of tasks completely unnecessarily. How much time is needed to tighten a screw? Sometimes even fifteen minutes, because it takes fourteen minutes to find the right wrench. This exaggerated, but not at all unusual situation can be avoided by properly planning workshop equipment.
The basic issue when setting up a workshop is to assess the space available. Whether there is room for one, two, three or more workstations is very important for the subsequent purchase of equipment. It is important to remember that each workstation must have a supply of work space. It is not enough to just park a few cars next to each other and hope that somehow it will work. Sometimes it is better to sacrifice one workstation in favor of more space at the others. Ergonomics of work will more than compensate for this.
There is no shortage of workshops, in which the furniture is used disassembled, old cabinets from the owner’s kitchen. Although the reuse of objects is always advisable, it is worth taking into account the fact that the specificity of work in the kitchen and in the car service is very different. Workshop furniture must be more robust, because it will be subjected to greater loads. In addition to typical cabinets and drawers, it is worth equipping yourself with special walls, on which you can hang, for example, flat keys. Do not forget about a solid table top. In larger workshops, carts and stable cabinets on wheels will also come in handy – but this already depends, among other things, on the available space.
On the occasion of furniture, it is also worth preparing containers, to which will be put, for example, screws fixing a given component in the repaired car. They will reduce the risk of losing anything.
There are many things that can be repaired or replaced in a car standing on wheels. For many, however, you will need to lift at least one side. If you have a pit, you can just use manual jacks and the so-called “clamps”. If you do not have a pit, you will need, for example, a column lift. It’s also hard to imagine working without a crane or other winch, which will enable to lift heavier elements – e.g. engine or gearbox.
Among the useful hand tools will be wrenches, socket wrenches, Allen wrenches, oil filter wrenches, various types of extensions and handles, pliers, hammers … Also useful is a compressor, which will not only facilitate the pumping of tires, but will power all the pneumatic tools that greatly improve the work. Certainly, more than once it will be necessary to use a drill and a grinder. Similarly, when it comes to the welder – it will come in handy not only in workshops dealing mainly with the repair of exhaust systems.
To repair a car, you first need to find out what’s wrong with it. Hence the need to equip the garage with appropriate diagnostic equipment, ranging from basic meters for a dozen or so zlotys to advanced diagnostic interfaces worth several thousands. The choice of specific models will depend on your financial possibilities and the scope of services offered.
The purchase of workshop tools depends on the specialization of the workshop. We have tried to list the most basic ones, useful in every service, but the list certainly does not end there. Buying more tools and accessories – e.g. a spring remover or a bearing remover – is only a matter of time. When the need arises, you will have to go shopping. But it’s always worth investing in quality workshop equipment. It provides greater strength and durability, but above all, in many cases, it directly translates into operator safety. This is priority number one.
