What is the best brand of tools to get for automotive repair and maintenance?

I'd get a set of 10-30mm 1/2" drive sockets, with a few cool flex handles universal joints, a nice ratchet that kind of stuff. Along with as many metric wrenches as you can get your hands on (it really helps if you have two of each size). Go with the open ended on one end, ring on the other. With the spanners and the sockets, get the best you can, you'll get lots of use out of them.

Get some good screwdrivers, plyers, a nice club hamer (at least 4lb) and 18" pinch bar (or jemmy, wreaking bar, whatever you call it). These should all be reasonable quality.

Now go down to the reject shop and buy the cheapest set of allen wrenches and 1/4" drive sockets you can get your hands on. These always get lost long before you wear them out, so don't waste your money buying quality, just get them by the bucket load.

The other nice thing about having cheap tools around is that sometimes you need to modify them. It's handy having a 50c open ended spanner that you can chop the end off to fit an extension onto. I remember hammering an allen wrench into the back of a 10mm socket to give me a spanner to use in a tight spot. It's always good to have a tool you don't mind destroying.

That'll give you a good starting point. As you complete various jobs you'll wind up with lots of odds and ends like tie-rod forks and brake bleaders.
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Drive it like you hate it

if cost is no objective then snap-on is the way to go. for flare nut wrenches specifically the 11mm brake line snap-on is the only wrench I'd use. Craftsman makes a very nice strut spring compressor for a reasonable price. personnaly for mid quality and price I like S-K sockets. if cost is a major consideration you can't go wrong with complete Craftsman set on sale.

Good Question.

The basic set - with toolbox - of Craftsman tools I bought for car work in 1959 has served me well. I have added a Craftsman set of metric 1/2 inch drive sockets, Metric combination wrenches, and a 1/4 inch drive English and metric socket set. Also several Crescent adjustable wrenches, one a combination.

My Craftsman cordless electric screwdriver has an adapter to drive 1/4 inch sockets, and that's a dandy helper. Some tools are hard to find, like the brake combination wrench 8mm and 11mm, IIRC. I got a Snap-On and WOW $26.00 !

Get two flat ratchet wrenches, too: 1/2 inch and 10 mm

The lesser-used tools can be El Cheapo, but the work horses need to be the best.

Good Luck,

Bob

:>)

There's no doubt that Snap-On and Craftsman are good tools.

At the risk of being shouted down, I would recommend Cal-Hawk as a decent "cheap" tool for MOST DIY jobs. I've got Craftman ratchets, but most of my sockets, wrenches and screwdrivers are Cal-Hawk- I haven't had a significantly high incidence of breakage...

I'm with you on this one. Although there's not doubt that you take your chances when you buy cheap tools, I've bought many from Canada's equivalent to Harbor Freight - Princess Auto. A couple of them have failed, but there's no way I could afford to have the complete toolkit I now have if I had bought all name brand. For the most part they've worked great, and there's nothing like doing a job, needing a tool, and realizing that it's sitting in your toolbox because you had the opportunity to pick up cheap on sale once, thinking you might use it one day! I wouldn't recommend this approach for a professional, but for a DIY'er, I think it makes practical sense.

Picked up a large (100+ pcs.) Craftsman set at a yard sale for $35.00 that have served me very well.

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don hodgdon '89 744ti, '81 242t, '71 D-35

Probably the best brand is SnapOn ($$$$). In my opinion, the best value is Sears Craftsman ($$). Avoid the Harbor Freight/cheapie Chinese tools.

Try Husky...
I bought a set from Home Depot for $199.00.
The quality and sheer number of tools you get for the money is amazing.
I researched the company that makes the tools for Husky and the quality exceeded Cobalt and was on par with Snap-on but with out the price. Also check out their toolboxes-good value for the money...The only problem is that even with the tools.....My damn 245 is still having issues...Go figure....I thought good tools+Bentley Manual=Ace Mechanic...I was wrong...go figure...
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1991 245 130k-(Volvo number 4)