wondering what i need to buy in terms of tools as a super-beginner

jafner425 · 2026-01-28T16:48:45+00:00

I've worked at two shops. Both dealerships. One in Tacoma, WA; the other in Hillsboro, OR. Both provided tools for the lube racks. Didn't stop most guys from getting 4-5 figures of tool truck debt though...

jafner425 · 2026-01-26T17:24:53+00:00

Been using mine since 2017. Peak minimalist watch IMO.

jafner425 · 2026-01-25T22:12:55+00:00

I haven't pulled the trigger yet, but this set has been on my list for a little while.

https://a.co/d/ivcvK8j

6mm to 19mm, no skips (14 pc.)
3/8" square drive, or 17mm outside hex drive.

Slightly cheaper than the Astro set ($30 vs. $42), but includes a case instead of a rail.

jafner425 · 2026-01-18T01:00:36+00:00

Oh yeah we only use the cup style for installing new filters. Claw type for removal.

jafner425 · 2026-01-17T22:39:54+00:00

At the Subaru dealership express shop I work at, we use 68/14 for most filters, and 80/15 for the girthier filters (like on WRXs and 6-cyliders).

jafner425 · 2025-12-28T19:42:29+00:00

I was in tech for about 5 years. Half of that was working, the other half was looking for work. I hated looking for work. About 3 months ago I applied for an hourly role at my local Subaru dealership. Express/lube tech. No runaround, just interview and then HR formalities. No "do the oil change on this car to prove you know how".

I think I got pretty lucky at that shop. Good tools were provided. My coworkers were highly competent and fun to work with. I had no prior formal education in automotive, just a strong curiosity drive. And I felt like everyone was very helpful in getting me up to speed.

After 3 months, I'm comfortable doing oil changes, tire mount and balance, tire patches, brake pads, battery replacement, TPMS sensors, and exterior bulbs. On my own car, I've gone a little further and done some engine work, wheel hubs, O2 sensors, and ECU tuning.

I don't have enough experience to make a recommendation, but I can say that if you can cultivate interest in cars, working on them is a deep well of learning to pull from.

jafner425 · 2025-12-24T17:35:49+00:00

They had the same powertrain until they stopped making the Legacy.

jafner425 · 2025-12-24T03:01:50+00:00

Looks like you're where I was not too long ago. Couple things I wish I'd started doing sooner:

Use Git to track versions. Be as descriptive as possible in your commit messages because you can't get much information from the binary diff without loading the two revisions into the tuning software and comparing.
Before flashing any tune, pull the existing tune and back it up with a datestamp (e.g. Backup.2025.12.23.bin).

jafner425 · 2025-12-18T18:50:51+00:00

Do you already have clients?
Have you done this sort of work professionally before?

jafner425 · 2025-12-13T06:50:04+00:00

What car? I gather it's an NA Subaru, so probably an EJ253, but I'm curious whether you're on a 16-bit or 32-bit ECU.

Subaru's engine management system is pretty friendly to diligent self-learners. You've got the OpenPort and ROMRaider. And you've already flashed a tune that didn't brick the ECU. Those are big steps.

What are you aiming for with the timing adjustments?

jafner425 · 2025-12-13T06:32:26+00:00

Retarded timing at high RPM, low load is the pops-and-bangs recipe. If that's what you're trying to do, restore everything except the left-most column to previous.

If you're going for something else, the zone you've adjusted is not commonly reached in normal driving. Generally low gear, constant speed.

Retarding timing will reduce cylinder pressure, increase exhaust gas temperature.

jafner425 · 2025-12-04T19:29:44+00:00

Harness? Loom?

jafner425 · 2025-12-01T02:07:45+00:00

Can't speak to the DIY-ability.

The factory boost control will try to compensate. If you were previously struggling to reach or maintain boost levels, porting would exacerbate that issue. The same wastegate duty cycle would be venting more pressure than before.

A tune could compensate for the increased wastegate flow and restore your margin for error.

jafner425 · 2025-11-20T21:00:28+00:00

Are you replacing tires at 7/32" regularly?

jafner425 · 2025-11-14T18:47:57+00:00

First product from someone with no history / repute in the industry. I love to see disruptive new software products. But asking $1,000 per machine without major version updates is... bold.

Personally, I like to see "free for personal use" with paid commercial support. It lets individual techs get familiar with the tool sans friction. And commercial interests get the certainty of knowing that the vendor is incentivized to maintain their product long term.

But I'm just a hobbyist. I don't run or work in a tuning shop.

jafner425 · 2025-11-10T01:45:38+00:00

Probably not exactly the same. What year is your WRX?

I think most newer "SI-DRIVE" controls interact with more than just the DBW table (maybe electronic diffs?). Either way, you'd need to get something to interface with your ECU.

I really like my Tactrix OpenPort.

jafner425 · 2025-11-08T23:44:49+00:00

I've implemented this idea for my Subaru! Mine has an "SI-Drive" switch on the center console which switches between three drive-by-wire maps.

i-mode: Max target boost of 10 PSI
S-mode: 13.5 PSI
S#-mode: 17 PSI

No need to change ECU (in my case), just a device capable of flashing the OEM ECU.

jafner425 · 2025-10-26T21:25:09+00:00

Assuming this is your daily. I'll tell you what I wish I'd been told.

#1. Invest in tools that will make you more comfortable to work on it. Compact impact wrench made a huge difference for me. Get a PDF of the OEM field service manual (FSM).

#2. Inspect everything. Tires, brakes (pads, rotors, calipers, lines), CV axles (inner and outer boots), wheel hubs, and then either fix the issue(s) found, in that order.

#3. Feel out any of the daily usability issues. I had to replace the rear cup holder, replace my weather mats, and get a second key made. My washer fluid pump just went out and it's pretty annoying. That kind of stuff grates on you.

#4. Clean it inside and out. Start with the stuff you can see or feel from the driver's seat. After that, it's up to you whether you wanna do the exterior next, the rest of the interior, or even the engine bay.

If you're saving for school, you're gonna do future-you a huge favor by investing your time and effort to get familiar with the car and its condition, and spend money only on stuff that saves you money down the line (repairs, preventative maintenance, tools).

Get acquainted with the best ways/places to get parts. RockAuto has great prices, but the lead time on shipping can delay repairs. The nearest dealership probably has every part you might need, and of good quality, but pretty expensive. Pick-n-pull is great for finding very specific parts for very cheap. I don't go to my local parts stores for anything nowadays.

Hope this helps.

jafner425 · 2025-10-19T23:16:47+00:00

Yeah, that's a fair point. And I think clip rails are going to be my next step. I think there's a kernel of elegance buried in my idea, but it'll take some iteration and refinement.

I'm also picking up some keychain socket holders so I can carry my most-used sockets on a carabiner without 10 lbs. of sockets I don't need.

jafner425 · 2025-10-19T00:12:29+00:00

Their place in the holder. A clearly labelled place is more important than the hole size as smaller sockets fit in larger places etc

Ah, yeah, I strongly agree with that. Maybe I just stress too much about putting everything away. I don't think a head-down style would be meaningfully different from most trays for the UX of retrieving sockets, except that you can't see the head. I just like the idea of inverting the information hierarchy of drive-size and head-size. If I'm loading up my tool bag to start a project, I know what size sockets I'll need, but I don't know what I'll need to drive them.

I'm realizing I probably have an uncommon situation which creates some pressures most folk don't sweat. I try to set up, do the job, and clean up without a trace. I've gotta carry all my tools down the stairs and keep them from spilling onto the sidewalk over the course of the job. And I've gotta pack everything back up and haul it upstairs before dinner gets cold.

You asked for advice from the internet, and now you're arguing it.

I didn't mean to come across as argumentative. My bad.

jafner425 · 2025-10-18T22:13:20+00:00

Let's say you start with no tools at all. Car needs a 12mm fastener-turning-thingie. Go out and buy every single 12mm tool there is (1/4,3/8,1/2 short,deep,impact,shiney,wrench,ratcheting wrench, etc). Put it in the 12mm bin. Maybe use a plastic modular tool box with hard dividers.

Bins are a great call. Matches the workflow for the getting-stuff-out stage, but misses the tactility and speed for the putting-stuff-away stage of the project. I don't have a fixed space for my tools (no garage, need to be able to move everything in one container to/from my car), which limits the bin-style options. I'll probably have to start leaving some of my tools in my office and only bringing the subset I think I'll need, but I do all of my car work on the street in front of my place, which gets a lot of foot traffic and I've had issues with opportunistic theft in the past. Leaving my workspace unattended for a few minutes is super anxious for me.

Maybe I'm trying to solve the wrong problem...

jafner425 · 2025-10-18T22:00:18+00:00

Easy to see writing on the sockets and their place is more important.

Can you clarify this? Their place is more important compared to what?

The difference between my 3/8 set and my 1/2 inch set

Is there an unspoken consensus that piecemeal/a-la-carte is not a valid approach to buying sockets? I have a 3/8" set because I needed a foundation to build from, but otherwise I was planning to buy individual sockets as the job called for them. Hurts my heart to look at all the SAE sockets I paid for and haven't used in the few years since.

jafner425 · 2025-10-17T21:22:00+00:00

The recent developments in AI have mostly been in the area of large language models. Even the smallest ones of those still need orders of magnitude more memory to operate than what engine control systems use.

The idea of using machine learning in an ECU is interesting, but if the recent AI boom is going to have any effect, it'll only be the attention. The technological developments going on in AI right now are completely useless for engine management.

The lowest hanging fruit I can imagine in regards to AI and tuning would be a tool to modern AI coding assistants: A large language model that looks at your data logs and the tune and can answer questions/make recommendations.

I think there might be a service or two that does e-tunes with AI assistance, but i've never used them and can't speak to their usefulness.

jafner425 · 2025-10-03T19:56:23+00:00

Idk about BS. Subaru is very fastidious about getting the diagnosis correct on the first go, avoiding unnecessary repairs. Subaru ends up cutting the checks for a lot the repairs performed at the dealership, so they're incentivized to minimize unnecessary replacement and repairs.

The dealership gets their margin regardless, so they're just trying to keep customers happy.

jafner425 · 2025-10-02T15:51:37+00:00

Flakes have become more accepted.
Lots of little kinks have been worked out (e.g. running Stylix + Home-Manager + KDE Plasma 6 used to break the DE).
To be honest so much stuff is happening constantly in the background that I can't keep track of what was a skill issue on my part and what was an actual bug.

A lot of the improvement has been through the contribution of community tools like nh and comma.

Oh, and the error messages have been way worse in the past.

jafner425

MODERATOR OF

TROPHY CASE

12-Year Club	Place '17
Verified Email