Automotive Repair Tools
BlueDriver Review: Long-Term Use in a Home Garage
Earl Dobbins, a retired heavy-equipment mechanic, covers the BlueDriver for DIY home mechanics: what it does well, where it falls short, and who should buy it
A retired heavy-equipment mechanic on the Saturday a Bluetooth OBD2 scanner earned its keep.
Earl Dobbins, a retired heavy-equipment mechanic, covers the BlueDriver for DIY home mechanics: what it does well, where it falls short, and who should buy it
A retired heavy-equipment mechanic compares the BlueDriver OBD2 scanner with a basic code reader, and tells you which one belongs in your garage.
A retired heavy-equipment mechanic on the ten ways a Bluetooth code reader earns its spot in a driveway garage.
A retired heavy-equipment mechanic on the Saturday a Bluetooth OBD2 scanner earned its keep.
Earl Dobbins, a retired heavy-equipment mechanic, walks through reading and clearing check engine codes with the BlueDriver, checking smog readiness, and knowing when the fix is a Saturday job versus a shop trip.
Two years with the BlueDriver in his F-150 taught Earl Dobbins what the ads don't tell you. Here is the honest version.
Three years and hundreds of lug nuts later, Earl Dobbins tells you exactly where the GEARWRENCH 1/2 Drive Electronic Torque Wrench earns its spot in a home garage and where it will frustrate you.
Earl Dobbins, a retired heavy-equipment mechanic, compares the GEARWRENCH 1/2 inch electronic torque wrench to a plain click-type after three years of driveway and garage use.
A retired heavy-equipment mechanic on the GEARWRENCH 1/2 Drive Electronic Torque Wrench and the ten ways it earns its spot in a home garage.
A Saturday brake job on my son's car taught me what a torque wrench is really for. Here's the story, and what I'd tell you at my kitchen table.
A retired heavy-equipment mechanic walks through the exact routine he uses on his own F-150 and his wife's CR-V, with the GEARWRENCH 1/2 Drive Electronic Torque Wrench (85077).
After three years and a few hundred jobs in my own garage, here is what I would tell a neighbor about the GEARWRENCH 1/2 Drive Electronic Torque Wrench.
Four years of driveway and garage work with the DEWALT 108-piece mechanics tool set, from a retired heavy-equipment mechanic who still turns his own wrenches.
Earl Dobbins, a retired heavy-equipment mechanic, compares the DEWALT 108-Piece Mechanics Tool Set with a bigger 200-piece kit after four years of driveway and roadside use.
Ten reasons the DEWALT 108-Piece Mechanics Tool Set earns its spot in a home garage, from a retired heavy-equipment mechanic who has used his for four years.
A Saturday brake job on my son's car reminded me why this 108-piece set has lived behind my truck seat for four years.
A retired heavy-equipment mechanic walks through a driveway oil change with the DEWALT 108-piece mechanics tool set, and tells you where it earns its keep and where it does not.
Four years behind the seat of my F-150 taught me exactly what this set is for, and what it is not for. Here is the honest version.
After five years and hundreds of lifts in his home garage, retired heavy-equipment mechanic Earl Dobbins shares what the ARCAN 3-ton aluminum floor jack does well, where it falls short, and who should buy one.
Earl Dobbins, a retired heavy-equipment mechanic, compares the ARCAN 3-Ton Aluminum Low Profile Floor Jack with a steel floor jack for DIY home mechanics.
Earl Dobbins has used the ARCAN 3-ton aluminum floor jack for five years in his home garage. Here is why it earns its spot, and who should skip it.
Earl Dobbins, a retired heavy-equipment mechanic, on the Saturday his ARCAN 3-ton aluminum low-profile floor jack earned its keep, and what he would tell a neighbor about buying one.
A retired heavy-equipment mechanic walks through the exact steps he uses to lift a truck safely with the ARCAN 3-Ton Aluminum Low Profile Floor Jack, including where it earns its keep and where no jack can save you from bad habits.
I used the ARCAN 3-ton aluminum low-profile floor jack for five years in my driveway and garage. Here is what nobody tells you before you buy one.
Earl Dobbins, a retired heavy-equipment mechanic, shares a year of using the Orion Motor Tech one-man brake bleeder in his home garage, what it does well, and where it falls short.
A retired heavy-equipment mechanic compares the Orion Motor Tech one-man brake bleeding kit to the old two-person pedal method, and tells you which one actually earns its place in a home garage.
Retired heavy-equipment mechanic Earl Dobbins explains why the Orion Motor Tech one-man brake bleeder earns its place in a home garage, and who should skip it.
A retired heavy-equipment mechanic walks through the first Saturday he used the Orion Motor Tech one-man brake bleeder, what it did well, and where it comes up short.
A retired heavy-equipment mechanic walks through the full one-person brake bleed, and tells you where the OMT kit earns its keep and where it makes you work.
A retired heavy-equipment mechanic spends a year with the Orion Motor Tech one-man brake bleeder and tells you what the listing does not: the learning curve, the honest limits, and whether it earns its spot in your garage.
Earl Dobbins, a retired heavy-equipment mechanic, covers the BlueDriver for DIY home mechanics: what it does well, where it falls short, and who should buy it
Two years with the BlueDriver in his F-150 taught Earl Dobbins what the ads don't tell you. Here is the honest version.
Three years and hundreds of lug nuts later, Earl Dobbins tells you exactly where the GEARWRENCH 1/2 Drive Electronic Torque Wrench earns its spot in a home garage and where it will frustrate you.
After three years and a few hundred jobs in my own garage, here is what I would tell a neighbor about the GEARWRENCH 1/2 Drive Electronic Torque Wrench.
Four years of driveway and garage work with the DEWALT 108-piece mechanics tool set, from a retired heavy-equipment mechanic who still turns his own wrenches.
Four years behind the seat of my F-150 taught me exactly what this set is for, and what it is not for. Here is the honest version.
After five years and hundreds of lifts in his home garage, retired heavy-equipment mechanic Earl Dobbins shares what the ARCAN 3-ton aluminum floor jack does well, where it falls short, and who should buy one.
I used the ARCAN 3-ton aluminum low-profile floor jack for five years in my driveway and garage. Here is what nobody tells you before you buy one.
Earl Dobbins, a retired heavy-equipment mechanic, shares a year of using the Orion Motor Tech one-man brake bleeder in his home garage, what it does well, and where it falls short.
A retired heavy-equipment mechanic spends a year with the Orion Motor Tech one-man brake bleeder and tells you what the listing does not: the learning curve, the honest limits, and whether it earns its spot in your garage.