RYOBI FOR DIY AUTOMOTIVE REPAIR
Mechanics love to hate on Ryobi, but we’ve been using them for years in our home garage.
WHY RYOBI?
Ryobi has over 300 different cordless tools which use the same 18v ONE+ battery system. From automotive tools like impact wrenches and tire inflators to even woodworking tools Ryobi has it all.
We own tons of cordless Ryobi tools that we use for DIY auto repair, but it’s nice to have the same batteries for the occasional DIY home project cordless Ryobi tools too.
Compared to Milwaukee, Ryobi is around 20% less expensive.
Costs add up when you’re buying dozens of cordless power tools. If you occasionally use other tools like a circular saw or a weed wacker, you don’t need to spend $$$ going with Ryobi.
DIY MECHANIC LINEUP
We’ve been DIY wrenching for the last few years on automotive projects from a Datsun Z car to an E46 drifter.
Ryobi cordless tools make life so much easier and we haven’t had one tool fail yet.
We put a list of all the Ryobi tools we use and listed them by most important.
1. 1/2” Cordless Impact Wrench
Trying to take lug nuts off can be a pain especially if you had a shop change your tires. I’ve never seen a tire shop use a torque wrench. The Ryobi 1/2” cordless impact wrench has 600lbs of breakaway torque and a brushless motor. It also has built in LED light to help see bolts it darker areas.
Any stubborn bolts you try to loosen come off like butter.
2. 3/8” Cordless Ratchet
Stressing your forearms unscrewing long bolts is another pain. The Ryobi 3/8” cordless ratchet makes quick work of taking those bolts off. I have no idea why it took us so long to get a cordless ratchet. Its a brushed motor and only has 35lb-ft of torque. The motor also tops out of 230 RPM, but that’s way more than enough to unscrew smaller bolts.
Ryobi 3/8” cordless ratchet removing cylinder head
3. Cordless Drill/Driver
If you start breaking stuff, then you’re going to need a drill with some drill bits. Hopefully, you won’t encounter broken bolts too quickly on your DIY automotive journey, so you might be able to hold on purchasing the Ryobi Cordless Drill/Driver for a little bit. The Ryobi ONE+ HP 18V Cordless Compact 1/2" Drill/Driver is also brushless, which means the motor will hold up much longer than brushed models.
4. Workbench LED Light
You can never get enough light and this Ryobi workbench LED light is bright. It comes with different settings which allows only one or two of the LED panels to light up.
It has hooks you can use to attach to your car hood and one of the panels swings out at different angles.
5. Cordless Tire Inflator
The Ryobi cordless tire inflator works flawlessly. It has a digital display that checks your tire pressure, then all you have to do is pull the trigger, and fill your tire up. It’s that simple.
It’s low on our DIY Automotive Repair list because there are many other ways to get air in your tire, but this makes things convenient.
6. Right Angle Die Grinder
We use the Ryobi right angle die grinder for lots of auto body rust repair which is why its last on the list.
Not everyone does bodywork, but if you do this is a pretty versatile tool.
You can use a cutoff wheel to cut out bad sheet metal, wire wheels to remove seam sealer, and other sanding/paint stripping disks to do light body work.
Ryobi Right Angle Die Grinder with Sand Pad
RYOBI AUTOMOTIVE STARTER KIT
Ryobi just released a 6-Tool Ultimate Automotive Starter kit that comes with batteries which might save you some bucks…
5 out of 6 of the starter kit tools are on our recommended list. The kit comes with batteries, a 3/8 in. Ratchet (the extended reach version), the Right Angle Die Grinder, a 1/2 in. Impact Wrench, a Grease Gun, a 3/8 in. Impact Wrench, and Tire Inflator.
The one tool in the kit you probably don’t need is the Ryobi grease gun. It’s great if you’re constantly greasing fittings, but you probably won’t be greasing fittings all the time.
The only thing you need to add to the Ryobi starter kit is a cordless drill.
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