Click & Clack: Are professional tools worth the high prices?

Dear Tom and Ray: I have a question that doesn't involve a car problem. I am currently going to school to earn an associate of applied science in the automotive field. Ever since high-school auto class, I have heard the names Snap-on, Matco and Mac as the only options for tools. However, I find it hard to believe that mechanics pay $14,000 for a toolbox and $100 for a ratchet.

So my question is, is it really worth the money? Or is it smarter to just get Craftsman or other cheaper tools and just replace them when they break? I'd rather not owe my life to a guy on a tool truck if I can help it. Thanks. – Ryan

TOM: It's a good question, Ryan. When we first started out, we did exactly what you suggest. We went to Sears, and we bought one of everything they had.

RAY: Including a five-piece dinette set and a fishing boat with a 7.5-hp outboard motor. You know, they have very good salesmen at Sears.

TOM: Why did we buy our tools at Sears? Because we'd used them as amateurs, and it was the only way we could afford to equip the garage.

RAY: Sears Craftsman does make good tools. But over time, as those tools broke or wore out, and as our success allowed us to wean ourselves off our dog-food diets, we gradually switched over to Snap-on and Matco tools. Because when you use the tools every day, the professional tools do seem better.

TOM: They tend to fit a little tighter, they hold up better and if they ever do fail, you know that the guy in the Snap-on truck is going to be stopping by next week, and he'll give you a new one. He has a vested interest in keeping you working, since he has the second mortgage on your house.

RAY: The professional tools are expensive. And the guys on the truck do suck you into an expensive credit program where you pay a little bit every week. But once you pay them off, you have tools that'll last a lifetime.

TOM: And you'll find that there are some jobs you simply can't do without the professional tools. There are a lot of specialized tools that a company like Sears does not make. It doesn't make the tool you need, for example, to hold the camshafts in place on a Subaru when you're replacing a timing belt.

RAY: Or tools for installing engine seals on Volvos and Saabs. The pro companies also stay up to date on new equipment, so in order to work on newer cars, you may have no choice but to buy from them instead of waiting for a new tool to trickle down to the do-it-yourself market.

TOM: So unless you're planning on sticking to pretty basic repairs -- oil changes, tire rotations, fuel filters and brakes, for example -- I think you'll find that eventually, you'll need to deal with the Matco and Snap-on guys.

RAY: But you certainly don't have to start with them. You can start with the Sears Craftsman stuff. And when you're ready to owe the big bucks, you can switch over gradually, one painfully expensive tool at a time.

* * *

Dear Tom and Ray: Hello! My older sister has a 1996 Saturn SC2, and she is constantly yelling at my sister, my mom and me for supposedly "plopping" into the seat. She claims that because we don't carefully control our muscles while we get into the car, the impact from our weight falling into the seats will harm the shocks. I don't believe this at all.

Also, I don't think that I am getting into the car so clumsily. I think she is mistaking the feeling of the car slightly sinking when more weight is added for my being careless when getting into the car. It's at the point now where I regret riding with her after I get in the car. Can you tell me if there is any merit to her claim? Thanks! – April

TOM: There's nothing like family, is there, April?

RAY: You know, there are more direct ways of telling loved ones that they need to lose a few pounds than what she's doing. I mean, look how diplomatically my brother handled it. When I cleared 200 pounds, he just started making beeping noises whenever I backed up.

TOM: Your sister's claim has no merit, April. The weight of you guys "plopping" into the car would have no effect on the shocks at all. If anything, she could argue that it might affect the springs.

RAY: But the springs are designed to hold the weight of the car. So even if you guys are all on the "sturdy" side, you still can't compete with 2,500 pounds of Saturn SC2 that the springs are already supporting!

TOM: More importantly, the bumps and potholes that your sister encounters while driving around are much harder on the springs (and every other part of the suspension) than anything you guys could do by simply entering the car, no matter how hard you land.

RAY: So you can tell your sister that you've checked with the experts -- and checked with us, too. And you've all been cleared to land on the seats without further comment.

Get more Click and Clack in their new book, "Ask Click and Clack: Answers from Car Talk." Got a question about cars? Write to Click and Clack in care of this newspaper, or e-mail them by visiting the Car Talk Web site at www.cartalk.com.