5 Cheap Harbor Freight Must Haves For Working On Cars

Auto repairs can be expensive and hard to estimate, making do-it-yourself car maintenance a great way to maintain control of this unpredictable aspect of life while potentially keeping hundreds or even thousands of dollars in your bank account. When it comes time to build your home garage setup, Harbor Freight can also help save you money with its wide assortment of affordable hand and power tools and other shop supplies.

With the holiday shopping season in full swing, it's time to start building your wish list and gathering gifts for the loved ones you'll be seeing over the next few weeks. Harbor Freight has many gift options that will help stretch your budget as you play Santa to the gearheads in your life. The bargains on this list also make for good gift requests in that they are all priced below $55 and can be purchased at many of the company's nearly 1,500 stores in the United States. Many of them are available on Harbor Freight's website as well.

Engines with damage to pistons, cylinder walls, valves, or the timing system can often exhibit low compression in one or more cylinders. Having a compression test kit like the Maddox deluxe 10-piece kit that retails for $54.99 can tell you how well each of your cylinders is performing or even if your engine needs a complete overhaul. The kit comes with four threaded fittings in sizes M10, M12, M14, and M18, straight and angled adapters, a 25-inch extension hose, a zero to 300 psi gauge with a rubber ring for protection from drops, and a blow-molded carrying case.

The kit has a 96% recommendation rate from almost 300 Harbor Freight buyers and an average rating of 4.7 out of five stars, with many of them mentioning the kit's versatility and value for the price.

One buyer gave the kit five stars and wrote, " Built well. Good variety of adaptors should handle most jobs. Spare schrader valves were also much appreciated. Would recommend!!"

When working on cars or trucks, it's essential to make sure every nut and bolt is fastened to its proper torque specification. Fasteners that are not tightened enough can work loose, causing leaks or vibrations that eventually result in major damage. Tightening fasteners too snugly can warp or crack metal components, leading to more costly repairs. Harbor Freight sells a variety of affordable digital and click-style torque wrenches, including a 1/2-inch click-style Pittsburgh torque wrench priced at $21.99. This wrench has a range of 10-150 foot-pounds, making it useful for everything from valve cover bolts to wheel lugs. 

The handle is 18 inches long, and there is a directional switch on the back of the head, so you can use it to loosen fasteners as well as tighten them down.

This torque wrench has a 95% recommendation rate and an average rating of 4.6 out of five stars from more than 7,000 Harbor Freight buyers. Many cited its value and accuracy, including Rick, who called it "Very easy to adjust and surprisingly accurate." He added, "I have a Craftsman in our garage and a Snap-on in the shop. They all were within a couple pounds of each other."

A tool like the Cen-Tech digital multimeter that Harbor Freight sells for $19.99 is essential for diagnosing vehicle electrical issues and testing circuits and batteries. This meter comes with two 42-inch test leads and can measure voltage up to 600 volts (AC or DC), DC current up to 10 Amps, capacitance, voltage drop in diodes, resistance, and continuity with an audible signal. It can also be used to test household 1.5 and 9-volt batteries or check for non-contact voltage near unshielded circuits.

The Cen-Tech multimeter has a 100% recommendation rate and an average rating of 4.6 out of five stars from about 100 Harbor Freight buyers. More than 3/4 of reviewers gave it five stars, and many commented on the value and features it offers for the relatively low price. Rob Ritchie said it compared favorably to a similar meter made by Mac tools, writing, "Got this to keep in my trailer to take to the racetrack. When I got it home compared it to my Mac multimeter on the voltage setting. It was right on."

Another essential electronic gadget for your automotive toolbox from Centech is the OBD-II code reader, which sells for $39.99. the OBDII (On-Board Diagnostics) system is a computerized interface that scans your car's sensors and illuminates the dreaded "check engine" light when something goes awry. A scanner can tell you whether that problem is simple, like a loose gas cap, or a more serious issue, like a bad oxygen sensor or cylinder misfire. 

This code reader displays messages in English, Spanish, and French and allows you to reset the check engine light when you're done scanning. The user manual includes an index of what the codes mean for easy troubleshooting, and the scanner gets its power from your car's battery. It can be used in temperatures ranging from 32 degrees Fahrenheit to 122 degrees Fahrenheit.

It has a 96% recommendation rate and an average rating of 4.6 out of five stars from more than 1,000 Harbor Freight buyers. Marty gave it five stars and wrote, "It works great, and the price is fantastic."

To make it easier to get underneath your car and back out again during oil changes and other jobs that require you to work from below, a creeper will save time and energy. Harbor Freight offers a Pittsburgh low-profile creeper for $39.99. This six-wheeled creeper comes in four colors: grey, black, blue, and green. It is made of PVC, so it is rust-free and easy to clean, but it is available only in Harbor Freight stores and not for online purchases. 

It has wells for tool or part storage, a padded headrest, and a handle at the end for easy moving and lifting. It measures 40 inches long and 18 1/4 inches wide and weighs about 10.5 pounds. It sits just 4 1/2 inches off the ground and can support up to 300 pounds.

This creeper has an average rating of 4.2 out of five stars from nearly 5,000 Harbor Freight buyers. Many of them complimented its comfortable contoured shape and easy maneuverability, like Richard, who wrote, "The creeper supports my 300lb and rolls easily. It changes direction easily as well. It's as comfortable as a hard plastic creeper can be. That's why I shop HF: utility at a great price."