5 Cheap Milwaukee Tools That Are Must-Haves For Working On Cars

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You can save a lot of money by doing your own auto maintenance instead of taking your car into a shop, but that doesn't mean it still won't cost you a pretty penny. In order to start doing your own maintenance, you're going to need the time, patience, and drive to learn the ins and outs of your car, but you're also going to need tools. Quality mechanics' tools don't usually come cheap, especially when you buy from a name-brand manufacturer.

Milwaukee is widely considered one of the best power tool brands on the market. It has a reputation for power, reliability, and its massive catalog of products that cover everything from yard care to carpentry to must-have power tools for automotive work. The company's products aren't always known for being the most affordable options, but that doesn't mean that it hasn't manufactured a handful of tools that you can get at modest prices. By taking a look at the lowest-priced items in the company's catalog, we can get a look at its most affordable options and pick out a few must-haves for working on cars. Many of these are a great starting point for someone who is first starting their home auto-repair journey, and many of them make excellent additions to an existing tool collection.

Milwaukee is broadly known for its power tools, but it also makes some really nice hand tools for those who are looking to stick to the more affordable side of things. One thing that every home mechanic needs is a good ratchet set. You won't be able to so much as change to oil or swap out a spark plug if you don't have the right-sized socket or wrench.

Those with a bit more to spend might want to splurge on one of the larger kits, such as Milwaukee's 191-piece Mechanic's Tool Set, but the 28-piece Milwaukee ¼-inch Drive Metric Mechanic's Ratchet and Socket Set has a good selection of sizes to get you started. The kit contains a ¼-inch 90-tooth drive ratchet with four degrees of arc swing and a slim profile design, 12 regular sockets, 12 deep well sockets, two extensions, an adjustable joint, and a case with a removable tray.

This tool has a 4.7 out of 5 on Amazon customers praising its build quality and value. "Bought this set for in my service truck," wrote one reviewer. "I didn't want to spend tool truck money for a 1/4 socket set. Everything, including the case, is good quality, and the ratchet, although a little long, has fine teeth and works extremely smooth." It's one of the only Milwaukee tool kits you can get for under $100, but the best deals right now seem to be at Ace Hardware and Acme Tools, where it is currently priced at just $59.97.

Hand tools are great, but sometimes, it's nice to spare yourself the elbow grease and let a power tool take care of the hard work. When you want a little more power for breaking and fastening nuts, there's nothing quite like an impact wrench.

Milwaukee makes an M12 Cordless ⅜-inch Impact Wrench that's able to deliver up to 1,200 in-lbs of fastening torque at a speed of 2,500 RPM. This is definitely on the low-power side compared to many of Milwaukee's other, larger torque wrenches. It can make lighter work go a lot faster than breaking and turning assembly fasteners by hand, but it may struggle with really tight nuts and bolts. On the other hand, it weighs 2 lbs. and is just 6.5 inches in length, making it easy to use in tight spaces where larger wrenches might not fit.

This impact wrench has a 4.6 out of 50 on Amazon, with customers citing its build quality, power, ease of use, light weight, and value as reasons for their high scores. "I don't think it has as much power as the Fuel brushless version, but I use it almost every day, and man is it handy," one reviewer stated. "Definitely worth the money I spent on it." You can get it for $119.00-$129.00 at a lot of stores, but the most affordable place to get it now appears to be Amazon, where it's currently going for just $95.13.

Not all of your car's maintenance takes place under the hood. Your tires are going to need a little attention from time to time as well. You can always go to the gas station and pump a few quarters into an air compressor, but having your own inflator takes a lot of the hassle out of keeping your tires full.

One option is the Milwaukee M12 Compact Inflator. This portable tool is rated to deliver over 120 PSI of pressure, which is more than enough for the vast majority of car tires. It does this pretty quickly as well. Milwaukee claims that the inflator's high-efficiency motor pump can top off car tires in under 1 minute. But what really sets it apart from other inflators is the protections that it offers. This inflator has Milwaukee's TrueFill Auto shut-off technology, which prevents you from overfilling and accidentally damaging your tires. On top of all that, it also has a built-in LCD screen for monitoring fill pressure and battery life, as well as a 26" hose, which is short enough to make for easy storage but long enough that you should have plenty of slack while you work.

This one has a 4.7 out of 5 on Amazon. Customers praised its capacity, ease of use, size, and value. "The Milwaukee M12 Cordless Compact Tire Inflator (2475-20) focuses solely on tire inflation (high pressure)," said Pro Tool Reviews. "This 12V tire inflator stores easily on a shelf or in your work van or trailer, and we love the integrated handle and compact design." You can get this at Home Depot for $89.00 or Amazon for $76.00.

There are a lot of tools that are vital for taking a car apart and putting it back together, but one thing that gets frequently overlooked is a good light source. Whether you're digging around in your car's engine compartment or sliding underneath the chassis, you're going to need to be able to see what you're doing.

Milwaukee has several work lights available that come in a variety of different sizes and orientations, but a good all-around option for home mechanics looking to save money is the M12 LED Work Light. This is a 100-lumen flashlight that promises 15 hours of runtime on a 4.0Ah battery and has a 90° rotating head. Its flat bottom allows it to be stood up so you can prop the light on any flat surface, be it the ground or a workbench, and the rotation of the lamp allows you to angle the light on whatever part of the car you're working on. It also has a magnetic back, so you can even pop it onto the underside of your car's hood if you want to illuminate the engine bay. The tool itself is compact and lightweight, making it easy to work with and to fit into narrow gaps. It's also pretty tough. The casing has a die-cast aluminum head and an impact-resistant lens to protect the light from bumps and falls, as well as an IP54 water and dust resistance rating.

This light has a 4.6 stars out of 5 on Amazon, with customers praising its brightness, build quality, battery life, compactness, and ease of use, though there are a handful of reviews from those who wish the magnet was stronger. You can currently get it from both Amazon and Home Depot for just $39.00.

You may also need a few items for electrical maintenance. One of the most valuable items that you can have when trying to diagnose electrical failures in any vehicle is a good voltage tester. These allow you to determine if the wires and connections in your car are working properly.

Milwaukee makes an Auto Voltage/Continuity Tester that offers basic, accurate performance in a small and affordable package. According to the manufacturer, "While traditional testers only indicate broad voltage ranges that mask electrical issues like voltage drops, the Milwaukee Auto Voltage/Continuity Tester W/ Resistance delivers measurements down to the decimal and displays them on an easy-to-read LCD. The tester also automatically determines whether to test for Voltage or Continuity." This device has a backlit LCD display on its face as well as audio indicators so you can get readings easily in any situation. It includes an LED work light to make it easier to find the connections you wish to test, and the leads are replaceable if you need to swap them out for a different type.

This one has a 4.2 on Amazon and a 4.3 on Home Depot. It's widely praised for its durability, affordability, and basic functionality, though some have expressed concern that its resistance measurement is somewhat limited. "Sometimes, the best tool for the job is a simple 2- or 3-function tester like this one," wrote ToolGuyd in their review. "Other times, you might want or need a meter with greater functionality. If you already have a fully-functioned meter, then this might make for a convenient sidekick that hangs off your belt just in case you need it." You can get this one at Home Depot for $49.97.

In making this list, we started by examining Milwaukee's current lineup of hand and power tools, focusing on the items that would be useful in automotive work. We looked for the most inexpensive products and chose tools that would be both useful and affordable — prioritizing products that were available for less than $100.

Once we had narrowed down a selection of items, we looked at their listings across multiple retailers in order to ensure that they were widely available at affordable prices and so that we could make recommendations based on which retailers currently offered the lowest listed price. We used the Milwaukee website to examine their specs and ensure that they would be able to provide adequate power and utility to the average home mechanic, also checking their aggregate user review scores on sites like Amazon and Home Depot to make sure real-world users were generally satisfied with their purchase. We also looked at professional reviews where available, as they often subject tools to more rigorous testing.