>If you're a pro auto shop, you can probably get your hands on all of the exactly right tools. If you're an individual, it's another story... Meh, I'm mostly t

>If you're a pro auto shop, you can probably get your hands on all of the exactly right tools. If you're an individual, it's another story... Meh, I'm mostly talking about getting the right socket for the job... I mean, don't use the ASE socket that is almost the same as the metric bolt you are working on, go down to the hardware store and get the right tool. That's the thing about automotive work; as far as I can tell, automotive tools are very widely available and cheap, compared to other tools I've worked with, and not only that, but you go to the auto parts store, and the people are helpful and knowledgeable. I mean, if I need some SAC305 on the weekend, well, fry's might have that, maybe, but nobody there will know the difference between SAC305 and sn99. If I need any sort of server-grade parts, I'm almost certainly stuck waiting for monday. Fry's has a very small selection of ECC memory or enterprise-grade disks, for example. And you aren't going to have a Fry's in a small town, but you will have a Napa auto or similar. I mean, part of it is that I know a fair bit about computers and really not all that much about cars, but when I show up even at the chain auto parts stores, they can answer even relatively difficult questions. This is not, in my experience, true of Frys. When it comes to tech support, be it a computer or a car that needs fixing, the difficulty of a question is directly proportional to it's vagueness. Newbies are more likely to ask difficult questions than more experienced and knowledgeable people who actually know enough to tell you what the actual problem is.