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The five tool categories and the work each supports
1. Automotive diagnostic scan tool
ASE’s Official ASE Automobile Study Guide 2025 ties scan-tool use to three jobs: diagnosing computerized vehicle systems, retrieving and recording diagnostic information, and verifying a repair after it is made. In practice, that means reading trouble codes, saving the data you need for a diagnosis, and confirming that the fault no longer appears once the work is done.
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The main check is coverage. Which vehicles a scan tool supports, and which functions it can perform on each one, varies by tool. A device that reads codes on one make may not run every test on another, so confirm the vehicle and function you need before assuming the tool will do the job.
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ASE material includes measuring electrical values and names the digital multimeter as appropriate testing equipment. The same point appears in ASE’s 2025 school bus study guide, which lists multimeter tasks alongside scan-tool work. The meter is the standard instrument for basic electrical diagnosis: checking voltage, resistance, and continuity to locate a fault in a circuit.
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The right measurement function and the right test procedure depend on the circuit under test. Confirm both against the service information for that system before you connect the leads, rather than treating the meter as a one-size tool.
3. Torque wrench
ASE’s automobile task list includes torquing wheel fasteners to the manufacturer’s specification. The number matters because a fastener tightened to the wrong value can loosen or be overstressed. The specified value is vehicle- and procedure-specific, so the reliable source is the manufacturer’s service information for the job you are doing.
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The ASE sources do not establish a universal torque setting, drive size, or wrench range. Those details come from the vehicle’s specifications and from the wrench maker’s use and calibration guidance.
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4. Floor jack
ASE training materials cover proper floor-jack placement. A floor jack raises a vehicle, and that is its job. It is not a support for working underneath one. Once the vehicle is up, the load must be secured by a separate means, covered in the sequence below.
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5. Jack stands
ASE’s MLR-AST task list pairs jack and stand placement with shop safety training. Jack stands hold the raised vehicle while anyone works beneath it. Use them as the support, follow the stand maker’s instructions, and apply the workplace rules that cover your shop.
Choosing within each category
The criteria below come from the tasks and safety rules described above. None of the products were tested or compared in preparing this guide, and the table does not rank brands or models.
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| Tool | What to compare before choosing | Where the criterion comes from |
|---|---|---|
| Scan tool | Vehicle coverage and the diagnostic functions you need for the work you do | ASE Automobile Study Guide 2025 (diagnosis, recording data, verifying repairs) |
| Digital multimeter | Measurement functions and suitability for the circuits you test | ASE Automobile and School Bus Study Guides 2025 |
| Torque wrench | Range and drive size against the fastener specifications you use; the maker’s calibration and use guidance | ASE task list for wheel-fastener torquing; the specific range and drive are not stated in ASE’s sources and must come from the vehicle’s specifications |
| Floor jack | Rated capacity (which must be marked on the jack), fit with the vehicle, stable placement, and the maker’s instructions | OSHA 29 CFR 1910.244; ASE MLR-AST (floor-jack placement) |
| Jack stands | Rated capacity, fit with the vehicle, stable placement, and the maker’s instructions | ASE MLR-AST (jack-stand placement); the same selection criteria as the floor jack, since the rating rule is written for the jack |
Lifting a vehicle safely: the required sequence
OSHA’s general-industry jack standard, 29 CFR 1910.244, sets the core requirements. Its operator rule reads: “The operator shall make sure that the jack used has a rating sufficient to lift and sustain the load.” Its securing rule reads: “After the load has been raised, it shall be cribbed, blocked, or otherwise secured at once.” Those two requirements shape the order of work:
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- Place the floor jack at the lift point given in the vehicle’s service information, following the placement practice covered in ASE’s training.
- Raise the vehicle only as high as the job requires.
- Secure the raised load at once with jack stands or other blocking, as the standard requires. Do not leave the vehicle resting on the jack.
- Only after the vehicle is securely supported on stands should anyone work beneath it.
Keeping tools fit for service
- OSHA 29 CFR 1910.242(a) places responsibility on employers for the safe condition of the tools and equipment their employees use.
- OSHA’s hand-tool examples in 29 CFR 1926.301 name wrench jaws that slip, impact-tool heads that have mushroomed, and damaged wooden handles as unsafe conditions. That standard is a construction rule, so its legal application to an automotive repair workplace is not automatic. Its examples still make a practical inspection checklist.
- Remove a damaged tool from use until it is repaired or replaced. Do not treat a tool with these defects as ready for service.
- Keep torque wrenches to the maker’s calibration and use guidance, since a wrench that reads inaccurately defeats the specification it is meant to meet.
Limits of this list
The ASE MLR-AST test specifications and task list took effect on July 1, 2018 and were revised on August 29, 2019. It is useful for showing what training covers, including safe tool handling, floor-jack and jack-stand placement, safe lift operation, personal protective equipment, tool cleaning and storage, and precision measuring tools. It does not show what a current shop must own, and it is not legal advice.
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A conventional socket-and-wrench set is a common addition to any kit, but the sources here support tool safety and maintenance more directly than they support a specific must-have set. Treat these five categories as the core of the work, and choose the rest of your equipment against the vehicles and tasks you actually handle.
The ASE automobile study guide is the most current of the sources cited here, and the OSHA standards are the controlling safety rules for the workplaces they cover.
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