What are your most useful tools for your Aston?
My biggest home job was the coil pack replacement on my '06 DB9 Volante, but I've also done a bunch of the basic owner maintenance jobs.
I've found these my most useful tools:
1. Eveready Pivot Plus LED Flashlight ($15-20). It's bright, and the flashlight head pivots to different positions, which is more useful than I ever imagined. It has a magnetic base, and even though Astons have a lot of aluminum and composites, I can usually still find something to stick it to (I stuck it to the brake rotors today to see the screws when removing the wheel well liners). If you can't stick it to anything, just lay it down or stand it on its end and pivot the head as needed!
2. Milwaukee 3/8" 12v Lithium Ion Cordless Ratchet ($150-180). So many of the bolts on an Aston seem to have the longest threads I've ever encountered, and/or are in the most inaccessible location. This cordless ratchet driver has good torque and does the spinning for you. And when it's hard to get more than a few degrees of arc movement with a conventional hand ratchet, this is an awesome relief.
3. Channellock 212 12" 2.5-3.75" Oil Filter Pliers ($20-30). As I said in another post, this is my new stress-buster. Even though - until yesterday - I always managed to loosen my DB9 oil filter by hand, I always worried about not being able to. Yesterday I couldn't, and the Channellock 212 pliers worked perfectly in those impossibly-tight confines where the DB9 oil filter resides.
4. QuickJack BL-5000SLX (about $1,400). I'm 67, and I've reached the point where I hate lying on my back under a car. The QuickJack makes it less miserable, though. and gives me just enough height to get under there on a creeper. It also removes the worry about jacking my precious car up one corner at a time and potentially twisting the frame. Until my wife finally lets me get a full lift, this is a good compromise solution. It is also WAY more secure than jack stands.
5. CTEK Multi US 7002 battery charger/maintainer (about $100). Ok, this isn't really a tool, but in six years I've never had a dead battery, and a dead battery in an Aston can cause a world of hurt.
Honorable Mention: Ryobi 18v 1/2" Impact Driver (about $100). Those wheels just have to come off too often...
Your turn...

 

The person driving it LOL

I second the Milwaukee ratchet and the C-Tek. Great products that work well.

But honestly you guys should invest in a polisher and a few pads and get your paint right. So many look bad due to swirls. That doesnt have to be. But a polisher is the best tool for any car.

 

big screen TV in my shop and YouTube, internet...

 

forgot... refrigerator for cold ones when your done

 

quickjack for me also

 

Great thread idea!

For me the best thing I've ever bought is a lift. I'd love a full height one but until I get a place with higher ceilings this one will more than suffice.



Then I'd say the next most useful thing I've got is an oxyacetylene torch (not so much on the Aston, but certainly on other cars)

A 4ft breaker bar is very useful

Finally (and very Aston specific) is a 3ft long flexible tool with a magnet on the end for picking up those bits which fall down into the engine bay.

 

I love my Quickjack. I also get plenty of traction out of my Motive bleeder. I've also really enjoyed using my airlift for coolant changes.

I love my power tools. I have the Bosch tools. The articulating driver is awesome for removing and installing all those many Torx screws all over the car, including the underpan. My air driven impact wrench and a soft lug socket are such a time saver as well. I'll also note that one of the tools that you can't believe you lived without is an oil filter pliers. It's such an obvious solution once you get one that you can't believe you didn't have one all along.

 

what polished? Looking at polishers but can’t decide what to go for.

 

I probably use my Dewalt cordless gyroscopicscrewdriver the most for light duty screws/bolts. I also have a Dewalt cordless impact I used to loosen lug nuts which is great as you don't have to have the car on ground first. I need to get a cordless or air ratchet for medium duty jobs. I also have a Porter Cable 7424 polisher which is a quality random orbital. Good for those just learning. I've had it for 10+ years and just never upgraded to something more powerful. And of course there is my somewhat cheap harbor freight floor jack. I usually don't go with harbor freight when quality is a must, but I couldn't find anything reasonably priced that seemed to be any better. Used for years and not had any issues with it. And of course I always use jack stands which are not harbor freight. I do need to look into a quick jack.

 

I have not looked at polishers recently, but take a look at the Porter Cable 7424. Sheriff probably has some more recommendations. I use Menzerna polish/compound/sealant, but there are several quality brands out there. Get a large (5"-6") and small backing plate (3") and some pads. Read, watch some videos and practice.

No swirls in my paint. Though I do need to get to the rear bumper and tail gate area where I have some light scratches.