Everything You Need To Know About O'Reilly's Loaner Tool Program
O'Reilly Auto Parts is one of the most ubiquitous automotive repair and upkeep chains in the United States, with over 6,000 stores in operation. If there's a piece of your car that needs to be repaired or replaced, odds are good your local O'Reilly is going to be one of your first stops, if not your only stop, to get the matter settled. While O'Reilly locations do offer maintenance services in-store, they also sell the various tools necessary if you want to do the in-depth stuff on your own at home.
Of course, buying a whole suite of tools for a single car part replacement isn't the most appealing notion, as these kinds of specialized tools can be on the pricey side. If you want to handle the repair yourself, but don't want to pay self-repair prices, your local O'Reilly will loan the tools out to you for a net-zero cost.
How to rent tools from O'Reilly
When you purchase new parts for your car at an O'Reilly Auto Parts location, you'll also have the opportunity to receive the appropriate loaner tools to go with it. You can buy the tools outright if you want, but if you choose to get loaner tools, then all you have to do is pay a rental deposit, and the store will send you on your way with everything you need.
Once you've finished your installation, just bring the tools back to the O'Reilly location that loaned them to you. As long as the tools are still in good, fully-usable condition, they'll refund you your deposit in full. Alternatively, if you find that you need the tools you rented more than you thought and want to keep them, you don't need to return them to the O'Reilly you got them from; the cost of the deposit is always the same as what the tools would normally cost, so if you let the store keep the deposit, then you've effectively purchased the tools already.
What kind of tools can you rent?
Whenever you purchase components from O'Reilly, the store will rent you whichever tools you need in order to get the job done. O'Reilly offers tool rentals in seven categories: Steering & Suspension, Brake, Tire, & Wheel, Diagnostic, Engine & Clutch, Automotive Cooling & AC, Pullers, and Exhaust.
The exact tools it will give you depend on what it is you're trying to install. For example, if you're working on a Steering & Suspension job, you may receive a strut spring compressor, a ball joint/U joint press set, a coil spring compressor, a steering wheel and lockplate removal kit, or a pitman arm puller. Or, if you're performing an Engine & Clutch repair job, you may receive a fuel pressure kit, a torque wrench, a compression tester gauge set, an oxygen sensor wrench set, or a harmonic balancer installer.
The price of your rental deposit will, of course, vary depending on how many tools you need. O'Reilly employees will offer you advice about what you need and how to use it, according to the company, so as long as you do everything right, you should be able to bring back the tools afterward and get your deposit back.