These 5 Harbor Freight Tools Can Save You Time Working On Your Car

Many people enjoy working on their cars, whether it's just small tune-ups and repairs or complicated custom mods, but that doesn't mean they don't appreciate tools that can save them time and allow them to get things done faster. Harbor Freight offers plenty of different products that do just that, including power tools that allow mechanics to perform tasks a lot faster and with a lot less manual labor involved. A motorized tool, like Bauer's 20V Cordless ⅜-inch Ratchet, can help remove lug nuts a lot quicker than by hand, and something like the Chief Professional Long-Barrel Air Hammer can help break apart control arms or shock mounts that have rusted shut.

There are tools that can speed up your workflow in ways other than simply adding more force and speed to what you could otherwise do manually. These include specialized tools that can help fix dents in more unconventional ways than hammering them back into place, as well as Harbor Freight's automotive diagnostic tools that can help identify problems quickly, so you can use the time you have fixing your car rather than figuring out what's wrong with it. Here are five such Harbor Freight tools that can save you time working on your car and allow you to focus your energy on the more fun parts of keeping your ride tuned up and road-ready.

Depending on just how big a dent in the body of your car is, you've got a few different options on how to fix it. These include gently hammering back into place with a mallet and using body filler, but one very quick way you can restore your vehicle's exterior is with a dent puller. There are several dent pullers made by Harbor Freight, including suction cups that use the laws of physics and air pressure to pop imperfections back into place.

The Central Pneumatic Air Dent Puller takes this concept even further by connecting to an air compressor to create an even stronger vacuum between the cup and a car's exterior. The tool, which costs $80, includes a urethane air supply hose with a check valve, but you'll need to supply your own air compressor (which Harbor Freight also sells). The compressor will need to be capable of generating at least 90 psi, which is the working pressure of Central Pneumatic's Air Dent Puller. Using 2 cfm of air, it has a max pulling force of 250 pounds.

By creating a super-strong vacuum, the puller can be used on larger dents than manual suction cups can fix and eschew the need for sanders, welders, or other tools. Like suction cups, it's less likely to damage paint as well. The tool includes both 4-inch and 5-inch rubber cups for different-sized dents, though it's not capable of repairing smaller damage from gravel or hail. Most users have left positive reviews for the tool, with one owner saying it "paid for itself in 30 seconds" and many others confirming it works as advertised. However, a few users report weak suction and even the tool itself falling apart during use.

When an engine won't start, it's not always clear whether the battery is dead or if it's an issue with the alternator. There are a few different ways to tell if a car's alternator is bad, but you can save a lot of time using a diagnostic tool designed to specifically test it. Harbor Freight's Cen-Tech 12V Alternator/Battery Checker is a two-in-one tool that can check the alternator as well as the car battery, allowing you to know within seconds what needs to be worked on.

The tool can test any 12V lead-acid battery and includes insulated clamps with 28-inch leads, giving you better reach. It also has a magnetic back, allowing you to stick it to the car and keep your hands free for other tasks, including hooking up the alligator clips. The checker has a simple, easy-to-read color-coded system and quickly tells you whether the alternator is either "good" or "bad" or if the battery is "good," "bad," or "low." An additional LED light will tell you whether the battery should be recharged or replaced, if necessary.

The Cen-Tech 12V Alternator/Battery Checker never costs more than $7 and is compact enough to keep in your trunk or glove compartment at all times. Overall, it has very positive reviews from Harbor Freight customers who've purchased and used it, with some reporting that it's easy to use and, more importantly, accurate. There are a few negative reviews saying it's not accurate, though, and at least one owner points out that since it measures voltage and not amperage, it could theoretically misread a bad battery or alternator as good.

If you ever walk into a body shop and see a car filled with smoke and the mechanics seem unconcerned, it's likely because they're intentionally smoking it out rather than something being on fire. Rather than painstakingly checking a vehicle's intake system piece by piece for leaks, you can use a smoke machine to pump visible gas into it. If you see the smoking coming out where it shouldn't be, you know precisely where a leak is. Even a small leak can hurt your engine's performance, making a diagnostic smoke machine an invaluable tool in your garage. Plus, smoke can also be used to locate leaks in a vehicle's evaporative emissions or exhaust systems.

One such company that sells this tool is Icon, one of the brands owned by Harbor Freight. The Icon Smoke Machine costs $570 and is designed to diagnose leaks in cooling, exhaust, and EVAP systems, including wind or water intrusions. Compatible with inert gas, it uses an inflatable block-off bladder and pressured vapor pass-through to detect leaks as small as 0.010 inches. It's powered by the car battery and an air compressor, generating max 150 psi and features variable-flow control that allows you to reduce flow when pinpointing the precise location of a leak.

The Icon Smoke Machine includes an LED flashlight and a removable hook to hang the tool from the hood, as well as other accessories like smoke-producing fluid. Plus, it's built to be easily portable, and Harbor Freight says that the tool can diagnose "8 out of the top 10 emission trouble codes." Customer reviews are overwhelmingly positive, especially when it comes to its value, since its price is lower than that of many other similar tools. That said, you'll still need to shell out several hundred dollars for one.

Even basic tune-ups should involve cleaning small engine and vehicle components, especially since larger issues can sometimes be attributed to something as simple as a dirty fuel injector. Carbon deposits and buildup can affect the performance of fuel injectors, as well as carb jets and throttle parts. Dirt and corrosion can also be detrimental to valves, bearings, brake hardware, and other small parts of a car.

Cleaning these parts often requires a little elbow grease, as you'll need to thoroughly wipe or scrub deposits and grime off these parts. It can be especially tough getting them out of the very tiny nooks and crannies within these already-small components. Because of this, a tool like the Central Machinery 6-liter Ultrasonic Parts Cleaner can save you a lot of time by taking care of cleaning these parts for you, allowing you to spend more time and energy working on your car rather than cleaning it. Harbor Freight sells a parts cleaner from Central Machinery, the same house brand that makes Harbor Freight's popular Saw Mill.

The Central Machinery 6-liter Ultrasonic Parts Cleaner uses 40 KHz high-frequency sound waves to interact with water and cleaning solution to break up debris stubbornly clinging to small items placed in its tank. These ultrasonic waves are more gentle than physical scrubbing, making it ideal for cleaning delicate parts like carburetors, fuel injectors, and even jewelry and eyeglasses. Controlled via a digital panel, the cleaner heats the water and drains everything after use and takes about 30 minutes to do its thing. The Central Machinery Ultrasonic Parts Cleaner, which costs $170, doesn't seem to be a gimmick, as user reviews are consistently strong, though a small handful of owners say it doesn't clean as effectively as they'd hoped.

One diagnostic tool that can save you time when working on your car is an OBDII code reader. If you don't know how to use an OBDII code reader, it's simpler than you might imagine, plugging into your car's computer port and giving you easy-to-read diagnostic information through a display. There are many kinds of these readers with different features and capabilities, including several available at Harbor Freight. The retailer's most-advanced model is the Maddox MR16 OBDII Code Reader, which features a 4.3-inch, full-color screen and provides enhanced data, including graphs and real-time all-systems diagnostics.

The code reader provides 16 different services, like calibrations, active tests, and system resets. It can also provide scheduled maintenance requirements, recall notices, updates, and predict future repair needs. Bluetooth-capable, it can pair with a smartphone or tablet app to supply even more functionality. The tool can also save and review past diagnostic reports.

The Maddox MR16 OBDII Code Reader costs $249.99 — much more than simpler OBDII scanners — and is compatible with nearly all OBDII passenger vehicles built after 1995, including hybrids. It's powered by three AA batteries, unlike some more convenient USB-rechargeable readers on the market. There aren't a ton of user reviews on Harbor Freight's website, but the reader has mostly positive reviews, with 85% of customers recommending the device. Its enhanced features, along with its ease-of-use and compact size (it weighs a little over a pound), are most frequently cited, though one owner says the reader would freeze up on them.