Quick Techincal Tips and Advice to help you along the way with your project. Have some Tech Tips or Advice that I can use? Email Me and you might just see them here in next edition!

Tip of The Month: Have you done an Oil Change lately? Good! I'm sure you made sure to drain your oil when it's warm and have the right size pan to catch it.. I'm also sure that you replaced the oil filter and replaced the oil with the right number of quarts for your ride. All good things. But one last question is, did you check your oil plug and gasket? I bet you didn't. A rule of thumb for me is to check your oil plug and gasket at every oil change because if your plug is stripped, it won't hold as well as it should. Better yet, if your gasket is old and worn you can leak oil...and leaking oil is NEVER a good thing. So guess what? The next time you get under your ride and change the oil, don't just pull the plug, check it too!

This month I decided that GSRTech would focus on our Garages. If you are into cars, even just a little, it is necessary to have some if not all of these things in your garage. You can't even do the simplest things to your ride without any tools, and if you can then you're probably a robot. Anyways, here are 10 things that EVERY gyrl should have in ther garage:

1.Basic Toolkit:

This is a necessity! It should include the basics like screwdrivers: philips and flathead, pliers(standard and needlenose), socket and torque wrenches, tweezers(not for your eyebrows), scissors, etc. You can get a basic toolkit for around $30 and it will have more than what I listed here.

2. Shoplight:

You definately need a decent shoplight when you're working at night. Yes you will have other lighting, but you need a shoplight to get up close and personal under that hood. Shouldn't run you more than $20 bucks.

3. Protective Gear:

We want you to be safe, and yes you will break a nail or two, but that's all we don't want to worry about. You should have some protective gloves that are thick enough to protect your hands but not too thick where you can't grip tools like you need too. We suggest Mechanics or even baseball gloves. Cost between $10-$20. Also grab some protective eyewear. We suggest the old school lab tech look or some of the newer styles that are more sleek and protect just as well...$5-$20. Last but not least, grab a mask(not for your whole face, a mask to cover your mouth and nose area. You can grap a pack of 3 for around $5 and these are for basic use. But if you're doing more detailed work such as sanding and painting, you may want to get a good respirator. An econmoical type respirator that can be used a few times then thrown away costs about $5 each, with more expensive ones that can be used over and over since they have replaceable filters will run you about $20 and up.

4. Oil Filter Wrench:

Since you will doing your own oil changes, you will need an oil filter wrench. These are fairly cheap and although sometimes you can even use your hand to screw oil filters on and off, you still need one. These wrenches don't always catch any you can help with your hand, it's still good to have one though, $5 bucks. Oh wait, you do know what an oil filter is...right?

5. Haynes Manual:

This is an absolute must! If you don't get one, you cannot read on any further.(You can, I just wanted to say that). The Haynes manual will help you, in great detail do the basic and not so basic maintenance to your ride. First of all, it will teach what's what and what it does. Then you will learn the basics to do oil changes, brake jobs and other maintenance jobs you give to your local shops. It will also show you how to do your own teardowns and rebulids to a certain extent(don't get scared, but it's there if you want to try it). I'm suggesting the Haynes manual and not the CHilton's manual because Chiltons gets extremely detailed. I think you should get a Chilton's later on, after you're familiar with your vehicles systems. Haynes manual will cost between $15 and $20 bucks.

6. Touch Up Paint:

Very simple. Keep a small touch up pen, bottle or can of touch up paint along with automotive clear in your garage. You'll be surprised at all the little rock chips and scratches that pop up. Fix them as soon as you notice them, you'll be happy that you did. From the local parts store, you can get a touch up pen or small bottle for $3-$5 dollars. If you want a custom can mixed for slightly larger jobs, you'll need to contact a automotive paint place, still not expensive at $15-$25.

7. Tire Pressure Gauge:

Another must have...tire pressure gauge. You'd be surprised with how much better you ride will go down the road if your tires have the correct air pressure. It's also supposed to keep your gas mileage in order as well. Not sure where to find the correct psi/air pressure amount for your tires? Look at your tires(duh). On the sidewall, your tires will tell you what size they are, speed rating and optimal air pressure/psi for your tire. So, grab a tire pressure gauge for $3-$6 bucks or for you techies, a digtal one for around $10.

8. Jack and Jack Stands:

Now that you're familiar with your ride, it's time to lift it up. No superwoman, with a floor jack. It is so easy to jack up your car since the jack is doing all the work. Check your owners manual to see where your jack points are and jack that baby up. Now if it's just for a quick job like changing a tire, you won't need jack stands. But if you're doing more than that, say like changing your oil, you'll want to put your ride on stand since you will need to get underneath the vehicle. When jacking up the front of your ride, make sure to place a block/brick behind each of the back tires as well as put on the e-brake. This will insure that the vehicle will not roll or move while you're working on it. Also, and I have to say this, make sure you are on level ground! DO NOT do this on a sloped driveway or other uneven surface! We are not responsible if you turn yourself into a pancake! You can actually get a good set, floorjack and jack stands for about $35 bucks. The one I picked up even had a creeper, small enough for my daughter to use but I can lean on it when necessary.

9. Bodywork Materials:

For those of you who are do-it-yourself-gyrls, you definately need to have bodywork materials in your garage. Basic materials such as spot putty, bondo and fiberglass repair kits should be on your shelves. These materials can help you take care of small fixes that bodyshops can do with their eyes closed. Now don't get me wrong, there are repairs that should go to a bodyshop, but things such as minor cracks/slpits can be fixed by you. My suggestion is to practice on things from the junkyard BEFORE you try it yourself. Mess around with bondo and fiberglass/resin, like how to mix it properly as well as getting used to setting times. I want it done so I'll do it without having done it before..not bad advice, but I've been lucky that my repairs have turned out good. Depending on type and amount of materials, cost will be $4-$30 each.

10. Air Compressor Kit:

Oh yes...I went there gyrls! You need an air compressor in your garage. Not just the compressor, but the air tools to go with it. If you get a good kit, like the one reviewed in Car Talk this month, you will be on your way to being a pro. This kit has everything you need to take your wheels off to painting your bodykit. Uh huh, I said paint your bodykit...oh, you were going to take it somewhere to have it painted? I don't think so! Do it yourself. Our kit included and impact wrench, tire gauge setup as well as a spray gun attachment, 99 piece toolkit, various spray gun nozzles, staple gun, etc. Seriously, if you are serious about doing your own work, get an air compressor kit. I picked up the Ultimate Garage kit that has almost everything you need(hence Ultimate Garage). The cost for the kit was $200. You can pay that much for the compresor and impact wrench alone.

So there you have it. 10 things EVERY gyrl should have in their garage. Did I miss something? Do you have something in your gagrage I didn't list, well Email Me and tell me what I missed...maybe I'll update the list.

Notice that I did not list all the places where you can get these items because you can get them almost anywhere...some places are better than others and I know you know how to bargain shop! And don't have a hissy fit thinking you have to run out and get all this stuff today. Just add these as much as your pocket allows you. Well, add them if there are no shoe sales going on...yes, I do understand!