I have been emboldened by this wonderful forum to perform many repairs on my 850 turbo. Believe me, I could not afford to keep this car if I didn't dodge labor charges.

I have the usual assortment of hand tools (sockets, torque wrench, wrenches, torx bits, etc.) but I am wondering if a compressor and air wrench are worth it for the DIY.

And if so, what specificaions do you recommend? E.g. PSI, horsepower, ... whatever compressors are rated with.

I suppose if I get the specs right, Santa might help me out!

buy one!

i have very small compressor .75hp & 10 ltr tank...

I dont have wrenches for it but do use it all the time for spraying/wash gun/underseal gun tyre inflation etc...

probably one of the most usefull power tools i own...

not got round to air wrenches yet...but who knows...

in all seriousness a small compressor thats easily moved is great...particualrly if you can find a GOOD tool supplier who can sell you good quality sprayguns etc that dont require high CFM's...they do exist!

if you might want to spray more than touch ups (or in my case motorbike bits) e.g. a car bonnet or wing i would suggest you would need a compressor capable of at least 7-9cfm and with at least a 25 ltr tank (those are minimums) also try and avoid the oil free variety, they ar cheap and work ok...but dont have the longevity of the oil filled models (also remember to change the oil!)

how am i equiped to talk on the subject...my brother sells them, tools paint and pannels to body shops...

Hi there,

I'm in the same situation: I dont know yet if it's worth to buy in a compressor & air tools but I have 3 cars in the driveway and 2 of them are 850s and I'm doing almost all the repairs on them.

Check out Harbor Freight Tools http://www.harborfreight.com

Norm

I bought a complete setup by Delta for $200.
Besides the air wrenches it cam with a nice paint sprayer.
Air tools are cheap too.
A air compressor is VERY handy to have around the house.

UNLESS you have many cars and spend ALOT of time fixing them often (unlikely) OR you do alot of repairs for other people (also unlikely), you don't need an air compressor or air tools.
I've been an auto tech for over 25 yrs and I've never had an air compressor or any air tools at home, not even in years past when I'd do occasional side jobs and had 5 of my own cars at one time.
I DO have a nice electric impact which occasionally comes in handy if I ever need to remove wheels, like put my mounted snow tires on (any day now). Most other repairs at home don't need the added speed of air tools and I'm never in a big hurry at home.

I have a pancake compressor (2 hp/6gallon) and it does all I need with my impact wrench. If you buy an impact wrench, get a good one (porter cable or ingersoll rand) that has at least 400ft/lbs of torque. There are a lot of crappy campbell/housefield or whatever there name is that really stink and are capable of only 250ft/lbs...believe me they are worthless when you need to remove a stubborn bolt. better to buy fewer good tools than lots of cheap ones.

I have all of the tools and the compressor, but no air wrenches. Don't need them. My compressor, a $200 model is used for house fix up, air in tires, that kind of thing. My tools do just fine. If you spend a lot of time in the garage, they may be for you. I simply do maintenance.

I bought one a year or so ago and love it. Like DB said, get a good impact wrench. I got the Ingersol-Rand 231C (new off Ebay for $77). The ones in the kits are marginal quality. I bought a 27 gallon 6hp model coleman for about $200. I put it in the utility room in the basement and ran a hose to the garage. Great for changing brakes and minor repairs. Get a torque wrench to avoid overtightening the wheels.