buying a torque wrench...

[lucianus]

hi. i'm thinking of buying a torque wrench but i have no idea about what i need. i'm thinking about small stuff like changing oil filter, wheel nuts, sump plug, and maybe some other stuff too. ok so i open ebay and after clicking the search button i get about 400 results :confused: and i go omg now wich one do i need? if you guys try to search "torque wrench" on ebay you'll see what i mean. i see 1/2" and 3/8" or 10 > 150 ftlb or10-80 Nm and there are 6 manufacturers and prices from 10 pounds to 300 pounds. i have no idea.
so i bet there is someone that uses this tool to put some light into this please. i just need to know if it has to be 1/2" or 3/8" (i have no idea what this means :p ) or what Nm range should it be or maybe a good manufacturer. hmm... maybe there's a sponsor that sells those things ;) i'll run and check that now. thanx alot for your help. hope to hear from you soon.
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[producedapples]

3/8" is the drive of the wrench, being smaller than 1/2", 1/2"for larger nuts e.g wheel nuts, the 3/8" you prob wont need really, you'l want a 1/2" torque wrench that can do 125Nm for the wheel nuts, the official VAG sump plug torque is 30Nm, which is basically just 'normal' tightness, but if you were concerned, get a 3/8" wrench too as these generally go down as low as 30Nm wheras 1/2" probably wouldnt

As a technician, i bought a brand new 1/2" drive torque wrench, in a case for £16, had it checked out and was accurate :)

[Sam]

I grabbed a Halfords Special when I was doing my suspension.

Halfords Professional Torque Wrench 40-200Nm (30-150lb/ft) 1/2" square drive @ £49.99 (http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_storeId_10001_catalogId_10151_productId_18 0255_langId_-1_CarSelectorCatalogId__CarSelectorGroupId__varien t__categoryId_76866_crumb_33958-76859_parentcategoryrn_76866)

I too had it checked out and it was said to be accurate.

Seeing the price paid above, I feel a bit gutted, but it was a last minute rush purchase - bugger :(

[producedapples]

As a technician, i bought a brand new 1/2" drive torque wrench, in a case for £16, had it checked out and was accurate :)


It was a fleabay special mind!!!

[lucianus]

hehe :p thanx alot for your help guys.