Can I Use an Impact Driver for Auto Work? – A Comprehensive Guide

Can I Use an Impact Driver for Auto Work? – A Comprehensive Guide

While every homeowner or DIY-er has an impact driver in their toolbox at the time, it is still a question, that whether it could be used for auto work or not.

Now to make it even simpler, the main problem lies in carrying out auto work, rather than exploring the properties of impacts regarding automotive’ handling.

So to address that, an impact driver is a powerful and versatile tool that can be used to carry out numerous tasks, including auto work.

That said, in order to help you out with this, we have penned down the major auto work types, to give you an overview of this concern.

Saying that, let’s discuss it in detail:

Impact Drivers can be used for Different Types of Auto Work

Impact drivers, being one of the most overpowering tools, have got the ability to replace some heavy-duty gadgets in DIY-ing. This is for, without a single shade of a doubt, that impact drivers are convincingly remarkable overall!

Now with that being put up, it is important to break down the functioning of this miniature and figure out different aspects of it. For instance, there are certain problems that most DIYers face for auto work.

And that is the reason why a bunch of them end up confused about how to actually use this tool without any inconvenience.

So on that note, let’s take down all the nitty-gritty of its usage and learn about how to make the most out of this tool. That said, let’s get straight to it:

1. Rusty Bolts:

Impact drivers deliver maximum torque to turning power that drives the bolts out conveniently. All you have to do is put the flat-head drill bit in the driver. Then attach a socket at the end of it.

The socket is open at the other end, according to the shape of the bolt that is to be unscrewed. Following that, the impact driver will deliver enormous turning power that would loosen even the rusty bolts. You can read our detailed guide to know what is the best Dewalt impact driver.

2. Steering Rack Bolts:

Tightening the steering rack bolts is one of the other automotive tasks you can carry out by using the impact driver in your toolbox. In this case, you just need to tighten the nuts underneath, in the steering rack. You can make sure that they are not over tightened, by driving around a little.

3. Axle Nuts:

There are some Impacts that can hardly deal with lug nuts as they require an incredible amount of torque for disassembly. Nevertheless, an impact driver with up to 184 ft. lbs. of torque, or even less, can deliver the power that can help you unscrew axle nuts.

4. Impacting Under Trays:

Now another important auto work that you can carry out with your impact driver is screwing or unscrewing bolts underneath trays; either under a drum or anywhere else.

As it is one of the topnotch qualities of an impact driver that it can be used in tight spaces conveniently. Hence this kind of work can also be performed via this super-versatile tool.

Preceding, we have been through all the details of what type of auto work an impact driver can perform, and how efficient is in carrying out these tasks.

So the next logical thing to come up with is the list of topmost powerful drivers, available on the market this year, to help you perform these operations.

Following this, we have listed the top four, best-recommended impact drivers for auto work. All of them are most-reviewed and hence you’ll get to choose from the bestsellers out there! That said, let’s get down to it:

1. Dewalt ATOMIC 20V MAX Impact Driver

2. Makita XT281S 18V LXT 2-Pc. Combo Kit

3. Milwaukee 2753-20 M18 Impact Driver

4. Bosch IDH182-02 Cordless Impact Driver


When to not use an Impact Driver for Auto Work

Impact drivers can be used in auto work as these are powerful, versatile machines. However, these tools would not be suitable for unscrewing bolts that are heavy-duty.

In addition to that, your impact driver can be of a type that doesn’t have enough torque and speed to handle different kinds of automotive tasks.

Apart from that, for the materials that cannot bear the tremendous torque-power of an impact driver, it is inappropriate to use the tool; for instance, thin wood or drywalls. In fact, these overpowering tools can end up breaking objects that aren’t capable of handling their torque.


Summing Things Up

And it’s a wrap! So this brings us to the end of our discussion on the topic that whether, and how, an impact driver is used for auto work.

We have tried to cover it from all the possible aspects. So make sure to check this out completely and explore some amazing facts about impact drivers.

Good Luck!

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use an impact driver for everything?

An impact driver is practically the most versatile tool you can have to clock up your DIY projects. However, these compact, yet incredibly powerful machines have proved their ability in automotive engineering as well.
So in that regard, an impact driver can actually be used for doing a lot of stuff, nearly everything a drill can do. However, there are some tasks that a drill can do more efficiently as compared to the impact.

Are impact drivers good for mechanics?

To get this straight, yes, impact drivers are good and exceptionally functional in mechanics as they are way too versatile. To put it simply, having an impact driver by your side would replace some heavy-duty gadgets from your toolbox. For the reason that it is capable of delivering enormous power and carrying out heavy-duty tasks, it is considered to be essential in mechanics.

What is the most powerful cordless impact driver?

Dewalt Atomic 20v Impact Driver is certainly one of the most powerful cordless impact drivers that you can have in your toolbox. It features tremendous competence that can speed up all the disassembling and reassembling tasks.

Bahram Shahab
Bahram here! A certified Electrical Engineer who knows his way around using power tools like a professional. My journey of using these robust tools started back when I graduated. Since then, I have finished almost a dozen DIY woodworking jobs. Apart from that, I have developed this habit of jotting down my personal experience about using a specific tool. So, I write on them to help the community in the best possible way.