The problem with the half set
A timing belt locking set has 14 parts. If the crankshaft lock is missing, the whole set is worthless for the next job – and that usually only comes to light when the car is already on the lift. Such a part is rarely lost on purpose: it stays behind in the engine bay, ends up in the wrong foam insert or wanders into the tool trolley of a colleague who "just quickly" needed the lock.
Keeping sets complete is therefore not a question of discipline but of procedures: anyone who knows what belongs in the set, checks on return and replaces missing parts straight away has the matter under control.
Every set needs a contents list
The contents list is the basis for everything else. It sits inside the case and in the system and contains, for each individual part:
- the name in the language of the workshop ("crankshaft locking tool", not just "T10340/4"),
- the quantity (often more than one for sockets or adapters),
- the numbers: the vehicle manufacturer's OEM number, the part number of the tool manufacturer or supplier,
- if possible a photo – which settles any argument about whether "the small pin" belongs to it.
Many manufacturers and dealers provide these lists on their product pages or in catalogues; typing them in is tedious work that pays off with the first missing part. Anyone buying new sets creates the list straight away when recording them.
Return with completeness check
The decisive moment is the return. Three rules have proven themselves:
- The set only goes back on the shelf complete. On return, the contents list is ticked off – on a tablet or phone that takes under a minute for 14 parts.
- If something is missing, it is named, not guessed. "Part 7, crankshaft lock, missing" – with the name of the person who had the set. That way the part can usually still be found the same day.
- Incomplete sets are blocked. They carry a marker and are not issued until the part is back or replaced. A set that counts as complete and is not costs more than a blocked one.
Foam inserts with a cut-out for each part help enormously: everyone sees an empty slot at once. For older cases, a cut-out from rigid foam is worthwhile.
Reorder spare parts instead of buying a new set
With most manufacturers, a missing individual part costs a fraction of the set – if you know the number. That is why every individual part carries the supplier's part number. With it, reordering is a two-liner, and the set is complete again in a few days. Without the number, the missing pin turns into a new set for several hundred euros.
A "missing – ordered – received" list per set is practical, so that two colleagues do not order the same part and the delivery does not sit in the incoming post box.
Issue individual parts separately?
As a rule, no: the set is loaned and returned as a whole. The exceptions are parts that are regularly needed on their own – say a counter-holder from a set that also helps with other jobs. Such parts get their own inventory number and are run as a tool in their own right; the set then holds a reference to it. Everything else stays in the case.
Setting up sets properly – the short version
- One set = one inventory number, one storage location, one label on the outside of the case.
- Contents list with quantity, numbers and photo per part; the name says what it is.
- Parts that belong together in several sizes (sockets 16–22 mm) as individual lines, not as one combined line.
- Manufacturer, supplier and purchase date on the set – for complaints and reordering.
- Once a year at the stocktake: open the case, tick off the list, check the foam insert.
Frequently asked questions
What is the quickest way to check whether a tool set is complete?
With a contents list to tick off and a foam insert in which every slot holds one part. Together, both take less than a minute on return and also record which part is missing.
What should you do if an individual part is missing from the set?
Mark the set as incomplete and block it, ask the last borrower, and after a short search period reorder the part from the supplier using the part number. The set only goes back into issue once it is complete.
Where do I get the contents list of a set I have bought?
From the manufacturer's or dealer's product page, from the catalogue or from the leaflet in the case. Some tool management systems take the list straight from the link to the product page.
How it works with Tulz
In Tulz, every tool set has a contents list with quantity, supplier and OEM numbers and pictures per individual part. On return, completeness is queried; missing parts are counted and named, and the set is marked as "incomplete" and blocked until it is complete again. New sets can be imported together with their contents list from the link to the manufacturer's page or from the shared set library – combined lines such as "5× sockets 16–22 mm" are split into individual sizes. Tulz prints the contents list for the case lid.
Guides in the help centre: Tool sets · Importing a tool set: link, list or set library · Return a tool · Content list · Create a purchase order and book goods receipt