What are special tools?
Special tools are tools that the vehicle manufacturer specifies for a particular job on particular vehicles: locking tools for camshaft and crankshaft when changing a timing belt, pullers for bearings and hubs, fitting sleeves for seals, adapters for pressure and leak tests. The repair manual lists them by number, usually right at the start of the work step.
Unlike a ring spanner, a special tool is rarely used, often expensive and usually exists only once in the building. That is why it pays to record it in more detail than ordinary hand tools. Where it is kept and who had it last is covered in the guide Organising special tools. This guide is about the data behind it.
One number is not enough
One and the same special tool is known under several numbers:
- the OEM number of the vehicle manufacturer, for example T10172 – as given in the repair manual,
- the part number of the tool manufacturer, if an equivalent tool was bought on the open market,
- the supplier's part number, for instance from the invoice of Sample Parts Ltd,
- the EAN on the packaging, which the scanner reads.
The mechanic searches with the number from the repair manual, purchasing with the number from the invoice. Anyone who records only one of them finds the tool only one way. So all numbers belong to the tool, each with its type and source. The search should ignore how they are written: "T 10172", "t10172" and "T-10172" must lead to the same result.
Assigning vehicles and engine codes
Mechanics think in jobs, not in numbers: "Timing belt on a Golf with engine CZCA – what do I need?" If the special tool records which make, model and engine code it is needed for, the search also finds it by vehicle. That helps new colleagues and with vehicles that rarely come into the workshop.
The assignment does not have to be complete. Even the engine codes of the most common jobs – timing belt, timing chain, clutch – save a lot of leafing through the repair manual.
Sets with individual parts
Many special tools come as a set: a locking set for the timing belt change, a case of pullers, an adapter set for pressure testing. Each part in it can have its own OEM and supplier number. If the contents are recorded with quantity and numbers per part, the search also finds a single part – and on return you can check whether the set is complete. A single missing pin makes the whole set useless, and otherwise nobody notices until the next job.
Special tools that need inspection
Some special tools are also test equipment, such as torque tools or gauges for pressure and leak tests. Managing them then includes an inspection interval with a reminder and an inspection record with the result and calibration certificate. What to look out for is explained in the guide Test equipment management in the workshop.
Sharing instead of buying twice
Special tools are rarely needed – it often does not pay to keep them at every site. In dealer groups, a shared search across all sites shows where the tool is and whether it is free right now. Partner businesses can even lend each other special tools. So before every new purchase, it is worth checking your own stock and that of your partners.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between special tools and standard tools?
Standard tools such as spanners and sockets fit many jobs on many vehicles. Special tools are specified by the vehicle manufacturer for one particular job, carry a manufacturer number and are often available only once in the workshop.
Do special tools have to come from the vehicle manufacturer?
Not always. For many jobs there are equivalent tools on the open market; whether the original is required is decided by the vehicle manufacturer. If you buy on the open market, record the OEM number as well as the part number – then everyone finds the tool via the repair manual.
How can you recognise a special tool on the tool itself?
With a label that shows the OEM and supplier numbers next to the inventory number. Every mechanic can then see directly on the tool whether it is the right one for the repair manual, and a scan opens the tool page.
How it works with Tulz
Tulz records any number of additional numbers per tool – OEM, tool manufacturer, supplier, EAN – and assigns vehicles with model and engine code. The search finds every number however it is written, including the numbers of individual parts in tool sets. Labels show the OEM and supplier numbers, test equipment gets an interval and a record, and with sites and the workshop network you can see where to get a missing special tool.
Guides in the help centre: Special tool with several numbers · Tool sets · Search for a tool · Print labels · Workshop network: share special tools with partner businesses