Nuts & Bolts with Tone
Who is Nuts & Bolts with Tone
Nuts and Bolts with Tone, also known as Tony Harlin, is an ASE certified master gas and diesel technician who shares his knowledge of cars with his YouTube following. He likes to show off some challenging car repairs and the tools he uses for the job. His channel explains which cheap tools work well and which expensive tools are worth the price. He also covers different diagnostic challenges, and much more. He even helps his followers with tech tips that are great for making more money in the industry.
How He Got His Start in the Automotive Industry
It all started with a commercial that he saw. It was for the Sequioa Institute —the automotive school that later became known as Wyo Tech. The commercial sparked something in him, so he went to the website to check it out. He read every word on the site and was hooked. Hecalled and made an appointment to visit the school two days later.
It must have lived up to everything that he hoped for because he signed up on the spot and started his journey to become a mechanic three weeks later. It was his dream and he has never looked back.
The Types of Cars Tone Works On
Tony was scared that it would become boring if he focused on one manufacturer or type of job. And that is why he works on every kind of vehicle that he can get his hands on.His favorite part of working on cars is diagnosing vehicles, especially diesel. That is why he tends to work on all the diesel trucks that come into the shop. He also loves doing engine work. He feels lucky that he gets to work on such a wide variety of vehicles.
His Favorite Capri Tools
He loves many different tools, but his absolute favorite is the ½” dr. Flex Head Impact Wrench. He loves how versatile the tool is. And since it has a flex head, it can get into a lot of places that others cannot. Working on cars you sometimes need to get into tight spaces. The Flex Head Impact Wrench can help with that.The next one on his shopping list is the 3/8″ dr. since it will work well with his Stubby Capri Sockets.
His Go-To Tools
He has many of them and it all depends on what it is that he is trying to do. Some of the tools that he always has with him —despite what he’s doing —include a pocket screwdriver and multi-pliers. But when he is under a car, he grabs a Flex Head Impact from Capri since it will come in handy for many different things. He knows can get the job done, whatever that job that is.
How He Fell in Love with Tools
Tony preaches that having the right toolsis important. Early on he saw all the different tools that the other guys had and realized that having the right tool is key. He started buying every tool that he thought might come in handy. He might not use one for more than 10 years, but when he does eventually use it, it becomes priceless.
For example, he has a Snap On tool that he has only used a few times in the last few years. He doesn’t use it a lot but when he does, it gets the job done. This is why he loves tools.
He recently did a YouTube short about a pair of pliers that was one of the first tools he ever had. The pliers are for breaking heater hoses loose. It also has a swivel head to allow for better access.
Reviewing Tools
He reviews tools because he wants other people to know about the great brands that make wonderful tools. There are still a lot of people who don’t know that some great tool brands will give you the same type of warranty as a tool truck.
Nuts & Bolts with Tone wants to get the word out about this. It is one of the reasons why he started to review tools. It’s also one reason why he’s so popular.
Nuts & Bolts YouTube Channel
Being a Youtube influencer wasn’t really the plan. He wanted to help people with their vehicles, mainly technicians who were trying to learn. When he was training on diesel, he didn’t have access to a lot of information. He also didn’t have anyone to turn to and learn from.
Then he discovered Diesel Tech Ron who has since passed away. When Tony had a question, he would go to YouTube to get some of the answers. It became an inspiration. And that is why he started his YouTube channel: to help other people out. There was a significant lack of information for many of the things young mechanics were curious about. So, he wanted to fill in some of those gaps.
In the end, Nuts & Bolts with a Tone is just a guy who loves tools and working on vehicles. And if he can help a few young technicians along the way, then that makes him happy, too.
