10 Essential Bits & Bobs Every Garage Business Should Have

Running a garage business can be more challenging than you’d imagine. 

From servicing vehicles to handling customer enquiries and maintaining an organised workspace, every detail matters. Whether you’re operating a large-scale service centre or a small garage catering to the local community, having the right tools and equipment can make all the difference. It helps you remain prepared for every job that comes your way while maintaining efficiency, professionalism, and safety.  

In this guide, we’ll walk you through ten essential bits and bobs every garage business should have. These items aren’t just tools of the trade—they help ensure that you can deliver quality service. 

From the right equipment to software that simplifies day-to-day operations, these essentials will help you boost business and efficiency. Let’s dive in!

1. Garage Invoicing Software

While a garage is primarily involved in repairing and servicing car parts, this financial tool is absolutely necessary. A garage invoicing software will boost efficiency when compared to manual tabs, bills and Excel sheets. 

It is a centralised software that will help with not only invoicing but also cash flow management, calculating taxes and discounts, customer reminders, and real-time payment tracking. As a garage owner, this will help you save time and hassle while staying compliant with HMRC.

2. Toolbox

What’s a garage without a box of tools? A typical garage toolbox would contain fastening products, nuts and bolts, spanners, hammers and other hand-held tools. Depending on the type of fixes and repairs you offer, your garage technicians may require these tools on an everyday basis.  

Stocking a wide range of tools allows you to handle various jobs efficiently, whether it’s securing a vehicle’s underbody or assembling parts. It’s always a good idea to invest in organised storage solutions for these items to save time and reduce clutter.

3. A Jack

A jack is a must-have piece of equipment for a garage. Garages nowadays will have both manual and automatic jacks that can lift any car and allow mechanics to work on the underside of any vehicle. 

A manual jack can help with simple tyre changes, and an automatic lift will help to hoist an entire vehicle, allowing professionals to carry out extensive repair and maintenance work.

4. MOT Equipment

If your garage provides MOT services, having the proper equipment is both legally and practically required. Tools like brake testers, emissions analysers, and headlamp alignment devices are essential for conducting thorough and accurate inspections. 

For garages providing MOT in Northampton and surrounding areas, the competition can be fierce, so investing in reliable MOT tools will help your business stand out and build trust with customers. Being able to efficiently service vehicles while complying with all regulations not only ensures customer safety but also enhances your reputation.

5. Tyre Changing Equipment

A flat or unaligned tyre is one of the most common problems that people visit their local garage for. Tyre changing equipment can range from wrenches to wheel nuts, tyre inflators, and tyre pressure gauges. 

Manually changing tyres can be time-consuming and effort-intensive. Having mechanical tyre changers can speed up the process and reduce human intervention, allowing for more cars to be serviced in a shorter span of time.

6. Air Compressors

What’s a garage without air compressors? Nothing! Air compressors can help you complete a host of tasks in the garage, from inflating tyres to spray painting car bodies and pressure washing cars to remove dirt and grime, especially from the car’s underside. 

Air compressors are a good investment and can save you a lot of time and effort, making it easier to keep servicing and repairing cars and get the cash flowing. Don’t forget to check the different elements of the air compressor before making a purchase, including verifying noise levels, tank size, energy source, CFM and PSI factors.

7. Fluids

A garage shop can be identified from far away by the smell it emits, a mixture of different oils, lubricants and petrol. Garages are usually stocked with engine oils, coolants, power steering fluids, windscreen washer fluids, brake fluids and transmission fluids.

Grease is also commonly found in garages, and lithium grease is now primarily used in car parts such as the braking system, bearings, gears and windscreen wiper mechanisms. Grease also comes in handy to lubricate garage and car doors and keep them from making noise worthy of horror movies. 

8. Key Programmers

A lost key is more common than you would think, and if you want to be considered as a trusted garage shop in your vicinity, having electronic key programmers is a sound investment. A key programmer helps you create, program and duplicate car keys. 

This will help boost customer satisfaction, offer opportunities to upsell your service and have a steady flow of customers.

9. Safety Equipment

You may need a multitude of safety equipment in order to ensure that that your business and the employees are kept safe. Now, these can include roadside safety gear, in-garage safety equipment, business security cameras and even premise safety tools in a garage. In any case, here is a list of some common safety equipment found in a garage:

• Gloves
• Safety glasses
• Workman’s boots
• High-visibility jackets, especially for those who provide roadside assistance
• Security cameras
• Fire extinguishers
• Ear plugs or noise-cancelling headphones
• Helmets
• Knee pads

10. First Aid Kits

Having a well-stocked first aid kit is also essential. Accidents can happen despite the necessary protection, especially when working with so much lethal equipment. 

A garage first aid kit should contain oxygen cylinders and inhalers, as inhaling poisonous fumes can make workers experience shortness of breath. Besides this, you may also need an eye wash centre with distilled, cold water and swabs along with other essentials such as gauze, a tourniquet, bandages, cotton, disinfectant and common over-the-counter medicines. 

There should be enough material to offer emergency medical attention till paramedics arrive, or until you can take the injured person to the local hospital. 

Wrapping Up

These are some of the most common things you can find in a garage. Each of these bits and bobs are integral to a garage, even though they may not seem that way.

Waiting in a garage can be a fun experience, especially if you can request to sit in the main workshop and not the waiting lounge. Watching cars being torn apart and brought together, with mechanics tinkering with the engine, chassis or wheel- it’s the most fascinating experience. It’s almost like watching a surgeon operate.

Next time, you visit a garage, make sure to spot these items that we mentioned.