I abandoned my Mastercraft corded electric impact gun because it wouldn't pull the skin off a rice pudding and it had more than twice the torque that cordless model claims.

I also have a bit of a burr in my butt for Makita. I bought a Makita cordless drill when I was working as a cable installer and the thing smoked out (literally) after 3 months. I replaced it with a Hilti which is still working perfectly 7 years later. Same voltage for both drills, but the Hilti has way more torque and the batteries last much longer between charges. It also cost 3 times as much as the Makita though so it is a classic example of getting what you pay for.

I love the sound of pneumatic tools. Makes me feel like a real mechanic. Comparing the sound of pneumatic to electric impact guns is like comparing a flat six to a ricer motor.

That's not to say that I disagree with what you're saying - it's just intersting how we all get different results from our tools.

Hi topless.
You can never be late to a good party ;)
I have the Makita LXDT04CW that I bought last year.
Never imagine it will be powerful enough to unbolt the wheel bolts for an example.
Are you sure the 1/4" shank won't snap?
I also don't think they have a socket set that will go up to 19 mm.
I will run a search.
Thanks.

Absolutely! My brother and I have a pair of the impact drivers that we take to the track. I use the one with a quick change shank and you can adapt up to 1/2" drive or even add a flex drive for tight spots. My brother has the one with std 1/2" drive and it has more torque also. With 1 floor jack we can swap 4 tires on a car in about 5 minutes. No stinking hoses. :cheers:

We do always keep a good breaker bar handy in case we get a stubborn lug bolt but it essentially never gets used.

Makita is not for everyone. Some don't like em but I have been using them in my day job since 1985 to good effect. I still have my original 9v drill/driver that probably has 300k miles on it and it still works. Modern 18v Li Ion batteries are so much better than the old NiCads though.

Perfect! I'm having a fire sale on all my remaining air tools. Come and get em. :)

Walk the pits at any SoCal club race or TT event. 200 race cars and 180 of them are using Makita cordless impact drivers. YMMV

Watcha got? PM me or there'll be a feeding frenzy!

I guess in all fairness I shouldn't be comparing a ni-cad drill from 7 years ago to the more modern li-ion jobs out today, but you know how it goes... once burned (again, literally!) I'd have to see some real proof though to believe that any Makita could even be close to being in the same league as a Hilti. Had the same experience with my hammer drill - bought a Makita 1/2" corded hammer drill and the noise and vibration was awful and if I hit aggregate or rebar it would stop dead in its tracks. Moved up to a Hilti TE-1 with proper Hilti SDS bits and threw the Makita in the bin the very next day. That TE-1 will pound through solid rock if it needs to.

update and question
 

so i ended up getting this baby:
Amazon.com: Bare-Tool Makita BTW251Z 18-Volt LXT Lithium-Ion Cordless 1/2-Inch Impact Wrench (Tool Only, No Battery): Home Improvement
this thing work awesome. was afraid it will be too weak, but this thing will take a wheel lug without hesitation. the bolts of the cross bars are not even a challenge. at this point it will be perfect for me.
better compressor maybe in the future.
now for my question.
the mid rise lift i order back in August :eek: will be here tomorrow.
this is the one:
Automotive Scissor Lift
looking at the description, the minimum height is 7".
anyone have a nice idea how to build a ramp that will be easy to move aside once the car is lifted?
i remember seeing a post, but cant find it.

thanks.

This is probably the coolest solution for a mid-rise lift. Warning: This garage is a work of art.

Jack's Garage Lift - YouTube

Some guys just use a pair of stacked 2x10s on each side but they get heavy.

im sure that what you did to me right now, is against the Geneva Conventions.:D
LOL. i can just imagine my land lord face when i start digging his garage :eek:
good idea when ill own my own place (soon).
right now i'm renting a 2+2 with a half car garage :D
but i love it.
was thinking about getting 2X10, and perforate it with hole saw to reduce wight.
do you think 5" will give me enough clearance (7" lift height -2" ramp = 5") ?

My car sits pretty low in front (90mm) or 3.5" so a 5" high ramp should be plenty.

Eh, if a garage is that pretty, there's not enough actual work being done in it! You can work ON your garage, or IN it, most people don't have time for both.

Certainly my garage is nowhere near as well equipped, neat or pretty, but don't be fooled by it's good looks. Jack is a very active track guy here in SoCal and that is one of the fastest street legal 911s anywhere with cold blowing A/C. He regularly maintains it in that garage including brakes, fluids, pulling the motor and trans, custom fabrication and interior. He is also known for welding up the entire wrought iron fencing around his property. The guy is a maniac. He works as a screenwriter for the entertainment industry and has lot's of free time between projects. :cool:

Here is the full story:
http://12-gaugegarage.com/

I'm jealous if he can manage that. I can't even find the time to do the work I want to, let alone constantly cleaning up after myself. I usually clean up when I start tripping over things, or can't find a flat surface to set things on!

LOL.
we have our washer and dryer in the garage, so my wife makes me clean after myself every time she goes in there. which is every day :D