Snap-On Tools reported last week that their profits for the 2nd quarter are up 21 percent. Big deal, right? Believe me, I'm not trying to hand out investment advice. I have no idea how their stock will perform, nor do I hold any. But I do find it interesting that they seem to be selling more tools. Do-it-yourselfers rarely buy Snap-On tools because of their higher cost. If you want professional grade, you have to pay to play, and most how mechanics don't abuse their tools enough to worry too much about it. I will say this: My biggest Snap-On rolling box has seen more than 2o years of hard use and is still tough as nails and smooth as butter. But I digress. I only mention Snap-On's profits because the recent report seems to bolster many people's theory that drivers are holding onto their used cars longer and paying to have repairs done rather than diving in for a new car. If you fit into this category, you can save some serious cheddar by doing some of your repairs, or at least your maintenance, all by yourself. Get to it!

_{If you're interested, you can read a report on Snap-On's earnings along with some analysis at The Motley Fool.}

Old hardware can be frustrating. No, strike that, it can be infuriating. I've sat down countless times to do a half hour repair only to have it drag past the two-hour mark thanks to a single stripped, rusty, worn, miserable nut holding the old part on. It can be a nightmare. There are lots of fixes available, but so many of them are simply brutal. And some of the remedies can be very time consuming on their own. Trying to grind new angles into a rounded nut can take more than a minute or two. Among the solutions is a product by Craftsman that we tested recently. It's called "Lug Out" and is designed to get those nuts off using a fierce steely bite. If you're wondering whether it worked for us, check out the full review and maybe you'll discover a real time saver!

If you park in a garage -- not the big ones in the city but a cozy two-car garage attached to your house -- you know how important the car's position inside can be. Pull too far forward and you can't walk past to get in. Too far back and you might nail your trunk with the garage door! Everybody has their own tricks for finding their garage sweet spot. If you're frustrated, there's a new product out that can make your parking job a total breeze every time! To be fair to history, this isn't a new invention, but it's a well refined version that you can buy and install the same day. Check it out!

Sometimes a reader's letter can really shed some light on how confusing auto repair can be. Tim recently bought a torque wrench because he wants to be sure his wheels are properly installed on his car. He has safety and tire wear in mind. A torque wrench is a good thing to have in your tool box as it allows you to be more precise in all of your repairs. His new wrench arrived in the mail, but as he read the instructions, they stated it should never be used to loosen or tighten wheel lug bolts! Huh? Isn't that why he bought it? Yes and no. He bought it to be sure his wheel bolts were tightened to the correct torque, but not to use the torque wrench every day as a long-handled ratchet wrench. Use your breaker bar or your lug wrench to loosen and initially tighten your wheel bolts, then switch to the torque wrench to get it exact. Never use your torque wrench to break tight lugs or remove them! This can cause damage or premature wear to the wrench and cause you to get inaccurate readings.