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I thought modern cars , those with fuel injection, electronic ignition etc, needed specialized tools to repair and maintain them.
See if you can spot two of them being used in this photo.

I always thought the axe was the Cambodian's tool of choice.

Nah, the hammock wins every time.

This could be used as a case where the blind can lead the blind. The tools referred to that the man is using are screwdriver and pliers.







Ha, Got ya,

Probably just swapping out a 'non-smart' component. Our X5 would have had a hissyfit at this.

It amazes me the lack of tools in car repair shops here. In Snookyville I have probably one of a couple OBD2 code readers, a timing light, valve removal tool(s), etc, and I just dink around with my truck. I have never seen a make/car specific auto repair manual in Cambodia. I have one for my truck, and a rare one for my TA200 Phantom. I wouldn't own a vehicle I didn't have the repair manual for, specially here.

Modern equipment is more for diagnostics than anything. You rarely need special tools for anything unless you're doing a full on engine recon, and even then you can get away with a surprisingly few amount of tools.

Full On Engine recon without the proper tools? In America we call it Shade-Tree Mechanic as its usually done outside under a tree. What about a valve removal/install tool? A valve guide removal tool? Micrometer to "Mic" the crankshaft for oversize bearings, Mic the cylinders for oversize pistons/rings, and mic a bunch of other parts. A piston ring compressor? A cylinder hone? A cylinder ridge remover? Valve laping tool? A foot and inch pound torque wrench? Yes, you can do a rebuild without the proper tools, but would you trust it when you say have to drive out into the policeless countryside at night? Good luck!

Also with the modern cars that have computers, you must have a code reader or your just guessing. (every sensor is powered in mili-amps.) In Cambo, just about everything is by guess, without the proper tools, and no code reader which puts it in Shade-Tree category and won't last as long as a properly done job.

I was mainly talking about basic to moderate repairs such as anything down to the shortblock. The code reader is nice to have of course, as would something like a full on scanner to read injector sine waves (is that the term?) but since OBDII's name is On Board Diagnostics, many cars can diagnose themselves with an onboard readout (like in the information center or odometer), or even through flash codes and point you in the right direction (i.e. Camshaft sensor, cyilnder misfire, lean condition, etc).

That's mostly what I was referring to. The actual repairs rarely require more than a set of spanners and sockets to be done properly.

With fuel injectors its called "bandwidth." The time a fuel injector is actually injecting fuel be it by electronic or mechanical actuation. Just spanner/sockets (as is most repairs done in Cambo)= "shade tree mechanics."