My buddy swore I was stupid for using a 10mm socket on my car's battery terminals

He said I needed to use a 10mm wrench instead because the socket would strip the nut if I cranked it too hard. I laughed at him because a socket is a socket, right? Well, last month I tried to swap my battery in the parking lot of an AutoZone in Nashville and sure enough, the socket slipped and rounded off the nut. Had to buy a whole new terminal clamp for 8 bucks and borrow a wrench from the guy behind the counter. Now I keep a 10mm wrench in my glove box specifically for that. Has anyone else found out the hard way that certain tools just don't work for certain jobs?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_sandra8d ago

OH man, that's EXACTLY the kind of lesson you only learn once. My buddy Rick tried the same thing with an alternator bolt on his old Ford Ranger. He thought a socket was fine since it fit snug, but he cranked on it and the nut just rounded right off. Had to spend a whole afternoon with a dremel cutting that thing off. He said he felt like an absolute idiot standing in the driveway with a busted socket, a stripped bolt, and a car that wouldn't start. Now he swears by wrenches for anything that's got a hex head where you can't get a good angle. It's one of those stupid little tricks that makes you feel like a pro when you know it.

quinn_king168d ago

Yeah, that "can't get a good angle" part is the real issue. I keep a 10mm wrench and a stubby ratchet in my trunk now specifically so I can get on top of those tight spots without stripping anything out. Once you mess up a terminal clamp or a bracket bolt, you never forget how easy it is to avoid with the right tool.