Equipping a new garage bay: lifts, jacks, compressors and tools checklist

Start with the work, not the catalogue

A general service bay, a tyre bay, a car wash and a detailing studio need different equipment. Before you list items, write down:

• the main jobs: servicing, tyres, brakes, diagnostics, body work, cleaning or detailing;
• the vehicles: cars only, or vans and light commercials too;
• the bay size, ceiling height and floor slab, which decide which lifts are possible;
• the power supply: single-phase or three-phase, number of sockets per bay;
• the opening date, working back from it to the order date.

Floor, ceiling and power are worth checking with your installer and landlord first. They often rule out a two-post lift or a large compressor before price comes into it.

1. Lifting

• Car lift: two-post lift for general servicing, mid-rise scissor lift for tyres and brakes, or a portable quick lift where the floor or ceiling does not allow a fixed lift.
• Trolley jacks: at least one low-profile jack for lowered cars, plus a heavier jack for vans within the manufacturer’s rating.
• Axle stands: in pairs, rated above the loads you expect.
• Bottle jacks for light commercials, and a hydraulic body repair kit if you do body work.

Car lifts are covered by EN 1493, and mobile jacks and axle stands by EN 1494. They fall under the machinery rules (Machinery Directive 2006/42/EC, with the Machinery Regulation (EU) 2023/1230 from 20 January 2027). Buy them only with the manufacturer’s declaration and test documents. A lift must be installed and inspected by a qualified installer. We supply lifts with the manufacturer’s documents but do not install them. Our jacks, stands and lifts page lists ratings and documents per model.

2. Air supply

• Workshop air compressor sized to the tools you will run at the same time. Air tools list their consumption in L/min; add them up and allow headroom.
• Tank size from 10 l for light use up to 300 l for several bays.
• Hose reels, quick couplings, an inflator gauge for tyre work.

The air receiver falls under the Simple Pressure Vessels Directive 2014/29/EU, and a mains-powered compressor under the machinery and low voltage rules. Ask for the manufacturer’s documents, and check national rules on periodic inspection of pressure equipment.

3. Benches and storage

• Steel workbench for each bay, plus a folding bench if space is tight.
• Mobile tool cabinet per technician, with drawer liners.
• Wall storage for sockets and spanners.
• Bench drill press or magnetic drill for fabrication.

Cabinets and benches ship on pallets and are quoted delivered. Measure door widths and lifting access before ordering.

4. Hand tools

• Socket sets in 1/4", 3/8" and 1/2" drive, plus impact sockets in 1/2" and 3/4" for wheel work. CrV steel for hand sockets, CrMo for impact sockets.
• Combination spanners, ratchet spanners, slogging spanners for heavy fasteners.
• Hex and Torx keys and bit sets.
• Screwdrivers, including VDE screwdrivers for work near electrics.
• Pliers, wire strippers, dead blow, ball peen and body hammers.

One full set per technician avoids queues. See hand tools for set contents and minimums.

5. Power tools

• Cordless impact wrench for wheels, cordless impact driver and drill driver.
• Angle grinder and reciprocating saw for exhaust and body work.
• Cordless rotary hammer if you will fix equipment to walls and floors.
• Spare batteries and chargers on one battery platform.

Staying on one battery platform saves money and charging space. Lithium battery packs bring battery and shipping rules, so order them with the main shipment rather than as an air top-up.

6. Lighting

• Damp-proof garage lights for the ceiling.
• Rechargeable LED floodlight on a stand for under-car work.
• Rechargeable headlamps for each technician.

Mains-powered floodlights need CE marking under the Low Voltage, EMC and RoHS directives. Work lights are for the workshop, not for use as vehicle lighting.

7. Cleaning and service consumables

• Disposable seat covers, steering wheel covers, paper floor mats and interior protection kits for each car that comes in.
• Microfibre cloths and rolls, wet and dry vacuum, window squeegees.
• PVC aprons for wash bays.

Consumables are the items you reorder every month, so agree a price and pack size that work for repeat orders.

8. Workwear

Coveralls and work trousers with your logo give the bay a consistent look. Textile products need fibre composition labelling. The workwear in our range is not certified personal protective equipment, so if a job requires PPE, buy that separately from a PPE supplier.

Variations for tyre bays and detailing studios

Tyre bay. The core is lifting and fastening: a mid-rise scissor lift or quick lift, low-profile trolley jacks, axle stands, a cordless or air impact wrench, a full set of impact sockets, a compressor with an inflator gauge and space to store customer wheels. Demand peaks in March–April and October–November, so the bay should be equipped before the first peak, not during it.

Detailing studio or car wash. Lifting matters less; cleaning tools, lighting and storage matter more. Plan wet and dry vacuums, cordless car vacuums, spot cleaners, microfibre in bulk, water-fed brushes, squeegees, PVC aprons, bright damp-proof lights and mobile carts. Chemicals, polishes and waxes are not part of our range, so source them from a specialist supplier.

Common gaps in a first equipment list

• No second trolley jack, so two technicians wait for one.
• Impact sockets missing for 3/4" drive on van wheels.
• No spare batteries for cordless tools.
• Consumables forgotten until the first customer car arrives.

Budget and order planning

Plan on about 8–12 weeks from order to our warehouse for the whole set, then delivery to your site. If the bay opens in spring, order before the factory holidays in late January–February.

One order instead of twenty

Buying each group from a different supplier means many deliveries, invoices and documents. In a workshop fit-out, we consolidate the list into one inspected shipment on mixed pallets, with an EU invoice and the manufacturer’s documents for each item where they exist. Send us your bay plan and equipment list and we quote it delivered.