PSA: Dropped $1,100 on that smoke machine at the tool truck, and I still grab my $30 homemade one

Claire Hart · 2026-09-10T07:30:04.482079+00:00

I bought a legit smoke machine off the Snap-on truck back in March because a guy at a shop in Columbus swore it would kill every evap leak in half the time. Total with tax came to $1,100 and I figured it would pay for itself by summer. Fast forward five months, I have used it maybe six times, and the last two cars I diagnosed with it I ended up finding the leak with a cheap cigar, a rubber glove, and a flashlight. The machine blows so much smoke it hides small cracks, so you sit there staring at a fog cloud like an idiot while the real leak is right there at the filler neck. Worst part is that thing takes up half a drawer and the fluid costs $40 a bottle. If you are a one or two bay shop, save your money and build the glove rig, or at least borrow one before you drop four figures. Anyone else buy a tool that fancy and go right back to the hillbilly version?

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PSA: Dropped $1,100 on that smoke machine at the tool truck, and I still grab my $30 homemade one | Auto Mechanics - Babble Community