[eropple]

Car mechanics have a few cultural things that lead to everyone buying a preposterously expensive box of their own stuff. First is theft (stuff walks away a lot) and second is flat-rate differentiation. Having the right tools can make a flat-rated job take much less time and thus incentivizes the mechanic to have their own tools, and still would even if the garage provided them.

Not saying it's good or right, but there are incentives that push towards it.