Shop Press

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How to crimp heavy gauge wire (VIDEO)

Description Working on some battery cables or custom ground straps? Your crimped connection needs to be totally reliable, and with a proper tool like Dorman’s 90707 heavy lug crimper, you’ll get secure and consistent results. This crimper also happens to work well...

Should you use anti-seize when installing spark plugs? (VIDEO)

Description Using anti-seize when installing spark plugs was once common practice, but today, you might want to think twice before adding anything to your spark plug threads. Pete explains why today’s plugs generally don’t need any thread prep when installing, unlike...

Snap-on to expand Tennessee manufacturing plant

Snap-on recently announced that they will invest $44 million to expand their manufacturing operations in Elizabethton, Tennessee, according to a press release from the Tennessee Department of Economic & Community Development. This investment will add nearly 49,000...

Tire service tips (that aren’t just for new technicians)

Recently I had occasion to watch the following video from Dorman Training Manager (and ASE Master Tech) Pete Meier:I was fortunate enough to be there live and talk to Pete after he was done shooting, and this video really stuck with me. If you think about it, the...

TECHNICIAN CHALLENGE: The Mystery Box, Part 2

Description The Proving Grounds crew takes on another round The Mystery Box Challenge with new parts and a few new faces. Could you guess these auto parts simply by the way they feel? It’s more difficult than it looks.

Don’t let your scanner go unprotected

This article is a quick reminder to buy (and use!) a surge protector on your (or your shop’s) scan tool(s). The modern vehicle scanner has WiFi, a screen, and touch input. It is, for all intents and purposes, a computer, and it doesn’t like “dirty” power. Protect it...

Ten (sort of serious) questions every service writer should ask

Ten (sort of serious) questions every service writer should ask

At its core, writing service is information synthesis—collect, sort, simplify, regurgitate, repeat. Obtaining the raw information from techs and customers alike relies on prompts, usually in the form of a question. The correct question asked at the correct time pays...
The one part of the car you’ll never install for a customer

The one part of the car you’ll never install for a customer

The title is a bit clickbait-y, but I won’t drag this out. Let me tell you about a part you’ll never get a repair customer to buy willingly: the hood strut. Photo: Mike Apice. How many times have you been working on something, and the hood comes down and clonks ya...