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Oil leak – ASE practice questions (VIDEO)

Description Which of the following is LEAST LIKELY to cause an oil leak?A) Torn valve cover gasket B) Worn wrist pin bushings C) Worn rear main seal D) Worn piston ringsMore ASE Practice Questions

Low-mileage JDM automatics: Worthwhile or worthless? (VIDEO)

Description Nick and Lemmy check out a flex plate from an imported Japanese automatic transmission with very few miles under its belt. Even so, Nick explains why nobody really wants these transmissions or parts… and why many of them end up in the scrapyard.

Harmonic balancers – ASE practice questions (VIDEO)

Description Technician A says a defective harmonic balancer can affect the accuracy of ignition timing readings. Technician B says a defective harmonic balancer can damage the crank. Who is correct?More ASE Practice Questions

Technicians vs. DIYers: How well can you gauge tire pressure? (VIDEO)

Description After seating the bead on a new tire, the valve core needs to be installed and the tire inflated to the correct pressure. Some techs can air up a tire, install the core and land right on the target final pressure… but it’s not as easy as it looks. In this...

Can the flat rate system work better for a team?

Can the flat rate system work better for a team?

If you’ve been working in an automotive shop for longer than about fifteen minutes, you know what the flat-rate system is and how it works. The system promotes some behaviors and disincentivizes some others—for better or for worse. Over the years, I have become pretty...
Boomerang business cards: a quick sales tip

Boomerang business cards: a quick sales tip

My first job writing service was at a now-defunct Goodyear/Kelly-Springfield tire dealer. The way my commission was structured, I didn’t make very much money unless I sold a lot of tires. But when I sold a lot of tires, money came pouring in—my per-tire cut went up,...
Break down ROs into three boxes

Break down ROs into three boxes

“Every time I walk into this place, you guys clean me out for a few grand.” I’m sure you’ve heard some variant of that if you’ve written service. Part of the reason is that the value of preventative maintenance is just lost on some vehicle owners. (“Don’t try to...
Holistic healing works on cars, too

Holistic healing works on cars, too

Holistic seems to be a buzzword that’s (over)used in medicine. From a medical diagnosis perspective, that word may cause you to roll your eyes, but not a bad way to think about automotive diagnostics. If you work on a counter, approaching repair holistically helps...