Shop Press

Shop Press is the news and idea hub for everything related to working on cars and trucks, focusing on repair, technology, and wrenching lifestyle.

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Brake Fluid Exchanges: Are You Missing a Critical Step?

Brakes are dang important! Because of that, so is their maintenance. We, as techs, know this, but the humble brake fluid flush is one of the first things motorists strike from recommended maintenance (aided, at times, by timid service writers who don’t care to risk...

Is Your DVOM Ready for Work? (VIDEO)

Description Dorman Training Center instructor Pete Meier explains how to check the battery and fuses in your DVOM/multimeter to make sure that it’s ready to go for your next job.  Related Videos

A Brighter Future: The History and Evolution of Car Headlights

Every piece of a car’s puzzle shapes its identity: exterior design, performance, power, technology, or the badge on the hood. What’s easy to overlook is how these components have evolved over time. Every part of a vehicle has its own history of innovation, all the way...

Boost Isn’t New! A History of Turbocharged Cars

It seems every automaker has jumped on the forced induction bandwagon over the last decade. While some say there is no replacement for displacement, a turbocharged engine makes a pretty good argument to the contrary. Turbocharging is hardly new, though. You can read...

Two Common Oil Change Mistakes That Techs Can Make (VIDEO)

Description Too many technicians make these simple mistakes while performing oil changes for customers. Dorman Training Center instructor Pete Meier points out a pair of errors that can turn easy jobs into big headaches.  Related Videos

Back Away from the Wrenches

Back Away from the Wrenches

Today’s article is more of a philosophical one than a pragmatic one. You see, we’re in the business of buying and reselling auto parts, servicing automobiles, and getting paid for our efforts. But as automotive professionals, we merely delay the inevitable. The...
Side Business

Side Business

If your shop is a typical one, you wouldn’t turn down easy, profitable work, right? Of course not. Maybe it’s time your foreman, techs, and service writers sat down and talked through the car that isn’t a car: side-by-side (SxS). Like other not-immediately-obvious...
Mastering the Numbers – Part 2

Mastering the Numbers – Part 2

In our earlier article, Mastering the Numbers Part 1, we discussed why shop owners should understand the financial side of their business just as much as the technical side. We introduced the Cost of Doing Business (CODB) as an important baseline financial concept....