Why you should use standard operating procedures for customer communications.
Better ops with SOPs
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A few tips for tow truck operators
At one point in my automotive career, I ran a rollback wrecker. Those days are getting smaller in my rearview mirror and the game has changed over the years, but I learned a lot of things that I wish someone had just told me. My recovery work is limited to salvage...
Why you should add a spring hook to your toolbox
As a young mechaniclet, I fought springs often. Specifically, helical tension springs gave me metaphorical headaches and literal skinned knuckles. I encountered them most often when performing brake jobs on vehicles with drum brakes. I went through a ton of tools,...
Should a customer bring parts?
Three words no shop manager ever wants to hear are customer supplied parts. There are some really good reasons for that, and it’s understandable why many shops take a “just say no” position on the practice. But there are also plenty of perfectly reasonable arguments...
The rarely seen control arm-mounted trailer ball rears its head
Well, this was a humdinger. Let me explain how I ended up here. I was popping ball joints free from the lower A-arms so I could swing the CV axles out and replace the hub assemblies on this car. The left side freed up with a few taps. This side? Well, this picture is...
Serviceability Hall of Shame: Ford Taurus Spring Shields
The Serviceability Hall Of Shame was born from all the times we’ve looked at a vehicle and realized some usually simple task was going to be nightmarish. It is, ultimately, a response and explanation of the inevitable question, “Good Lord, why?!” Today’s entrant isn’t...