It’s been asked of every new mechanic for more than a century. Does it matter in 2025?
“Can you drive a stick?”
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What are your least favorite repair jobs? (VIDEO)
What are your least favorite repair jobs? (VIDEO) Description Life can’t all be brake jobs and pre-delivery inspections. Beating time is the name of the game, but it doesn’t always work out. Watch as a few Dorman mechanics talk about the jobs that make...
PSA: Take a quick look at your punches and chisels (and be sure they’re ready for service)
Rebuilding ratchets, cleaning the welder tips and nozzles, and oiling air tools all fall under the umbrella of things we know we should do, but don’t until a job stops. Dressing chisels and punches, however, is a housekeeping task I’ve found not everyone knows they...
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...