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.

From the creative minds at:

FEATURE STORY

Hot Off the Press

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...

Power and Ground Testing on an Electrical Circuit

I'll never forget this one day in the shop. One of the other techs was wrestling with an electrical gremlin and swung by my bay for some backup. "Pete, mind giving me a hand? I've got this GMC pickup with a blower motor that's running super slow. I checked the power...

ADAS Repairs: Why Calibration Is A Must

Modern vehicles equipped with Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) are truly marvels of engineering. What started as high-end options found only on luxury cars can now appear as standard equipment on some econo-boxes (e.g., blind spot detection). That means it is...

Sergio Pininfarina: Sculpting Speed and Beauty in Metal (Part 2)

In Part 1 of this piece, we looked at Sergio Pininfarina’s career up to 1987. In this part, we’ll take a look at his innovative concept cars. Concept cars: when art defied convention Sergio encouraged his designers to explore new ideas through concept vehicles that...

The Only Thing Better Than Making Money Is Not Losing It

Service writers, this piece is aimed squarely at you. You may be aware of many of the costs of doing business. Recognizing potential costs and preventing them from eating into your shop’s productivity is one of the skills that separates a good writer from an...

Sergio Pininfarina: Sculpting Speed and Beauty in Metal (Part 1)

There is little argument that Sergio Pininfarina was a major influence in 20th-century car design. The proof is in the cars … many of them legendary Ferraris. Building on his family’s legacy, he led Carrozzeria Pininfarina into a period where design and engineering...

Best of Shop Press 2025

Another year is in the books here at Shop Press, and we thought we’d take this time to look back at 2025's most notable articles, videos, and more. Here’s what you (and we) loved this year on Shop Press as we head into 2026.Most-viewed overall Our most-viewed post...

Lash is Cash

There are some items on a maintenance checklist that neither mechanics nor writers will recommend. Sometimes that’s because a visual inspection or assessment seems at odds with an overly rigorous service schedule. Sometimes, the condition of the car or the financial...

Book review: “Pump and Circumstance”

Book review: “Pump and Circumstance”

Recently I was organizing my books on a new bookshelf and came across one that I had almost forgotten about. I picked it up after seeing an exhibition called “See the USA: Automobile Travel and the American Landscape” at the Building Museum when I lived in D.C. The...
TECHNICIAN CHALLENGE: The Mystery Box, Part 2

TECHNICIAN CHALLENGE: The Mystery Box, Part 2

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...
Vehicle weights are increasing. Can your lifts handle it?

Vehicle weights are increasing. Can your lifts handle it?

Average vehicle weights in the United States have steadily increased since the mid 1980s, driven by sustained consumer demand for vehicles with more power, features, and room. Hybrid and electric vehicles can be especially heavy with their batteries and motors,...
The story of the very first reverse gear in an American car

The story of the very first reverse gear in an American car

Making a car go backwards was not the most important part of the automobile’s development, but it sure is important in its operation. In fact, if the average automobile enthusiast was to guess which American-built car had the first reverse gear, he or she would likely...