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How Does Regenerative Braking Affect Brake Wear?

We’ve come a long way since the days of rubbing wooden blocks against a wagon wheel to slow down a carriage. Modern braking systems are amazingly effective at halting several thousand pounds in a safe, controlled manner. The most common automotive braking technique is...

Don’t Overlook the Elementary

Today’s article is one borne from experiences. Exasperating experiences, no less. All novice mechaniclets are taught engines need fuel, air, spark, and compression to run. This is true, but we often take those for granted, and diagnosing even one vehicle with a basic...

ADAS Alignment and Calibration – ASE Practice Question (VIDEO)

Description Technician A says that the thrust angle must be maintained at zero degrees when performing an alignment on many vehicles equipped with certain ADAS systems (like lane departure warning). Technician B says that the steering angle sensor must be properly...

Writers, Print Vehicle Service Histories for Every Vehicle

The fellas who taught me to write service were arguably some of the best I’ve seen do the job. They had all sorts of tricks up their sleeves, like the boomerang business cards you’ve read about before. Today, I’d like to share another tip my friend Sam gave me. It...

The JDM Class of 2001 Comes of Age

Japanese Domestic Market (JDM) cars during their heyday in the 1990s were the unattainable treasure, not for North American consumption, only accessible in video games. They were tantalizingly close but not truly attainable. Turns out all it takes is patience: 25...

Tariff Talk: A Look Backwards at The Chicken Tax

Tariff Talk: A Look Backwards at The Chicken Tax

Well, the mood’s been a little heavy with all the talk about tariffs as of late. There’s an automotive tax that’s been around for a long time that is a perfect thing to mention if a conversation is getting uncomfortable. And if you’re a car nut, you should at least...
“Hot Rod Magazine: 75 Years” book review

“Hot Rod Magazine: 75 Years” book review

For some reason, my grade school library had a subscription to “Hot Rod” magazine. My suspicion has always been that it was one of the few magazine subscriptions for boys my age that was acceptable to have in the school library. Nevertheless, I spent a lot of time in...