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CDK Global Outage: The Aftermath.

Nobody wants to hear it, but cyberattacks and ransomware are part of a complicated new reality for the digital systems supporting the auto repair industry. Are you prepared? Months after the CDK Global outage ravaged the auto repair industry, there are still lingering...

DIYers: Yes, You Can Handle a Window Regulator Replacement

I’ve had an ongoing disagreement with a few of my Shop Press colleagues for some time now. Personally, I believe that replacing a window regulator is a perfect job for a DIYer. I mean, I’ve done them myself, and I barely even consider myself a DIYer. However, some of...

Betcha Haven’t Serviced the Tool You Use on Every Job

The most dangerous thing we do all day long is one most of us don’t think about: we raise a vehicle weighing a ton or three high in the air and work beneath it. And yet, lifts aren’t maintained well in most shops. I’ve seen lifts out of plumb, bent legs, lifts with...

Commercials That Make Technicians and Dealers the Stars of the Show

Recently, I stumbled across some old TV commercials for a car repair and maintenance shop that took me back. You see, in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s, some commercials ran for a local shop called ABE Car Care Center. These commercials featured two gentlemen with thick...

Inside Global (Generic) OBD-II

The engine control module (ECM) could just as correctly be referred to as the emissions control module. Its primary function is to ensure that tailpipe emissions remain at or below the emissions standards to which the vehicle was originally certified. The ECM turns on...

Time-Saving Tip for Bleeding Stubborn Brakes (VIDEO)

Description Some brake jobs can turn into headaches when small air bubbles get trapped within the caliper itself. To resolve the problem, you could pump the brakes over and over, or you could try this handy suggestion to free the air bubble and move on with the brake...

Shop Profile: Hansville Repair

Shop Profile: Hansville Repair

It’s a small village, but Hansville, Washington makes a grand first impression. As Hansville Road crests a hill and descends into town, a breathtaking panorama unfolds—Puget Sound, Whidbey Island, and distant Mount Baker stretched across the windshield like a...
Shop Profile: Locked N Loaded 4×4

Shop Profile: Locked N Loaded 4×4

I’ve owned two Jeeps–the 1973 Super Jeep CJ-5 featured in a previous Shop Press article, and a 2010 Wrangler Sahara. The reliability and my enjoyment of the former wasn’t “super” in any way despite American Motors’ best efforts at model name puffery, and the latter...
Shop Profile: Top Auto Center

Shop Profile: Top Auto Center

Like a clueless lumberjack who couldn’t see the forest for the trees, it took me longer than it should have to figure out the secret to Top Auto Center’s success. It was hiding in plain sight and sound in the overflowing lot of cars and trucks awaiting service, sale...
Shop Profile: DeLorean Midwest

Shop Profile: DeLorean Midwest

As a Gen Xer, I have a soft spot for the “Back to the Future” movies and, of course, the DMC DeLorean used in those movies. Then I learned of DeLorean Midwest, a shop based outside Chicago that specializes in—you guessed it—DeLoreans. Watch this video profile of...
New to the team but not new to the business (VIDEO)

New to the team but not new to the business (VIDEO)

Greetings, Shop Press readers! I joined the Dorman team earlier this year and you may have already noticed a few posts with my name on them. Maybe you’re even asking yourself “What makes this guy qualified to offer an opinion or try to tell me how to work on cars?”...