U

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

Don’t Get Hung Up on Hanging Calipers

​Whether you’re turning wrenches for a living as your nine to five — or just for fun as your five to nine — chances are you’ve needed to get a brake caliper out of the way and keep it there for a while. As most of you should already know, hanging a brake caliper from...

Tire Damage Assessment – ASE Practice Question (VIDEO)

Description Technician A is assessing tire damage in order to make a repair decision. A puncture is located at the edge of the tread block closest to the sidewall. Technician B says it can be repaired with a conventional tire plug. Technician A says the area of the...

Mastering the Numbers – Part 2

In our earlier article, Mastering the Numbers Part 1, we discussed why shop owners should understand the financial side of their business just as much as the technical side. We introduced the Cost of Doing Business (CODB) as an important baseline financial concept....

SLABs: Slow, Loud, and Bangin’

I love investigating specific subcultures, especially car subcultures. Doing so provides a unique lens through which to understand the complex dynamics of the broader society, including power, identity, defiance, and cultural change. Consider slab cars, for example....

Colin Chapman: The Philosopher of Motion (Part 2)

In Part 1 of this piece, we looked at Colin Chapman’s career up to the mid-60s. In this part, we’ll pick it up in 1965.Lotus wins the Indianapolis 500 In 1965, Chapman and Clark teamed up and made more racing history, this time across the pond at the Brickyard. Their...

How Often Should You Really Flush Coolant? (VIDEO)

Description How do you know when it’s time to flush coolant? Technicians may have different views on the subject, but Dorman Training Center instructor Pete Meier explains how using a test strip at every service is a surefire way to get an accurate picture of the...

Shop Profile: Hansville Repair

Shop Profile: Hansville Repair

by | May 22, 2025

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

by | Apr 10, 2025

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

by | Feb 4, 2025

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

by | Jan 16, 2025

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)

by | Mar 12, 2024

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?”...