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Shop Press is the news and idea hub for everything related to working on cars and trucks, focusing on repair, technology, and wrenching lifestyle.

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The Future of the Trade Needs Us

Take a step back for a moment and look at how far this industry has come. Modern technicians routinely diagnose and repair vehicles that are more advanced than anything the industry has seen before. Today's repair pros navigate electrical systems, software,...

Why are Muffin Tins in the Shop? (VIDEO)

Description Keeping track of small parts during a job can be tricky, but there’s a cheap and effective way to solve that problem. Old muffin tins are perfect for storing and labeling auto parts. (Just don’t mix up your “shop” muffin tin with the one in your...

Service Writing Tip: Justify Your Recommendations

Writers, are you as tired as I am of getting lambasted by customers when you recommend work beyond the symptoms displayed by a vehicle that was brought to your shop? Between TikTok videos and fuel touching $5 per gallon (or six, for those of you burning diesel), it...

Start Fasteners by Hand Before Using Power Tools (VIDEO)

Description Cordless power tools are stronger and more common than ever, and they help to speed up all kinds of automotive work. But cross-threading or stripping a fastener can bring progress to a halt in an instant. Start by hand-threading fasteners before reaching...

Take a Step Back to Take a Step Forward (VIDEO)

Description Ever get up to your elbows in a diagnostic problem, only to wind up right where you started an hour later? It may be time to take a step back to get fresh perspective. That way, you can reevaluate the problem and potentially spot issues you’ve...

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?”...