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

Mastering the Numbers

Running an auto repair shop is about more than just fixing cars. While providing top-notch service is essential, managing a truly successful business also depends on understanding and acting on the financial barometers of the operation. One of the most important of...

Don’t Overlook This Step When Servicing Brakes (VIDEO)

Description A brake service job isn’t complete unless the reservoir cap’s diaphragm has been pushed back into place. This simple step is easy to forget, but it helps to reduce brake fluid contamination and ensure proper system function.Related Videos

Watch This Video On Dry Sump Oil Systems

Recently, I was talking with Shop Press head honcho (Chief Bottle Washer—Ed.) Lemmy about something I wasn’t familiar with: dry sump oil systems. If you’re a newer tech who hasn’t worked on any high-end sports cars, you also might not be familiar with these systems....

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...

Watch This Video on the Inventor Who Put Lead in Gasoline

Recently, I went down an internet rabbit hole about why gasoline once had lead in it and how it got removed. In my searches, I found this video on inventor Thomas Midgley Jr., who not only invented leaded gasoline to combat engine knocking but also synthesized...

Our Contributors

Lemmy

Lemmy is our jack-of-all-trades and master of none. A former tech, service writer, salvage dismantler, and parts counterman, his résumé is as checkered as his hodgepodge garage. The guy spends a fair amount of time under a lift working with cars, but loves wrenching on all sorts of stuff—motorcycles, tractors, and severely hot-rodded minibikes appear regularly. The junk he drags home is usually antique, and always about two steps away from being scrap.

Jonathan Roth

Jonathan has been a technical writer for Dorman for over a decade. If you’ve read any Dorman instructions instead of chucking ’em, he’s the guy who wrote them. He has also worked on the Dorman Helps benefit car show since 2013. Prior to writing for Shop Press, he was a freelance entertainment writer for the Allentown Morning Call, The Aquarian Weekly and two.one.five magazine. His dream car is a Tri-Five Chevy.

Mike Principato

Mike has been writing for and about the auto and heavy truck industries long enough to remember when Pontiac actually believed that the Aztek would save their brand and no self-respecting truck stop had a salad bar. He’s lost count of the number of vehicles he’s owned, fixed, reviewed, or conned an unsuspecting manufacturer into letting him drive. His work has appeared internationally everywhere but on your coffee table, and invariably reflects his irrepressibly nerdy fascination with highly engineered machinery of every kind. In Shop Press, his sworn mission is to help readers discover that same magic behind the seemingly mundane.

Mike Apice

Mike has been a long time photojournialist based out of Philadelphia. One day he walked into Dorman Products. They gave him a camera and said, “Shoot this part,” and almost 22 years later he’s still shooting. He’s seen a lot of changes in and around the automotive world, but is still a devoted manual transmission driver. He appreciates the stories each car and each driver has, and enjoys showing those stories in his photography.

Nick D’Alessio

Before coming to Dorman, Nick ran his own shop specializing in high-performance Japanese vehicles which he still owns and operates today. He holds a degree in electrical engineering, and holds certification as a Master Technician through the ASE. He began his career as a field service engineer for Bombardier Transportation working on projects like the SEPTA M4 train and AMTRAK Acela High speed train. Well-versed in fabrication and welding, you can find him performing complex try-ons, building on-vehicle test fixtures or test harnesses, or hosting Dorman product and original content videos.

Miriam Maltese

Miriam is the newest technician in the Proving Grounds Garage, having recently graduated with training focused on hybrid electric vehicles. She serves as a regular video host in addition to her varied mechanical duties.

Lee Procida

Before writing for Shop Press, Lee was a staff writer for The Press of Atlantic City daily newspaper. Now he writes about the stories behind auto parts, and the issues affecting the people who work on cars and trucks. His favorite automotive-themed songs are “Daddy’s Cup” by Drive-By Truckers and “Gear Jammer” by George Thorogood. He thinks if the world were fair then Mazda would have Lincoln’s marketing budget. He proudly takes his cars to Grove Auto in Haddonfield, New Jersey.