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.

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FEATURE STORY

Hot Off the Press

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...

Our Contributors

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.