Does the shop retain right of first refusal, or is moonlighting A-OK?
Is side work OK for service techs?
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HOT OFF THE PRESS
How to service spark plugs the professional way
Spark plugs have a tough enough job to do—don’t make it any harder by servicing them improperly!
Report: cars are the worst products for protecting user privacy
A scathing new analysis from the Mozilla Foundation says every single car brand failed its standards for security and respecting user privacy.
Preventative maintenance is great, but are you performing preventative repairs?
Repairing future failure points before they fail is a lucrative way to save your customers money, just like maintenance does.
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SHOP STUFF
Auto care news and advice you can use.
Recovering A/C Refrigerant-ASE Practice Question (VIDEO)
Technician A is preparing to recover the refrigerant from a customer’s vehicle. What are the steps he should take when performing this service?
Fire the parts cannon! Is shotgun diag ever acceptable? (VIDEO)
Nick and Lemmy discuss the pros and cons of throwing parts at a problem.
Spoiler alert: Manual transmissions are not ‘100% useless’ as claimed
Is this what automotive enthusiasm looks like now?
Trailer bearings: a hidden moneymaker for auto repair shops
Why not capitalize on easy, predictable service that’s almost never a rush job?
Do self-service garages have a place in the auto care industry? This growing business thinks so.
Stew’s Garage near Tacoma, Washington, offers DIYers access to lifts, tools and expertise, and it’s building a following.
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Are you a wrench and a writer? A counterperson and a communicator? A service writer and a scribe? Get paid to share your experience and expertise with thousands of Shop Press readers.
SHOP STUFF
Auto care news and advice you can use.
Do I Need a Tune-up?
When a customer rolls into your shop and asks for a “tune-up,” what’s your first reaction?
It’s time to stop salting the roads
Aiming for bare pavement may prevent some accidents, but at tremendous costs to taxpayers, mechanics, and the environment.
Hacker plays “Doom” on farm tractor to raise awareness of right to repair
The right-to-repair issue is so pressing for farm equipment that someone hacked a tractor to draw attention to it.
Automakers borrow the worst thing from modern video games: microtransactions
Over-the-air (OTA) microtransactions could be seen as a benefit to customers, but lack of communication thus far is not creating that perception.
Nine notable “cars” that aren’t cars
The Polaris Slingshot and eight other vehicles that make you ask, “What’s the deal with that?”
VIDEOS
Exhaust tips: three ways to fine-tune your method
Exhaust work is straightforward and (I think) easy to understand. Here are some pointers for service techs to avoid comebacks when hanging pipe.
Four not-so-obvious ways grease can come in handy
Lubricant? More like lubri-can. A very cheap staple of most shops, I’ve learned to use it in a few unconventional ways.
Two A/C checks you don’t wanna skip
Failing to perform these two vital service steps could cost time and money—or worse.