Shop Press - Auto Repair News & Ideas

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FEATURE STORY

Hot Off the Press

What sealed chassis parts can teach us about shifting customer habits and technology’s march forward

When I got to Dorman, I wasn’t bowled over by our chassis parts for one reason: for the most part, they are sealed. We do have a line of severe-service chassis parts (Premium RD™), but the bulk of our passenger-car offerings feature polymer bearings and the grease...

TECHNICIAN CHALLENGE: Can you identify these dash lights? (VIDEO)

Description Think you know your dash lights? Shop Press contributors Keith, Miriam, Chris, and Greaser try their best to identify all kinds of lights, symbols, and indicators. Some are easy, others obscure, and a few are even fakes. How many can you identify?

I’ll gladly pay an independent shop more for a rush repair, and I’m not alone

On a Sunday morning last May, the day before the planned start of a long-awaited vacation highlighted by a 1,200 mile road trip, I awoke to find a very slow but very obvious leak on one of the very expensive performance tires on my fancy SUV. My first and only call...

Dash warning lights: feature or bug?

Warning lights are something we’re all familiar with—all too often, they’re the reason a customer steps into your shop. Mechanics of a certain age will remember a time when the phrase “idiot light” was used to describe a dash light. The derisive term referred to the...

PSA: Check that cabin air filter

Most of us know that we should change the filter in our home heating and air conditioning system monthly, but why? What does it do? The role of the filter is twofold. First, it traps dirt, dust, pet dander, pollen and other allergens and helps keep the air you’re...

Why sidewall styling is both worthless and wonderful for drivers and tire shops

I know the title is a little spicy, so I’ll get right into the meat of this piece: Over the past few years, I have seen more and more tires, usually all-terrains, that have been redesigned with very, very aggressive sidewall styling, and I think it’s fantastic....

Surprise: having snacks and phone chargers in your repair shop’s waiting room makes customers happier

If you’re an auto repair shop owner, you’ve probably heard advice before about the value of improving your waiting room. However, it can also be hard to gauge how much that extra expense makes a difference to your customers. Is it really worth it? Well, we have some...

Exhaust tips: three ways to fine-tune your method

Exhaust work is straightforward and (I think) easy to understand. If you’ve got a lift and a ‘cety torch, it really should be gravy work. That said, I have made plenty of my own mistakes and repaired the mistakes of others. Hopefully this article helps a few of you...

How to Make Your Own Molded Hose in a Pinch

There’s no magic bullet—but there are a few arrows you can pull from your quiver.

HOT OFF THE PRESS

Commercials That Make Technicians and Dealers the Stars of the Show

Commercials That Make Technicians and Dealers the Stars of the Show

Here are some outlandish—and not so outlandish—examples of mechanic and dealership TV commercials.

Store stuff in your glove box? Thank automobile pioneer Dorothy Levitt (VIDEO)

Store stuff in your glove box? Thank automobile pioneer Dorothy Levitt (VIDEO)

Ever wonder why virtually all cars and trucks have glove boxes? A visionary woman and her little book about driving changed in-vehicle storage over a hundred years ago.

Inside Global (Generic) OBD-II

Inside Global (Generic) OBD-II

You don’t need an expensive scan tool to diagnose the cause of an illuminated check engine light.

ABOUT 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. With interesting stories from around the world, features on creative people and solutions, and all kinds of other stuff that’ll make you use your mind and your hands.

SHOP STUFF

Auto care news and advice you can use.

Modern Power Window Switches: Smarter than You’d Think

Modern Power Window Switches: Smarter than You’d Think

Window buttons and toggles are going the way of the dodo. That’s by design.

Shop Profile: DeLorean Midwest

A Midwest mecca that offers services, sales, parts, and restorations—but only for DeLoreans.

Watch this video on the four stages of grief for mechanics

Watch this video on the four stages of grief for mechanics

A Facebook reel that applies a psychological model to wrenching.

The first step I now take in vehicle diagnostics

The first step I now take in vehicle diagnostics

I’m a slow learner. Don’t be like me.

PSA: Stop throwing away brake rotor screws

PSA: Stop throwing away brake rotor screws

They’re real important for two separate reasons.

Want to contribute an article to Shop Press?

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.

The Misunderstood Ford 6.0

The Misunderstood Ford 6.0

Is the Ford 6.0-liter PowerStroke really worthy of its nickname, the “Sick-O?”

Best of Shop Press 2024

Best of Shop Press 2024

Let’s recap the best of this year!

Fronting & facing and staging orders: the fast track to the wholesale parts counter

Fronting & facing and staging orders: the fast track to the wholesale parts counter

Putting up freight and pulling orders is more than busywork. It’s tuition.

Watch how magnetizer/demagnetizer tools work in this excellent video

Watch how magnetizer/demagnetizer tools work in this excellent video

Demagnetizers demystified.

Tool review: Klein 3255 bull pin

Tool review: Klein 3255 bull pin

You can’t beat it. Well, actually, you can.

VIDEOS

Why We Take the Negative Battery Cable off First and Put It on Last (VIDEO)

Why We Take the Negative Battery Cable off First and Put It on Last (VIDEO)

Lemmy explains why this basic task always comes before removing the positive cable to help you understand the theory behind the practice.

Stress Test Vehicle Grounds

Stress Test Vehicle Grounds

Resistance is futile.

The Tightwad’s Way To Install Any Wheel Bearing Race

The Tightwad’s Way To Install Any Wheel Bearing Race

Stop beating your sockets to death.