Shop Press - Auto Repair News & Ideas

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

Two reasons you should have a welder in your shop (and know how to use it)

I learned how to weld when I was about 17. I was not a good welder, but I could operate the machine well enough to get by, and like most of us who can weld, I improved with time and practice. As a young mechanic, I distinctly remember tackling a few projects with...

Want to get kids interested in trades? Start with their school science fair.

While their interest in learning a skilled trade continues its precipitous decline, American youth and young adults seemingly cannot break eye contact with their phone screens. Coincidence? I think not, and humbly offer all parents a suggestion to help alter the...

This guide to being a mechanic-saboteur could teach you to be a better tech

Almost 80 years ago, the United States Office of Strategic Services, which eventually became the CIA, created a pamphlet to help people living in Nazi-occupied countries discretely undermine the enemy. This Simple Sabotage Field Manual was published in 1944 and...

7 things in Car Mechanic Simulator that will make a real mechanic’s eyes roll

These days, there’s a simulator video game for everything. There are games that simulate flying a plane, games that simulate working in an office, and yes … even a game that simulates what it’s like to be a goat. Add to that list Car Mechanic Simulator, a game first...

Detroit geology: all about Fordite, an automotive gemstone

Ever heard of Fordite? Fordite, often called Detroit agate or motor agate, isn’t a rock at all. In fact, it has nothing at all to do with geology—but it’s not very different than a sedimentary rock. Unlike sedimentary formations, Fordite is not composed of layers of...

Meet the best auto tech in the United States

When Logan Brown first heard about a national auto technician skills competition, he was slightly skeptical. “Who the hell’s going to pay a technician $40,000 to show off his skills?” he said recently. The answer was the first annual U.S. Auto Tech National...

One guy designed the 20th century’s sexiest cars, logos and kitchen appliances

In one of my graphic design classes, the professor asked everyone who their favorite graphic designers were. I mentioned Raymond Loewy, and was met with a puzzled face and a “I don’t know who that is.” That was a shock to me, since I knew him as the designer of the...

Can ICE vehicles be outlawed?

Since I was small, one of the things I've found marvelous about cars in America is the concept that old cars are always allowed. By this, I mean that once a car rolls off the assembly line in the USA, its owner can use it to traverse the roads of the nation and that...

Inside Global (Generic) OBD-II

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

HOT OFF THE PRESS

New to the team but not new to the business (VIDEO)

New to the team but not new to the business (VIDEO)

A Master Technician and nationally known trainer joins the Shop Press family. Say hello to Pete Meier!

Square drive: make or buy before you need ‘em

Square drive: make or buy before you need ‘em

Female metric square drive plugs were new to me. They might be to you, too.

Customer states truck was vandalized… Do you know what happened here? (VIDEO)

Customer states truck was vandalized… Do you know what happened here? (VIDEO)

Each line item confirms it—cheating doesn’t pay.

SHOP STUFF

Auto care news and advice you can use.

Tool review: Klein 3255 bull pin

Tool review: Klein 3255 bull pin

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

Report: cars are the worst products for protecting user privacy

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?

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.

A/C bypass pulleys: a history lesson on a part you can’t get from a dealer

A/C bypass pulleys: a history lesson on a part you can’t get from a dealer

Accessory belt drive evolution can provide some clues for the most efficient way to get a customer back on the road.

The pros (and more than a few cons) of chrome

The pros (and more than a few cons) of chrome

Although I love the look of chrome on cars, there are very good reasons why it’s not used much anymore.

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.

Cars that make you think of something specific

Cars that make you think of something specific

Chances are you’re going to have a Pavlovian response when seeing one of these vehicles.

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

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

The “best” parts for the job are highly dependent on the environment in which they operate.

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

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

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.

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

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

Their emergency shouldn’t be yours unless they pay a premium to fix it.

Dash warning lights: feature or bug?

Dash warning lights: feature or bug?

At what point does an icon completely fail to provide critical information to a motorist?

VIDEOS

Give your customers extra grease

Give your customers extra grease

Especially for your mechanically-inclined clientele, sometimes a fingerful of clean grease is a lifesaver.

This tungsten scraper is my new favorite tool.

This tungsten scraper is my new favorite tool.

A fellow YouTuber recommended it. Why not give it a try?

Polishing headlights vs. replacing them! (VIDEO)

Polishing headlights vs. replacing them! (VIDEO)

Two solutions for yellowed, hazy headlights.