Skillful interrogation is a wonderful way to make your professional life easier. Here are a few suggestions on where to start.
Ten (sort of serious) questions every service writer should ask
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HOT OFF THE PRESS
Flip spare tires to make life easier for owners and techs (VIDEO)
From the factory with the spare’s valve stem pointing up, but you can flip it over and reinstall for easy checks and refills.
Three lessons from “Traffic: why we drive the way we do (and what it says about us)”
A textbook yields a few pearls of wisdom for those in the automotive biz.
The cheapest tool you can buy to turn more hours in a dead bay
Four reasons to buy a ½” breaker bar adapter.
SHOP STUFF
Auto care news and advice you can use.
Virgil Exner: The creator of Chrysler’s “forward look”
Exner was responsible for the look of cool cars of the late 1950’s, not just at Chrysler, but at other automakers as well.
Which road maintenance fleet has the best snowplow names?
Colorado, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, Vermont, even Arizona, and many other state and city government fleets have held naming contests for their winter service vehicles. But who has the best?
December Automotive Horoscopes
We read the astrological signs and predicted your automotive future.
An open letter to automotive customers about Christmas gifts (and tipping)
You don’t need to do anything—but if you do, there are only a few things worth doing.
What’s the weirdest thing you’ve ever seen in a vehicle?
Every tech has a story. What’s yours?
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.
Minimum rotor thickness – ASE practice questions (VIDEO)
What does “MIN THK.” really mean?
U.S. parents becoming slightly more likely to recommend their kids pursue trades, although prefer electrician and plumber over mechanic
New report from IMR Inc. measures household perception of trade professions to help the automotive industry attract more skilled workers.
Chasing down Volkswagen’s best-selling sausage
For decades, VW served its workers a unique German dish that I had to try for myself: currywurst.
Geography by way of fittings and couplers
What does your shop use? Where are you? Can you help us make a map?
How accurately can you torque a fastener? (VIDEO)
Torquing accurately without a torque wrench is harder than it sounds, as you can see we learned in this contest in the Dorman Proving Grounds.
VIDEOS
Preston Tucker: Visionary or Villain?
The Tucker 48 had many innovative design features, but was Preston a scam artist?
Average U.S. vehicle age reaches new record high, again
Low new car inventory, inflation, and rising interest rates have all caused people to keep their vehicles at historic levels.
Witness marks: your reassembly guide when the service manual isn’t enough
Examining the parts closely can yield valuable clues for putting a machine together.