From the factory with the spare’s valve stem pointing up, but you can flip it over and reinstall for easy checks and refills.
Flip spare tires to make life easier for owners and techs (VIDEO)
read more
HOT OFF THE PRESS
Thread repair for mechanics: an incomplete guide to essential products and procedures
Proper tooling and techniques are critical to repairing threads—and if you’re a mechanic, neither are marketed well to you.
The one part of the car you’ll never install for a customer
DIFM customers just won’t purchase this common underhood part.
TECHNICIAN CHALLENGE: Can you identify these dash lights? PART 3 (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.
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.
Efficiency is the Name of the Game
Four proven ways to run a tighter ship at your shop.
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?
The bumpy story of vinyl record players in cars
Despite being obviously ill-suited for use in vehicles, I still want to find a workable solution for installing a record player in my car.
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.
Dead Battery? (Video)
Diagnosing the cause of a battery drain can be a challenge today.
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.
Hidden external speakers are changing the soundscape of our streets
One of the most noticeable changes we’ll experience with more electric vehicles will be the noises from their acoustic vehicle alert systems, or AVAS.
VIDEOS
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
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
Although I love the look of chrome on cars, there are very good reasons why it’s not used much anymore.