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Mastering the Numbers

Running an auto repair shop is about more than just fixing cars. While providing top-notch service is essential, managing a truly successful business also depends on understanding and acting on the financial barometers of the operation. One of the most important of...

Don’t Overlook This Step When Servicing Brakes (VIDEO)

Description A brake service job isn’t complete unless the reservoir cap’s diaphragm has been pushed back into place. This simple step is easy to forget, but it helps to reduce brake fluid contamination and ensure proper system function.Related Videos

Watch This Video On Dry Sump Oil Systems

Recently, I was talking with Shop Press head honcho (Chief Bottle Washer—Ed.) Lemmy about something I wasn’t familiar with: dry sump oil systems. If you’re a newer tech who hasn’t worked on any high-end sports cars, you also might not be familiar with these systems....

Tariff Talk: A Look Backwards at The Chicken Tax

Well, the mood’s been a little heavy with all the talk about tariffs as of late. There’s an automotive tax that’s been around for a long time that is a perfect thing to mention if a conversation is getting uncomfortable. And if you’re a car nut, you should at least...

Watch This Video on the Inventor Who Put Lead in Gasoline

by | May 1, 2025

Recently, I went down an internet rabbit hole about why gasoline once had lead in it and how it got removed. In my searches, I found this video on inventor Thomas Midgley Jr., who not only invented leaded gasoline to combat engine knocking but also synthesized chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs).

Midgley’s work transformed cars and transportation: cars were more reliable, more convenient, and more comfortable as a result of his work. However, in doing so, he also invented a gasoline that was dangerous to both humans and the environment. For better or worse, he raised the bar for what the automobile could be and do.

With CFCs, Midgely made air conditioning and refrigeration more commercially viable and affordable when it was not, improving the quality of life, food safety, and industrial processes for Americans. Again, however, he also invented a chemical that was bad for the environment.

Midgley was not immune to the dangers of his inventions, as he himself suffered from symptoms of lead poisoning and had to take a break to recover.

Check out this video on Midgley and his inventions, which, despite their benefits, have unfortunately also caused damage to human life and the environment.

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