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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.

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If you have a soldering iron, you need a solder sucker (VIDEO)

Description When an automotive repair involves solder, it often involves desoldering too. Removing old solder is a crucial part of preparing a component for a new soldered connection, and a desolder pump (often called a solder sucker) is the ideal tool for the job. It...

The very best way to remove grease from auto upholstery

I try to keep my customers’ cars at least as nice as they keep them. You probably do, too. The only problem is that I am perpetually filthy. I have a trick I’ve used for a long time on the occasions I’ve sullied a nice interior with grease or dirt. (I will never...

A different type of timed event: the Bobby Bosch Relay Race

I’ll hazard a guess you’re familiar with the 24 Hours of Lemons. If not, it’s endurance racing for Joe Sixpack on a severely tight budget ($500). Ridiculous paint jobs are de rigueur. Costumes are encouraged. Everyone sandbags and cheats and tries to fudge the budget...

How to use a lockout kit (VIDEO)

If you work on cars for a living or you’re a diehard gearhead, odds are excellent that people look to you when some basic automotive snafus need to be handled. I’m sure those who know you have asked you to help with the following items: Reviewing an estimate Jumping a...

Drag racing semi-trucks (VIDEO)

Hi, my name is Lemmy and I enjoy the inappropriate application of power. It’s the lighter side of our mutual profession, I feel. I’ve written before about keeping your mojo flowing if the biz of fixing stuff is wearing you down. Here’s another way to do that: watch...

Bump steer – ASE practice questions (VIDEO)

Description All of the following could cause bump steer EXCEPT: A) Incorrectly mounted steering rack B) Worn idler arm C) Worn center link D) Incorrect camberMore ASE Practice Questions

When NOT selling helps business

When I was a wee sprat in my first automotive job selling service, I was beleaguered by a tech in the shop who wrote thorough, lengthy estimates. He would occasionally blow up at me for not selling enough, going so far once as to accuse me of not even trying to sell...

How to crimp heavy gauge wire (VIDEO)

How to crimp heavy gauge wire (VIDEO)

by | Feb 27, 2024

How to crimp heavy gauge wire (VIDEO) Description Working on some battery cables or custom ground straps? Your crimped connection needs to be totally reliable, and with a proper tool like Dorman’s 90707 heavy lug crimper, you’ll get secure and consistent results. This...
Polishing headlights vs. replacing them! (VIDEO)

Polishing headlights vs. replacing them! (VIDEO)

by | Jan 18, 2024

Polishing headlights vs. replacing them! (VIDEO) Description Yellowed, hazy headlights aren’t just ugly; they can reduce a headlight’s effectiveness for your customers. Would you rather polish the old lenses, or simply install a Dorman replacement? Related Videos...
Parallel connectors vs. butt connectors

Parallel connectors vs. butt connectors

by | Jan 16, 2024

Dorman makes an item to join wires, the parallel connector, that is both helpful and widely misunderstood. If one reads reviews of these, they’re often rather negative. More than a cursory examination yields the issue, however: these are often purchased mistakenly by...