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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Alignment and Inner Tie Rod Play – ASE Practice Question (VIDEO)

Description A vehicle equipped with a MacPherson strut suspension is in the shop for new tires and an alignment. The technician notes play in the left-side inner tie rod end. What should the technician tell the customer?A) The play will not affect the vehicle's...

Put the Second Floor to Work

Paying the mortgage (or the rent) on the bricks—the actual shop itself—is an expense. (A fixed cost, if you want to be particular.) But that building does more than keep your tools and techs dry. It provides room to work and house equipment. And if you’re like most...

How Does Regenerative Braking Affect Brake Wear?

We’ve come a long way since the days of rubbing wooden blocks against a wagon wheel to slow down a carriage. Modern braking systems are amazingly effective at halting several thousand pounds in a safe, controlled manner. The most common automotive braking technique is...

Don’t Overlook the Elementary

Today’s article is one borne from experiences. Exasperating experiences, no less. All novice mechaniclets are taught engines need fuel, air, spark, and compression to run. This is true, but we often take those for granted, and diagnosing even one vehicle with a basic...

ADAS Alignment and Calibration – ASE Practice Question (VIDEO)

Description Technician A says that the thrust angle must be maintained at zero degrees when performing an alignment on many vehicles equipped with certain ADAS systems (like lane departure warning). Technician B says that the steering angle sensor must be properly...

Put the Second Floor to Work

Put the Second Floor to Work

Paying the mortgage (or the rent) on the bricks—the actual shop itself—is an expense. (A fixed cost, if you want to be particular.) But that building does more than keep your tools and techs dry. It provides room to work and house equipment. And if you’re like most...
Back Away from the Wrenches

Back Away from the Wrenches

Today’s article is more of a philosophical one than a pragmatic one. You see, we’re in the business of buying and reselling auto parts, servicing automobiles, and getting paid for our efforts. But as automotive professionals, we merely delay the inevitable. The...
Side Business

Side Business

If your shop is a typical one, you wouldn’t turn down easy, profitable work, right? Of course not. Maybe it’s time your foreman, techs, and service writers sat down and talked through the car that isn’t a car: side-by-side (SxS). Like other not-immediately-obvious...