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.

From the creative minds at:

FEATURE STORY

Hot Off the Press

Give your customers extra grease

I’ve mentioned the easy business you can score by offering to perform trailer service for customers that pull. When doing a job not long ago, someone asked me why I was adding lubricant to the dust caps. It’s a fair question. When getting into bearings, I know I’m...

This tungsten scraper is my new favorite tool.

Disclaimer: I purchased this tool at full retail price at my own expense, with no compensation to write about the item. I was watching a video the other day of Eric O. at South Main Auto replacing a manifold on a Pentastar. We have a little experience with that here...

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

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...

Vehicle weights are increasing. Can your lifts handle it?

Average vehicle weights in the United States have steadily increased since the mid 1980s, driven by sustained consumer demand for vehicles with more power, features, and room. Hybrid and electric vehicles can be especially heavy with their batteries and motors,...

Diagnostics case study: don’t overcomplicate things

A vehicle recently came to me that made me feel pretty terrible. The customer was not happy, and I know for a fact the shop lost money on the job, so presumably they were unhappy, too. The vehicle—and scenario—seemed ripe for a quick story, because there were so many...

Ten (sort of serious) questions every service writer should ask

Ten (sort of serious) questions every service writer should ask

At its core, writing service is information synthesis—collect, sort, simplify, regurgitate, repeat. Obtaining the raw information from techs and customers alike relies on prompts, usually in the form of a question. The correct question asked at the correct time pays...
The one part of the car you’ll never install for a customer

The one part of the car you’ll never install for a customer

The title is a bit clickbait-y, but I won’t drag this out. Let me tell you about a part you’ll never get a repair customer to buy willingly: the hood strut. Photo: Mike Apice. How many times have you been working on something, and the hood comes down and clonks ya...