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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FEATURE STORY

Time-Saving Tip for Bleeding Stubborn Brakes (VIDEO)

Time-Saving Tip for Bleeding Stubborn Brakes (VIDEO)

Some brake jobs can turn into headaches when small air bubbles get trapped within the caliper itself. To resolve the problem, you could pump the brakes over and over, or you could try this handy suggestion to free the air bubble and move on with the brake bleed process.

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Hot Off the Press

No bead seating tank? No problem!

If you’re a tech of a certain age, you’ll remember a time when a bead seating air tank was a somewhat exotic tool. Today, seating low-pro tires that have sidewalls resembling rubber bands is the norm and use of tools beyond the bead seater on the tire machine is the...

What are rear fog lights, and when should you use them?

If you’re a vehicle owner or auto repair professional in the United States, odds are that you haven’t seen (or even used) rear fog lights on a vehicle. The vast majority of vehicles sold in the US do not include them, and in some cases, the feature is disabled or the...

“Hot Rod Magazine: 75 Years” book review

For some reason, my grade school library had a subscription to “Hot Rod” magazine. My suspicion has always been that it was one of the few magazine subscriptions for boys my age that was acceptable to have in the school library. Nevertheless, I spent a lot of time in...

Shop Profile: DeLorean Midwest

As a Gen Xer, I have a soft spot for the “Back to the Future” movies and, of course, the DMC DeLorean used in those movies. Then I learned of DeLorean Midwest, a shop based outside Chicago that specializes in—you guessed it—DeLoreans. Watch this video profile of...

Watch this video on the four stages of grief for mechanics

You’ve likely heard of the psychological model called the five stages of grief. It’s used to describe the various emotions people might experience when dealing with a significant loss, and the the five stages of grief are commonly defined as denial, anger, bargaining,...

The first step I now take in vehicle diagnostics

The following four vehicles (which certainly are varied) all came to me for repair and I did not identify the root of their problems immediately. And that’s because I was staying stuck in my ways and not adapting to changing vehicles. Let’s examine. Situation One: A...

PSA: Stop throwing away brake rotor screws

Hello. My name is Lemmy, and I am guilty of throwing away brake rotor screws. At least I was guilty. I no longer commit this sin. You know the pieces I’m talking about. They’re the little screws with the huge heads that get boogered up when you try to remove them...

January Automotive Horoscopes

January Automotive Horoscopes

Aries: You may not think of some of your repairs as innovative, but a creative fix is a creative fix. Your outlook is out there, and that’s OK. Expect to see someone else cribbing your notes but remember to take it as flattery. Not everyone has the same gift of...
January Automotive Horoscopes

December Automotive Horoscopes

Aries: The shop has a somber attitude, so tone down the practical jokes on a friend. Stick close to home and get your chores done. Now is the time to to start thinking about spring tasks. Have you started seedlings for the garden yet? Restraint pays dividends this...
The bumpy story of vinyl record players in cars

The bumpy story of vinyl record players in cars

As a lover of vinyl records, I’ve often thought over the years of how to install a record player in my car, so I could enjoy the superior sound quality of vinyl while I’m driving. Of course, there are naturally a few ways that this idea is not practical. First, a form...
Chasing down Volkswagen’s best-selling sausage

Chasing down Volkswagen’s best-selling sausage

I recently settled into my easy chair and found this little tidbit in a recent copy of Car and Driver that made me want to shoot right on over to the dealer to see if this part was in-stock: I immediately asked a friend who is knowledgeable about all things German if...
January Automotive Horoscopes

November Automotive Horoscopes

Aries: You’ve been stubborn lately, but that’s not always profitable, especially with diag work. You’ve been footloose and fancy-free, doing whatever you want. That has to stop due to financial constraints. Deal with your unresolved monetary issues; the shop’s success...