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Add or Delete These Simple Parts to Help Customers Save Money

Looking for an easy way to win over your customers that they’ll enjoy every time they drive? Look at their vehicles from a hypermiler’s perspective. In case you haven’t heard the term before, the hypermiling community is obsessed with optimizing their vehicles’ fuel...

Are You Properly Checking Hub Bearings For Wear? (VIDEO)

Description The old “grab the wheel and shake” test you may have used for tapered bearings doesn’t apply for the hub bearings found on most of today’s vehicles. Pete Meier explains how a dial indicator is necessary for a true wear check.Related Videos

Efficiency is the Name of the Game

Someone once told me that successful auto repair is a game of inches. But in our fast-paced, ever-evolving industry, inches are no longer accurate—we need to hit the bullseye every time. Margins are tighter, technology is advancing rapidly, and customer expectations...

Misfire Cause–ASE Practice Questions (VIDEO)

Description Technician A is diagnosing a misfire. He states that a misfire is caused by a fault in the ignition system and that new plugs and coils will repair the problem. Technician B says that a misfire is detected when the ECM detects a variation in crankshaft...

A History of the U.S. Presidential State Car (Part 2)

In Part 1 of this piece, I traced the history of the U.S. presidential state car from the beginning to the Kennedy Lincoln Continental. In this part, I’ll pick up with President Lyndon Baines Johnson’s state car and continue to the present day.1967 Lincoln Continental...

Why Wheel Fastener Torque Matters More Than You Think (VIDEO)

Description If you’re still using torque sticks and impact power to install lug nuts and lug bolts, it’s time to reconsider. Pete Meier explains why the torque wrench is the only correct tool for the job … and what can go wrong when you don’t use one.Related...

A History of the U.S. Presidential State Car (Part 1)

The U.S. presidential state car (aka "The Beast", "Cadillac One", "First Car", and codename "Stagecoach") is an unmistakable symbol of our nation’s executive branch. Since we had a presidential inauguration this year, I thought it would be a good time to look at the...

Dead Battery? (Video)

Description With dozens of electronic control units on automobiles built in the last 25 years, incidents of battery drain caused by an ECU that will not turn off when it is supposed to are on the rise. Tracing the ultimate cause can be made easier, though, if you know...

March Automotive Horoscopes

March Automotive Horoscopes

Aries: The rhythm in your current workflow gives stability and predictability. Don’t lose it! Your service writer will have plenty of work for you soon. Lean on your focus to plow through your list of tasks, and use any down time to organize your personal space. You...
TECHNICIAN CHALLENGE: The Mystery Box

TECHNICIAN CHALLENGE: The Mystery Box

TECHNICIAN CHALLENGE: The Mystery Box Description So much in the repair world relies upon feel—but it’s not so often you don’t have sight to aid you in your work. Watch as a few Dormanites attempt to identify auto parts using just the sense of touch and...
Your customers are using their HVAC systems wrong

Your customers are using their HVAC systems wrong

“Hey, you. Yeah, you driving with your windows all fogged up on the inside. I’ll betcha 10 bucks there’s one setting on your ventilation system—you know what, let’s make that two—that you’re using completely wrong for the conditions you’re driving in.” You probably...
Let’s hear it for the mighty roach coach

Let’s hear it for the mighty roach coach

Forget about tangy Korean short rib tacos, succulent Maine lobster rolls, and decadent softball-sized cupcakes. Before taking up residency in hip neighborhoods around the country, food trucks were just an easy way for hard-working folks to get a hot bite quickly;...
March Automotive Horoscopes

February Automotive Horoscopes

Aries: Stress around the shop is about to melt away. Resist packrat urges—letting go is just as important as gathering items of value. Spruce things up! After work, be careful not to overdo things in extracurricular matters. Pay careful attention to the cars above you...
Clean the #&@$ing snow off the roof of your car or truck

Clean the #&@$ing snow off the roof of your car or truck

As we are deep into winter here in the northern hemisphere, I believe it’s time for this seasonally appropriate rant: clean the #&@$ing snow off the roof of your car or truck. Look, I’ve been there. You’re running late for work after a big storm the night before,...