On a car with disc brakes, what is the most likely symptom of a vehicle with rotors that measured out-of-spec for thickness variation when measured at several places on the rotor surface?
How to test for blown fuses in a car or truck | Fast and easy methodDescription Checking fuses is one of the most basic (and important!) tests you’ll use when diagnosing a vehicle’s electrical system. Most cars and trucks on the road today use quite a few fuses, and...
Fixing automobiles all day is tough. The work’s too hard, the customers get ornery, the money ain’t what it oughta be, working conditions aren’t always the best, and the hours are too long. In spite of that, I have yet to meet a tech, service writer, or counterman who...
How to test for blown fuses in a car or truck | Fast and easy methodDescription What tools do you trust when installing wheels on a vehicle? The trusty torque wrench, or the straightforward torque sticks? Or maybe both? Three Dorman experts weigh in.Related Videos
If you’ve read my stuff before, you know I have a checkered history of repairing my own vehicles. It’s the inevitable outcome of going out of my way to deliberately (read: dimwittedly) buy a series of notoriously crappy cars and trucks that nonetheless looked very...
Description Familiar Dorman faces Chris and Lemmy are joined by a newcomer to Shop Press, Scott. The fellas discuss the ins and outs of the complicated relationship between service writers and technicians and examine a few of the highs and lows for both groups.
In April, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced an emergency action that allows E15 gasoline - gasoline blended with 15% ethanol - to be sold at terminals and retail stations in states where it previously could not. The action is said to be aimed at...
Description When you purchase a new vehicle, what are the first changes and modifications you do to make it your own? Dorman technicians reveal their favorite vehicle modifications for comfort, performance, and practicality. Their recommendations cover just about any...
It’s possible you have already heard of Preston Tucker. He was the subject of “Tucker: The Man and His Dream,” a 1988 Francis Ford Coppola movie starring Jeff Bridges. More recently, he was the subject of the biographical book “Preston Tucker and His Battle to Build...
This story begins with the lack of a garage when I was growing up. Tools never had a consistent place in my house. Every time I blew up a tire or popped a chain on a bicycle, I would spend more time tracking down the correct wrench (or my trusty and incorrect rusty...
In today’s SHOS, I’d like to discuss captive chassis bolts. You’ll find these holding things like subframes and control arms to unibody chassis, and probably in some other spots, too. In this article, I’m showing the way Dodge chose to mount the first-gen Dakota cabs...
Dear Past Me, Stop doing dangerous stuff in the shop. Love,Future You That was basically all I wanted to write for this piece. I am of an age where I am still young enough to do dangerous things, and I am also old enough to realize how many are stupid. I was raised in...
Removing valves from a cylinder head should be done carefully if you have a notion to reuse the valves, springs, collars, and keepers. A spring compressor is the right tool for the job. That said, in my salvage yard days, I learned a trick I still use today if I’m...
Serviceability Hall of Shame is an occasional rant on vehicles that were simply not made mechanic-friendly. Have your own repair nightmare? Let us know at ShopPress@DormanProducts.com. Sometimes I marvel at the complexity of a task on a vehicle, and I’m sure you do,...
My career started with tire repairs, and I bet yours did, too. Depending on how many years ago that was, you may have been patching tires, plugging tires, or patch-plugging. I recall being told solemnly by my manager that I was never to plug a tire because it was...