Shop Press - Auto Repair News & Ideas

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

Hot Off the Press

Automotive professionals vs. popular auto myths! (VIDEO)

Description Spend any amount of time in the auto repair industry, and you’ll hear customers sharing strange ideas about the “right” way to drive and care for their vehicles. We assembled a list of common and confusing advice, then asked the gang to weigh in on some...

Five things to know when working on HID headlights

While working on some high-intensity discharge (HID) headlights this week, I realized that soon many younger techs are likely to be inexperienced with these lighting systems—and it’s not their fault. In the transition years between halogen lighting and the LED era,...

What’s the best way to move tools about the shop?

I was recently off my feet due to some unplanned surgery. Normally I go stalking around the garage like the proverbial bull in the china shop, but not lately—my ankle was a mess. Have you ever had an injury or illness serious enough to impact the way you make a buck?...

The best way to help customers find your auto repair shop

Description If your customers can’t easily find your location, hours, or contact information, you’ll clearly struggle to earn their business. That’s why creating and updating your Google Business account is both one of the simplest and most important things you can do...

TECHNICIAN CHALLENGE: Can you identify these dash lights? PART 2 (VIDEO)

Description Think you know your dash lights? Shop Press contributors Keith, Miriam, Chris, and Greaser try their best to identify all kinds of lights, symbols, and indicators. Some are easy, others obscure, and a few are even fakes. How many can you identify?Other...

How to service spark plugs the professional way

The spark plug has a tough job to do, and it has to do it under extreme conditions. The terminal (top) end of the spark plug is connected to a high voltage supply source, the ignition coil. As current flows from the coil, a voltage potential builds between the center...

Report: cars are the worst products for protecting user privacy

Data security is one of the most frequently cited arguments automakers make in their fight against right to repair. For instance, in a memo published last October by their advocacy group, they called a new right to repair ballot initiative in Maine a “monetizable data...

Preventative maintenance is great, but are you performing preventative repairs?

In the world of commercial aircraft, parts are almost always replaced before the end of their expected service lives. Rather obviously, a plane that stops flying mid-flight presents some pretty serious hazards to the health and safety of the passengers and people on...

Commercials That Make Technicians and Dealers the Stars of the Show

Here are some outlandish—and not so outlandish—examples of mechanic and dealership TV commercials.

HOT OFF THE PRESS

ICYMI: Secondary hood prop positions

ICYMI: Secondary hood prop positions

Props to second place, too.

Automotive terms that differ in other English-speaking countries

Automotive terms that differ in other English-speaking countries

Are they C-clamps or G-clamps?

LT-series vs. P-series tires

LT-series vs. P-series tires

The truck and SUV have never been more prolific than they are today. Learn when to sell each type of these tires.

SHOP STUFF

Auto care news and advice you can use.

Easy trick to transfer gear oil with a simple length of hose (VIDEO)

Easy trick to transfer gear oil with a simple length of hose (VIDEO)

A fluid transfer pump is the cleanest and easiest way to fill a differential, transmission or transfer case with its necessary fluid.

Piston rings – ASE practice questions (VIDEO)

Piston rings – ASE practice questions (VIDEO)

Study for your ASE exams with this quick practice question.

The most important fluid in the car and how to test it.

The most important fluid in the car and how to test it.

Brake fluid can wear out just like any other fluid.

Rust belt vs salt belt: Do you know the difference? (VIDEO)

Rust belt vs salt belt: Do you know the difference? (VIDEO)

The Rust Belt and the Salt Belt may sound similar, and you might even hear them used interchangeably, but they are distinct names that any automotive professional or enthusiast should know. Take a few seconds to get the real story on these terms.

Buy once, cry once: Don’t cheap out on these auto repair tools (VIDEO)

Buy once, cry once: Don’t cheap out on these auto repair tools (VIDEO)

Auto repair pros probably know the expression “buy once, cry once,” and for some tools, techs should buy the best they can afford.

ABOUT 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. With interesting stories from around the world, features on creative people and solutions, and all kinds of other stuff that’ll make you use your mind and your hands.

SHOP STUFF

Auto care news and advice you can use.

Pulse width modulation and automotive lighting

Pulse width modulation and automotive lighting

Once the most basic of circuits, the humble lamp has also progressed.

“Can I borrow a…”

“Can I borrow a…”

We’ve all heard the question that starts like this. So will you lend tools?

A visit to Elite JDM (VIDEO)

A visit to Elite JDM (VIDEO)

A playlist of videos from a recent trip to a Dorman contributor’s personal shop.

Why you shouldn’t throw out zip tie tails after a project (VIDEO)

Why you shouldn’t throw out zip tie tails after a project (VIDEO)

Before you toss those zip tie scraps in the trash, consider saving them for plastic repair jobs. In many cases, the plastic used in zip ties will bond with common automotive plastics with the help of a soldering iron.

Oil leak – ASE practice questions (VIDEO)

Oil leak – ASE practice questions (VIDEO)

Which of the following is LEAST LIKELY to cause an oil leak? Our technicians have the answer.

VIDEOS

Brake drum – ASE practice questions (VIDEO)

Brake drum – ASE practice questions (VIDEO)

What do you check during drum brake service?

How to choose a memory saver tool for cars and trucks

How to choose a memory saver tool for cars and trucks

These simple tools can be worth their weight in gold if you know how to use ‘em.

Welding tips for automotive repair: What you need to know (VIDEO)

Welding tips for automotive repair: What you need to know (VIDEO)

Any auto repair shop worth its salt has at least one welding rig to handle all kinds of jobs.