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

Can the flat rate system work better for a team?

If you’ve been working in an automotive shop for longer than about fifteen minutes, you know what the flat-rate system is and how it works. The system promotes some behaviors and disincentivizes some others—for better or for worse. Over the years, I have become pretty...

Boomerang business cards: a quick sales tip

My first job writing service was at a now-defunct Goodyear/Kelly-Springfield tire dealer. The way my commission was structured, I didn’t make very much money unless I sold a lot of tires. But when I sold a lot of tires, money came pouring in—my per-tire cut went up,...

What kind of car is that? A primer on esoteric body styles.

We all deal with various body styles daily. I remember asking, “Lumina car or Lumina van?” in my salad days on the parts counter because I badly needed to know the body style for things like, say, a set of wiper blades. We all know the easy ones—sedan, convertible,...

Take it from a moron like me: giving customers advance notice of preventive maintenance works!

My colleague Lemmy recently talked about breaking down ROs into three easy boxes. Now I’d like to focus on “Box Two” from his list from a customer perspective. I'm the type of person who doesn't read my vehicle owner's manual from cover to cover. I can make excuses,...

Should a repair shop be liable for fixing a vehicle involved in a hit and run?

In 2016, 8-year-old Jayanna Powell was killed by a car while walking home from school. The driver fled, and had an accomplice take his damaged Nissan Altima to a body shop in the next county. The shop owner called the police after seeing on TV that they were looking...

Serviceability Hall Of Shame: CDJR batteries

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,...

Is it OK to plug a tire? (VIDEO)

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...

The real history behind the fake turboencabulator (VIDEO)

I forget when I first saw the turbo encabulator video, but it was a long time ago, early in my life as a wrench. I came to understand most mechanics had seen it and was a bit of an in-joke, but had no idea it neither originated in the automotive industry nor was the...

Basic Brake Fluid Testers Are Far More Sophisticated Than You’d Expect

Peering inside the inner workings of a deceptively complex tool

HOT OFF THE PRESS

Square drive: make or buy before you need ‘em

Square drive: make or buy before you need ‘em

Female metric square drive plugs were new to me. They might be to you, too.

Customer states truck was vandalized… Do you know what happened here? (VIDEO)

Customer states truck was vandalized… Do you know what happened here? (VIDEO)

Each line item confirms it—cheating doesn’t pay.

Watch this video on the invention of the Ford V-8 engine

Watch this video on the invention of the Ford V-8 engine

Ford made a V-8 engine affordable to the mass market consumer for the first time.

SHOP STUFF

Auto care news and advice you can use.

Using voltage to locate electrical faults

Using voltage to locate electrical faults

Understanding how voltage is used in an electrical circuit can help your troubleshooting.

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

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

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.

How to service spark plugs the professional way

How to service spark plugs the professional way

Spark plugs have a tough enough job to do—don’t make it any harder by servicing them improperly!

Report: cars are the worst products for protecting user privacy

Report: cars are the worst products for protecting user privacy

A scathing new analysis from the Mozilla Foundation says every single car brand failed its standards for security and respecting user privacy.

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

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

Repairing future failure points before they fail is a lucrative way to save your customers money, just like maintenance does.

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.

Making custom coiled wire is easier than you think (VIDEO)

Making custom coiled wire is easier than you think (VIDEO)

Coiled wire is a smart idea for adding service loops or mechanical strain relief on automotive electrical jobs or other projects.

The pros (and more than a few cons) of chrome

The pros (and more than a few cons) of chrome

Although I love the look of chrome on cars, there are very good reasons why it’s not used much anymore.

PSA: Make sure your Loctite isn’t fake!

PSA: Make sure your Loctite isn’t fake!

Copycat Loctite is more common than you’d think. Learn how to check for counterfeit products.

What sealed chassis parts can teach us about shifting customer habits and technology’s march forward

What sealed chassis parts can teach us about shifting customer habits and technology’s march forward

The “best” parts for the job are highly dependent on the environment in which they operate.

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

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

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.

VIDEOS

This tungsten scraper is my new favorite tool.

This tungsten scraper is my new favorite tool.

A fellow YouTuber recommended it. Why not give it a try?

Polishing headlights vs. replacing them! (VIDEO)

Polishing headlights vs. replacing them! (VIDEO)

Two solutions for yellowed, hazy headlights.

Parallel connectors vs. butt connectors

Parallel connectors vs. butt connectors

They look the same, but serve different roles. Here are the very specific scenarios where the lesser-known parallel connector shines.