A customer states the brake pedal falls slightly when the brakes are applied while starting the engine. Which technician response is correct?
HOT OFF THE PRESS
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
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)
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.
SHOP STUFF
Auto care news and advice you can use.
Easy tests for diesel exhaust fluid (DEF) contamination (VIDEO)
DEF is easy to contaminate, and fortunately, it’s also easy to test. Check to be sure that your customers’ DEF is up to spec with these simple tests.
What are the sockets and wrenches you can do without?
There are definitely useless sizes. Or are there?
The surreal appeal of steel wheels
Why does a set of steelies on the right vehicle hold such allure?
The fastest way to remove a Woodruff key (VIDEO)
Watch as Lemmy demonstrates the fastest, easiest way to remove a Woodruff key using a common tool that might surprise you. Give it a try next time!
Seven tips to help you pass your ASE exams
There’s no magic bullet, but sometimes one or two answers is the difference between pass and fail.
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.
Can’t break that crank bolt loose? You need a crank socket (VIDEO)
Crank fasteners are often a real pain to remove. Mechanics with expensive impact wrenches and large breaker bars struggle to remove them—but there’s a better way.
PSA: Take a quick look at your punches and chisels (and be sure they’re ready for service)
Dressing chisels and punches, however, is a housekeeping task I’ve found not everyone knows they should be doing, and dress your punches and chisels!
The best auto racing movies to convert non-racing fans
There are two kinds of people in the world: race fans and people who haven’t watched these movies.
A few tips for tow truck operators
Hookin’ ain’t easy. Here’s what I wish I knew on Day 1.
The $2.5 million man: hire the right manager for your shop if you want to run with the big dogs
Starting a shop and managing it to the big leagues require very different skills. Odds are you don’t have both, and that’s okay.
VIDEOS
The seven words you never want to hear from a customer (and how to avoid them)
It’s your job to tell customers about warning signs and bad repairs.
Flip spare tires to make life easier for owners and techs (VIDEO)
From the factory with the spare’s valve stem pointing up, but you can flip it over and reinstall for easy checks and refills.
Three lessons from “Traffic: why we drive the way we do (and what it says about us)”
A textbook yields a few pearls of wisdom for those in the automotive biz.