Unless you’re a professional mechanic or a hardcore DIYer, I suggest you focus on building memories instead of a car.
So you want to restore a classic or build a kit car? Think twice.
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HOT OFF THE PRESS
Battery date codes are painfully unstandardized and you’re better off without them
Don’t waste your time with codebreaking. Just grab a paint pen.
Using a spaghetti trick to keep zip ties organized (VIDEO)
Chefs know a helpful hack to keep spaghetti from falling out of an opened bag, and the same idea happens to work perfectly for zip ties. Give it a try next time you have a pack of zip ties that doesn’t have a resealable closure.
Book review: “Pump and Circumstance”
A walk (or drive) through the history of gas and service stations.
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SHOP STUFF
Auto care news and advice you can use.
Troubleshooting Fuel Trim–ASE Practice Questions (VIDEO)
Technician A and Technician B are discussing ways to use fuel trim as a troubleshooting aid. Technician A says that fuel trims that are correcting for a lean condition at high RPM and load conditions indicates a problem in fuel delivery. Technician B says that this condition is caused by a vacuum leak.
Give your customers extra grease
Especially for your mechanically-inclined clientele, sometimes a fingerful of clean grease is a lifesaver.
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)
Two solutions for yellowed, hazy headlights.
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.
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SHOP STUFF
Auto care news and advice you can use.
A History of the U.S. Presidential State Car (Part 2)
The commander-in-chief’s road transportation, from LBJ’s Lincoln Continental to “The Beast.”
Vehicle weights are increasing. Can your lifts handle it?
As new cars and trucks, especially EVs, get heavier than ever, it’s important to check your lift’s rating and condition.
Diagnostics case study: don’t overcomplicate things
One basic vehicle checkover has several lessons to teach.
Do you mind working on customer vehicles equipped with dash cams?
As dashboard cameras become more common, repair professionals should know how to deal with them.
The story of the very first reverse gear in an American car
Reverse is an innovation that’s easy to take for granted—but it was a revolutionary addition to the automobile.
VIDEOS
Low-mileage JDM automatics: Worthwhile or worthless? (VIDEO)
Nick and Lemmy check out a flex plate from an imported Japanese automatic transmission with very few miles under its belt.
Fuse box-compatible circuit breakers are the ultimate spares when space is limited
Throw a set of these resettable “fuses” in your toolbox.
Harmonic balancers – ASE practice questions (VIDEO)
A defective harmonic balancer can affect the accuracy of ignition timing readings or a defective harmonic balancer can damage the crank. Which technician is correct?