Working on a right-hand drive vehicle requires deviating slightly from a mechanic’s routine.
HOT OFF THE PRESS
Is perseverance in the service bay a feature or a bug?
The flat-rate system doesn’t reward tenacity.
May Automotive Horoscopes
We read the astrological signs and predicted your automotive future.
Right to Repair gains momentum in Maine
75,000 state residents agree that independent repair shops should have ready access to real-time vehicle data.
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.
Ralph Nader inspired a vehicle safety revolution and all he got was a lousy bolt named after him
Door striker bolts became known as Nader pins after “Unsafe at Any Speed” caused a national uproar and led to the first FMVSS rules.
Before asphalt, automotive pioneers used the beach as their racetrack
Several speed records were once set on the beach of Cape May, New Jersey
Schedule more work by improving the life of the waiters
If your waiting room stinks, so does waiting in it.
What’s in your toolbox?
Skillset and mindset often determine the toolset.
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.
The TPMS tool that pays for itself
Why wouldn’t your shop purchase a few of these?
Car Talk’s Ray Magliozzi calls on lawmakers to pass right to repair law
Co-founder of the famous car show writes Washington Post opinion piece calling for Congress to act.
Book review: “Car: A Drama of the American Workplace”
Mary Walton’s 1997 look behind the scenes of the Ford Taurus shows the human side of car production.
Fire the parts cannon! Is shotgun diag ever acceptable? (VIDEO)
Nick and Lemmy discuss the pros and cons of throwing parts at a problem.
Spoiler alert: Manual transmissions are not ‘100% useless’ as claimed
Is this what automotive enthusiasm looks like now?
VIDEOS
What are your least favorite repair jobs? (VIDEO)
Life can’t all be brake jobs and pre-delivery inspections. Beating time is the name of the game, but it doesn’t always work out. Watch as a few Dorman mechanics talk about the jobs that make more sweat than bread in this video.
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.