DIFM customers just won’t purchase this common underhood part.
The one part of the car you’ll never install for a customer
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HOT OFF THE PRESS
Average U.S. vehicle age reaches new record high, again
Low new car inventory, inflation, and rising interest rates have all caused people to keep their vehicles at historic levels.
Witness marks: your reassembly guide when the service manual isn’t enough
Examining the parts closely can yield valuable clues for putting a machine together.
The aggressive question you can ask that instantly calms a customer down
This seemingly-impolite question can defuse tense situations in the shop or auto parts store.
SHOP STUFF
Auto care news and advice you can use.
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.
Is side work OK for service techs?
Does the shop retain right of first refusal, or is moonlighting A-OK?
Ranking the best fictional TV mechanics
From Colonel Hogan to Mr. T to Fonzie, here’s a completely unscientific list of television wrenches.
Jeep Spotter’s Guide (VIDEO)
ID Jeeps generation by generation with a few easy tricks.
Quiz: Can you prove how big of a car nerd you are?
Is your brain filled with automobilia obscurity? Prove it.
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.
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?
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.
VIDEOS
Junkyard therapy. It’s my kind of therapy.
When I feel like dropping off the grid for a couple hours of “me” time, I head out for a walk in the park—in the junkyard.
How to find a good auto repair shop, according to actual repair professionals (VIDEO)
There’s lot of advice out there about how to choose a reliable mechanic. We asked mechanics what they would advise.
The worst cars are the best classrooms
They don’t build ‘em like they used to, and that’s a shame.