This seemingly-impolite question can defuse tense situations in the shop or auto parts store.
The aggressive question you can ask that instantly calms a customer down
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HOT OFF THE PRESS
What to check when you’re checking out a car (VIDEO)
How do you suss out problems on a car that’s come to you for service?
Which road maintenance fleet has the best snowplow names?
Colorado, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, Vermont, even Arizona, and many other state and city government fleets have held naming contests for their winter service vehicles. But who has the best?
December Automotive Horoscopes
We read the astrological signs and predicted your automotive future.
SHOP STUFF
Auto care news and advice you can use.
How to use a refractometer
Dorman trainer Pete Meier turned me on to a handy new tool.
Don’t do dangerous stuff: a reminder to be safe in the shop
I was raised in times and places where it was considered a mark of pride to get the job done, no matter the risk to your own body. That, friends, is bunk.
The fastest way to remove valves from a cylinder head (VIDEO)
In my salvage yard days, I learned a trick I still use today that’s the fastest method in the world, hands down.
Can the flat rate system work better for a team?
Turning all jobs into team efforts promotes knowledge transfer to the less-experienced techs, who pay tuition in physical labor.
Boomerang business cards: a quick sales tip
Here’s an easy guerilla marketing trick to get your customer counts up by selling on your days off.
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.
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.
Take it from a moron like me: giving customers advance notice of preventive maintenance works!
Giving customers like me a heads-up about recommended maintenance will help us, and yourself.
Should a repair shop be liable for fixing a vehicle involved in a hit and run?
A new bill in Pennsylvania would create an alert system that service centers would need to regularly check.
Serviceability Hall Of Shame: CDJR batteries
Who puts a battery in a fender? Quite a few mechanics, that’s who.
Is it OK to plug a tire? (VIDEO)
Some sources say you should never, ever plug a tire … despite the fact that trained professionals have been doing it for decades. We debate.
VIDEOS
What type of part should you use to repair a car?
There’s a spectrum of parts ranging from fresh and new to tired but cheap. What should you use and when?
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.