You already can see where I’m going with this based on the title. Trailers are the simplest things in the world, and yet unless you’re at an RV shop, a dedicated trailer shop, or you live in a rural or coastal area (ag and marine use), you probably rarely see trailers...
Stew Waliser’s new auto repair garage is opening this month, complete with 10 bays and a variety of lifts and equipment, like transmission jacks, engine stands, engine hoists, a spring compressor, a MIG welder and hundreds of tools. The one thing he’s seemingly short...
Torque specs. Electronics diagnostics. Foreign automobiles. 12V electrical systems. TPMS sensors. Disc brakes. 0W16 oil. All of the aforementioned technologies were changes that occurred in the automotive industry that changed the business and altered what techs...
I was just thinking today that my “fun vehicle” window is closing soon; this is the period of the year where I’ll drive or ride anything I own. Old vehicles don’t stand a chance in the salt belt. Anyone I know who has anything nice keeps it far away from...
For those who are unaware, hacking technology to run the legendary ‘90s first-person shooter video game “Doom” has been a trend for a while now. Since technology has advanced so much in the last three decades, the size of the original 1993 “Doom” is so small in...
If you’re a video gamer, you’re likely aware of the concept of microtransactions. If you’re not, allow me to explain. Microtransactions are payments that gamers can make after they’ve started to play a game, to purchase purely cosmetic digital items (in its more...
Recently, I’ve been seeing a lot of Polaris Slingshots on the road. OK, not a ton of them, but I do take notice of them when I see them. Usually it makes me think, “What is the deal with those things? Are they cars or not?” When I looked into it, I discovered there...
In this episode of Mechanics React, Nick and Lem see some vehicles with pretty major problems and give their expert mechanical opinions completely free of charge—and their diags are worth exactly what they've been paid for them! Check out the vid:
Dear Past Me, Stop doing dangerous stuff in the shop. Love,Future You That was basically all I wanted to write for this piece. I am of an age where I am still young enough to do dangerous things, and I am also old enough to realize how many are stupid. I was raised in...
Removing valves from a cylinder head should be done carefully if you have a notion to reuse the valves, springs, collars, and keepers. A spring compressor is the right tool for the job. That said, in my salvage yard days, I learned a trick I still use today if I’m...
Serviceability Hall of Shame is an occasional rant on vehicles that were simply not made mechanic-friendly. Have your own repair nightmare? Let us know at ShopPress@DormanProducts.com. Sometimes I marvel at the complexity of a task on a vehicle, and I’m sure you do,...
My career started with tire repairs, and I bet yours did, too. Depending on how many years ago that was, you may have been patching tires, plugging tires, or patch-plugging. I recall being told solemnly by my manager that I was never to plug a tire because it was...
In the halcyon days of the automobile, metallurgical processes were obviously cruder than they were today. Automotive lubricants were not as well-developed as modern equivalents. Because of the crummy metals and oils of the era, service was required...
Have you performed a mechanical valve cleaning lately? Did you ever stop to think about how strange it is we need to do that again, when “decoking” stopped being a necessity half a century ago? Have we outfoxed ourselves in the eternal automotive quest for higher...