Vehicle diagnosis is no walk in the park. Proper diagnosis is critical and difficult, and it shouldn’t be done without doing the work.
Why service writers should always charge a diag fee – and let techs earn it
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HOT OFF THE PRESS
5 unconventional brake job tips
Tip #1: stop calling it a “brake job.”
Windshield wipers have had a surprisingly messy evolution
There are literally thousands of wiper-related patents, stretching over a century, and we’re still looking to build better designs today.
Mechanics React: Can you diagnose a vehicle’s problem just from the sound? (VIDEO)
Nick and Lemmy, Dorman employees and mechanics, took a gander at a few internet videos and did their best at diagnosing via the Internet.
SHOP STUFF
Auto care news and advice you can use.
What’s in your toolbox?
Skillset and mindset often determine the toolset.
Are stainless cars (finally) having their moment?
Rust-resisting stainless steel cars are back. Will they have better success than their predecessors?
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.
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.
Spoiler alert: Manual transmissions are not ‘100% useless’ as claimed
Is this what automotive enthusiasm looks like now?
What kind of car is that? A primer on esoteric body styles.
Everyone knows about sedans and pickups, but what about shooting brakes and pony cars? Here’s an incomplete guide to the rarer designs on the road.
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.
VIDEOS
How long should a car last?
Do rising car prices portend rising service life?
Can we please update the Check Engine light?
Like corded phones, floppy disks and TVs with antennas, the Check Engine icon doesn’t make sense anymore. Let’s change it.
Photo Gallery: Tate Automotive in Cross Plains, Tennessee
Our photographer Mike Apice was recently visiting a Dorman facility in Portland, Tennessee, when he stopped in to a small repair shop in nearby Cross Plans. Here’s a look inside.