Driveshaft Vibration Order: Identifying and Calculating Vibration Frequencies
Learn to better identify where vehicle vibrations come from by calculating their frequencies.
Bushing Testing: How to Tell When a Bushing is Bad
There is no real maintenance schedule for a bushing beyond periodic inspection. While tie rod ends and ball joints might occasionally receive a little “thanks” for all their hard work in the form of a greasy treat, the bushing gets no such thanks. In fact, such a “treat” can mean death to a rubber bushing.
Transmission Fluid and Filter Service
To prevent any service from being over sold or under sold, it is important to not only know that a particular service should be performed, but also why it should be performed. That knowledge can also help you spot when to recommend that service, and when not to. When speaking about transmission fluid, the short
Mind Games: The Four Customer Types
I heard "Glen, help!" coming from the phone’s ear piece. It was a customer of mine that I recognized quite well. She was a regular customer, a good customer. Our relationship didn’t start off so well, though. The first time I remember her bringing her Jeep Cherokee into the shop, the water pump was leaking.
Knowing Starter Basics is Vital to Providing Right Service
It’s no secret that the first automobiles were started by hand cranking. It’s also pretty obvious that, somewhere along the way, someone replaced the hand crank with an electric motor. In 1911, a friend of Henry Leland, founder of Cadillac, died from injuries sustained while restarting a car for a lady. The need for a
Servicing Hybrid Brake Systems
A hybrid vehicle is a different animal than many of us are used to seeing. After all, if the engine of a typical vehicle were to stall out at a traffic light, the driver of that vehicle would know something was wrong with it. If that same vehicle still drove with the engine off, then
On-Car Brake Lathes Save Time on Rotor Resurfacing
One of my favorite pieces of shop equipment is the on-the-car brake lathe. Not only does it resurface the rotors to the center line of the wheel bearings, it also speeds the job up in some cases – a win/win situation.
Five Minutes: Talking Your Way Into More Sales
Five minutes isn’t long is it? What can you do in five minutes? Not much, but then again, five minutes can mean a lot. My wife was telling me the other day about something one of her friends told her about a pediatrician we both use for our kids. It seems her child was developing
Becoming a Better Service Advisor
Whether the "selling" part of the job at your dealership is handled by a designated service adviser, service manager, shop foreman or technician, the impact of a "yes" or “no” are the same. People may decline repairs for numerous reasons. Some you can’t control, but some you just may. Here are a few things that