How to Sell and Use Automotive Chemicals
In the modern era of reduced vehicle maintenance requirements, it’s very easy to develop a complacent attitude toward automotive chemicals. But in our current market, many are essential tools for keeping a modern vehicle in top-notch operating condition.
Maintain Shop Compressors to Get Good Air
Preventive maintenance is critical to keeping any compressed air system in top condition. Although the life cycle of an industrial air compressor typically exceeds 10 years, proper maintenance is crucial to maintaining reliability, performance and efficiency. Piston or Rotary?Piston compressors and rotary compressors have separate and different maintenance and service requirements. Piston compressors have proven to
Pickup Tools: No Longer Out of Sight or Out of Reach
Have you ever dropped a nut or a bolt into an open intake manifold? Or dropped a fastener and watched it disappear into a crevice in the engine compartment? Or tried to find a wiring connector, plug or fastener by feel on the backside of an instrument cluster up under the dash? These are all
Safety, Reliability and Value of Striking Tools
It all started thousands of years ago. Grogg picked up the jawbone of a T-Rex in one hand and a piece of broken tooth in the other hand. Voila! The first chisel is invented. Early on in our history, man realized he could do more work (or damage!) with the use of struck or driven
Proper Tools Required for Successful Leak Detection
Leaks of one kind or another can always be a challenge to find if the leak isn’t obvious. Having the right tools to help you find leaks can save time, effort and reduce the risk of comebacks. Here are some common types of leaks and what kind of equipment you can use to find them.
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.
Can You Lift It? What You Need to Know Before Losing Money
You can only make a few mistakes (see photo) with a lift before it costs more than the lesson is worth. What you don’t know can hurt you if you are using or even buying a lift. The first thing any tech must do is to know what they are lifting. If possible, look at
Select Power Tools That Meet Your Service Needs
A power tool, loosely defined, is anything used as a means of accomplishing a task using mechanical energy. All power tools use mechanical energy to accomplish tasks that would otherwise be difficult – or even impossible – to accomplish by hand. Now think about all the jobs that we are able to accomplish with power
Getting the Most Data From Your Scan Tool
e in point, I recently took in a 1996 Dodge 3.3L Caravan that seems to prove that many techs don’t effectively use the features built into the average aftermarket scan tool. According to the service history, one shop had tackled the van’s cranking, no-spark, no-code failure by replacing the PCM and the crankshaft (CKP) and
Up to Snuff: Brake Service Tools & Equipment
s even more affordable if you don’t do much engine work. For more advanced ABS diagnostics, a digital oscilloscope (DSO) or graphing multimeter is a useful tool to own for observing wheel speed sensor outputs as a waveform. Learning how to use a scope properly takes some time, but once you understand it, it can
Are Your Compressor Air Lines Leaking Profits?
As a tire dealer, you know the challenge of maintaining profits while facing ever-increasing costs. What you may not know is you can cut your compressed air costs substantially simply by updating your air piping system. Generating and maintaining compressed air is typically a tire shop’s second largest energy expense. A new, efficient air