Mount Kisco-Area Tire Store Manager Wins Harley-Davidson Motorcycle in Monroe Shocks and Struts Promotion
Vincent Papa, manager of Mavis Discount Tire in Mt. Kisco, NY, didn’t believe it when he heard he had won a national sweepstakes drawing for a new Harley-Davidson motorcycle from Monroe Shocks and Struts.
Reading Between the Brake Lines
Being able to “read” brake components during inspection is a critical skill.
Friend or Foe? Evaluating China’s Impact on the Global Economy and Your Business
There’s a lot of talk these days about China and how its infrastructure is a growing market for U.S. auto parts. These facts* prove it: U.S. automotive suppliers exported $835 million in parts to the Chinese economic area in 2004; total parts exports to China, Hong Kong and Taiwan last year represent a 16.4% increase
Using Caster to Properly Align Vehicles
Every story has an angle, and this one is no exception. In this case, we’re looking at one of the fundamental wheel alignment angles: caster. Caster is defined as the forward (negative) or rearward (positive) tilt of the steering axis as viewed from the side. Caster is measured in degrees from an imaginary line perpendicular
Brake Performance Upgrades: Meeting Customer Expectations While Ensuring Safe Repairs
In case you haven’t noticed, the auto manufacturers are in a horsepower race. And as horsepower numbers go ever higher, the need for improved brakes increases. BMW has kept pace with the other manufacturers in both areas by systematically increasing brake component size while, at the same time, turning more control over to the various
When To Replace Steering Knuckles and Arms
Alignment Angles Provide First-Hand Clues You’ve seen it a hundred times. A vehicle comes in with abnormal wear on a front tire. It looks like camber wear. One shoulder is badly worn, but the other front tire appears to be OK. You put it on your alignment machine and check camber and toe. Sure enough,
Chassis Dynamics
A Firestone sales jingle gave us a good definition of chassis dynamics: “Where the rubber meets the road.” There are four tire tread contact patches that support the weight and control the motion of a vehicle. There are a lot of terms used to describe the motion of an automotive chassis and how it affects
Beware: There’s a New Kid on the Block
You just never know who your next competitor will be. Think beyond the import specialist shop down the road and the franchised service outlet around the corner. Think retail. Think J.C. Whitney & Company, the giant direct marketer of name-brand automotive parts and accessories, providing “everything automotive” with more than 100,000 items covering more than
Performing Hyundai Maintenance and Profiting From It
Like so many other late-model vehicles, the Hyundai vehicle lineup won’t necessarily keep your bays busy with “repair” work, but can present you with profitable maintenance opportunities. We can no longer afford to let any opportunity for service go unnoticed, and hope that the customer will come back for the next job. It’s an important
The Ultimate Answer?: Brake NVH: Part One
In recent years, North American OEMs have had to spend more than $100 million annually at the dealership level to resolve brake noise issues. Also, JD Powers studies indicate brake noise is the third highest complaint identified by new-car buyers in the first 90-days of ownership. Brake noise on the aftermarket level is even more