Time for Sale
If you do not charge for diagnostic time to diagnosis undercar problems, you might as well put a sign on the door that says “ROB ME.” With the complexity of brakes, suspension and exhaust systems increasing every year with little chance of standardization, it is difficult to diagnosis these systems with just a visual inspection,
Selling Services: Selling the Scope to Your Customer
While replacing a blown head gasket and re-torquing the head bolts, you reach into your tool box and grab your 1/2-inch impact and rattle the bolts down. Just kidding! You would reach for your torque wrench and accurately follow the manufacturer recommendations for torque patterns and values. To guarantee a quality repair, an accurate torque
Piston Technology: To Power Today’s V8s
The performance piston business today is hot thanks to a strong racing market and the introduction of new OEM engine families such as Chevy’s LS1/LS6 V8s, Ford’s 4.6/5.4L V8s and Chrysler’s Hemi. Piston manufacturers are introducing new performance pistons for all of these applications as well as refining existing piston designs to reduce weight, and
Transmission Service: It’s a Dirty Job, But Here’s What You Need to do It
Automatic transmission work has always been considered hard, dirty work. And rightly so. Pulling a transmission, especially on a front-wheel-drive car or minivan, can be a long day’s work. It usually involves supporting the engine while the transmission and subframe are dropped from the vehicle. Consequently, you need some type of engine hoist or engine
BALL JOINTS & BUSHINGS: Worn Components Take Their Toll on Advanced Suspension Technologies
Too often, shop owners and technicians alike assume that suspension systems haven’t changed much in the past 20 years. In reality, nothing could be farther from the truth because today’s import vehicle may incorporate a number of technologies that can be affected by worn steering and suspension components. To illustrate, we’re beginning to see electronic
Gear Lubes
Replacement of Gear Lubes Can Prevent Expensive Driveline Problems
Rotating Electrical Parts Back to the Seller
Fighting the Urge To Return Electrica Components
Diagnosing Automatic Transmission Complaints
Automatic transmissions are a mystery to most motorists. They may know the transmission requires some kind of fluid, but have probably never checked the level or even looked for the dipstick unless they drive an older vehicle with a leaker. When internal problems cause the transmission to act up, it takes a fair amount of
Manual Tranny/Clutches: Pre-Installation Inspections Boost Clutch Performance & Reduce Warranty Claims
Because a good “stick shift” driver can always squeeze a few more miles per gallon out of a manual transmission or otherwise out-perform their automatic transmission counterparts, it’s no wonder that clutch replacements continue to be a good business for most import repair shops. In most cases, a routine clutch replacement requires very little in
Internal Engine Repairs: Begin with Diagnosing Engine Failure Culprits
Saab engine technology has evolved through the years, but the same basic design of the original B202 engine is still used in today’s Saabs. When the 16-valve 2.0L engine (B202) was developed in 1984, I was one of 10 people chosen from the East Coast area by Saab in the United States to attend a