Mike DuBois, Author at TechShop Magazine
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Making The RRRight Decision: Buying A New Refrigerant Recovery Machine

Buying a new refrigerant Recovery/Recycle/Recharge machine can be a bit overwhelming. The item is expensive and complicated, and there are a lot of choices out there. Each manufacturer has a compelling story to tell about why its machine is the only logical choice. Hopefully the following article will help you make a good decision for your particular needs.

Advances In Electrical System Testing

Contributing writer Mike DuBois returned from the AAPEX and SEMA shows with a host of new information on multimeter and scan tool innovations.

Innovations In Automotive Specialty Tools

There is a theory called the Butterfly Effect. This theory in part states that an action or condition in one place, however insignificant, can greatly change the outcome or conditions in another place. This theory, however fantastic, does remind me of the fact that the tool business is very much like this.

Getting Organized from the Ground Up: Building a Tool Storage Solution on a Solid Foundation

Mike DuBois talks about how to minimize or eliminate the problem of being messy and disorganized in the shop. The reality is that it’s not about being tidy; it’s about making money. The faster and more efficiently you can work, the faster you complete jobs and, ultimately, the more money you make.

Pneumatic Tool Innovations

Although the basic configuration of many automotive service air tools remains unchanged, there are some newly released pneumatic tools with cool improvements. Mike DuBois discusses some of these new innovations.

Underhood Detectors: And the Answer is …

Being a professional technician is a bit like being a detective every day, says Mike DuBois. You are presented with “evidence” and expected to solve the crime. Sometimes the clues are obvious and other times all you have to work with is a dead body.

TPMS Technology Brings New Service Opportunities to Your Shop

As a technician, shop owner or service manager, one of the most common complaints you see now from customers is the TPMS light is on. This symptom is caused by a myriad of reasons ranging from owner error to atmospheric conditions, to true system/component failures. The only problem with creating a device that is a pass/fail-type sensor is that it does just that with no regard for the reasons that cause it.

Staying Ahead of the Curve with New Brake Service Equipment & Tools

There’s an old joke that goes something like this: The beautiful young girl asks the daring race car driver, “Isn’t it terribly dangerous racing around the track at such high speeds?” The race car driver doesn’t hesitate when he responds: “It’s not going fast that you have to worry about; it’s the sudden stop that will kill you!”

Borescopes and Videoscopes – Coming to Our Senses

As a professional technician, you have to rely on at least four, if not all five, of your senses to diagnose and repair vehicles. (For those of you who use taste to fix cars, more power to you! And cheers for admitting it!) Today we are going to talk about tools and equipment that can assist these senses. There are some really exciting and interesting tools available for the inspection and diagnosis of vehicles. Below you will find some details about these great tools and suggestions on how they can be used as well as what to look for when buying the tools.

Specialty Tools: Making a Once Difficult Task Easy to Accomplish

More and more, it is becoming difficult, if not impossible, to repair and service the cars on the road without a host of specialty tools. The days of being able to use just basic hand tools to repair vehicles is becoming a thing of the past. As the owner and lead tech on a couple of older Mercedes vehicles, this became painfully obvious to me over the last week or so. Faced with the repair and replacement of some suspension components, I ended up needing no less than four different vehicle-specific specialty tools to do the repairs.

What to Look for Now in Cordless Tools

Back in the dark ages when this writer was young and foolish (as opposed to now when he is older and foolish), if a self-respecting workman needed to make a hole or cut something, he would walk to the closet, truck, toolbox, etc. and the first thing to come out was the dreaded extension cord. There was nothing better than dragging that cord up ladders, under hoods, across rafters, under dashboards – it was great I tell you!

A/C Service Tools and Equipment Meeting the Latest Requirements

The automotive industry’s constant change means new business and new tools. In light of recent A/C changes, Mike DuBois shares information and suggestions for making tool and equipment-buying decisions to meet new requirements.