Scan Tools: Tune In, Tune Up, Cash In
What is with all the new interest in music? Everywhere in the car industry and the aftermarket, people are talking about the “tuner” market. Are they talking about the old stereo of Dad’s in the den? Maybe they are talking about the newest disk player that can support mpeg and iPod? No! The interest is
Safe Shop: Meeting Your Shop’s Lighting Needs
Having reliable “mobile” or “task” lighting is very important so technicians are able to clearly see what they are working on, even in the crevices of an engine compartment. Not having the necessary lighting accessories will hinder productivity and prolong the time it takes to complete a job. There are many types of lighting available
Point Of View: It’s Show Time…An Opportunity for Training and Education
Shop owners need business skills training and need to invest in their business — including tools and technology,” commented Larry Samuelson, president of NAPA’s U.S. Automotive Parts Group Headquarters, at the 2005 Global Automotive Aftermarket Symposium*, last May in Chicago. He was speaking these words to many of the automotive aftermarket’s top manufacturers and suppliers,
Tech Tip: Oxygen Sensors – Monitoring Converter Efficiency
In 1996, automakers did the aftermarket a huge favor. They added "downstream" oxygen (O2) sensors to their vehicles. The downstream O2 sensors are located just behind the catalytic converter, or on some Fords, in the converter itself.
Management: Selling a Complete Brake Job
Brake parts are often sold on a piecemeal basis because customers only want the minimum number of parts needed to fix their brakes. It might be a set of pads for the front brakes, a single rotor or drum, a caliper or wheel cylinder, a brake hose or a master cylinder. The mentality is to fix what’s broken and nothing more.
Maiwald and Parsnow Set New Record During Seventh Annual Clevite Engine Builder Showdown
The 2006 Clevite Engine Builder Showdown preliminary rounds on May 2, 3 and 4 opened with a bang. The Showdown build record was once again broken and a mix of Showdown veterans and rookies advanced to the third round of competition.
Diagnostics Through CAN Networks
Since model year 2003, a growing number of domestic and import vehicles have been built with a new onboard communications protocol called CAN (Controller Area Network). CAN is essentially an engineering standard for how computers and modules talk to one another via the serial data bus in a vehicle’s wiring system. It’s a high speed
Lincoln Electric is Preferred Welder of New CMT Channel Series, Trick my Truck
Launched in February 2006, Country Music Television, Inc., premiered its new reality series, Trick My Truck, featuring big-rig makeovers and top-of-the-line welding equipment from The Lincoln Electric Company.
Tech Tip: Going Digital – DMMs and DVOMs
These days, no matter what kind of automotive repair work you specialize in, virtually every system has a certain amount of electronics. Consequently, one diagnostic tool every technician needs is a digital multimeter.
AASP Ramps It Up at Spring Board Meeting
The Alliance of Automotive Service Providers (AASP) board of directors held its spring board meeting on Saturday, March 25, 2006, in Suffern, NY. The meeting, attended by more than 20 affiliate representatives, was held in conjunction with the Northeast 2006 Regional Automotive Trade Show, sponsored by AASP-NJ.