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
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
Aftermarket Update
Carter Helps Eliminate Fuel Delivery Service Comebacks Carter Fuel Delivery Products has developed a variety of innovative training tools and other materials to help aftermarket professionals eliminate customer comebacks and product returns associated with the diagnosis and repair of fuel system problems on millions of late-model vehicles. Carter has introduced an interactive Fuel Delivery Diagnostics
Directions: Internet Parts Ordering Is on the Rise
Over the last few years, we’ve seen a resurgence in the business side of the Internet, making it a valuable business tool in the automotive repair shop. Looking back from the late 1990s through 2001, shops were flooded by Internet sites promising to “revolutionize the aftermarket” and the way independent repair shops do business. Help
Top 5 Tools
Brian Courtney Allied Fleet Services of Texas Pasadena, TX Ingersoll-Rand 231c 1/2" Impact Wrench – It never fails to deliver. It’s 16 years old, and I’ve only had to replace the anvil. Saves my money, for sure! Raytek Non-Contact Thermometer Raynger ST2 – I don’t have to wait for a temp reading from
Finding and Hiring New Recruits
What are the three most important factors in a business’ success? Location, location, location? Nope – they are staff, staff, staff. Personnel experts contend that poor hiring decisions are the main causes of absenteeism and poor productivity, which ultimately result in employee turnover and profit loss. The smaller your business, the more important each person.
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
Austrian MotorsThriving on Mercedes-Benz Repair
Most every motorist with a responsible job and a family to take care of – and many other things on their mind – usually relies on the expertise of their automotive service provider to keep their car or SUV running smoothly. More so, owners of sophisticated high-end vehicles know that they have little time and
Caliper Science Friction
Disc brake calipers come in many sizes and configurations, including fixed-caliper, multi-piston designs, and the more modern floating-caliper, single piston designs that may also contain a mechanically actuated parking brake. Needless to say, disc brake calipers have undergone a series of design changes that continue to make them more adaptable to late-model vehicle applications. To
Universal Coolants: The Ultimate Answer?
For nearly a decade, vehicle manufacturers have been introducing and using a variety of extended-life coolants. The only thing these coolants have in common is that they all seem to differ in formulation and color. There are orange coolants, green coolants, blue coolants, red coolants, yellow coolants, even pink ones. The proliferation of different coolant