A/C Update: Expect Refrigerant Prices to Have Chilling Affect on Your Customers
Well, it seems expected higher fuel prices (national gasoline prices set a record average high in March) won’t be the only bee in the bonnet of drivers this summer. If their vehicles need A/C service, car owners may get charged up over the higher refrigerant costs, too. Obviously, the fault is not yours – the
Detection Equipment is Key to Finding Refrigerant Leaks
Refrigerant leaks are the number one cause of poor A/C cooling performance. The amount of refrigerant in an A/C system is critical for proper cooling. Any loss of refrigerant reduces the system’s ability to transfer heat, causing the compressor to work harder and the system to cool less efficiently. To make matters worse, the refrigerant
News: Cornwell Tool Rally Hits All-Time Attendance High
Wadsworth, OH – Cornwell Tools celebrated the best turnout ever at the 2005 National Tool Rally held last month in New Orleans. More than 100 exhibitors participated, contributing to a 44% increase in overall dealer attendance from last year. Bill Stemple, director of marketing, welcomed the trade show exhibitors March 11, touting the great benefits
The Top 5 Favorite Tools of Top Technicians
Don Frantz Frantz Automotive Center Cary, NC I own and operate Frantz Automotive Center in Cary, NC. We are a six-bay shop with four techs – all of whom are ASE certified. I, myself, am ASE certified with L1 Certification as well. Frantz Automotive was recently voted "Best of Cary" by the readers of the
Mastering Mercedes Multiplexing
“CAN” is the new buzz word in automobile diagnostics. It stands for Controller Area Network and is a protocol for onboard diagnostics and scan tools. CAN is a high-speed data link that provides more information at a faster rate for better communication between onboard electronics and external diagnostic equipment. Many manufacturers have already started incorporating
Niche of Time: Restoration Relief…Tips for Removing Tricky Ford Flathead Bolts
When performing restoration services on old Ford engines, you should not be surprised to learn a good many of the Ford flathead engine cores will end up with at least a couple of broken head bolts during disassembly. Of course, given the high age of flathead engines, you might expect to encounter a few headaches
A/C Update
The Mobile Air Conditioning Society (MACS) 25th Anniversary Convention and Trade Show is a great event for shop owners and technicians to learn about the latest trends in air conditioning technology and to see the latest A/C service products and equipment. This year’s show was held in Las Vegas February 1-3. One question that came
Engine Maintenance: Head Gasket Failure Symptoms and Diagnosis
Over the last decade, the engines that have been used in the Honda and Acura line of cars and SUVs not only deliver many miles of service, but their performance level sets a standard that few car makers in their class have been able to match. Additional proof of both the reliability and potential of
The Top 5 Favorite Tools of the Country’s Top Technicians
Dan & Kris Cesena Honda Hospital, Inc. San Mateo and Milpitas, CA Our top five favorite tools (and why) are: The Snap-on MicroVAT Battery/Starter/Alternator Tester. Why? Well it makes it much easier to test batteries, alternators and starters; it has an infrared port, which sends the data to an optional thermal printer; and with these
Missed Services
Uncovering missed service can bring an instant profit, while at the same time resulting in customer gratification. Unfortunately, some services are often overlooked in our daily routine. It’s easy to gain tunnel vision in this business, only fixing what the car came in for, while ignoring the rest of the vehicle. Whether it’s because of