At the request of U.S. Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) recently conducted a study of state vehicle safety inspection programs. The GAO did a similar review in 1990 at the request of John Dingell, D-Mich.,…
Curious tech sinks his teeth into a start-stop problem with a Prius hybrid. My check engine light came on in my Prius,” one of my customers told me. “Is it OK to drive it home?” “Is it running OK?” I…
How to harness the power of other people as go-to resources It’s easy to understand why your business might not be service ready 100 percent of the time. In some instances, you thought you were ready but ran into an…
If you attended NACE and CARS classes in July, you noticed the industry is undergoing what financial analysts call “disruption.” This means that the way we do business, which has worked in the past, is not working now. And for…
Congress continues examining impact of proposed new EPA regulations. The U.S. Congress continues its oversight responsibility of the Obama Administration’s proposed update of air quality standards for ground-level ozone. The Clean Air Act requires the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)…
See what makes us different ... and the same! In this issue, we feature Mike Bennett, owner, and Joe Arnold, technician, of Mike’s KARS in Gettysburg, Pa. Michael Bennett Baby Boomer What is one piece of advice your parents gave…
How not to waste two hours on a simple problem: Develop a sound diagnostic plan for your shop and, oh yeah, follow it. If you don’t have a car fixed right the first time, one or…
When repair specialists miss the obvious and the customer asks for a testing fee refund, the shop makes the customer happy, but… ... What would you do? A customer calls about a 2005 Toyota Prius. The check engine light was…
How easy, or hard, is it to service the Gen III vehicle? For more than 15 years, Prius has been known as the quintessential hybrid. Sales have been so strong that at one time there was a waiting list, and…
The most common question we get at CARQUEST is, “Which scan tool should I buy?” In this edition of Ready, Set, Service!, we’re going to use this question as the basis for recommendations on original equipment-level tools you should have…
Hear ASA VP at MACS 2016 There are plenty of reasons for you to attend the Mobile Air Conditioning Society’s (MACS) 2016 Training Event and Trade Show. It’ll be in February at The Caribe Royale All Suite Hotel and Convention…
The Membership ROI When you run a trade association, attracting new members, particularly those who have never been part of an association before, is a challenge. Most membership organizations approach this problem by offering a bunch of no-brainer discounts on…
House subcommittee questions use of postal vehicle maintenance facilities. The U.S. House Oversight and Government Reform Committee’s Government Operations Subcommittee held a hearing May 21 on “Issues Facing Civilian and Postal Service Vehicle Fleet Procurement.” There has been much congressional…
See what makes us different ... and the same! In this issue, we feature the father-son team of Denny and Jacob Mandeville of Canyon Automotive in Sedona, Ariz. Denny is the owner of the shop and the lead technician, while…
A customer insists that the shop replace a recently installed valve, free, despite the fact that the dealer sent the wrong part … ... What would you do? This scenario comes from an import car repair shop on the West…
Detective work needed to solve the mysterious case of multiple diagnostic problems in a beat-up former police car. We’ve all been faced with cars that had multiple concerns that seemed interlocked or related. These problems sometimes created one single complaint,…
House holds hearing on Connected Cars Vehicle technology leaders recently appeared before a subcommittee of the U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee to address issues of emerging technologies in the automotive industry. The hearing, titled “Vehicle to Vehicle Communications and…
When fuses get “smoked,” don’t go bonkers. Instead, do a deep diagnostic dig. With vehicles staying on the roads longer than ever before, we’re seeing more age-related issues with our customers’ cars. With age comes the increasing probability for human…
