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1 week ago | 
vehicleservicepros.com | Mike Mavrigian
In the face of having to keep up with the ever-rapidly evolving technology spilling out of the showroom floor, it’s easy to sometimes ignore the basics. Considering today’s age of ever-advancing electronic control systems, techs must struggle to stay abreast of often complex diagnostics. That’s obvious. However, many younger technicians enter the industry lacking basic knowledge of thread fasteners, i.e. shank length, thread pitch/count, inch and metric sizing, etc.
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2 weeks ago | 
vehicleservicepros.com | Mike Mavrigian
The subject of shop safety covers quite a bit of ground, including personal safety and avoiding injury on the job, prevention of vehicle damage, proper use of lifts, shop ventilation, and more. Here we’ll discuss a number of these concerns. Watch Your BackTechnicians are often subject to potential back and joint injury due to lifting heavy objects or pulling wrenches from positions that make the back vulnerable to injury. Whenever possible, try to avoid working while bent over or reaching overhead.
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2 months ago | 
vehicleservicepros.com | Mike Mavrigian
Shop OperationsService RepairEditorial: Gun safety in automotive repair shopsDo you, and your employees, know what to do if a gun is found in a customer's vehicle during a service appointment? Photo: 88201737 by Phanuwatn | Dreamstime.comAs you are likely aware, many states allow the concealed carry of firearms (most requiring permits). Unfortunately, some firearm owners tend to “store” a handgun in the vehicle glove box.
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2 months ago | 
vehicleservicepros.com | Mike Mavrigian
This dimensional “isometric” view further illustrates static dimensional shift that can occur from cylinder head installation. The image is somewhat exaggerated to help understand. While your shop likely does not handle intensive engine rebuilds and related machine shop work, here we’ll discuss the topic of cylinder bore distortion and how this occurs.
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2 months ago | 
vehicleservicepros.com | Mike Mavrigian
Training and ResourcesAsk the Expert and Tech TipsTech Tip for Ford F-150 fuel pressure sensorIf a 2020 or later F-150 has the check engine light on and DTC P0451 is stored, and there appears to be no drivability issues, it’s possible that this indicates that the fuel tank pressure sensor needs to be replaced. If possible, urge the customer to deliver the vehicle with as little fuel as possible to make life a bit easier and safer when handling the fuel tank.
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Jan 6, 2025 | 
vehicleservicepros.com | Mike Mavrigian
Some owners of 2019-2021 Cadillac XT4 vehicles equipped with a 2.0L gasoline turbo engine may comment on one or more of the following conditions when driving in extremely cold weather (zero degrees Fahrenheit or less):- Loss of power- Hesitation on acceleration- Stalling condition- MIL illuminatedDTCs P0299 and/or P2227 may be set. This condition may be caused by ice accumulation in the charge air cooler (CAC), restricting airflow. A winter grille cover has been released to address this issue.
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Dec 3, 2024 | 
vehicleservicepros.com | Mike Mavrigian
Noise, vibration, and harshness (NVH) issues become a concern when the driver perceives this as a problem. The subject of NVH can include a host of issues, including but not limited to a vibration at a specific road speed, a vibration under engine load, a vibration during braking, engine noises that are unusual or simply annoying, a shake or vibration felt at the shifter, a whistling noise from underhood, what the driver perceives as a “too harsh/rough ride,” and more.
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Dec 2, 2024 | 
vehicleservicepros.com | Mike Mavrigian
Various aspects of daily shop work expose our hands and arms to heat sources and laceration damage. The list includes, but is not limited to, brake work, work on or near exhaust manifolds/pipe, hot engine heads and blocks, grinding work, use of cut-off wheels, cutting hoses, grabbing plug wires to disengage spark plug boots, reaching into cramped/tight quarters for suspension work, etc. Burnt or cut hands and forearms are pretty much a given considering the challenges we face every day.
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Oct 1, 2024 | 
vehicleservicepros.com | Mike Mavrigian
2024 represents a milestone of 125 years for Motor Age magazine. The publication was introduced in 1899 to provide technical information to the fledgling automotive repair industry. Over the years, the magazine was published by various publishing companies and was finally acquired by Endeavor Business Media in 2019. In the “early” days, the vehicle brands were numerous, to say the least, some of which only lasted a few years.
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Oct 1, 2024 | 
vehicleservicepros.com | Mike Mavrigian
While your shop likely does not include a machine shop and you may not be involved in engine rebuilding, this article provides an overview of what is typically involved in cylinder head repair/rebuilding. The goal of this article is to provide insight regarding what may be involved if, or when, you source cylinder head work out to a local machine shop. The insight can help you (and your customer) better understand the work involved.
