Making The Case For Copper Spark Plugs
For some applications, precious-metal plugs are the only factory-recommended design. For many older applications (as well as a few modern ones) traditional copper-core designs are perfectly suited for the demands of daily driving.
Timing Belt Replacement Is An Opportune Time To Help Your Customer
Waiting until the belt gives out can have disastrous consequences.
Timing Belt Replacement Presents Opportunities For Auto Parts Professionals
The timing belt water pump kit is a convenient and simple way for the parts specialist to offer the technician everything in one box.
The Pre-History Of Iridium: The Dinosaurs Died And We Got Better Spark Plugs
65 million years ago, iridium crashed to earth in the form of an asteroid nearly 10 miles across.
Automotive Oil: That Slippery Slope
Thankfully, most of our electronic catalogs give us basic recommendations for viscosity and fill amounts, giving us a place to start.
Too Often, We Focus On An Automotive “Problem” As A Single Part
When presented with a “dead” battery, a customer often blames the battery for the vehicle’s failure to start. The customer comes to you, looking for a new battery, thinking very little about the reasons that the battery is “dead,” only that there must be something “defective” about the battery itself.
Are You Leaving Money on the Auto Parts Counter? Margin and Markup Explained
There is a difference between “margin” and “markup,” and what you don’t know about them is potentially costing you money. Even though most part stores have a point-of-sale system that calculates pricing, there are times when the parts specialist has to break out the calculator (or even a pen and paper!) to figure out the resale price of a part.
Variable Valve Timing (VVT) Is Becoming More Common In Cars And Trucks Today
Although many of us have sold the occasional camshaft phaser or oil control valve/solenoid, the technology behind the VVT system is still somewhat unknown or misunderstood. Currently, there are two basic designs for variable valve timing that cover most of the vehicles in today’s aftermarket.
Automotive Aftermarket Direct Injection: Diesel-Tested, Gasoline-Approved
Direct injection, as its name implies, atomizes fuel directly into the cylinder. This allows for even more precise fuel metering than current MFI systems, and fewer emissions
Automotive Aftermarket Converter Compliance
Accurate diagnosis of converter failures and the proper selection of replacement converters are both critical to the repair process, but don’t forget that any underlying cause of poor engine performance or leakage that caused the original failure must be corrected before that replacement converter can effectively do its job!
Turn, Turn, Turn: Selling and Diagnosing Automotive Aftermarket Brake Rotors
Recommending premium-quality components and encouraging proper installation can increase sales, and decrease your warranty returns. The vehicle owner will benefit from a better, longer-lasting product, and professional technicians will get fewer customer complaints, comebacks and labor claims. Taking the time to properly diagnose problems and perform the repair correctly is the mark of a professional service provider, but it is up to you as a parts specialist to help supply them with the products and services they need to succeed.
It’s Electric! Automotive Aftermarket Electric-Assisted Power Steering
There will be many significant benefits of EAPS for manufacturers, repair shops and vehicle owners, but for those of us behind the counter, one of the best benefits is related to core handling. That fully electric rack and pinion core you just took back contains no fluid to leak all over our floors, counters and uniforms!
