Reeling from Returns
The Top Seven Reasons Technicians Return Product – Causes & Cures
A World with No Choice
Take time to get involved in our industry. The future of your own business may depend on it.
Complaining as Sport
Complaining has become a national pastime – less about the automotive aftermarket and more about the OE side of the world.
The Science of Fuel Delivery
One of the first things you have to learn abouot fuel delivery is the role of the air/fuel mixture on combustion, emissions and performance. To better understand what’s going on, you need a short lesson in the chemistry of combustion. Chemistry is a pain – but if there’s no pain, there’s no gain, and you
Top 10 Distribution Influences
A variety of factors – both positive and negative – impact aftermarket distribution. For the sixth year, Counterman editors present their view of the top 10 influences that impact the industry.
Store Science
Math, physics, chemistry – these are obvious subjects that all relates to automotive technology. But what about biology?
Industry Report: The Chassis Market
Mike Smith of Dana/Spicer blames the decline of steering and suspension parts on the increased sales of new vehicles, improved durability of OEM parts and market shifts in the vehicle population. "It’s not unusual to see a lot of import cars go to the scrapyard without ever having any significant chassis parts replaced," said Smith.
2002 Parts Store Market Profile
So what is average? If you’re talking about things easily quantified like return rates, the answers are easy. But what about parts stores themselves?
The Modern Diagnostic Process
Just before the beginning of the 20th century, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s famous fictional detective, Sherlock Holmes, revolutionized criminal investigation by using the scientific process to arrive at a factual, rather speculative, outcome. For the past decade, a similar revolution has been taking place in the automotive service industry. Today, a new type of technician
There’s More than Meets the Eye
Commitment, dedication, sincerity and integrity – those are the words that best describe this year’s Counterperson of the Year.