Shop Owner Staff

The world’s best-selling inground lift has a sleek new superstructure that increases technician productivity with three key developments: greater drive-through clearance, improved lift-to-vehicle clearance, and extended arm reach. Rotary Lift recently unveiled the patent-pending SmartLift Trio superstructure at the NADA Expo.

Despite a struggling economy, direct mail service provider Mudlick Mail tripled its sales and customer base in 2010. The company, which caters to the automotive repair industry, grew sales to more than $7 million in 2010. The company’s customer base also increased significantly, expanding from just under 100 in 2009 to more than 350 in 2010.

If you talk with my wife or my clients, you would quickly learn that I have issues regarding control. I want to have control of my life and my future, and knowing the individuals who run automotive service businesses as I do, I know that control of your life, control of your destiny and control of your property is very important to you as well.

Precision Imports in Manchester, NH, is a clean, modern vehicle repair facility with nine bays, and housing the latest in scan tool technology to fix a variety of import vehicles for a wide customer base. But when owner Dick Horan opened the doors 31 years ago, the shop could hardly be described as state-of-the-art.

For the typical shop owner, the world of leasing can seem like a confusing landscape of options and costs. You may have heard conflicting information; some good, some bad, some neutral. I’m going to attempt to clear up this financial maze called leasing and suggest what to avoid and what to pay attention to.

Federal-Mogul is a premier global OE and aftermarket manufacturer with such leading brands as ANCO wipers, Champion spark plugs and performance additives, Carter fuel delivery products, Fel-Pro gaskets, MOOG steering and suspension components, National hub assemblies, Sealed Power and Speed-Pro engine parts, Wagner ThermoQuiet brakes, and Wagner lighting products.

The industry-leading MOOG steering and suspension product line from Federal-Mogul Corporation now features 81 additional high-volume parts covering millions of late-model foreign-nameplate and domestic applications.

Dean Trost of McVille, ND, was the lucky winner of the Hollywood Hot Rods “Signature Edition” Matco tool chest … the first prize in the technician-specific component of the Raybestos ’32 Roadster Pickup Sweepstakes promotion.

In addition to the new front pads, Federal-Mogul also offers Wagner ThermoQuiet Ceramic rear pads (No. QC1451) with a hardware installation kit for 2011 Accord models.

Affinia Global Brake and Chassis with its Raybestos brakes – a member of the Affinia family of brands – makes it easier for technicians to locate today’s most frequently used part numbers. The new Quick Reference Guide is a time saving identification tool for technicians servicing 2000-2011 vehicles.

Federated Auto Parts will sponsor the Ken Schrader Racing ARCA team in 2011. The Federated Auto Parts car will be driven by one of the fastest rising stars in racing, Tom Hessert.

Reacting to consumer and business complaints about fast rising fuel and food costs, the federal government is moving toward limiting speculative trading of certain commodities.