Directions: GM Leads the Industry in the Race for a Greener Refrigerant The switch to HFO-1234yf is expected to help GM vehicles meet the overall requirements of the U.S. EPA's latest motor vehicle greenhouse gas regulations. More

Directions: Will You Be Servicing a 100-MPG Vehicle in the Near Future? Vehicles in the Progressive Insurance Automotive X-PRIZE vie for $10 million in prizes that will be awarded to teams that develop production-capable vehicles that exceed 100 miles per gallon or energy equivalent (MPGe). More

Editor's Notes: Out From Behind Our Desks Business travel in June took the TechShop team to Maryland for the TEDA show, and to Orlando, FL, for both the ISN Tool Dealer Expo and a media event for Ingersoll Rand (IR). More

Editor's Notebook: Show Appreciation for Your Most Valuable Assets - Your Techs For some, a sense of self-worth, job security, a voice in decision-making processes and recognition for a job well done can be almost as impactful in motivating them to perform job responsibilities with great success. More

Used Car Dealers Con Lawmakers: Even with a horrible image, used car dealers avoid federal oversight. We have all seen it before when a customer brings in their “new” used vehicle for the first time with a problem. It could be a car that cannot be aligned because of crash damage, or an off-lease car with a sludged engine due to neglect. When it comes time to tell the customer what is wrong with their “new” used car, the conversation usually turns to how much they paid and the length of the loan. ... More

Directions: Will Driver Awareness on Recalls Drive Up Shop Stops? While new car recalls have been among the biggest news stories of the year, an analysis by Edmunds.com, assures consumers that despite these recent headlines, recalls were much more of a concern in decades past. More

Editor's Notebook: Give Your Customers Reason to Return for Service With customers having so many choices today for many of the products or services they buy, businesses that want to attract new customers need to actively take steps to deliver the highest level of value and service. More

'New Technology Requires New Testing Technology' In late April a few other Babcox editors and I took a trip to Chicago to get a hands-on look at Bosch’s new KTS 340, the latest in the company’s series of scan tools. (See the complete news item click here.) While the main focus of the event was on the scan tool, the company representatives also stressed the importance of training and how keeping up with technology is the key to... More

Grow or Die: Do You Have the Revenue to Survive? Can You Hit the Million Dollar Mark? It has been postulated by some shop owners and industry consultants that for a shop to survive today and in the future it will require an annual revenue of at least $1 million with a growth rate of 4-5% annually. The rational for this high revenue figure is that shops will need this revenue to support tools and training expenditures so they can repair late-model vehicles profitably. Being able to... More

Directions: New Engine Oil Specification to Flow into Shops this Year The International Lubricants Standardization and Approval Committee (ILSAC) is finalizing the ­latest next-generation of motor oil specifications that will hit the market later this year. More