John Forro operates an independent training company (A.S.T. Training) and teaches automotive technology mostly in the Cleveland, Ohio, area, venturing afield from time to time as people are interested. His training series includes a number of different courses covering various aspects of the automotive diagnosis and repair business, but the one I attended focused on […]
Last month’s Front Counter Mechanics described the Car Care Council’s Certified Inspection Center (CIC) program. For those unfamiliar with the Car Care Council (CCC), it is a nonprofit organization dedicated to “educating motorists about the importance of maintenance, repair and enhancements for safer, cleaner, better-performing vehicles.” Only the top shops can be Certified Inspection Centers. […]
Our Greek and Roman forebears invented elaborate mythologies to ‘explain’ the things they saw around them but couldn’t understand. Centuries later, we pride ourselves on our scientific knowledge and scoff at those ancient myths. But as I recently discovered while teaching a course in advanced diagnostic techniques, mythmaking is not dead; we’ve just updated it […]
Once there was a fellow named Georg who found out more about electrical circuits than most scientists of the time, and he did it before most ordinary people even realized electrical circuits could occur. His name was Georg Simon Ohm — Herr Professor Doktor Georg Simon Ohm, actually. You should recognize his last name because […]
You can run a business the same way you live your life. To keep both vital, it’s a good practice to periodically review what you’ve grown accustomed to doing. It’s been nearly three years since “Front Counter Mechanics” last discussed marketing. Business has changed since then, and it’s time to revisit and reconsider some of […]
Can you remember the first new car that had a catalytic converter? To sharpen your recollection, the first catalytic converters were introduced in the mid-70’s when the Clean Air Act was first signed into law. The first car to meet the 1975 emissions standards was a Chrysler Avenger, and it was equipped with a rhodium-promoted […]
