"Thou shalt not steal." I can't remember which commandment that was, but I'm sure many overseas counterfeit manufacturers don’t remember that one either. I am not going to defend the practice of using cloned scan tools. These counterfeits are of lesser quality, can damage vehicles and are just theft by a different name. Yet, I know a lot of people that buy and sell cloned equipment. The question is, why? Many technicians are very proud of their big purchases. The huge toolbox, scan tools, the line of electric power tools and so on. I think buying tools is like buying a sports car. In a sick sort of way, it feels good to spend money on them. It just makes us happy for some reason. So, I don't think people have cloned scan tools...

I had the opportunity to sit in on a Sherwin Williams Automotive Refinishing training course. Sherwin Williams specializes in manufacturing and distributing a complete line of advanced technology paint and coating systems for automotive and fleet refinishing industries. Students participate in a three-day course, filled with classroom and hands-on experience, to learn the properties, applications and best practices of how to use Sherwin Williams' Genesis line of paints for fleet applications. "We offer training to teach the customer how to properly use our fleet finishes, proper spray gun technique, proper cleaning, proper use for our products and proper paint mixing," Sherwin-Williams training specialist Robert Smith explained to...

A couple cars that I serviced the other day got me thinking. One was a 2011 Mercedes ML350 that came to my shop with brake lights that flashed in the wrong spot and set a "brake light failure" notice on the instrument cluster. We diagnosed a bad rear SAM module. It cost about $400 just for the part. However, it turned out that we were wrong with our diagnosis. It didn't need a $400 module, but rather a $16.50 wiring harness. I told the customer that I misdiagnosed it and he owed me nothing for the computer I put into the vehicle and he was happy. Another car was a 2002 Honda Accord that would not go into reverse. The tranny shop sent it to us after rebuilding the whole transmission. Why? The vehicle still didn't go into reverse...

  As part of my job, I do a lot of flying. While waiting at airports and on aircraft, I read books - the hard or soft cover kind. On a recent flight, I read the book, Selfish Altruism: Managing & Executing Successful Change Initiatives . Written by change management consultant Moe Glenner, it examines the often-ignored human element in business change initiatives and offers advice on using personal motivation to produce lasting results. “If we define altruism as ‘for the greater good’ and selfish as ‘me first,’ then even a selfish act can be altruistic,” Glenner says. “Even though an employee could be facilitating a change for a higher salary (selfish), it will benefit the organization (altruistic). “Intent is...