How To: Choose the Right Motor Oil For Your Vehicle
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By Counterman
Scheduling of delivery drivers can be one of the more difficult personnel-related tasks for any manager. Often at the lower end of your pay scale and frequently staffed by part-time employees, these positions can be difficult to screen, fill and maintain. They are a critical link to commercial success, yet their value is easily overlooked when weekly schedules are created.
In many retail environments, analysis of prior hour-by-hour sales figures often shapes the forecast for staffing future shifts. Adequate staffing at the front counter is critical to assisting customers and moving merchandise efficiently, but in order to accurately forecast demand for delivery drivers, we must ignore the majority of retail sales, which occur in-store or, increasingly, as online purchases. Unless your business model includes “home delivery” to retail customers, staffing your delivery needs will revolve exclusively around your commercial accounts.
Having adequate delivery capability to maintain (or strengthen) your commercial relationships can look different for each location. Vehicle and personnel numbers will vary based primarily on that individual store’s customer mix and the type of market served. Wholesale jobbers generally serve a broader geographic area than retailers, due in part to their smaller store network. A chain retailer is more likely to have a greater concentration of individual stores per square mile, each serving a smaller area, while the jobber maintains a larger commercial customer base spread across a larger geographic area.
As a result, jobbers tend to make better use of scheduled route delivery, in contrast to focusing on frequent short “on-demand” deliveries in the immediate area. These schedules are much easier to forecast, as they are somewhat consistent throughout the business day. When scheduling for the “hot-shot” portion of your delivery needs, however, the natural ebb and flow of your store’s daily routine become an important factor. There are key points throughout each day that require additional delivery staffing.
Many stores enjoy some form of overnight warehouse delivery, and those daily orders will be expected at shops across your territory as soon as possible the following morning. Between those “first thing in the morning” deliveries and the daily ritual of vehicle pre-checks, the first hour of the workday can be a beehive of activity for your delivery staff. By the time your trucks are returning from their early rounds, orders generated from those 8 a.m. diagnostic appointments at shops across your market have begun to filter in, resulting in another rush. Customer calls ramp up again before and during the traditional lunch hour, as shops try to arrange deliveries to arrive before technicians return from their breaks. Another flurry of dispatches will be in response to the afternoon’s diagnostics, with shops hoping to wrap up repairs before end of day, and to beat the overnight order deadlines for the next day’s business.
In addition to customer-driven rushes, we may also see a spike in driver demand centered around our own incoming deliveries. Stores with midday warehouse deliveries will see a surge in demand around these times, as well as those created by UPS or FedEx drop-offs. Most of our best customers already know what time to expect such special orders, and the volume of “where’s my stuff?” calls will add to the sense of immediacy felt by everyone on staff!
Delivery scheduling can also be adversely affected by seasonality and holidays. Freezing or snowy weather not only creates delays in parts deliveries from the warehouse and at store levels, but it can also limit an individual driver’s ability to report for duty as scheduled, creating a gap in coverage. Coupled with the longer delivery times required for the remaining staff to complete routes safely, it can create temporary bottlenecks. Holidays also create personnel issues, as we attempt to find coverage for those days that everyone wants to spend with family and friends. Travel-intensive holidays like Memorial Day, Independence Day and Labor Day also create an increased demand from shops prepping vehicles for extended trips, with added pressure for everyone to complete repairs, often at the last minute.
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By Counterman
A blown head gasket is one of the most serious engine issues, often leading to overheating, performance problems and costly repairs. Understanding how to evaluate the condition and choose an effective solution is key to preventing further damage and restoring engine operation.
The head gasket seals the combustion chamber and separates coolant and oil passages between the block and cylinder head. It must contain combustion pressure while maintaining proper fluid flow. When that seal fails, combustion gases, coolant and oil can cross paths, leading to overheating, pressure buildup and loss of engine efficiency.
Head gasket failure often starts with overheating or long-term engine stress. Customers may report coolant loss with no visible leak, along with white exhaust smoke, rough running, or coolant being forced out of the system. Some vehicles will still run for a period of time, while others overheat quickly. That difference in behavior is critical. It tells you how severe the failure is and helps guide the right repair approach.
Confirm the condition based on symptoms like coolant loss and overheating with no external leak. Then ask a key question: how long can the engine run before overheating or pushing out coolant? If it can run 15–20 minutes,
link hidden, please login to view is a strong option for sealing minor to moderate failures. If the issue is more severe, stepping up to a heavier-duty solution may be necessary. Bar’s Leaks Head Seal Blown Head Gasket Repair is designed to create a durable seal, helping restore system integrity when matched correctly to the condition. Head gasket issues come down to sealing failure and severity. Identify the condition, then match it with the right solution.
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By Counterman
Standard Motor Products, Inc. (SMP) announced an expansion of its Standard Gasoline Fuel Injection program. The company said the program includes more than 1,100 all-new, not remanufactured, Gasoline Direct Injection (GDI), Multi-Port Fuel Injection (MFI), and Throttle Body Injection (TBI) injectors, along with GDI high-pressure fuel pumps, fuel feed lines, fuel pressure dampers, fuel pressure sensors, fuel pressure regulators, service kits and more.
Fuel Injector Coverage and Testing
link hidden, please login to view noted that its gas fuel injectors are 100% new, never remanufactured, and deliver OE-matching spray patterns and flow rates to help optimize fuel mileage and performance. SMP-manufactured fuel injectors are designed and built in SMP’s IATF 16949-certified facility in Greenville, South Carolina. The company added that all Standard fuel injectors undergo extensive testing, including initial life-cycle validation and 100% end-of-line testing. The testing regimen involves more than 35 different tests and inspections, including endurance, spray pattern, thermal cycles, vibration, shock load, and dynamic and static flow. Multiple new GDI and MFI injectors have recently been released, adding coverage for millions of import vehicles, including the 2020–25 Nissan Frontier and 2021–25 Subaru Crosstrek. Additionally, MFI fuel injector multi-packs are available, covering more than 31 million vehicles.
GDI High-Pressure Fuel Pumps and Kits
GDI systems rely on a constant supply of fuel at high pressure.
link hidden, please login to view said its GDI high-pressure fuel pumps are manufactured and tested to help optimize performance, even in high-heat environments. For long-term durability, Standard high-pressure fuel pumps feature stainless steel internal components and high-temperature seals. Each pump is engineered to optimize GDI performance and lab tested and validated on actual vehicles to ensure performance and longevity, the company said. More than 115 SKUs are currently available for import and domestic vehicles. Blue Streak GDI high-pressure fuel pump kits include everything needed for a high-pressure fuel pump service in one box and are available for import and domestic applications. GDI high-pressure fuel pumps have recently been released for Audi and Volkswagen vehicles like the 2020–25 Audi Q3 and the 2019–24 Volkswagen Jetta, as well as 1.2 million BMW vehicles through the 2025 model year.
“The Standard Fuel Injection Program is constantly expanding as we are regularly adding new fuel injectors, GDI high-pressure fuel pumps and other related components,” said John Herc, vice president of vehicle control marketing at SMP. “Our program is the most comprehensive in the industry, and we are working hard to keep it that way for our distribution partners and for the technicians who depend on Standard.”
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