Articles by Richard McCuistian

When you're faced with simple failures in places that are almost out of reach

I had (have) been writing for Motor Age since May 2000, and so, when I submitted my application for the college instructor’s job in December of that year, I included copies of Motor Age that featured my articles, and to this day, I believe my position as a contributing editor for this magazine was one of the determining factors in landing the job that a whole lot of other guys had applied fo

Relying on somebody else’s auto diagnosis is a bad idea

A friend of mine brought his son’s 2006 Jeep Commander, 4.7L V8 with a 5-45RFE transmission and 187,854 miles on the odometer, telling me he believed water was making its way into the #8 cylinder, because the vehicle had overheated a few times and now it was misfiring on that one.

Learning from bad judgement in auto diagnostics

We usually do our best and most efficient work on vehicles with which we’re familiar, but there are times when even the ones we know the best can smack us around – particularly if we make the wrong choices.

Dealing with pattern failures that are anything but

We never stop learning, and the tough ones put iron in our souls. And for those who are just getting started in this business or are reading these words as a consumer, this, ladies and gentlemen, is what we do.

When automotive repairs are more complicated than they should be

How hard could it be to figure out a headlight problem on a 15-year-old domestic? Well, we hadn’t tackled one of these S10 headlight issues before, and this one was a wakeup call.

Motor Age Garage: When customers need us — and we need them

Time and chance work both ways — customers need us, and we need them. Here's series of vehicles — and their owners — in need of help and repairs.

The perils of automotive diagnostics and repair

Some people will almost always believe a half-baked diagnosis, and some mistakes are very easily made.

Fixing vehicles right requires a sharp wit and grit

Every job isn’t interesting, but in our line of work, challenges are the spice of life, and it feels good to be a problem-solver. It feels even better to be appreciated, and usually we are, but that isn’t always the case.
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