skm

I honestly don't think this is really a very good topic for this forum... Why does it matter who one's choice is? I have observed so much crap and hatred among people who were on the very same page until a topic like this one comes up.. How about we keep these topics for our personal FB or other social media outlets and let this forum not build arguments and animosity among its members. We are all here because of out careers, how about we share those things with each other, and not our political beliefs ?

What other benefits did you offer him? Is it possible that he is getting some very good health and retirement benefits from the dealer as well? I know that where I work I have been there 26 years. I get 191.00 towards my health insurance which is over 600.00 a month, and I only get 10 paid days off a year and no retirement what so ever.. After 26 years I am probably a very bitter person about this but I won't work for a dealership so I guess I am stuck with what I have..

I hear this same argument a lot from mechanics, and not at all saying that it is your case because clearly it is not , but MOST that state what you just did are the ones that can't pass the tests.. I am sure you are an exception to the rule and you could, i'm sure pass these tests if need be.. Just like anything there will always be to sides to the fence.

I have been writing letters to many people trying to get things changed.. I am too a ASE master tech with my L1, master emission repair license and my state inspection license.. 26 + years of experience . I work with two guys who are not certified or even know anything about diagnostics or fixing to days cars , although they are paid the same as me and one guy is only 22 and has no schooling or training and knows absolutely nothing about cars.. I agree with you full heatedly but I seems to be an dead end . I never receive any responses from any letters I write including ones to ASA! I have ranted on this site too, about the need of certifications and laws to protect the consumers as well as getting the public to know what it really involved in auto repair these days.. the problem is all the hacks that under charge and steal from these customers.. I am sorry to say that I don't think there will be any changes during your or my career .. Any way my hat is off to you !! I will continue the fight but I get tired of beating my head against a wall.

Good one Gonzo, When a customer comes to me with a code someone or themselves have pulled and say they know the problem, I ask them why did they not fix it them selves if they know the problem.. Then I put it in layman's terms as easily as possible for them to understand. I let them know there is a diagnostic charge and that will stick and that my scanner costs a little more than the 19.95 they paid for the one at the parts store and there is a good reason why. I need to be able to see what all sensors and actuators are doing understand what the computer is seeing and how it is reacting.. I put it to them like this ... A code you pull from the computer is like a number on a door, you open that door then there is a huge hallway lined with doors all with numbers say 50 doors per side, now behind one of those doors is the problem, we can open each door one by one say for 50 bucks each or you can let me diagnose where the problem lies and open just that one door. Which would you like me to do?

So true,, but wait.... you put brakes on my car 8 months prior to it over heating, why didn't you fix it then, so it must be your fault.. LOL wait that is a whole different story.. As I always tell them I dropped my crystal ball a few months back and it broke sorry, I was unable to for see the future this time.

you can't please yourself in a lot of those situations that could land you in jail LOL

Okay granted I am not a shop owner at the present time, but I have been a mechanic for 26+ years. One thing I hate and have seen a lot of problems with is "up selling" how about addressing the customers main complaint then making recommendations. That customer may do the work then or come back in the future to have it done. Building a customer base should be priority . You can eat a lavish meal today then starve in the future or eat a good meal for the rest of your life. Up selling turns more people away than you may think. Don't you hate it when you go to the store to buy something and the sales person tries to sell you everything under his roof? well don't you think your customers feel the same way ?? Think they really want to come back to your shop?? Now I know I am about to get a huge backlash of posts, but this is my opinion and I have a very large and loyal customer base because of it. Once again I don't own a shop I don't have that mentality of needing more money . I like to help people not see how much I can get out of their pockets. You can give a man a fish and he can eat for a day or you can teach him to fish and he can eat for a lifetime .. Just my 2 cent.

Good one Gonzo! I think that the regular mechanic needs to start paying the top notch guys a consulting fee. Or maybe the top notch guy can just charge the regular mechanic just a little extra if they do the diagnostics for them

I have actually replaced a few capacitors on the ford 9al computer in the past.. not to bad to do the worst part is getting the coating off of the boards. I am to lazy to do it now a days unless it is my own vehicle. Just like the days of the growlers testing the armatures and replacing brushes and voltage regulators on alternators and starters. Just slap a rebuild in it.. those days are over LOL

well as usual the other shop wants to take the credit for the repair, they will put a computer in it. I just charged them 2 hours diagnostics . That is the third car I have diagnosed for them the last two weeks. I told them them next one I am going to up the labor since they should be competent enough to do it them selves and since they are taking the credit I will charge more next time. I will boost the hourly rate on diagnostics for them. I hate to build another shops reputation, but I will not bad mouth them to the customers either so I figure that is a fair trade.

I had a 93 lexus ls400 come in been at another shop for a while now, they could not fix the problem. The car would run and drive fine if you were very easy on the gas. If you gave it a good load it would buck and go crazy. Would set a code 41 tps circuit. Of course obd1 not so much in the way of data stream etc.. manually checked tps sensor passed no problem , checked the continuity back to the computer no problem. Found leaking capacitors in the computer.

yeah that was my next step, There is something fishy about them maybe they mixed up the diesel and gas specs in the aftermarket.

Has anyone come across a problem with getting the correct radiator for these trucks? I have ordered 5 different radiators with all the same problems and also every single radiator I have gotten has been open box. Which leads me to believe there is a problem with the specs on these radiators. Here is the problem, they are 3/8 " quick disconnect for the trans lines and they have an engine oil cooler on the other side tank, all that is fine but when it comes to the upper radiator hose there is the problem, all the new ones come with 1 7/8" inlet and outlets, the old radiator is much smaller I didn't measure it but I would say it is maybe 1 9/16" . The stock upper hose and the 2 new upper hoses I got are all the smaller diameter on both ends about 1 9/16th they have no hose that they can find that is 1 7/8" on one end and 1 9/16 on the other.. what is the deal? Any truck guys out there come across this problem what was the solution? The truck has the 8.1 liter engine in it

Then there is the dishonest mechanic that make people think that way and gives us good ones a bad rap.

Thanks Elon I am still up in the air about opening a shop or just turning wrenches. I am 43 so It is at the point where I either do it or just turn wrenches.. Being at the same shop for almost 26 years I have seen many techs and owners come and go. Many different ideas on how the shop should run, but I never ever changed the way I did things. I told them if they didn't like it let me go, of course I am still there and doing things the same way I have for as long as I have been fixing cars.. One of my biggest fears is getting good techs, I feel that they would hate me because I can't stand mechanics that are just in it for their pockets and don't give a damn about the customers ( seeing how much you can get out of a customer) , shoddy work, etc. It drives me up a wall, not to mention all the youtube mechanics out there. By that I mean the ones that watch youtube videos on how to fix a car. UNREAL ! in my 26 years I have seen so many so called good mechanics who were worthless. so that puts a huge black cloud on my plans for opening a shop. It is very hard when you push yourself to be the best , be at the top of your game and want the business to thrive even though it is not your own business. Just to have incompetent money gouging crooks out there even working in the same shop who just don't give a rats ass about the customers!

I didn't watch your whole video, but with what you were saying about bridgstone that is something I have done since day one of working as a mechanic. I have never ever pushed up sales and always made recommendations in order of priority. I have been working at the same shop for almost 26 years and always stay busy with many many loyal customers . I was thinking of opening my own shop, but with the way the industry is going and all the lack of laws and regulations of auto motive repair thinking that a small business now a days will be too hard to get going. Not to mention the lack of "seasoned" mechanics out there. I don't think the shop I work at has had a certified mechanic in the last 12-15 years. I have been an ase certified master for many years with my L1 , state inspection license and master emission repair license. Sometimes I think keeping up the certifications is a waste of time.. Yes I know my trade very well, but I don't think pulling a shop off is something that can be done in the dire times of the industry

Great article Gonzo ! my thoughts exactly, I actually emailed two letters the other day , but as usual no response. I think by this time they have a filter on my emails straight to file 13 LOL. That won't stop me, it is sad when you work with the same guys you are writing about, only difference is they don't have to take the cars very far they just hand the ticket to me or just keep coming up to me , "hey I have this code or the car is doing this, what could it be?" of course I give the huge long scenario of what it could be and have you checked this and that and what readings do you get on this? Then I get the owner coming to me can you take a look at this car it has been her for almost a week now..

I have written many a letters in my state trying to get things passed, but the letters end up in file 13 I am sure . You never get a response. after 26 years of repairing cars and keeping up with certifications and latest repairs it drives me crazy to see all the hacks and BS self proclaimed mechanics out there. What can be done at this point I would say nothing, I have tried and will keep trying , but unfortunately it does not look like anything will get done. You need a license to do anything even as you stated to cut hair , but fix a car that could cost people serious harm or death and none is needed ... hmmmm a little ass backwards wouldn't you say?

Nice Gonzo, two weeks in a row stories that I preach on a daily basis and am so fed up with.. But, I not only have to preach to the customer the other "mechanics" and owner as well. People say just find another job, but I deal with several other shops in the area and they are the same sending work to me after they have emptied the customers pocket trying to fix the problem. I also use the doctor analogy for " appointments ", you always get "what is it going to cost, how long will it take, can I make an appointment then"? well no I don't know what is wrong, once I do If parts are needed I have to order them, I don't know how long that will take to get the part here, then I don't know how smoothly the part replacement and programming if needed will go. So no. I then use all the same doctor analogies, asking them how many times have you made an appt for say 8:00 am at the doctors and you end up getting out of there at 10 or so because other patients took longer than expected? Same thing with cars I can not make an appointment, so If they ask again which they always do, I say sure I will give you an appointment. What day can you leave you car with me all day? That will be your appointment. Mechanics at the shop say that I am not the norm, well what I do should be the norm if you want to fix cars for a living. If you hired someone to paint a room in your house and they do an awesome job , masking everything off , filling holes, using drop clothes, etc. The next time you hire someone else to do it, they come in just throw paint up on the wall unevenly spread paint , drips, paint on the ceiling, trim work, and on the floors , would you accept well that guy was not the norm? No ! The "not the norm " needs to become the Norm! So until the not norm becomes the norm the good mechanic will suffer, things need to be changed, public awareness of what our job is really about, laws put into place on who can work on cars such as being certified etc. Every other profession such as plumbers, electricians, hvac, DOCTORS, taxi drivers, computer repair, etc... must be licensed or certified . A few of those jobs are wrapped up in our job , but there is no standard law in fact there are really no laws at all where I live , as long as you can say " I am a mechanic " you are. I will stop my rant here before I ruin my weekend LOL .. have a Great weekend everyone !

WOW!! Great article !!!! sounds like what I preach every day at work and what I have ranted about on this forum , and also in the chat LOL.. Now that is a story that needs to be in one of your magazines... Yes and shop owners there are far to many that go for the low labor for customers.. I could go on and on but I won't since I am still wound up from chat tonight LOL..

why are you guy not hiring around me LOL ? ASE master tech, L1 State inspection license and Master emissions license 25 years experience still working at the same shop. Way under paid! lol

HAHAHA! love it Gonzo GREAT story this week!

mmotley, you are welcome to use the picture, no I have not seen "Monsters Inside Me"

customer complained of foul odor, poor air flow and loud noise. This is what I found HAHA! I did find a few deceased mice in the mix as well. The car had been parked for almost a year.