Gonzo

I was falling out of my chair when this all took place. Even writing it down put a smile on my face. Sometimes... the absurd is just too funny.

New technology will no doubt make it much easier for the manufacturer, and the dealerships to keep track of their cars. I predict that it won't be long before ALL cars still under factory warranties (in any shape or form of factory warranty) will automatically be under their umbrella of repair by way of some loop hole in their copyright laws for their particular systems. The independent shops will take care of the rest of the cars on the road. Sure, customer service is the utmost of importance, but like cars are different from each other so are customers. Some will like you, your work, and your location, while others won't even give you the chance to do an oil change. I believe there is room for both the dealership repair shops as well as the independents. The idea that independent shops will band together is absurd. It's been tried, either by associations or by small groups... it's never lasted long. What it might take is something out of our (the independent shops) control... such as government regulations, city ordinances, and laws to keep things on the up and up. You can think, you can dream, and you can imagine all the indys banding together, but I seriously doubt it. I for one, don't sugar coat or claim to make friends out of every person that walks through my doors. AND, I'm sure the same thing happens at the dealerships. Basically what I'm saying is... customers will still shop around and find a shop they are comfortable with. (dealer or independent) But, by far customer satisfaction is the key. Training, yes it's out there. Most of it isn't free, and for some the budget doesn't allow for a couple of days away from the shop to attend some of these classes. But it's all available....just at a cost.

FREE THE ECM’S Sometimes, I’ll find faults with the so called “experts” advice or information. Not that I think I’m smarter than the engineers… no, not that at all. But if something strikes me as not being completely correct I might want to question what is on that diagnostic tree. Mind you, my entire day is filled with meeting the expectations of my customers. I have to be dead on with my repairs and diagnostics. Not some of the time, no, ALL the time. And, I expect the same from the people that provide the information and parts. The way I look at it, you’re only as good as the information provided. Where does that leave me when the directions or diagnostic tree doesn’t lead to an answer? Usually frustrated, and disgusted. But what happens when you follow the diagnostic tree to the letter and something is still very, very wrong. Several years ago, back in the 80’s or so, back before we had computer based information, email, and the internet we used big thick books to find our diagnostic information. You’ve all seen them, they’re somewhere in a back room of the repair shop these days gathering dust, next to that dwell meter and carburetor adjustment tools. All my big diagnostic books are on a shelf, standing like old soldiers of days gone by, proudly showing their age. Each of them has grease marks, scratches on the covers and worn edges on every page from years of service. Back when the books were in their heyday I had a couple of interesting issues that a guy like me just couldn’t leave alone. I find something not right; I’d like to find out how to make it right. Even if the book is wrong, I’d like to know why the book is wrong. There was this mid 80’s GM with a service light on. I broke out my overly large books of knowledge and started to follow the diagnostic tree to find the solution to the problem. As I went thru each step I would note the results of the test and then continue onto the next step. When I came to the very bottom of the diagnostic tree, there on the final line of the final test was this statement: “If the answer to the last question was “yes” - release the ECM”. Now what it in the world are they talking about now? I’m 99.9% sure they actually meant “replace” ECM (Electronic Control Module), but that’s not what it said. It clearly said “release” I’m wondering if they know there’s a typo in their book… I think I’ll call them… you know, just for a laugh. Not that it’s all that important, but what the heck… let’s have some fun with this. I called, as seemed to be the norm back then it took a few phone transfers to get to the correct department, and as each operator put me in touch with the next operator I started to put together a story. When I finally reached the engineering department, I had to play it up… “Can I help you with a diagnostic problem?” he said, sounding all official and all. (Like he had a clue what was going to happen next)… I let him have it with my own version of stupidity. “Yes, I’m following this diagnostic tree and trying to come to the possible results, but I’m having some problems with it. Now, I’m not one to think there’s a problem with the diagnostics but this one, well, I’m a little concerned… it said, very clearly “release ECM”. “Hmm, so what did you do?” he asked. (He’s not getting it.) Let’s see if this guy can follow along with my idiotic logic, or see if I lose him in the translation. “I disconnected the ECM, set it outside the shop, gave it a little pat on its PROM and said to the little aluminum computer box… “YOU’RE FREE! GO-BUDDY-GO, LEAVE, YOU’RE ON YOUR OWN, HIT THE ROAD! YOU’RE RELEASED!!” and you know what… it just sat there. It never moved… now I’m wondering, I followed the diagnostics correctly. The car is still in the shop and it still won’t start. And this dang computer doesn’t want to be released…. Ya got any suggestions? Because the test ended with “release ECM”… there were no more steps in the test so I did what it said… I released it -- what now?” I told him. There was a dead silence on the phone. I’m guessing, this guy doesn’t get the joke, or he’s really thinking that little ECM should have taken its chance and run for the hills before this wack-o mechanic comes up with something else. He cautiously answered, “Can I call you back on this? I’ll have to consult with the engineering department on this one.” Is this guy serious? Really, fella, can you not see this is just a joke? I would have thought most intelligent people would see right through my little story… not this guy, he was dead pan serious. He took down the page number and said he would get back to me later that day. Now I’m waiting for “Mr. Engineer” to get back to me. A few hours later he did call back and informed me that it was a misprint and it really should have said “replace”. “I know,” I said, “I just thought you guys would like a little joke. I thought you’d like to know that there was a mistake in the books, that’s all.” “Thanks for telling us, we all got a pretty good laugh over it,” he answered, “We like to think we have the best books in the industry and we pride ourselves on giving you guys the most precise information possible.” We ended the phone call with both of us laughing about the whole thing. Little did he know, he would get another phone call. A few days later I had another problem to deal with. It was a knock sensor code and the test procedure said; “Take a 4 oz. hammer and tap next to the sensor while observing the scope reading”. You know, I couldn’t leave this alone. After getting this uptight engineer to loosen up on that last phone call, I just had to call him again. “OK, what is it this time?” he asked. “I don’t have a 4 oz. hammer to do this test. You know, you told me you have the most precise information… and I don’t want to deviate from the book without knowing I’m on the right track.” “Ah……., I’ll have to get back to you,” he told me. Seriously? I’ll bet this guy never gets the punch line of a joke. Several hours later he called me back, and said that it wasn’t a misprint this time, and that any small hammer would do. This might be one reason why I never became an engineer. These guys are way too serious for me. Lighten up dudes… geez. “If you find any other mistakes in our books, would you send what you find to us in writing for evaluation. We are working hard to keep these problems from arising… so it would be very helpful if you could do that for us. Thanks for your cooperation,” he said. Do ya get the feeling this guy doesn’t want me to call them anymore… hmmm, I wonder why? Maybe I’ve given them a little more incentive to recheck their work a little more. These days, I haven’t seen as many mistakes. I suppose with spell check and a few careful proof reads it’s less likely to have these kinds of mistakes again. I guess in some respects, it’s a good way of avoiding phone calls from smart ass mechanics like myself. View full article

The BBB is dated for sure. They call every year for me to join, which I never do. In my opinion, the only people who call them are the complainers. In all my years I've never had one person ever come in and tell me they found out about my shop through the BBB. These days the internet, mainly google, is where people check you out. Your website (and YES build one) is your best advertisement. One more thing, occasionally go to google and do a search on your shop by name. Say you specialize in tires, then google for tire shops in your area. Click on your name. The more you google your name the more likely it will be the first shop's name that comes up on the search engine.

Try the conventions. Automechanica was just held in Chicago, there's the Vision convention in Kansas, and several others. Some of the best classes I've ever attended. (Didn't make it to Chicago this year. The next one is in 2017)

Exactly my point. When does the consumer find out about cheap parts and widgets like your BoosterPro? When it doesn't live up to the commercialized expectations ... that's when.

And Now, A Word From Our Sponsors… You’re home, kicking back on the couch watching your favorite TV show when a commercial comes on. It’s one of those ads for some new pill on the market. The announcer asks if you suffer from the aliment they’re describing, and then tells you about this great new medication that will set things straight. Of course, it’s soon followed by all the apparent side effects associated with this new drug. A lot of times, the part about the side effects takes longer to describe than the benefits of this new wonder pill. Eventually, the commercial ends the same way they all do, “Ask your doctor about . . .” Let’s say you’re one of those hypochondriacs and you head to the doctor because you believe you’ve got “it”, whatever “it” is that was described in the commercial. The doctor performs a few tests and maybe a little blood work only to find out there’s nothing wrong with you. But, being the hypochondriac that you are, you demandingly tell your doctor that in fact you are ailing from whatever was described in this TV ad and, you know exactly what new modern pill will fix you right up. The doctor on the other hand, sends your psychotic self on your merry way, washes his hands of the whole thing, and probably refers you to someone in the Sigmund Freud side of the medical biz. (Not before he gives you your bill of course.) Don’t you think your doctor already knows about this new drug? If not, I’m sure it wouldn’t take much for the doctor to do some research and find out all there is to know. And, don’t you think it would be wise to follow the advice of your doctor rather than some announcer on a TV commercial? Sometimes I feel the same way when somebody comes into the lobby and starts explaining to me their perceived failure of their personal car. I give them my advice on the matter, which usually goes in one ear and out the other. I’m just a mechanic you know, and not a highly trained professional. (A little sarcasm there…probably would have done better if I was the announcer.) But, what if automotive commercials were portrayed in the same manner as these new drugs on TV? You know, instead of the trash talking commercials telling consumers how their shops are better than every other type of automotive shop in town, or those parts stores that sell everything from A to Z and offer a life time warranty. Let’s be honest people! Ok, ya gotta a cheaper product, I’ll give you that. But, throw a disclaimer in there with that 60 seconds. Let’s talk about the effects of putting a cheap part on a car. And, seriously… let’s talk about the qualifications of these grease rack nut busters. Rather than telling everyone all the virtues of your warranties and how friendly your counter people are, let’s focus on those side effects from taking the cheaper route. How about informing the public of what happens when you use the wrong viscosity oils and not that all your mechanics can leap tall buildings and swing through trees. (I took a poll… 4 out of 5 mechanics can’t leap tall buildings, nor swing through trees.) It’s no wonder automotive repair ranks up there with the most dreaded and/or distrusting ventures the average consumer wants to be involved with. They hear all this talk about maintenance, maintenance, maintenance, but find out that if they accidentally skipped an oil change once or twice their car hasn’t exploded or fallen apart… (Yet). It’s hard for an unknowing consumer to trust a mechanic when some goof ball announcer is on the TV telling them something entirely different than their mechanic. Inevitably, maintenance is put on hold, or it’s completely forgotten about. When the car does break down (which it will) it generally leads to some heated exchanges about the extensive repair costs and/or the car being traded in for the next maintenance ignored family truckster. My advice to those people who put these automotive commercials together, instead of taking up 60 seconds of air time trying to tell me how much better you are how about informing the consumer of the side effects, tell them about cheap parts, and poor maintenance. And, one more thing, all mechanics and all repair shops are not the same. Unless you’re comparing apples to apples, there are no comparisons to be made. When a shop that specializes in let’s say tires, puts an ad together on late night TV or on the radio saying they are a full service shop, and we (the mechanics who have been in the business for years) know all too well that particular shop doesn’t have the technicians to cover their claim. Where’s the disclaimer there? I suppose that’s freedom of speech, a 1st amendment kind of thing. Maybe so, but the side effects means a trip to a reputable shop to fix it correctly. It wouldn’t be the first time I’ve had to diagnose a car for a shop like I’m describing, or do the actual repair for them. Maybe I’m being a bit of a hypochondriac about the health of the family car. Or maybe I’m just trying to look out for my customers and warn them before they get caught up in all the hype they see or hear. I can’t say all these ads are bad, they’re not. But, with a few bucks you can create your own slick ad campaign, and the actual quality of the parts or shop can be over shadowed by some catchy slogan or song, which gives that false impression of excellence to the consumer. In the end who’s left to deal with the side effects? The consumer of course. It’s “buyer beware” out there. Seems selling cheap parts and bragging about your abilities isn’t a crime, while advertising some new drug and not telling the consumer it can cause heart attacks and hearing loss (in some cases)… is. I guess it’s not important to know those cheap brake pads that the discount lube shop put on are going to fail at 75 mph and quite possibly send you into oncoming traffic. (Your results may vary) Anymore, I just roll my eyeballs when one of these automotive commercials comes on late night television, and I’ll bet a doctor does the same thing when one of those drug ads comes on. But, at least for the doctor’s sake, the manufacturers have to state all the side effects in the commercial. But for the speeding projectile we call the family car… you’re on your own. Those side effects are only noticed after that customer wants to go cheap and not follow their professional’s advice. It’s a soap opera of problems out there… will it ever change? Will those brake pads fail? Can we expect better consumer awareness in the future? What’s next? You’ll have to stay tuned to find out. Now back to your regularly scheduled program. View full article

Just as mikesauto said, " Customers, in general, do not shop on price. They are mainly interested in customer service and continence." That applies to "some" of the customers... not all. But I do agree that most of them are not concerned with price as much as they are for correct repairs and no guesses from some untrained individual. To add to that, I have heard the same from prospective customer as Joe has stated. On the other hand, what I have noticed is a lot of these customers with cars with so many electronic devices in them that they are terrified of some goober screwing it up, or the fact that they are offering 100k (or more) drive train warranties. That seems to be the main reason to go to the dealer. Sure, there's the loaner car, but some indy's offer that. Sure, there's the training...but a lot of indy's stay up with that too. As well as every other comment that keeps them from using the independent shops. Although, for the customers that are coming into the indy shops to do their work they are not afraid to pay for the repairs, of course, that doesn't go for the price shoppers and I'm pretty sure they don't try going to the dealer...ever. Well, they may get a price quote ... but, even then the price they are quoted probably isn't going to cover the actual repair... they're just using that low quote as bait to get them into their dealership. I can't prove it, I'm just comparing some of the reactions I've gotten from customers after I give them a price. The repair business isn't anything like it was years ago... time for some diversification and thinking out of the box to keep the shop open. It's a struggle no matter how big or how small your shop is.

I'm with you. After 30 years of doing this and dealing with customers on this subject I've tried every angle you can think of. Installing parts on a none diag. car never ends well. Giving free diag. with a repair is absolute stupidity. I've tried that, and even after I'm all done with the repair they still want to bargain down the final bill. A good example is someone who says that they'll let you "look" at the car if the diag. is included. You say OK... then you go out and diagnose the car, come back in and tell them that it's going to cost XXX dollars. They tell you they don't have it and want to leave. AND, now they are walking out with your diag. I often will retry some of these ideas just to see if anything has changed, only to find out nothing has changed from ten years ago to today. My advice... get paid for your time, get paid for diag. 90% of my work is diag. Since I mainly am the guy who chases down electrical shorts I can't give my diag. away. It's not like I'm reading a code or pulling a tire off to inspect the rotor. My diag. time is my job. And I sure as hell ain't giving it away. Now I need some more of Joe's blood pressure medication.

My biggest problem is... me. I've been at this so long and have had to deal with the "Does this apply to the repair and so... the diagnostics is free then?" or "I'm not paying somebody just to look at it." for so long that I really don't have the "bed side manner" to keep my big mouth shut anymore. I take great offense to somebody wanting me to do my job for free, and believe me, I've lashed out at some of them after their rude comments about charging for diagnostic time. A standardized fee may not be the answer, but I do agree every shop should charge something for their diagnostic time. Even those fly by night jerks that hang a shingle and call themselves a repair shop. I think a national awareness of the need for diagnostic fees would be a step in the right direction. In the mean time, ya wanna piss me off... ask me to look at your car for free. (pass the blood pressure medicine Joe)

Sorry for the odd color, for some reason the software wouldn't let me change it. As far as this story, I wrote this one several years ago, and not much has changed since. I do mainly electrical system repairs and diagnostics. I'm not known for engine swaps or rebuilding transmissions. Strictly electrical. With that said, it's not the kind of thing that I can give you an estimate on over the phone. I have to "diagnose" the problem in order to find out what it's going to take to make the repairs. After the last few weeks leading up to tax time, I was overwhelmed with penny pinchers who didn't want to pay for any diagnostic time. They wanted me to look at their car... So I would stare out the window and say, "I can see it from here, now if you want me to find out what's wrong with it, that'll cost ya." Needless to say, my sarcastic attitude brought on by decades of this BS usually meant they would storm out the door. As they say, you can't win them all, but I'd sure like to win at least a few..... just sayin.....

Diagnostics fee or Diagnostics free This has been an issue since day one. Should we charge to diagnose the car or should the estimate be free. Let’s define an estimate first. What is an estimate? An estimate is a list of all the parts and labor involved in making a repair. With the possibilities of adding supplements to the original estimate if other work is deemed necessary after the initial work has started. Ok that’s an estimate, or is it…? Let’s try this again. What is an estimate? It’s a guess……. With the chance that I might get it right but more than likely the final bill will be different than what was original “estimated” at. Hmm, the two definitions are different but at the same time mean the same thing… What about the diagnostic side? Ok, how about that… that diagnostic thing. What is a diagnostic? It is the process in which a technician is able to determine the cause or failure of a piece of equipment, vehicle, or appliance. Did ya get that? … One more time … What is a diagnostic? It is the process used to determine the root cause of a given mechanical or electrical problem that has become an issue with a vehicle, appliance or piece of equipment. Sounds the same doesn’t it…. hmm, maybe we are getting to the real issue… MONEY The diagnostics may take some time, may even require a few sophisticated scanners, wiring diagrams, and tools. Time is money as we all know, of course, knowledge, expertise and experience is a commodity that should always be respected no matter what field you are in. A service charge for such “diagnostics” is essential in the continuing financial stability of a shop or for that matter… any service oriented business. Once the diagnostics has been completed an “estimate” can then be given to the customer for their approval. This should also be noted that if a “diagnostics” is preformed and the problem turns out to be “intermittent” or none exciting a fee still applies. The time has already been spent to figure out that there was nothing wrong. That brings up another touchy issue. For some reason the customer feels cheated if you charge for nothing found… now wait a minute, how was it determined that nothing was wrong… ah…the diagnostics lead to that result. Then the problem isn’t the problem anymore, it’s the time spent looking for the problem that is the problem. To ease the customer’s woes you could always give them a time table for future re-evaluations. (30 days is a good round number) Note; It wouldn’t be the first time I have diagnosed a car for a customer only to find out that their complaint is from lack of understanding of their vehicle or dare I say… their just another fruit basket behind the wheel. Now I’m not in favor of a free diagnostics (if you couldn’t tell already) and I’m not too fond of the free estimate. If there is any “man hours” that are part of any job a “man” wants paid. If that “man” is working on a commission basis, I can assure you that he is going to rush through the “estimate” in order to get to the real money end of the job. However a diagnostic is a totally different thing, I don’t think I could have made a living without charging for the time it takes to figure out some of the strange problems I’ve encountered over the years. Some things were easy to diagnose, some took hours. But I believe it’s the standardization of a diagnostic charge that would make things a lot easier for the customers to understand the complexities of today’s problem evaluations. If a tech couldn’t figure out a problem in a reasonable length of time … say an hour… then it’s quite possible the shop is going to be losing money if they kept him on that job. The next best thing would be to move him off that job. Put another tech on who might be able to figure out the problem in a reasonable amount of time. Of course, the shop is already behind the 8 ball, since the first tech didn’t get the job done, but in the long run… it will get done, there will be an estimate for the customer explaining the repairs needed. I don’t know which is more of a problem, the shops out there not willing to charge for estimating… Oops I mean diagnostic time… or the customer who doesn’t feel that it’s a necessary part of the process. Then again, these are not yesterday’s cars. It’s about time there were some standards that everyone in the industry had to go by, be it from the independent side or the dealer side. Regulation or self imposed limits as to how much can be charged across the board for various levels of diagnostics. Not to say diagnosing a bad ball joint is easier than a battery drain, no, not at all. Each field in the industry would have to come up with a balanced set of standards that those involved could agree was a fair price for that type of service. If all the independent shops charge the same fees in a demographic area it would lead to a more even playing field for the customer. Maybe, we should think about using a different term rather than “independent”… we can be independent in ownership, style, quality, etc… but put the customer’s concerns up front. If I wasn’t in the business and didn’t know where to take my car I would really would like to know that I’m getting quality work done at a fair price at any shop I went to. If there was a way to put an end to the “I can get it done cheaper down the street” escapades… my drive home would be a whole lot more pleasant than in the past. . If that didn’t happen it then only comes down to a question of where to have the vehicle repaired at. Everyone has their favorite doctor, dentist, or restaurant. Which is probably based on location, atmosphere, or “ya just like that particular place”. Price is always an issue, and probably always will be. If you’re not getting the job done right at the shop of your choice… choose another one. How many times a day does your phone ring because you have some “price shopper” who is never coming to your shop because your price is higher than the last shop they called… even though they were referred by a friend to call you. Maybe we should focus on better instructional classes, more information, and true manufacturer level scanners available to the independent side of the business. Sometimes too much effort is put on the “Be nice to the customer”, or the preverbal “Customer is always right” routine. The old saying; “If the customer knew what was wrong they would have fixed it themselves” still holds true today. But I’m talking about telling them what’s wrong with the vehicle, not how to fix it. With the advent of the computer age upon us the car has become a rolling updateable, flash reprogramming software jungle of information. The cost of these specialized scanners puts them out of the range of most consumers, and a lot of small shops, which, in some ways, also places the shade tree mechanic on the endangered species list. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard the same line from a customer’s after I have diagnosed a problem. “Well, I could have done that myself, I would have looked there for the problem if I had the time, and I don’t know why you’re charging me for something so simple. You should give a break on the price because it was so simple. “Hey, I’m a regular customer I should be getting a discount.” My usual answer is… “So if you knew what was wrong, why did you bring it to me to figure it out?” And, I’m not sure that other professional people you deal with such as a doctor, dentist, or the grocer…etc… is going to give you a discount just because you shop with them on a regular basis. Common sense, the largest lacking component in all of these situations… In my opinion, once common sense is removed from the conversation “stupid” takes its place. I wonder if I could estimate how many times this has happened… maybe so… but I better think about diagnosing it first… View full article

Ratchet With a Cause At home I tinkered around with hand-me down lawnmower engines which my brother and I turned into go-carts and other two wheeled death machines. As we got older it was car engines and rickety old thrown away car frames that we hobbled together into some sort of demonic fire breathing exhaust snarling farm vehicle. I guess you could say we were a bit rebellious and often got in trouble taking our latest creation down some of the dirt roads in the area. Spewing dirt and gravel at the nearby houses as we swung the machine sideways around the curves. The neighbors would hear us zoom by and usually would be standing by the side of the road waiting for us when we made our return trip. It inevitably meant a good old fashion verbal chew out from the concerned neighbor, and of course the eventual encounter with dad later that day. Ya had to stop for them, because everybody knew everybody and if you didnt stop and apologies youd have hell to pay later. We were just kids horsing around, and I know they were just looking out for us. And, Ive got to admit, looking back on it now, its a wonder some of our contraptions didnt kill us both back then. When I was in my teens there werent any electronics or computers to speak of. The big college down town had one, and on certain occasions we would take a field trip from school to go see it. It was huge, it filled several rooms with these enormous electronic tape to tape machines. I wasnt at all interested in computers; I was much more interested in sports and cars. Besides, you didnt need a computer to work on cars; all ya needed was a manual and a couple of wrenches. Working with tools was a natural thing for me. Its no wonder Im a professional mechanic these days. However, the road from slapping a couple of rusty parts onto an old dilapidated engine and welding some old broken frame back together is a long way from calling yourself a mechanic. A real mechanic that is. Starting out like I did was no picnic either. My first real exposure to mechanics was at our small towns garage. It still had a dirt floor and only one lift but it was a great little place to learn a few things. I was more or less the shops walking grease gun. Anything that involved cleaning gunked up parts, or an engine that needed degreased, or greasy junked parts that needed to be carried off, I was the go to grease monkey. My first actual mechanic job that I was given was hand packing wheel bearings. (More grease of course.) This old timer that had been there probably since the days of the horse and buggies called me over to his work bay. The first thing he did was hand me the grease bucket, (which I was very familiar with) and then told me to take a big scoop of it in one hand. Then he reached out and plopped a new bearing into that glob of grease. He cursed out, Now, squeeze the f&%()7 life out of her! Squish went the grease. I squeezed so hard that it oozed out between my fingers and landed on the floor. (Ill get that later.) He had me drop the bearing into the bearing race that was already in the drum and I ran off to find a rag to wipe off my hands. (Nobody used rubber gloves back then, and to make things worse the type of grease they used stunk to high heaven too.) I didnt get far before he hollered more profanities at me and told me to get back over there. I was still trying to wipe this goo off when he reached out with another bearing. Get some more of the blankity blank grease in your hand there sonny! He was a very knowledge mechanic but he had some weird ways of telling you things that were important, such as, You use the right tools for the right job. You gotta use the tool the right way. Screw drivers aint pry bars. You use a ratchet with a cause. I think he meant to say was that when you used a tool it had a purpose and the purpose was to use the tool correctly. Never forgot that to this day. Every time I had a chance Id lean over the hood and watch what he was doing. He was eager to show me a thing or two, and I was eager to learn. Generators were still very common on the road in those days, and he taught me how to use a growler and how to adjust the voltage regulators along with a whole lot of other useful tips. I learned a lot from him, and I still use a lot of his quirky sayings of wisdom in understanding things in todays cars too. The old guy took his job serious, and he definitely made me aware of what it took to become a good mechanic. He eventually retired after 40 + years as a mechanic. Great guy, great teacher. Thats the thing about this field, my career that is. Theres more to it than the cars. Its something that gets in ya, its something that inspires you to deal with all the changes, the new procedures, and of course those computers that I didnt want anything to do with back then. Im not sure whether its the problem solving side of this job or the mechanical side of it that is more intriguing to me. Maybe its both. Maybe its the people you meet, the things you encounter, or a combination of all of it. Even after three decades of repairing cars and solving problems I still dont get tired of it. One of these days Ill retire too, Ill program my last PCM and change my last water pump knowing its my time to put my ratchets away. Ya cant do it forever you know, and when I do Ill probably lock my tool box up and look back at it all with a smile. But, Im sure even then somebody will come to the door wanting me to work on their car, maybe even to pack some wheel bearings for them. Ill probably get a bucket of grease and tell them to reach in and pull a big glob of that stuff out while I toss a fresh bearing in their hand, and Ill probably retell the story of how I learned to pack them. And, just for good measure I might as well tell them why theres such a thing as a ratchet with a cause. View full article

Nice article. Great advice too!

Thanx Joe.

Got Talent? There’s something to be said about having the skills needed to be a modern day mechanic. A true mechanic and not some guy just turning wrenches in a bone yard or playing around in his home garage. The skill of a talented mechanic is something that is accumulated over years of bending over a hood, but it also can be taught by a skilled teacher at a tech school, too. However, all the years of experience and all the training in the world can make you a pretty good mechanic, but you need one other thing, and that’s talent. Red Skelton once said to his young protégé, “Talent is something you’re born with. Even if you are standing behind a brick wall, your talent will come through.” That protégé was none other than Johnny Carson, the King of late night television for 30 years. The same thing applies to the art of being a proficient, modern mechanic. Just like in any other field you can go into, you have to be able to take the knowledge you’ve inhaled from school or OJT and be able to apply it to the work you’re doing. Some very talented people work in this field, and it’s not hard to tell who they are. Repair shops all over the country are looking for mechanics, and there seems to be a never ending shortage of them, but what those employers are really looking for is talent. Talent, isn’t necessarily something that can be taught, it’s something that comes natural. You can gain the talent if you don’t already have it, but it may take quite some time to develop those skills. Advanced classes help, OJT helps, and a whole lot of afterhours dedication doesn’t hurt either. As the old saying goes, “A good mechanic is never out of work.” Very true, however that old saying should actually be stated as, “A talented mechanic is never out of work.” Everyone has some sort of talent, some sort of skill that separates them from the pack. For some, it’s an odd ball skill that gets them “15 minutes” of fame on the local news, while others have something they can turn into a career. Singing, for example has always been considered a “talent”, that’s a fair assessment of a trained singer’s abilities. But I think singing is more of a gift and ability combined. Most people who can carry a tune are either born with it or find out in later life they have the talent for it. I’m not sure I’ve ever heard of somebody suddenly developing that perfect soprano voice by accident. Even though I can’t sing a note, I still blare out my favorite song in the shower, but I know I don’t have the talent for it. If you’ve got what it takes to become a singer and you’re going to go to a prestigious school to develop those skills, chances are you’ve already got the singing voice. It’s not like you’re going to “learn” how to begin to sing when you’re there, you already can. The school just brings out the qualities of your talent. As for me, it would be a waste of time, it’s not my talent. For the mechanic, there’s no doubt a natural ability is something a lot of talented mechanics carry with them, and their abilities are only enhanced with continual schooling. But, there are a lot of guys and gals who love cars and things mechanical and want to work in the field as a mechanic, but lack the ability to actually perform the job. This is so evident with a lot of weekend wrenchers who attempt to repair their own cars at home. It could be from a lack of a few basic skills, or a lack of mechanical abilities… or it could be they don’t have the talent for it either. I hear it all the time from people who come into the shop to have their car repaired after they’ve spent countless hours swapping parts and pondering over a repair manual. They all say the same thing, “I do all of my own work.” Well, I seriously doubt they could actually do “all” their own work. More likely they’ve managed to change a few spark plugs or something. I’ve been at this trade for several decades and I can assure you I can’t do it all, and I don’t see how some weekend nut spinner with zero training in today’s cars could possibly be able to do it all either. Sure, if you are one of those people who have two left feet, I’m sure in time you could learn to dance, and if you’re one of those people who can’t remember, “Righty tighty – lefty loosey” you can acquire the needed skills to become a top notch mechanic, too. But, there’s something to be said when a person finds the trade or skill they have their own natural ability in and their talent shines through. Ask most any tech college teacher and they’ll tell you the same thing, “Not all the students in here will make it to graduation.” Nothing to be ashamed of, it’s just that “talent” part of it is exposed in the early stages of becoming a full-fledged mechanic. You either got it, or ya gotta learn it, or you may never get it. Then again, it might a good thing you found out early that this trade isn’t cut out for you, and looking into a different career might be your best options. Even though this trade still has a lot of heavy lifting, lots of grease and grime, and way too many scrapes and bruises to count it’s also one that the fair sex is taking notice. There’s some real talent in a lot of the gals I know in the trade. I find it rather amusing that nearly all the gals I personally know who are mechanics don’t have a problem asking for help when they get stuck on a problem or need a bit of extra muscle. But, the guys, well… I guess there’s a bit of that machoism about it that makes a few of them a little less likely to ask for help. I’m positive that in the future even more women will be in the trade, and I think that’s a step in the right direction to bring more respect to this trade as well. If you’ve been in the trade for some time, male or female I’m sure you can spot a talented mechanic when you’ve talked to them for a bit, and I’m sure you can also spot some socket jockey trying to impress you with their past conquests rather than actual talent. I know I can. I always refer back to the old saying, “It don’t take me long to look at a horseshoe.” It is a trade that needs more talented people in it. The cars are getting more and more complicated, and merely changing a couple of parts doesn’t make you a mechanic any more than me a singer because I sing a cappella style in the shower. The question is… got talent? View full article

Now that's the way to answer them. LIKE! ! !

What I find even more of a pain in the arse, is when they try to sound like they have all the knowledge in the world about their problem, but can't seem to figure out the cause. Just the other day I had a guy in with a Dodge van that had the O2 sensor connector laying against the exhaust manifold (I found it... he didn't) this guy changed out the coil, the plugs, the fuel pump...etc..... but couldn't find out why the main fuse was blowing. It was the wires to the sensor. They were so bad that the only way I got it started was to cut the leads off. I gave him an estimate on repairing it and his answer, "I'm just going to change the harness." What a dweeb......