Gonzo

Never a day goes by without a phone call like this story.

Thanks for your comments, it really is hard to live up to the respect and admiration our pets see in all of us. A big thank you to YOU and your pets as well.

How many times has this happened to you?

http://brakeandfrontend.com/Article/73575/the_bruising_brake_job.aspx

You Can Lead a Horse to Water… As technician I work on symptoms of a problem, diagnosing said problem, and then make the appropriate repairs. It's hard to justify going out into the service bay and installing parts that a customer swears up and down is the cure to their aliments. The point being, I haven't diagnosed it. I haven't verified the complaint, nor determined if the part in question is at fault. It happens all the time, a customer will read something on a forum, talk to their friends, or perhaps they've gone to one of those parts stores that will code your car for you. You know the parts stores I'm talking about, the ones that carry every part from A to Z, the DIY'rs first stop when it comes to any kind of repair. I really think it's not wise to give partial answers to unsuspecting customers who will only take those "codes" and assume that a particular part is the problem, because it was mentioned in the description of the code. Which leads to the eventual problem at the service counter. Here comes "Mr. Customer", armed with that tidbit of information which he has committed to memory. Now he's trying to lead me down that path where he thinks I'll just be so happy to oblige……not unlike the proverbial horse being lead to water. The usual scenario starts off with my asking, "What can I do for you today?" "I need my GEM module replaced, how soon can you do it, and what will it cost?" the customer will ask. "Well sir, I could give you prices, but I'd like to know how you arrived at this conclusion, before we just start stacking parts on top of a problem," I told him, "How about we begin with what doesn't work in the car, instead of what part we assume needs changed." "My wipers don't work, my power windows don't work, and my radio doesn't work. It blew the fuse once," the customer tells me, "the fuse is marked GEM, so I know that's the problem." I wouldn't dream of going to my doctor and telling him, "Put me in a new kidney." A smarter approach would be to tell the doctor the symptoms I'm having, rather than tell him what I think needs to be done. "I have a battery drain also, and I know it's not the battery or the alternator," the customer goes on to tell me. "There you go again sir; you're leading the symptom with a result before it's even tested. How about we just start with "It blows the GEM fuse, and I have a battery drain." Once I had the vehicle in the service bay, I did some checking on all the systems he had mentioned. The wipers, radio, and windows all worked perfectly no… blown fuses, no "GEM" problem noted. Although there are a few things I will check when someone comes in mentioning something to do with the GEM module, and that's check for water damage on or near the fuse box. Luckily for this guy... it was dry, and no signs of any water or mineral stains on it. The next step was to check for any parasitic draws... none. OK then, might as well check the two things he said it wasn't. Hmm, the battery didn't pass load testing, and the alternator has a rather low output. Well, well, well... seems a little diagnostic work really did pay off this time. No surprise to me, but it sure was to him. Arm chair diagnostics hardly ever amount to much. This was no exception. I did explain to him how everything requires proper testing to determine the cause and cure for a problem. Even though I couldn't rule out the GEM module as the problem, he did get the idea that a number of other factors could cause the fuse to blow. "I'll keep an eye on it," he told me. Some people think they are actually helping the technician by telling them which part needs replaced. On the contrary, that's completely the opposite. I always picture a horse with blinders on when a customer tells me the exact component they want replaced. I need to see the whole picture, and not just what they think it is. Most of the time the true answer isn't as clear as changing a component, but a lot of these "helpful code reading parts stores" tend to inform their customer that it's just that... "Change this part, and you'll be as good as new," the A to Z parts store guy will tell them. Then what does the customer tell me when they get to my shop? "Change this part; it'll be as good as new. I've been told that already by my mechanic." Seriously people, ya need to rethink this a bit more. Codes don't fix cars... technicians fix cars; they just use the codes as the road map to solve the problems. An example of reading codes and coming up with the wrong answer happened a few days later. This time from a guy who insisted that his 95 Dodge computer is locked up. "Locked up, what do you mean by that?" I asked. "My mechanic said it's in "auto shut down", so I need to know how much you'll charge to put another one in?" the caller tells me. I'm not sure who is leading who here. Is this guy's mechanic leading him into believing something is wrong with his PCM, or is the customer leading me into changing a part based on some nitwit's evaluation? (Probably both) I'm well aware of how the ASD relay works with the PCM on these Dodges, and I'll bet this is what he's referring to as far as "locked up", but I could be wrong. Of course diagnosing and testing is the answer here. "My mechanic said it's either a timing chain or the computer that's bad," the caller goes on to say. "Sir, my best advice to you is to remove your car from there... if your mechanic can't tell the difference between a timing chain problem and a PCM, you've got a more serious issue than your car's problem." Needless to say, even mechanics can fall victim to the horse with blinders routine. Sometimes it's harder to ignore the advice of others, even when you know you should. People with the best intentions can have the wrong answer to an automotive problem, and they'll do everything they can think of to lead the technician down their path of poor choices. Every tech I've ever met has had this happen to them a time or two. Past experience does pay off and makes you a little more cautious when dealing with similar issues. Just like the horse… you can lead it to water… but you may not get the results you're expecting. Keeping the customer aware who's the repairman in these cases is sometimes harder than it needs to be. Some people want to use the mechanic as their personnal parts changer and not as a technician. However, when the consumers "idea" of the repair doesn't work... guess who they'll blame for their failed diagnosis... you guessed it... you... the mechanic. View full article

Don't get me started.... LOL... do I have stories to tell... LOL

Definetly A --- "C" mechanic I've got one from an old regular customer. He bought a 01 Honda Rebel motorcycle and wanted to know if I could put a head on it. I said sure, why not... always can use a back burner job. The bike arrived at the shop in 4 milk crates and the frame. OMG... I can't even tell which bolts, nuts, washers, etc... goes! Talk about a mess!

The A-B-C's of Auto Mechanics Turn the pages of most automotive labor guides, and you'll see not only the "guestimated" time for a certain job, but also the level of skill required to perform that certain repair. I've always wondered who wrote those skill levels and determined what type of technician should be able to handle a particular repair. What would be the outcome if a higher skilled technician did the same job, and how do you determine a technician's skill level in the first place? I completely agree that a first year tech won't have the same skills as a seasoned veteran. But what about all those people who use the word "mechanic" in such a loose term to explain what they do for a living? Lately I've been taking a completely different view of how I interpret those skill levels. I was thinking, maybe those levels need a more descriptive way of explaining what these skills actually are. Maybe I could enlighten the writers of those labor guides as to what I think they mean, and how it relates to the real world where you find those technicians who are really doing the work. Not in some environment where people are watching the techs every move with a stop watch. Let's start with my descriptions of each of the skill levels. A - "A" mechanic - is truly "A" technician/mechanic. Someone who has the ability to diagnose, repair and complete a project without any assistance. An "A" mechanic will have years of experience and keeps up with the advanced training needed to do his/her job correctly. B - "B" mechanic - This is a tech who is trying to achieve the status of an "A" mechanic. I sometimes refer to them as "wanna B" mechanics. Most "B" mechanics have past tinkering experience, and have turned a few bolts in their day. Obviously, training is a big part of their future. These types of techs need to learn not only how to be a good tech, but how to walk, talk, and perform the required repairs like an "A" mechanic. (However, some techs stay at this level their entire career) C - "C" mechanic - The worst kind. These are the most prolific type of technician out there. Most of these technicians can only repair things they can actually see. Thus... a "C" mechanic. They won't understand what they're doing, and have no desire to learn or advance up the ladder….. just make a paycheck and go home. I'm afraid to say, these are the type of "mechanics" that give the rest of the automotive world a bad name. A perfect example of a "C" mechanic happened just the other day. A lady brought a car in because the coolant fans weren't working. She had it at another shop prior to coming to me, and they noticed the coolant fan had melted the connector and the fan motor housing. Before even consulting with her they removed the melted parts, and took them up to the lobby where the lady was waiting. They proceeded to give her the hard sell, and told her that the car was unsafe to drive. As she pointed out to me, "What choice did I have? They already had it torn apart, even though I didn't ask them to. I didn't know what else to do, I was stuck there. Since they showed me the parts, I assumed they knew what they were doing." So, how did her car end up at my shop? If you couldn't guess by now... the fans still weren't working. I proceeded to do some diagnostic work, and determined the problem. The first thing I noticed was that all the clips, fasteners, and wire tie downs were either completely missing or never put back into place, which left all the wiring and other various parts dangling behind the fan housing and very close to the exhaust manifold. As I looked into it a bit further I found they never plugged in one of the two fans. I checked the connector they had installed (from a salvage yard) and found that two of the four wires were installed backwards. Not that big of a deal, it would only have made one fan run on low speed while the other was on high. Easy fix, so far. After plugging everything in, I used the scanner to cycle the fans on. That's when I found the fan they left unplugged was bent and twisted. The motor was rubbing against the fan shroud, and even after freeing up the motor it wasn't hard to tell the motor itself was burnt from not being able to turn freely. (Nice install job guys…) After giving the customer the bad news, she called the other shop. It wasn't long before I got the call from them. The mechanic started to tell me the condition of the original fan motor, I quickly shut him down, (which he said was rather rude of me... because he was just trying to tell me how he found it.) I didn't care how he found it... I wanted to know... what YOU did to it. Because right now, I've got to undo whatever it is that you've done in order to properly repair it. The problem you had with it isn't the problem I'm having with it; it's more of a problem you probably created from installing it. This guy was definitely a "C" mechanic. He saw a problem and naturally assumed he could fix it. But while explaining things to me I realized this guy was trying to step up a notch on the automotive technician evolution ladder. He's worked his way to a low end "wanna B" mechanic. Now he's trying to explain the problem to me, but not in any terms that would make sense to any well trained mechanic. It was like talking to a complete novice about a car problem. He knew nothing about how to diagnose the problem just how to change the parts. "I saw smoke come out of the motor, so there's something wrong," this novice parts changing "mechanic" told me. What's worse, he left the customer paying for all these issues. He should have sent it over himself, and not made the customer assume the responsibility. The customer has already spent time and money to have the car repaired, but it's not fixed yet. I realize as a customer it's hard to find someone with an "A" mechanic skill level. I know as a shop owner/technician I run across a lot of "wanna B" mechanics, and see even more "C" mechanics in and out of the trade. Attending advanced classes, lectures, conventions, and being certified is some of the ways to keep up with the new technology. But those labor guides don't cover all that information. You're left to figure out if it's an A, B or C mechanic at the other end of the wrench. So you C, to B an "A" mechanic you need a variety of expertise. Some you'll gain over years of experience, others you'll pick up from other good techs or schools. It really does take some skills… just because you can hang a few parts on a car doesn't make you … … … "A" mechanic. I've never been one to take it lightly when I run across a person who calls themselves a mechanic after they've screwed up a customers car. I'm not so pissed at the customer, because they're just trying to save a few bucks on car repair and really don't have a clue what a good tech would do to make the repairs. These "C" mechanics out there should stick to working on their own heaps rather than on the general publics cars. View full article

Happy Fathers Day!

This story still makes me laugh....

Passing the Torch In walk two young lads. They were told by a shop just around the corner to come see me about their 2001 Honda Accord. It had a very typical problem I run across all the time. "I've got no park lights, nor dash lights," the young lad says. His buddy quietly stood next to him without much to say. I knew exactly what these two had done. "So, when did you put in the radio?" I asked. Now, the tag along buddy comes up to the counter with a smug grin on his face, folding his arms across his chest, stares dead at his buddy and says, "He knows." The young driver did a double take, as if he had just been caught cheating in a high school exam. He couldn't imagine how I knew he had recently installed a radio in the car just by telling me there were no park lights. Then his giggling buddy said, "Yeah, he put it in over the weekend." "No, no… The dash lights worked after I put the radio in, honest," said the driver, trying to sound as confident as possible. "I'll bet you put the radio in during the day." I said. "Yeah, so?" "Your lights are not on during the day. How could you have known if they were working?" I said. "Ok boys, I'll give you an option," I said with my "Father Knows Best" voice, "If you'll go pull the radio out, and then change the fuse, I'll bet your park lights will come back on. Otherwise, I'll have to charge you for my time to do it. Which is it going to be?" "We didn't try taking the radio back out," the buddy tells the young driver. "It's not the radio, I know it's not," the driver says. "Ok, then its settled," I said, "I'll need the keys. You boys can wait in the lobby. I'll be right back." The two young lads sat down in the waiting room, while I made my way to the parking lot to pull the car into the service bay. When I opened the driver's door I was in for the surprise of a lifetime. The instrument cluster was lying on the back of the steering wheel. All the side panels, kick panels, door threshold trim, and windshield trims were either removed or dangling by a few wires or clips. The carpet was pulled back and tucked under the seats exposing the floor. The trim around the steering wheel was gone, and all the wire harness tape and conduit was strewn throughout the car. They even managed to take out the glove box, ash tray, and part of the center console. How they managed to drive it over to the shop is a miracle. That's probably why the buddy had to come along… somebody had to hold the headliner up. Hard to imagine the lights were the ONLY thing not working in this car now…. Unbelievable. Once I managed to get the stuff moved from behind the driver's seat, I could then move it back far enough for me to get in. When I started the car up the radio was at full blast on a head banger rock station. With the array of aftermarket radios available, trying to find the volume button on these things can be a project of its own. The amazing part was not that all the trim was strewn throughout the car, but the fact that the radio was the only thing in its correct place. After I successfully turned the volume down I tried the parklights. I already had the wiring diagram and the fuse box layout in hand, now all I needed to do was find the fuse. It was definitely blown, and rather than waste a fuse I decided to forgo any further diagnostics and just go straight to the radio. At least they didn't have it screwed in place yet. All I had to do was lift it out of the slot and disconnect it. With a new fuse installed I flipped on the light switch. TA DA! Parklights! This took all of 5 minutes. Here I am sitting in this torn apart car with all these switches and components dangling in front of me wondering if I should go into the lobby now, or wait so they think it really, really was hard for me to find. I didn't have the heart to do that to the poor kid. He's about the same age as my teenage son, and I thought I should help him out. Since I had the factory prints in front of me I located the two leads for the factory radio illumination. (Red/black – voltage lead from switch and Red – ground lead controlled from the dash dimmer) I went ahead and clipped those two wires off of his make shift radio connector. I pulled it back up front. The two boys rushed out of the waiting room as soon as they saw the car come around the corner. The giggling buddy said, "It was the radio wasn't it?" "Yep, I'm afraid so… you'll have to go home and find the schematic to your radio, and follow it a little more carefully this time. I've disconnected the radio so you won't have any of your tunes until you get home." The young driver was pretty put out over the whole thing. He had to call his dad and explain everything, and like always… … … I end up explaining the whole thing again to the dad on the boy's cell phone. Dad insisted that his son pay for my time. (Even though it only took me a few minutes) Then the dad told me something that I thought was quite appropriate for the situation. It seems that when old dad put a radio in his first car he did exactly the same thing. As any father would do, he tried to warn his son but as boys will be boys, they'll do just the opposite of what dad says to do. The boy's father went on to tell me how his father made him take his first car to the shop and have it repaired, AND pay for the repair himself! This whole episode felt like I was witnessing the quintessential passing of the torch from one generation to the next. After settling up the bill I watched the two boys back out of the parking lot. As he drove off the young driver seemed to have a better understanding of the world around him, and I think he just found out that old dad was right all along. His giggling buddy was in the passenger seat (holding up the headliner), and still had that grin on his face. I still get a chuckle every time I think of his buddy standing there with that grin on his face, giggling… while he turns to look at him and says, "He knows." What an afternoon, something you don't see every day. An automotive lesson passed down from one generation to the next and this time… I got to be a part of it. Thanks for reading, and I enjoy reading your comments. The more comments the more I push those stories towards my editors (at least I try to) thanx again ... Gonzo View full article

agree

You said it Joe... bashing another shop isn't the answer. Answering the customers questions with intelligent answers is. Let the other shop make the mistakes.... you just try to keep from making those same mistakes. Thanks for the comments... glad ya liked the article. I was looking for different "typical" situations I've run across pertaining to dealership repair shops. The first lady... she had a chip on her shoulder the minute she walked in the door. My guess is she didn't care too much for her brother in law and wanted to prove he was an idiot. So, anyone he recomended must be an idiot too. Like I said, everybody has there reasons for the choices they make. Live and learn I guess.

Take it to the Dealer Everyone has a reason why they use a dealer repair shop vs. an independent shop… These are a few of those reasons I've run into over my decades of independent service work: Customers come in a wide range of styles. There are my regular customers, occasional customers, price shoppers, referrals, and friends of the family. Some don't bother to tell the me how they happened to be at the shop; maybe they've read an advertisement, saw a billboard somewhere, or they've checked out one of those websites that evaluate businesses by way of customer responses. Perhaps they've heard of the shop through the grapevine, or they might have just driven by to check it out. But I've never heard of anyone refer to themselves as a "dealer customer". It could be there are some differences between what people think of the various different types of repair shops, or what they are used to dealing with. Whatever the case may be, once they are at your front counter you want to try and make them a customer of your own. Then again, do you really want to take on every job that comes in the door? I certainly don't. There's times someone will bring in something that I'm not qualified to work on, or it's something that is so far gone it can't be taken care of without an exorbitant amount of cash to repair it. Then there are those proverbial "basket cases", oh yea... actual "basket cases" dragged in to the service bays. (And "YES" they do come in baskets, crates, and/or boxes. All the nuts, bolts, electrical parts, and components scattered in hap-hazard piles of the owner's greatest intentions gone wrong.) Of course, there are the strange or unusual customer responses that keep you on your toes. I sometimes stand behind the counter wondering what in the world these people are thinking... how am I going to get through the usual monologue in the front office and still have enough sanity left to repair the car? Some of these requests and explanations are just too bizarre to be real. "Hi, I'm here because of my brother-in-law sent me," (I'm thinking to myself... alright! this is a good start), he said you could fix my car," the new arrival to the shop tells me. "What seems to be the problem?" I'll ask. "He changed the "autovalve" and he said you would know what to do about it." "I'm afraid I don't know what an "autovalve" is. (So much for a good start...) Could you describe what's wrong with the car, and then maybe I can sort out what part you're actually talking about." "Apparently you're not as good as my brother-in-law said you were. You should know what one is. Obviously you don't know how to fix my car then... I'm taking it to the dealer," the now aggravated customer tells me, "Oh, and don't worry I'll tell my brother-in-law about this." You know, there are times I don't want to even ask another question, or want to take the time to get to the bottom of some of these wacky explanations. I'd rather see this kind of problem just vanish with the goofy owner and their explanations. If they think they need something done to their autovalve I'm more than happy to let the dealer take care of it. Off you go to the dealer little lady... they'll love to talk to you, and I'm sure they have plenty of autovalves over there. At times, I pity the poor service writers at the dealerships. Because as it seems to be in these cases, the dealership is primarily the last stop in this long line of relatives with wrenches, repair facilities, and parts store geniuses trying to help out the customer. The service writer really doesn't have much choice but to deal with them. Let's face it...... they are the "deal-ership" The phone rings again, the caller tells me, "Well, I don't know if you can do this kind of work or not. I probably ought to just take it to the dealership." "What seems to be the problem, sir?" "It's my electric window, I think it's the switch because my window is stuck halfway down. Probably bent a bracket you know." (Self-inflicted-diagnostics … I can tell...) "Sir, any decent independent shop can handle anything the dealerships can do. A window problem is no big deal. I take it you were referred here?" "Yes, a couple of my friends told me about you." (Apparently, his friends neglected to tell him that we actually make the repairs too. I suppose he thinks his neighbors just come by the shop and chat about car repair.) I find it rather confusing when a customer calls and tells me their car is at the dealership. They'll tell me that the problem has already been diagnosed, and then tell me that all their friends recommended that they take their car to my shop for repair... but, instead they are sitting in a service bay at the dealership. After the usual phone introductions they'll soon get to the real reason for their phone call: "They want $947.53 cents to fix my car... do you think that's too high?" I guess at this point, I'm supposed to justify the cost or give them some outrageously lower price. I really don't know how I can do that, when I haven't even seen the car yet, or even what problems they're having with it! "You're there already ma'am. If they have done their job correctly, and diagnosed the car properly then the price is their price." "They want a diagnostic charge if I take it out of their shop right now." "Ma'am, you'll pay another diagnostic charge at the next shop, so I would advise you … since you're there... let them take care of the problem as they see fit. Unless you feel uncomfortable with their results or diagnosis, I would suggest you let them take care of it." "I didn't know where else to take it... but when I talked to my neighbors they told me about your shop," the caller said. How about asking around first? You might even learn a little something about your neighbors; hey they're probably quite friendly; maybe you'll actually learn all of their kid's names, too. So what's the problem between the independent and dealer repair shops? It could be from previous dealings in the past, and the customer didn't like the results. It could be size of the shop or the location... the real reasons are hard to pin down. I'm not knocking the quality of work performed at a dealer repair shop, no... quite the opposite. I would say I've also seen an increase in the quality of the independent shops in my area as well. There's fewer wrench slinging grease monkeys out there than in years past. It really takes a different type of "mechanic" than it did even ten or twenty years ago, and that's not just for the independent shops... that goes for the dealer technicians as well. Locate a shop you like, find a technician who you feel comfortable with. If your search ends up with that individual at an independent shop… that's fantastic! If you can't find the service you're happy with anywhere except at the dealership… well then, there's only one thing to do… take it to the dealer. People have a lot of reasons for making the choices they do. Sometimes it doesn't matter what you tell them... they've already made up their mind. We all learn from our own mistakes... customers are no different. thanks for reading my articles... keep those comments coming. Gonzo View full article

This works in both directions too. I've had customers sitting in the lobby who spend their time talking about the shop or me. Once you've explained to the customer the cost and the labor... believe me... they'll go back and discuss the whole thing amongst each other. Actually, a loyal "been around the block" customer that has used you for years is an asset in the lobby. Works everytime.

I'm more than half way to crazy... and yes... it doesn't matter what area of the country your from... those snake oil salesman are there.

“Snake Oil” When the phone rings, or you check your email, or perhaps you run out and check the mail, sooner or later you’ll run across somebody trying to sell you the next best thing since sliced bread. A recent email sales pitch went like this: “If you’re like Donald Trump and myself, and you’re fed up with these ridiculous gas prices, do I have something for you! I’m sure you would agree that if there was an opportunity to help people save money on gas, it would be a goldmine! There is a patented and proven technology saving people money on gas that huge companies have been using for years. Just recently, it was released to the general public, and there is a HUGE opportunity for the right individuals. What if the company paid you a HUGE 25% UNCAPPED COMMISSION on all your commercial sales INCLUDING ON RE-ORDERS? Our company grew by 487% in 2011. Our customer retention rates are the highest in the industry at 85%, because people realize if they stop using our product... They stop saving money! We are searching for serious entrepreneurs, visionaries, business professionals, and motivated individuals who recognize a legitimate ground floor opportunity when it is presented and are ready to take immediate action. For these individuals the compensation can be huge! You could be the next millionaire! Seriously, in today’s economy your company grew that much? Please… don’t make me laugh. As a matter of fact, the guy never even mentioned what their product was, and if it’s “that” great why hasn’t it been done already? I just don’t get it. How about you tell me what the product is and how it will save my customers money, before you start spouting off how much I’m going to make. Sorry not interested. As a shop owner I get calls and emails like this all the time. On those slow days at the shop is when I love them the best. I have the time to have some fun with these fly-by-night outfits, and I just can’t leave them alone, I have to mess with their heads. A typical phone call is ironically about the phone. They’ll tell me they can save me a ton of cash if I switch to their services. “Well, how much are your line charges,” I’ll ask. “How much are you paying now?” they’ll ask. “Now why is it so important for you to know what I’m paying now? If you can save me money then why can’t you just tell me what you charge per line, and then I’ll tell you whether or not you’re really going to save me money?” “We’ve got the cheapest rates around.” “How cheap then?” I ask again. The phone calls end up the same way every time. Me, laughing my butt off and the caller frustrated that he can’t convince me he has the best deal. Credit card processing service companies, shop equipment, rental uniforms, cleaning services, on line advertisers… the list goes on and on of the different sales calls I get. You know, some of them might be legit, but honestly… they need to work on their sales approach. I’m not the type to buy the idea that everything is cheaper just because “you” said it is. Several years ago (long before we had real scanners to diagnose cars) I had one guy who just wouldn’t take no for an answer. He kept telling me he had the best diagnostic tool ever made for a shop like mine. I finally allowed him to give me a demonstration of his so called “wonder tool”. I had a car in the shop that I already diagnosed as a faulty ignition module, and thought I would give this salesman a chance to prove if his magical diagnostic machine could find the actual problem faster than I could. He showed up with his gadget, and I showed him his test subject. He had it hooked up in no time and gave the key a turn. The salesman pushed a few buttons, adjusted a few of his connections and then tried it again. All this time he’s telling me all about the wonders of his great tool and the advantages of his machine. “Ah, dude… let’s see some results,” I said rather sternly. He then made a few phone calls, (apparently to the home office), made a few corrections to his machine, and then tried the key again. This time his little machine started to print something out. The little print out looked pretty impressive. It had my company name on the top of the page, address, phone number and even my name as the technician. A few lines stated the year and make of the car, the motor size and type of transmission. Then, the answer to all of this diagnostic mumbo-jumbo… “You have an electrical problem.” Yep, that was it, the answer this super deluxe never seen before and better than anything else in the marketplace diagnostic wonder tool could only tell me… “This vehicle is experiencing an electrical problem.” I just stood there with my arms folded over my chest and shook my head. “Fella, that is without a doubt the biggest piece of garbage I’ve ever seen,” I told him. “You wanted to know a quick answer to what was wrong with it, and it did just that… ain’t it great!” “I already had this car diagnosed before you got here, and I know what the actual “electrical” problem is… your little machine didn’t do a anything but waste my time.” With that he packed his things up and headed down the road. Looks like another snake oil salesman has left the building. I can’t blame them for trying, and I would say, if you’re not on your toes I’m sure anyone could be taken by some of these quacks. You know some of these guys have the gift of gab and could sell just about anything to any gullible person out there. Just watch some of those late night infomercials and you’ll see what I mean. I guess it takes all kinds. Me, I’m more of a skeptic, and I prefer to see facts and figures, not hype and hearsay. After being in the repair business for so many years … action speaks louder than words. Do what you say you are going to do… and don’t try to impress me (or your customer) with some grand dream of utopia. You know, if it sounds too good to be true… well, chances are it is. Everybody has a special niche in life, something they are good at and something that they’ll make a living doing… I just hope it’s not selling snake oil… we already have enough of those around. Just another day at the shop... If it's not the customers, the suppliers, the parts, or the help... there's always the salesman to make your day go haywire. Leave a comment, I take great pleasure in reading your comments. Always appreciated. Gonz View full article

Thanks Joe, it was the best thing, I know.

Final Update on Gizmo... (the reason for this article) He had a vet visit today to see if the bones were healing... one leg had about 10% movement and the other had a "zero" healing effort. The vets best option was to put him down. So as sad as it sounds we had to put him down today. He would have been in pain the rest of his life and in a wheeled fixture to get around if we didn't do it. It was the best thing for him.