Gonzo

The radio systems they used in WWII were still on the training schedule when I was in the service (late 70's). Cryptographic radios pretty much put the code talkers out of business, the next thing is... what technilogical advancement puts the "code reader" of today out of business.

Good ones Gary... I'll put them in my next story...

Thanks Gary... semper fi... you'll find a lot of stories related to my GI days. Makes some great stories.

I'd like to say also the industry is lucky to have someone like you Joe... ASO is something you should be really proud of. I'm very glad to have made that phone call to you so many years ago... I'll bet ya never thought (at the time) that I wasn't kidding when I told you I had a few stories to tell... LOL Don't worry I've got more stories and more articles to go.. I'm no rocket scientist... I'm no CEO ... I may not be as strong as a bull... ... ... but I did stay at a Holiday Inn once... I guess that means I'm qualified... ROFL... :)

thanks Joe, as always you see the inner meaning of the story as I write them down. And yes the BP meds better be close by. LOL This is one of those articles that I think would be a perfect one to have on a bullentin board or on the wall of the waiting room in every shop. I'm betting this article is picked up really fast and goes into print before a lot of other really good ones do. This one just hits a nerve for every decent shop out there that has to deal with the cutthroat logics of the free "diagnostics" when in fact.... their idea of diagnostics is simple code reading. But that doesn't make you a code talker.... thanx again your insight is spot on... U Da Best Joe!

Not even realizing it but when I was in the Marine Corps my primary MOS (Military Occupation Status) was a 2531/2542 "Field Radio Operator/Teletype Operator" I guess that's why I know how the code was used, because it was taught in some of the classes. It wasn't my intention to write about US Marine radio operators... I was going for the "code readers" we run across in our daily business and how I generally deal with them. But, don't worry none of the info I provided is anything to be worried about... it's all been declassified... We're not leaking national secrets here.. LOL Glad ya liked the story... Gonzo

Code Talkers During World War II the US used a secret type of language to send and receive messages, so the enemy couldn't find out what they were talking about. They enlisted the help of Navajo and Comanche Native Americans as radio operators. These guys used a combination of their language and relative terms as a way to disguise the real message over unsecured radio waves during World War II. Most of the coding was done by using a native word for each letter of the message. Such as, if you were going to say the word "ARMY" they would pick one of the native words that represented a word in English with the first letter "A" and the same for each letter after that. In other words the letter "B" would be sent over the radio waves as, "Toish-Jeh" which means, "barrel" in English. So the word "ARMY" would have been transmitted something like this: "Wol-la-chee" (Ant) – "Gah" (rabbit) – "Tsin-tliti" (Match) – "Tsah-as-zih" (Yucca) thus the word Army would have been spelled out and easily translated at the other end. A lot of times an entire phrase could be stated with one word, or a word that was often used had a selected native word that was used as a substitute. Then on other occasions an English word was thrown in just to confuse the whole thing even more. It was quite ingenious… and believe or not… the code was never --- ever --- broken. To quote General Howard Connor (while at Iwo Jima), "Were it not for the Navajos, the Marines would have never taken Iwo Jima." Trying to sound out those four Native American words (correctly) and translate it into the actual word was easy for these guys. They understood it, it's their language and they could send/translate and relay an answer faster than any machine available back in the day. They truly were code talkers. So you might ask where am I going with all of this? Well, think about it… doesn't this sound something like the codes we have with today's cars? It does to me. I read a code, translate it into working data, and solve a problem, all with a language that isn't understood by everyone out there. I guess you could call me a modern day code talker. The big difference is you've got people with hand held scanners they bought at a local store or from the internet, and have the ability to "read" a code. Or some of them have been to a repair shop that has bought a scanner and read the codes for them. But, they can't break the code. They can't determine what to do with the information they have in front of them. Think about it… it's World War II, and you've just copied down a message from your secret hiding spot on the side of the hill. You are about to relay the message to your superior officers. But, you still haven't a clue what that gibberish means. It's like reading a code on a car these days, and not having a clue what all that information means. That's where a qualified automotive technician … (aka code talker) is needed. I have lost count of how many times a car has come into my shop with a customer standing at the counter. They have already been somewhere else, and the other shop has given them an invoice with the codes and the definition written down on it, and… more than likely a big "goose egg" in the charge column of the invoice. And,… they still haven't had their problem resolved. "Oh I see they didn't charge you to read the codes… how nice of them (a little sarcastically I might add). So, you need me to find out what it all means right?" I'll ask. "Yes, but I won't need it diagnosed; that's already done," the customer will tell me. Of course it's already diagnosed… and you know what is going to happen next. I'm going to tell them there is a charge to trace out the actual problem and determine the reason for the fault code. Any tests that are needed or extra equipment needed to diagnose the problem is all incorporated into the diagnostic fee, which of course ends up with a customer just about to grab all their paper work and head out the door. Because … oh you know what's coming next… "It shouldn't cost anything to find out what's wrong with my car, because I already had that done." This is when I break into my "code talker" story and inform the customer of what the process takes to actually find out what that particular code means. "There's everything from a compression check to TSB's that need to be considered when it comes to diagnosing a problem," I'll tell them. Let's face it, an oscilloscope ain't cheap, and as far as I know they aren't giving away these scanners, not to mention the hand tools, meters, and specialty equipment you'll need to perform some of these tests. I realize that the code information to them sounds more like "Comanche" or "Navajo" lingo than it does plain English… but then… I'm a modern day code talker… I can read it, I can interpret it, and I can translate it into English. That's what I'm here for. The next thing to do is make the customer aware of the level of sophistication that is needed to decipher these coded messages from the car. (It still amazes me that there are still a lot of people out there who assume replacing a part will always solve the problem, and that intensive research isn't necessary.) I don't know about you, but there are times when I have a car in the shop that looks like it is on life support with the amount of gadgets I've got hanging out of the hood or from under the dash, and it all started off with a simple code. (This is one of those times a cell phone or a camera comes in handy and sending a shot of the owner's car to them so they can see what you've had to do to locate the cause of that simple code number.) I'm a modern day mechanic… I'm no grease monkey, nor am I the guy with a scanner who'll read your codes and give you the definition. I'm the guy who will read the code, define it, and translate it into a solution. The cars of today are not the car of yesterday… nor are they the cars of the future. I've got to take care of what is here now, and that requires some understanding of the fundamentals of todays' cars. But in order to find out what that little service light means on your dash…keep in mind… you don't need a code reader… you need a code talker. Working on new stories all the time. Adding a little survey to this story... Which magazines do you see my articles in? Leave a comment ... love to hear from ya. Gonzo View full article

I like your approach and I'll add that when you look at a customers car and you see more things that need to be taken care of you make sure you tell them about it, give them a dollar amount a time frame... and give them as much "heads-up" as to what to expect in the future.

Welcome to ASO. Don't be a stranger... keep in touch.

Congrats Joe... nice write up

Hold it a second.... wait, wait... nope, sorry... I thought I had a moment of sanity... it was just gas. I guess I'm just as wacky as Frank... must be that bond you were referring too. Too funny Joe... ya made my day. :) :) : ) :)

I guess you could say that is exactly what the story is about Joe. We all may have thought about a different career or tried something else, but came back to the car business ... and we shouldn't be ashamed of what we do. Ok, one exception.... Frank... he said it was a moment of insanity. I'm not sure it was a moment at all just don't tell him I think he's still crazy... along with the rest of us.

What do ya mean ... a moment??? Sounds more like total insanity to me... LOL Thanx for the comments Frank... you're insanity is my kind of nuttyness.

I've been in the car repair biz for a long time. The other day I got an email from a guy who was just getting out of the service and he wanted to open his own shop. He asked me how I got started. This story was inspired by his comments. Check it out, leave a comment. Love to hear from ya.

GI Think I'm a Mechanic ---- A job, a life, a career After high school I made the choice to join the Marine Corps. It was a big step for a young guy who really didn't have a direction, nor thought about the future. So, off I went to boot camp. I'll admit it was tough, it was physically demanding and very mentally challenging. But, I did very well, got a lot of good marks and even a couple of special awards. One of the biggest surprises was when my platoon was on the "mess and maintenance" week. I was assigned to the commandant's headquarters building. I was to shine all the brass, wax the floors, and general building maintenance. One day the Sargent in charge said it was time to mow the grass. He sent me and two other recruits out with scissors to clip the lawn in front of the headquarters building. Really, I'm not kidding…scissors, and I'm not talking about a large pair of scissors, no… more like your typical size for any home office or school desk. Well, being the bright, eager young lad I was I had to ask. "Sargent, ever hear of a lawnmower before?" Not that I was being smart and all… it just struck me dumb they wouldn't have a lawnmower to do this job. But, then again, why not get a couple of young recruits to clip the lawn with scissors… we'll work cheap. "Come here soldier, see what ya think of this," he said. In a hall closet just inside the building there were four mowers stacked up on top of each other. They all seemed to be the same brand of mower, but all of them seemed to have been taken apart and there were lots of parts missing. "Well, can we use them Sarge?" I asked. "Those things haven't ran since I've been here, but if you think you can get one of them going, it would make us all look good," the Sargent answered. Luckily, the Sargent had a small box of tools stashed away, which just so happened to have all the missing parts stored in it from the various mowers. After some careful maneuvering I managed to get the mowers separated, and within an hour I had three of them running. Talk about a proud bunch of Marines mowing the commandant's lawn. OohRah! The Sargent got a promotion out of it, and I got a special award for my efforts. Not a bad day in boot camp after all. I really didn't touch a car for a long time after that. I spent a long time overseas and cars weren't on the top of the list of things to be concerned about. It wasn't until I was stationed stateside, and I was leaving my barracks one day when I noticed these two guys sitting on the sidewalk with an entire four barrel carburetor laid out in pieces in front of them. These two jarheads had no clue what they were doing. They were taking apart anything that had a screw on it. Clearly, these guys needed some help. Now, I spent enough time back home working on my grandparent's farms keeping the machinery running and reading a lot of old service manuals my dad had collected that I had a pretty good idea what I was doing. "Need some help?" I asked. "Sure could use a hand," one of them said to me. The big challenge was to put all the parts back together on the carburetor without a new gasket kit, and make it work again. I'm telling you, this was one big mess for sure… these guys went as far as taking the small screws out of the butterfly flaps. (Never had much luck getting those things out when they are peened into place myself.) After I had the carburetor back together and installed on the car the last thing was to put the plugs back in and sort out the firing order. Only one problem, they broke one of the spark plugs off while taking them out. "Looks like we'll have to run it on 7 cylinders for now," I told them. It took a minute or so for the fuel to get up into the carburetor, but it did run. The exhaust was falling off, it was running pretty rich, but it was running. The guys were ecstatic! They bought the car for 50 bucks from another Marine who was getting shipped out, and the car had been sitting for about a year right there in the parking lot. Just hearing it run was an improvement. We all hopped into the car and drove around the barracks a few times belching smoke, backfiring, and making enough noise to bring the MP's to the scene. (They thought it was pretty funny too… let us go with a warning.) After this little escapade I ended up being the barracks' mechanic for everyone's car problems. Most everything was "parking lot" type repairs, no engine rebuilds or tranny exchanges, just basic problems that could be handled with basic tools that a couple of young Marines could afford. It wasn't til after I was out of the service that I realized repairing cars seemed to always fall into my lap. So I guess it's safe to say I was destined to be a mechanic no matter what. A few tech classes, a little tutelage under an old watchful senior mechanic, and I was in business for myself. Well, here it is a few decades later and I'm still turning wrenches, I'm still scrapping a knuckle, and still making a living at it. I guess you could say it's my career. Looking back on it now I guess I could have done something else with my working years, but like a lot of us in this automotive repair business, this was my calling. I am one of many mechanics and technicians of any small town or big city who might have done something else with their life, but cars and tool boxes became our vocation. I may have chosen to be in this business but quite honestly, it might have actually chosen me. Can't say it's been that bad of a deal. I'm sure everyone in the business has a story to tell of how they got started, and when I get the chance to hear someone else's story I'll take the time to listen. It's really fascinating to me how we all ended up here… bending over the hood of a car or truck. I'm very proud of the auto industry, and I'm proud to be a part of it. Whatever some people may think about the job of a "mechanic" or how they might try to degrade it, there's one thing to keep in mind…. it's a necessary part of the world we live in. This country is built on moving goods, products, and people from one place to another, and without mechanics everything would come to a complete stop. As a tribute to all of the mechanics, technicians out there… a tip of the hat to one and all… your dedication and hard work should be commended. If no one else will say it… I will… Thank you for your continued efforts. You keep fixing them and I'll keep telling your stories. Here's a hand salute from an old Marine to everyone in the automotive trenches. I appreciate every one of you… 100 percent. OohRah! I'd love to hear your story so tell me about it. We've all got a begining...and it makes for great conversation. So don't be shy... let's hear your story! Thanx again... thanx for reading my articles. Do me a favor, if you see one of my stories in a magazine... send an email to them and let them know what you think of the story. View full article

I'm not sure but I think your military mechanical will work for your 2 years needed for ASE. To pass the ASE tests you'll need to know a lot more than the basic stuff. You'll also have to learn to take the tests and be familiar with their method of asking the questions. Some of them (at leat 40%) are somewhat tricky. There's a lot of places to get test help and study guides. I will tell you this though... every site that offers you example questions, test prep. and background knowledge have no clue what questions will be on the actual tests. Those questions are used and then are never used again. They are sometimes reworded but never exactly as they were in the previous tests. Study, study, study... it's worth the effort. Gonzo

Funny

Congrats to the ASO Staff. Great site!

So true... Here's an article I wrote for MACS that will be out sometime this year. This is where things are going to go for all the future shop owners. Check it out. This is an overview of the class I attended in Vegas with ASA's VP Bill Haas as the speaker. http://www.gonzostoo...illsReview.html

I lost count how many times I fix one thing only to find something else. Take a low fuel pressure problem that ends up with melted conveters that ends up with burnt exhaust valves... and the whole time you're trying to save the customer a few bucks. Sometimes they understand...sometimes they don't. I welcome the challenge to anybody who thinks they can answer all the problems the first time around and still can keep the customer happy... yea, right, good luck on that one. Like I tell my customers sometimes... "If it was a horse you would have taking it out back and shot the poor thing before you asked it to go to town pulling the wagon one more time." But with cars... a lot of people think it can't be that bad... it was fine yesterday. Well, there's that Waldo again. sneaky little bastard! LOL Thanx for your comments Joe. Always appreciate it