Gonzo

When I started buying scanners I went with the "off-the-truck" units. Snap-On, MatCo" etc... Many years ago MAC tools came out with a tech 2 that was sold under the MAC name. (Different color, but same machine) I did some background checking on the MAC tool and found out they actually got it from Vetronix Corp. (Which is now part of Bosch Inc.) I bought the tech 2 from Vetronix. I've never, NEVER regretted it. A little expensive compared to the truck scanners... but OH MAN what a difference. You will have to buy a subscription to TIS (used to be called TIS 2000) It's a disc form of info that you load onto your PC and it has all the calibrations and info for reflash on their. (Some of the newer stuff is web based now) After I bought my tech 2, it wasn't long before I bought ALL the dealer level scanners I could get. In fact I just bought the IDS for Fords so I imagine my NGS unit will start to gather dust... I guess I should sell it... the IDS will go back to around 94' (OBD 2 cars) I'm also reviewing a new machine that will do 40 manufacturers. Code clear, for all sub systems... really cool scanner. (more on that later) These days when I hear a guy tell me how great his Snap on machine is.... I just have to laugh and shake my head... I don't want to tell them their wrong... but I sure as hell would love to see their reaction once they use a factory scanner... it's like night and day... seriously. Here's a video of a buddy of mine "Bob Augustine" he sold me my unit years ago. http://vetronix.com/ this is the website that will help you with more decisions on a tech2 unit, also there is another great tool on this site. Mastertech scanner is a universal scanner that covers more than any of those off the tool truck units. I have one and it is a super machine. It has an Oscope feature on it as well as a multi-meter section... really an all around good scanner. Follow the links on the pages and you'll find what your looking for. hope this helps... Gonzo

"Can ya get to it?" Sometimes, I just don't understand Ring, ring, the shop phone starts its usual routine first thing in the morning. "Good morning, can I help you?" I ask. "I've got a problem with my car; can ya "Get to it" today?" the caller asks. Have you ever wondered what that really means? I'm not talking about little old Mary that calls and wants to know whether or not you can squeeze in an oil change. I'm talking about these more in depth repairs that you know will take more time than just a quick scan could accomplish. It really gets to be pretty hilarious if you stop and think about it. Sometimes I have to ask myself: Really, "Get to it?" What if I say yes? What if I say no? What if I tell them I can "Get to it" but only if there is a full moon on Tuesday? What? What? What does it all mean? I've heard this line so many times over the years… and I still don't know how to answer it. The way I see it is: as long as I'm not closing the shop, going on vacation, or decided today is the day I'm not doing anything… I'm pretty sure I can "Get to it." Now if I answer, "Not a problem, I can "Get to it" today." Nine chances out of ten they'll show up 15 minutes before I close the shop. Although if they do show up in time for me to get started on the job, they'll call back to the shop before the engine even gets cold. "I'm checking on my car; what did you find wrong with it?" I guess I'll never understand. Maybe I should have asked what they meant by "Get to it" while I had them on the phone. Oh, but I know, (after years of trial and error), that if I asked them to explain it to me they wouldn't have a clue what I was talking about. Although there is no doubt they'll deny that they want it finished the same day. "Oh no, I just wanted to know, if you could "Get to it." Sure, sure you do…. Of course, if I didn't mention a thing about it… all bets are off… because now they'll call me within the hour, and give me the same old line, "Now, you'll have it done today, right?" Of course, some time during the follow up phone call they suddenly remembered they have some pressing issue they forgot about, and transportation is a problem so they'll have to pick the car up by 5. (No matter what the car is in the shop for.) What's the problem? I really believe a lot of people have been jerked around by so many incompetent socket jockeys that they won't put their trust in any repair shop. So hounding the tech all day is their way of keeping tabs on their car and making sure they are not getting over charged. Not all customers are like this, but you can be sure I'll definitely be thinking about it when anyone uses that phrase, "Can ya get to it?" I'm not even sure why you would even ask "Can ya get to it?" Do you think that I'm so busy that I couldn't "Get to it?" I've heard of shops that might have a back log of a few days to a few weeks, maybe that's it. Could it be…? I guess…? Although not all of these people are going to the shops that are so busy that they couldn't "Get to it." So what gives? These days I'm more interested in finding out why someone would ask me the question at all. Call it my way of stirring the pot, call it my way of trying to understand the impossible question in the auto repair business, or it could be I'm just crazy enough to think I could make a joke out of it. No sense in me getting all riled-up when I finally get the car diagnosed and have already told the customer that it will be tomorrow before the parts show up. I figure I might as well let the customer in on a little secret… "Hey buddy, I can "Get to it" but I certainly can't fix everything as soon as I "Get to it." I'm always curious to hear their answer. I should just stop worrying about it or how late I might have to stay at the shop to finish the job so the customer can go to their job the next morning. I really don't think I'm ever going to understand the reasoning behind the meaning of the phrase "Get to it." More than likely, I'm not suppose to understand it at all. It's just part of the business. I guess, after all these years; maybe all I should just be concerned with is: making the time to ----"Get to it." I'd like to thank ASO for their efforts and support. Now they have made it easier to follow my crazy stories. As always, these stories are here before final editing and publication. You are the first to read them. This makes ASO my "pre-editing" readers, and I'm always interested in your opinions. So keep those comments coming. Your responces make it easier for me to decide which ones actual get published. Thanx ASO! ! Don't forget to visit my website: www.gonzostoolbox.com AND don't forget to read and support the magazines I write for. Thanx again. View full article

Sorry Joe, just about impossible to charge enough on jobs like this. At least it doesn't happen very often. Another day in the trenches I guess. Gonz

Every now and then I get a vehicle I wish I never started on. This time it was a 97' Chevy 1500 K series. No start or communication with PCM. Should be an easy in-and-out job, or at least that's what I thought it was going to be. The truck was from one of the many Spanish-speaking shops that use my services. I don't speak any Spanish (wish I did), but the guys at this shop know I'll be patient with the language barrier, and somehow communicate what needs to be done. It all started with a rebuilt transmission they installed. After it was installed they had a service bulletin to do; which required moving a couple of wires on the PCM. The directions they had were very good. In fact, it had detailed photos along with the instructions to make the update. They tried to do it, only to find out one of the wires didn't match the drawings. (There was a year difference between the directions and the actual year of the truck.) Instead of going any farther, they sent me the truck to see if I could help them out with the update. When the PCM was plugged back in with all the wires back in their connectors, the truck wouldn't start. Now, instead of driving it over, they had to tow it. The truck showed up the next day, not a pretty sight to say the least. It had over 250,000 miles on the odometer, with bent and twisted body parts. The driver's door was sagging to the point it would catch the fender every time you opened the door. Not exactly a fine ride, but as a work truck … it'll do. The shop owner explained the problem to me, and told me he needed it back as soon as possible. You know, it's not that "Murphy" hangs around my shop, but he sure wanted me to earn my keep on this one. Some day I'm going to have a little "communication" with Murphy himself. He really knows how to make things tougher than they need to be. I hooked up the scanner to see what was going on. Although it had perfect communication with the ABS, the Airbag system, and class 2, it could not connect to the PCM. No communications flashed on the scanner's screen. My first thoughts were the wires were not back in correctly, or one had pulled out when they re-connected the computer. That's where the fun began. Every single wire was not only in the correct spots, but all the powers and grounds were there. I've seen these problems before, and it almost always turns out to be a corrupted, or lost, data line. Now of course, there are a few other possibilities, but the data line is usually where I go first. My method of checking for this kind of problem is to cut the data line between the computer and the ALDL 16 pin connector. Then run a bypass line from the PCM directly to the ALDL, and check the data line again. This time that didn't work… still nothing. I re-checked the powers and grounds. They were as good as the first time I had checked them. Now things are getting a little serious. Time to check it with the scope. After verifying the voltages and ground signals (again) with the scope; I looked for a scope reading for the actual data line. Oh, oh… flat line, it's a bad PCM. I haven't a clue what they could have done to the computer from just changing a wire or two, but it sure was dead. I called the shop owner to let him know. "I'll bring another one tomorrow morning," he tells me. The next day a "salvage" computer was dropped off at my shop. Without hesitation I popped it into the truck, turned the key on, and ran it through security setup. (Thinking I'm done, and there wasn't any reason to check any farther.) But, it still wouldn't start. Ok, what's the deal? Did I miss something? Now I'll have to re-check everything I just did yesterday, again. I checked the powers and grounds, and all the other wires and connections this time. But there still wasn't any communication with the computer. Could it be another bad PCM? It sure seemed that way. I'll have to call the shop owner and let him know what I found out. This time he decided to go to one of the discount parts stores, (where he gets his parts from), and pick one up. Here I go again… another computer and another failed attempt at communication. Not that I wanted to spend the rest of the day doing all the tests over, but there had to be something I was missing or a really good reason for this catastrophe. Before calling the shop owner again I wanted to make absolutely sure there were no mistakes in my results. I just so happened to have an extra set of connectors off an old harness from a car I salvaged out. I made up a set of bench test plugs. The connectors are clearly marked with the color and the numbered connection pins. To get the PCM to talk on the bench, all I needed were the positive and ground leads and of course that very important data line installed into the test plugs. This way, I could bench test the PCM without interfering with the wiring in the truck. A simple scope reading could tell me what was going on. No communication should be a thing of the past now. I wasn't a bit surprised… the weirdness continued. This PCM doesn't even turn on, completely dead. I re-checked my pin positions several times, I was absolutely sure I had them right. It can only mean one thing… another bad computer. Would you believe this went on for 3 more times? Yes, yes, it did. Each time he would bring me another computer, I would check it with my little bench plug set up. Each time it did the same thing. I couldn't be sure but there's a pretty good chance he wasn't communicating his needs to the part store. When the part store checks the flash program in the PCM they are NOT using the same leads that the actual truck uses. Only one positive lead and the data line are the same. Their pin configuration for reprogramming at the store is almost completely different from the trucks! Finally on the 6th try I got what I wanted… COMMUNICATION! WHOO HOO! I can't remember a job that I went over the same test procedures so many times just to get the results I expected. There's that old saying; "Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results is the definition of crazy." Oh yea, I was totally feeling the "crazy" on this job. There was a point where I started doubting myself, but I stuck to the test results and double-checked my work each and every time to make sure I had it right. Even though the shop owner was getting concerned that I may not solve his problem; he made the commitment to stick with me. We've done a lot of work for each other over the years, and he was confident that I'd find the problem. I'm glad he let me stay at it… he put a lot of trust in me to get the job done. Even though we had a language barrier between the two of us, the main language barrier was actually the computer not communicating. I could barely understand what the shop owner was telling me, but I'm sure that PCM couldn't understand either Spanish or English. For me, this one took a lot of composure to get it done. After seeing so many bad computers in a row, (I still think it was the same PCM from the part store) you can imagine how frustrated I was getting. In every different direction there was a communication problem. From the shop owner, the part store reflashing the PCM and the bench test that I used. I may not speak Spanish, but I can speak a little computer. I guess in some way, I really am bilingual. Thanks for reading my stories, with all their usual grammar mistakes and writing issues. That's what I have editors for ... LOL Not all stories make it to print, and you help make that decision. Before the stories are sent to my editors, I send them here. (and save them on my website too) These stories are here for your enjoyment, leave a comment... always love to hear from everyone. Don't forget to check out my website for even more stories, photos, and information. www.gonzostoolbox.com Have a great day....! ! View full article

You make me smile Frank... thank you for your comments... I wait each weekend to see what you and Joe have to say about my articles... thanks so much... Gonzo

I couldn't agree any more Joe... Thanx for the comments... ur the best

Here's a guy who just irritated me from the moment he came to my shop, not through the front door mind you, but through the back of the shop, and then through the back door of my front office. The shop isn't setup so you can enter from the working bays of the garage and then to the office area. That's what all the signs are for…. there're plenty of them too. Most of them point right to the front door. But, it's obvious this guy doesn't read very well. I guess, for some people there is still this "old school" way of doing things. Reminds me of the old TV shows from the 50's and 60's, where the actor playing the mechanic is always some half-wit, dressed in a one piece jump suit with a rag hanging out of his back pocket, leaning over a hood with his always present white socks showing. No doubt he would be wearing some grungy old ball cap covered with theatrical fake grease. The actor playing the part of the customer would walk right up to him, announce he was there, and the old boy would come out from under the hood wiping the fake grease off of the same two wrenches he was using from last week's episode. (I guess they only have two wrenches in the studio.) The customer was always portrayed as an intelligent consumer in the story line, and the mechanic…. well, he wasn't much for manners or intelligent conversation. These days it's just not that way in every part of the country. Most shops I know are rather protective of the equipment and tools in the service bays. Then of course, there is the liability concerns that comes into play with the shop insurance provider. I don't mind customers in the shop if I know them, or if they are escorted by an employee. But, to walk right through the shop and then to the front office makes me a little suspicious … always has. Then there are the customers who want to watch what's going on. That's fine… as long as they watch from a distance. I don't need help putting lug nuts on, so don't help me by picking them up and handing them to me. (I had a 70 year old lady who insisted on being next to her car. I used to put a chair right next to it for her. She was like a hawk watching every move I made.) If I'm tearing out a complete dash, and they would like to see what they are paying for, I'll be glad to show them what their car looks like in a thousand pieces. That usually gets that chin dropping look going. Gotta love the usual next question… you know the question, "Are you going to be able to put that back together?" Too funny… I start laughing before they even finish asking. But this guy had a chip on his shoulder. Apparently he already made up his mind that all mechanics are cheats, crooks, and dumber than a toolbox. He proved it as soon as he came through the back door and approached the service counter. "Can I help you?" I asked. (Already wondering what this guy was thinking coming through the back door) Mad, loud, and obnoxious he said, "Yea, I need somebody to look at my truck." "What is it I need to see?" "My gauges are acting up." "I can look at them, (I grabbed a blank invoice) what kind of truck is it?" I asked. "What's with the ticket? I'm not bringing it in the shop for you to work on it. I just want you to look at it," my astonished back door user said with an angry tone to his voice. "Well, sir, we charge a diagnostic fee to cover our time to diagnose the problem." "I ain't paying any kind of diagnostic fee. I'll only pay for something you can fix, and ya ain't done nothin' yet. All I want you to do is look at my truck. Then I'll let you know if I want you to look at it," he said with an angry snarl. "Let me get this straight, you want me to look at it, so you can decide if you want me to look at it?" I asked, stunned at to what he just asked. Now, I'm not sure which "look" he's referring to. Is it the "look" to see if I'm smart enough to figure out where the gauges are, or whether or not I can tell which ones are not working correctly? Gee, I guess if I start looking at the tail gate or the muffler then I might look pretty stupid. Maybe that's why I need to look at it to see if he wants me to look at it. "So, you're not going to even tell me what's wrong with it, unless I pay you to look at it?" again asking with that same snarl in his voice. "Mr. . . I make a living looking at trucks, and your gauges are no different. I can give you an estimated repair price if you'll tell me the symptoms. But I'm not going out there and tell you what's wrong then have you run off somewhere and fix it yourself, or find somebody cheaper," I said, now that it was my turn to answer with a snarl. You know ya gotta love it…..when one of these back door garage seekers gives you the look and walks back out the same door they came in. You know the look, the one that says… "Screw you. You don't want to tell me what's wrong… I'll find somebody else that will" look. Never accomplishing anything, and even more aggravated than when they came in. I'm sure this guy probably thought it would be no big deal to have me walk out there and stare at his gauges. You know, like a couple of guys on the weekend, cold beer in one hand, standing next to the truck with the two of us snarling sailor talk back and forth. Right, like that's going to happen. I suppose this guy thought I would walk out there while wiping off my two wrenches. I'll bet he even was expecting me to be wearing a one piece jump suit, white socks and greasy, grungy ball cap. Not a chance buddy! Sorry Charlie, I've looked at all the cars in the parking lot I'm going to look at… it just ain't happening; I've been at this crazy business a long time, and I've seen this same type of kook before. I might be a little stuck on not going into the parking lot, but I'm even more stuck on wanting to get paid for what I do. My old saying: … "I'd rather do nothing and get nothing, than do "something" and get nothing"… Sometimes in the owner's mind they feel they are the only one in the whole wide world who has "ever" had this kind of problem. That's where the mistake begins. Then they start to think no matter where they take this weird unusual problem the mechanic is going to screw it up anyway. It's just another misconception on their part, which is easy to solve once you explain it to them. That is, if they want to listen. But, I still don't have to go out to the parking lot to explain it. Too many times I walk out to a car, "look" at the problem and end up fixing it on the spot. It's a natural thing for me do… I see something broke; I'm compelled to fix it. My bad, I know. But what's worse, if it's a simple problem, and I do take care of it…right there in the parking lot… I get a "thanks man" and off they go… never to be seen from again, or… until the next time they have a need of a parking lot repair. But, when the next problem crops up, and the problem isn't a quick twist of a screw driver, and you tell them you have to charge them for your time… they get really defensive. Usually spouting off something like, "You didn't charge me last time!" As I've said many-many times. … "The parking lot is a lot closer to leaving than paying…." And that's for sure. I may be a small shop but, I am a professional, not your second cousin's first wife's uncle on your mom's side of the family, who shows up at your house, drinks all your beer, and spends the day sprawled out under the dash of the family truckster. The comparison of today's automotive field to the medical field is much closer than it's ever been as far as the complexity of the problems we deal with as technicians. But we are not doctors… damned close though. I'd like to see you try to go into your dentist's office, and ask him to "look" at your problem, so you can decide whether or not you want him to "look" at your problem… See how far that gets ya. Unless he's an old family friend, I'd say… you're going to get a bill. Of course, there's one thing you won't see at the dentist office, a back door leading to the front office thru the exam room areas. So do me a favor, let's all do our best to be professional, use the front door and try not to prejudge a service tech by what they're wearing. This job can be irritating enough back in the shop, and it doesn't help one bit… … … to add another pain in the rear. I'm So Glad to have a place like ASO... It's not only a great site to find information about today's industry but a great place for guys like me to put their thoughts down. I write for several trade magazines and I'm always looking for responces on my stories. The more you tell me what you think of the articles, the more I know which direction to go for final editing. Not all stories make it, but most do. I want to thanky you for taking the time to read these articles, please take a moment and leave me a comment.... It really does help. Visit my website, buy a copy of my book, (I can autograph it if you buy it from my website) www.gonzostoolbox.com View full article

Good point Joe, excellent idea. If there's one thing that I can say for myself (and I'm sure others will agree) "The thank you at the counter is only complimentary. It would be nice for a customer to call back and tell you how well you've done, but get something wrong and the phone rings right at opening time. If we...as the professioanl repair guys and gals, would share our experiences and compliment each other on a job well done, I think a lot of us could go home knowing... hey, somebody out there appreciated our efforts." Another on the spot commentary from Joe... We could all learn a thing or two from him. Gonzo

Bob was an old regular customer, a real charitable kind of guy. He did a lot of work for, "Meals on Wheels, Churches," and several other organizations. A real caring kind of guy, but when it came to cars… he knew nothing, nothing at all. One day he came into the shop with his early 80's Porsche with a weird starting problem. It would start great if you didn't shut it down for very long. Leave it off for more than an hour or so, and it would crank and crank before it came back to life again. Bob, being his usual cheerful self, waited in the lobby; while I took a look at his car. That particular day my two daughters (Katie and Mandy) were on summer break from school, and were hanging out in the lobby while I worked in the shop. My wife was running the office at the time too; it was a little family day for all of us. Old Dad tooling away in the shop, the girls cutting out paper dolls, and mom keeping track of us all. Bob was quite happy to help the girls cut out the paper dolls and draw faces on them. He seemed to enjoy the girls and there's no doubt the girls enjoyed the attention. I, on the other hand, was trying to figure out what was going on with his old Porsche. I spent a lot of time on this one, as it wasn't making any sense that it would run so well, but be so hard to restart. I checked several things that I thought might cause the problem, but still didn't have any answers. That is until I checked the fuel pressure. On this older Porsche there wasn't a Schrader valve to screw a pressure gauge into. I had to remove a fuel line and install a pressure gauge "in-line" to read the actual fuel pressure. While it was running the fuel pressure was spot on. When I shut the car off the fuel pressure would slowly come down to its "rest" pressure and hold. I left the gauge installed, and went to work on other jobs in the shop, only coming back to it every now and then to see if it was dropping or not. About 30 minutes later the fuel pressure was down to near zero. I reached in and turned the key. Strangely enough, the fuel pressure didn't bounce back up as quick as I thought it should, but after a couple of cranks the pressure was back up to normal and the car started fine. I knew to test this out further I was going to need a lot more time, so I thought I would run up front and see how much time Bob had today. To my surprise, there was Bob sitting in one of the lobby chairs, paper dolls pinned to him from head to toe, and the two girls were not only drawing faces on the dolls, but also all over Bob. Up and down both arms were all kinds of scribbled notes. He was having the time of his life… laughing, giggling, with a smile from ear to ear. My wife had leaned over the counter about then and informed me the ink tattoos were a mutual idea between Bob and the girls. Hey, they were having fun, and Bob was content to sit out the rest of the day with the girls, so I was free to test all I wanted. After several hours of trying different things to the car: clamping off the return line, letting it sit longer, checking the injectors for leaks, etc… I finally nailed down the cause of the problem. Another shop had just changed the fuel pump, and the new one didn't have the check valve on the end of it. I rushed into the office to tell Bob. He was still smiling, but not nearly as covered with paper dolls. Now they were drawing and telling stories. I had to interrupt their fun to let Bob know what I found. Being the ever-so-courteous individual he was, he didn't want to tell me he had the car out of town last week when it broke down, and had to have the new fuel pump put in. I told him I'd take care of the problem, and that he could get back to his play time with the girls. After I exchanged the fuel pump with one that had the check valve it started every time, any time. Now the next thing to do was to explain it to Bob. "What does a check valve do?" he asked. I tried to explain it, but Bob wasn't grasping the concept. That's when one of my girls mentioned to him, "It's like a one way gate, Bob." (Smart kid) With that I had a way to explain it to Bob. "Bob, let's say you have two corrals, one full of cows and one without any cows. You want to move the cows to the other corral so you have to open the gate. When you move the cows to the empty corral they can push the gate back open by themselves. But if you put them in the opposite corral, they can only push against the gate because it won't open from that direction. It's the same thing your car does with gasoline in the fuel line," I told my paper doll covered friend. "Hey, I understand that… it makes sense now… so it's all because of cows that I'm able to start my car. Wow, I never knew." You know, he's such a nice guy, and the girls loved having him in the shop. I didn't have the heart to tell him anything different. Cows, paper dolls, and his arms covered in little girl scribbles, there's already enough things going on that anything more technical wasn't going to help a bit, just leave it be. So if cows and a corral gate was a good enough explanation for him, it's good enough for me. To this day if I pass a farm and I see a herd of cattle lined up at a corral gate I think of him. Standing there in the lobby, tattooed in ink scribbles and paper dolls pinned all over him. I know Katie and Mandy will never forget him either. He's one of a kind. Quite a moo-oving guy. I hope you enjoy my stories, if you do, leave a comment. It's the only way I know whether or not it's good enough to send onto my editors for publication. If you didn't know it, ASO members see all my latest stories before anyone else. Your input helps me put the final touches on the stories before they go out to the public. So keep those comments coming. Don't forget to visit my website www.gonzostoolbox.com ENJOY! ! View full article

I TOTALLY AGREE! Anybody out there that thinks they can talk EVERY customer into contributing to their business is a FOOL. You're not going to get along with everybody... you're not going to have the price that everyone can agree on. If IT was true, and you could please everyone every time... what the hell would the rest of the shops in town be repairing? You'd be the only one in business because you're SO perfect. Yea, sure, right...you're going to retain every customer that comes thru the door... and if you couldn't tell... I'm not one of those people you can please every time.... LOL Since I've been there, seen it, done it, bought the T shirt... and ... yea... I really did write the book about it. LOL People are people... you can try to please them all, I already know it's NOT possible... more than likely all you're going to get for all your efforts are gray hairs and a prescription for prosaic. And you're right about the Blah, Blah part... some people only care about the price, not who does the work.......................................................... re not coming back. Read the story of the Prodigial Customer (i mean son)

I'm glad I made ya laugh... that's EXACTLY what I try to do with my stories. I try to relate my experiences with everyone and write them in a way that we ALL can get something out of them. You'll have to get a copy of my book, it's hysterical. It's all about different aspects of the auto repair world we all are part of. The side note to all of this... IS... we all experience pretty much the same thing each and every day we open the shop. The big thing is we tend to shelter ourselves with the idea ... it must be me that brings this out in people. But the truth is... these kind of problems are every where and any where. You can find my stories in publication at: Brake and Front end, Import Car, Underhood Service, Autobody News, Automotive Video Inc., and Electrical Rebuilders Exchange. Here at ASO, is where you find ALL the newest, latest stories. I post a new one every Saturday morning. (Usually around 7 or 8 o'clock) You can also find me on Facebook. Under "Scott Gonzo Weaver" I'm just a guy who tells stories and just so happens to own a small repair shop, and I enjoy the stories as much as everyone else. It's a lot of fun to write them down and see the responces. I call it therapy for all. At least we get a chance to laugh with each other over the wacky situations. Keep the comments coming. It's a pleasure to share them with you. More to follow... keep watching for new stories. www.gonzostoolbox.com Have a great wrench turning day... Gonzo

I would have to agree with you about the explaining part and keeping the customer happy. It's still a service industry, and service is the key. The only thing that I get a little bent about is after I start on a job (or at the time they are paying for the job) they want to bring up something about how they called someone else and they could do the same job cheaper. Sorry ... that's where I draw the line. I didn't go into the resturaunt and have a meal and then tell them I could find the same thing down the street for less money. Over the years this has been the MAJOR issue I've had with customers. I probably lose more over price than anything else. The usual scenario is I won't see them for a year or two and then they show back up. Been that way for years. customer's don't care that you spent "X" amount on training, equipment, and man power.... "Just fix my car cheap" is the usual answer. Sorry, not at my shop. Head down the road to one of those "bottom feeder" shops and have them take a crack at it.

Joe, I was laughing myself. You know, ya just can't make this stuff up... people can be so unbelievable. You guys keep telling me I'm get better and better, all I know is to write this stuff down and what ever way it comes out...well...that's the way it comes out. Sometimes I think my daily frustrations are everyones elses laughter. If that's the case, I'll keep telling em' like I see em' As far as the X - files... hmmm.... I don't know for sure about that, could be they are on their way to Indiana or New York... I'd keep an eye out for them... Thanx for all the comments... it makes me laugh knowing I made you guys laugh. Gonzo

Thanks Frank, I keep writing them, and sooner or later I'll get it right.

Let's see if I can set up this next story for you. An older dad and his 400 lb. son tow in a car to the shop on a two wheel dolly. The two of them work for more than an hour to get the car off the dolly. Well, mostly dad worked… son was wearing house slippers, and was more content to lay on the concrete like a basking walrus than be of any help to good old dad. Dad came into the shop asking for a prybar. I gave him one, and he went back out to try and get the safety chains off the car and dolly. It took awhile, but when I looked outside the car was sitting in the parking lot, and the tow vehicle, dad, and his huge son were gone… hey, wait a minute… so is my prybar !! I ran up to the office to make sure Katie (my daughter and office manager) had some info on the two. She did, so at least I'm not out a prybar. When I walked back out to the shop and looked outside… the car… the car has vanished! Now I'm getting a little steamed. I know I saw the car sitting there, and now it's gone. I looked out into the main street in front of the shop; there was the tow vehicle, the tow dolly, and fat son himself. Now it's time for me to see what's going on. The son was just getting back into the truck when I caught up with him. "Where's the car you guys just took off the dolly? Do ya still need that prybar?" I asked. He mumbled something and pointed down the street. There far off in the distance almost 2 blocks away was the car, and old dad hanging onto the driver's door bent over gasping for air. Now how did the car get from my shop parking lot and down the street? The big son wasn't even breaking a sweat; do you mean to tell me the old guy pushed it by himself? I haven't a clue, but I'm sure I'm going to ask when it gets back up here. The son drove off to get the car, with the dolly still attached to the truck. Old dad attached a chain to the dolly and the other end to the car. As they started to pull the car the two dolly's wheels came off the ground and made a near straight line with the chain and the car. The son used the truck to pull the car back up to the shop parking lot while old dad drove the car. I'm still curious where my prybar has gone. Must have taken a little trip down the block with the car, I guess. I looked up again a few minutes later, and there was the car back in the shop parking lot, but now the two front tires were nearly flat. By now, I'm not even concerned with what's wrong with the car. I'm not even going to try and figure out what these guys are doing. As long as the car is here I've got a chance of finding my prybar. Back to work for now, I'll deal with that later. The shop office doorbell rang, so I guess the two of them are up talking to Katie. She came out to the shop to let me in on what the car pushing pop wanted me to look at on the car. "Is that a real nice car, Dad?" she asks while carrying my prybar out to me. "That thing, it's just another old car… nothing special," I told her. Along with the usual name and phone number the guy made it a point to tell Katie how nice a car it was. Well, it's OK I guess, but looking at it I wouldn't call it nice. Unless faded paint, dented bumpers, rusty brake rotors, and torn interior is a "nice car" well then… It's a nice car… (Sarcastic answer obviously.) Turns out, the car has been at another shop for over a year. The old guy had decided that the other shop probably had no idea what they were doing. (You took a year to figure that out?) Now it's my job to figure it out. As Katie walked back up to the front office I asked her a question, "Katie, why did they let the air out of the tires?" Without even stopping she yelled over her shoulder while throwing one arm up over her head in disgust. "Oh, something about getting the chains off of the tires. I thought the old guy was pretty worn out myself." "So, why was the car 2 blocks away? They took it off the dolly just outside the door right here by the shop," I said, as I put away the prybar. She stopped dead in her tracks, turns around and gives me that "you're not going to believe this" look. "Because the tires were only flat on one side so he was pushing it down the road to make sure the "flat" part was evened out with the rest of the tire. (Looking up to the ceiling now and gesturing with her hands) I'm not kidding…" OK, that's it! I can officially say I've heard it all now. … Now, is it fair to say some people shouldn't be allowed on the open road with a license? I think so. This guy sounds like a good candidate. Really? The tires are flat on one side and pushing the thing 2 blocks rounds them back out… sure, sure… I can see how "that's" taking care of the problem. Unbelievable. Where do they get their information for stuff like this? Or, did I skip that class… I'm sure it was a hands-on demonstration too. I can picture the classroom now, cars lined up with low tires and a yellow finish line far down the street. To pass the class you have to push a car for at least a block. (Glad I missed this one) The whole time good old dad was doing the pushing, the 400 lb. son wasn't helping a bit, he looked more like he was ready to get in line at the next "All you can eat buffet". This huge dude never moved a slipper towards the car. If he wasn't lying on the ground he was sitting in the truck waiting on old dad to get done with the chains. Something is really, really, wrong with this picture…he didn't appear to have any medical condition, but I could be wrong about that too. Now would it be any surprise that the car's problem was actually a simple one. Yes, yes it was… the distributor was faulty; however, it was also the only new part on the car. When I called the old guy about the problem he got pretty huffy about it. Seems that's exactly what the last shop had tried. Not only that, but it was the 3rd distributor that he had replaced from one of those discount auto supply warehouses. Each time the other shop would install it, they would charge him for it. Now that I was saying the same thing… oh boy, was I in for an earful. My replacement distributor was 3 times as expensive too. So there was no way he was going to buy my story that the same faulty "new" part that the last shop told him was wrong with it could be 3 times as expensive as his cheap part. I think I know why the car sat for a year at the other shop. They got tired of dealing with this guy, and of course, now I'm no longer as credible as the referral that told him to tow his car to my place. So, do you think he was going to leave his "nice ride" with me? Of course not, he came and picked it up that afternoon. I guess even after all the efforts of dragging it down the street, renting a dolly, and having it diagnosed as a faulty "almost new" part, it still was worth finding somebody to put in a cheap part at a cheap price. I know what the other shop was doing; they were letting the owner supply the parts instead of telling the customer to buy good parts and be done with the job. But, sometimes, "Mr. Customer" is more right than any mechanic will ever be. I guess, I don't have to worry about this one coming back. Besides, I don't like putting cheap worthless parts in unless it's the only way to get it done. But, when the customer has already told me that the parts were bad twice before, and I'm VERY sure of the diagnostics, I tend to doubt that another cheap part is going to do the trick. Besides, the tires may go flat on one side again… Sorry, old timer, I've reached my limit, and I still wouldn't want to push your car up and down the street to round out the tires for ya… get your 400 lb. son to do that next time, he could use the exercise. As always these stories are here before final editing and publishing. Some make it, some don't. Your input and comments help decide which ones actually make it to the editors desk. I appreciate all your comments. visit my website www.gonzostoolbox.com Gonzo View full article

We learn so much from the people that have been here before us. It was a pleasure to read this Joe.