Gonzo

I consider it an honor to be associated with ASO... and I'm even more honored to know that guys like you...understand this side of the counter and know what it takes to run a shop... AND ... understand what it takes to deal with these type of customers. We can't avoid them, but hopefully thru my stories we can help each other deal with them... and ... let other shop owners that haven't experienced it... know how we all feel. Thanx again guys... I'll keep writing... you keep readin' thanx again

Joe, I don't know if we were born under the same star or what.... but you REALLY understand the whole thought process behind my writing. It's like the old Dragnet opening comment "the names have been changed to protect the innocent, the stories are true" and it doesn't matter what part of the world you come from it's all the same type of people... clan or whatever ya wanna call it. I always try to write the stories so that everyone across the country can relate to them... and...if they haven't experienced this scenario yet... you will, and hopefully my stories will help prepare that next shop for what is coming next. I honestly believe my stories can help shop owners and techs prepare and be aware of the reality of working with the public. Like you said... I want to do the job with honesty and integrity... pay me for my time, let us all part ways and go on with our own individual lives. I absolutely HATE people who try to get over on insurance companies or repair shops for things that are not true. Needless to say when I get some slacker in my lobby that thinks they can push their wieght around with that --- "because I'm the customer" type attitude... I've got news for ya buddy... this ain't Walmart, there ain't no upper managment that will take a different look at this problem.... I am the head Honcho here... You deal with me with an attitude... you're going to get one right back... I'll do my job honestly.... I'll treat you fare... I expect the same in return.

One thing is for sure.... I ain't doin' this.. Leave that for the locals.... and that guy in Kentucky... what a nut...

I thought about getting involved with the installation of these things, even had a rep call me about them. After this little episode I turned it down. It was a wake up call to the type of attitudes and the type of people I am probably going to run into while installing them. And your story is no different. Just goes to show that people are people, no matter what part of the country your in. Thanx Frank... always can count on ya... Gonzo

Drivin’- Drinkin’ and Grandpa One of many slow days at the shop I had a small job come in from one of the local tire shops. This rather young girl brought the car to me from the tire shops just a few blocks away. She told me she was the owner and that the tire shop was rude and wouldn’t help her. I told her I’ve never knew them to be that way, but I occasional get like that depending on the reaction at the front desk. (Trying to lighten up the tension at the counter). She wasn’t much for my kind of humor, so I called the tire shop to find out what the deal was. Her problem was that it would occasionally not start, nothing new, just another typical job. The tire shop didn’t want to get involved with this because it had a breath analyzer attached to the starting system. For anyone out there that hasn’t a clue what this is…, I’ll explain… drinking and driving should NEVER EVER mix, get caught, you’re probably going to have to blow into this ridicules thing to start your car. My opinion, if you get behind the wheel in a condition that would require having to blowing into a plastic tube to start your car, you are without a doubt the most STUPID, inconsiderate person of all times. Don’t drink and drive! Personally, I would rather see the driver’s license revoked and give ya a bus ticket instead. (Mandatory taxi/bus or signed sealed delivered notice that has to be approved by the court system from another driver any time you get into a car. Make ya prove you’re not the person behind the wheel.) Beyond that, I need to find out why this car won’t start. First thing I did was disconnect the breath machine to verify if the problem was “factory” or the analyzer. Once the unit is disconnected from the car I have to call the 800 number on the device to let them know that it is an authorized disconnect and not the driver trying to bypass the system. It’s quite an ordeal to go thru… not the physical disconnect of the unit… that’s easy…but, the information you have to know to prove that you are actually a repair shop when it comes to properly disconnecting the unit. With that over with, I can get back to diagnosing the problem at hand. It turned out to be a bad starter motor. I called the parts warehouse and got prices on a replacement starter for the owner. Later that day the owner called back and said they had just put a starter on so I must be mistaken. …..yea, they did, but it was one of those “discount” brands…..the type that offer a life time warranty…..life time warranty, right a lifetime of changing it. (Note: cheap parts = cheap results) Instead of getting a name brand part they wanted to replace the starter with another “cheap” brand. Ah yes, the cheapo repair part syndrome, repairing your car with your wallet not with wrenches... She came for the old starter and sometime later showed up with the replacement starter. I informed the owner that since you have decided on the quality of the part but the quality of my diagnostics hasn’t changed, however if it fails to start for any reason beyond the bolts falling out of the starter do to the fact that I forgot to tighten them up… it’s an all new diagnostic charge to rework the test… which I have no doubt it will end up back to this cheap starter. It’s your choice, just warning you that I can’t trust these cheap parts to perform like good quality parts… “You get what you pay for,” I told her. It went in one ear and out the other. She answer me, “Ok, can ya have it done today?” Whatever, fine, I’ll put it on…. To my surprise……it worked. The next thing was to rewire the breath machine back into the system. No problems there, everything is in working order. Enough said about the repair….the next thing was….. Close out the ticket in the front office. That’s when old Grandpa showed up with one hell of a chip on his shoulder. (I think old Grandpa threw back a few before he showed up too.) “You’re charges are higher than the tire shop,” he said angrily, “I don’t think I should have to pay that much for it if the other shop could have done it for less.” I informed him that my prices were discussed before the job was even done and the price was OK’d before we even started. Besides, the tire shop may have a lower labor cost but, they also said they didn’t have the necessary skills to actually make the proper diagnosis and or the repair. He rambled on about how he had fixed cars when he was younger and knew a lot about them He would have fixed it himself if he knew what was wrong with it. Aha! The old “if I knew what was wrong with it” scheme. Now we are on to something. So it’s not so much…what I did or how I did it…. It was “knowing” how and what I did . Seems I’m not doing my job right, maybe I should just start guessing at the repairs…. Maybe then I could lower the cost of the repairs then I could be like the tire shop…. Or maybe I should just throw a dart at a bulletin board full of pictures of parts and where ever it hits that’s the part I change… or better yet, I’ll send it to someone else who knows how fix it. Oh, wait a minute ….that’s how I ended up with it. Oh that’s right…..I’m the guy who is supposed to be the guy that supposed to fix it for the guy. Guess that’s why I get paid the big bucks. Sorry Grandpa, maybe I’m doing you a big favor… you spend a few bucks with me, that way you’ll be a few bucks shy of that next 6 pack. That might keep you or your tube blowin’ granddaughter from getting behind the wheel drunk and I might actually be preventing a future fatal accident. So do me a favor…. Save some of that hot air for the breath machine Mr., you’ll need it to start the car….

Hey Joe, if "Sum Guy" shows up... it ain't me... but I'll be thinking of ya.... Keep it up Buddy... I'll toss back a cold one for ya... Here's to Joe! ! thanx for all that you do... and I do mean it... THANX your friend Gonzo

You are so welcome Joe.... congrats on 30 years. ASO is a great way for all shop owners all over the country to meet and greet. Onward --- Forward---- into the future we shall go.... ! ! !

Yea call me if ya meet up with this wrench bender.... or, stuff him in the bottom of your tool box until I get there....

this video is a hoot. It was actually filmed right here in Tulsa... They are from a local church called "Church on the Move" Super funny... laughed my butt off.

UPDATE: My wifes second book is scheduled to be on the shelves by Oct 1st. It's another of her quilting instructional books. Looks like it's going to be another good seller. She's extremely good at this quilting stuff...all of which... I don't have a clue about. I'll stick to fixin' the cars... she can keep fixin' quilts. check it out at her website -- www.persimmonquilts.com

I can't imagine working that many hours... the guy deserves a medal... that's dedication...

Looking for Some Guy Gonzo 2010 Have ya ever noticed that a lot of work shows up at the shop with some sort of story attached and the customer almost always knows who sent them to you or what the last tech has done to their car? It’s pretty common at my shop. This other mechanic seems to always be busy, sometimes too busy to finish the customer’s job completely. I don’t know who this dude is but, he gets all the work in town. I’ve never met this wrench jockey; I don’t even know where his shop is… in fact I don’t even know what he charges or what his expertise is. But, I do know his name… oh yea, I know his name, his reputation is well known, and his never ending automotive repair skills are known far and wide. Who is this genius of the auto repair world? You know him, he’s that “regular mechanic” you always hear about. I don’t know whether he is some super tech out there or just the best salesman in the business. What’s his name you ask, well; it’s none other than… “Sum Guy”. that’s the dude, that’s him… his name comes up in conversations all the time… something like this; “I had my car to Sum Guy the other day… he said my problem was this, and said you would know how to fix it.” Or when you ask, “Where did you have your car at ma’am?” and the usual answer ... “Oh, I had it at Sum Guy for a while till he gave up and said he couldn’t take care of it, I don’t think he knows what he’s doing.” And, of course my all time favorite… “Sum Guy already looked at it so I already know what’s wrong.” Now I don’t know about you but Sum Guy seems to get around a lot. One of these days I’d like to meet him. I’ve got a few words for him for sure. He either works the customer into an all out frenzy or they come into the shop with a chip on their shoulder as if they just cured cancer. Ya never know which way it’s going to go with Sum Guy around. He can be your friend or he can be your enemy it’s all a gamble at this point. Listening in on conversations at the front counter and sooner or later good ol’ Sum Guy will get his name mentioned. “I had Sum Guy change my brakes last week but he didn’t want to mess with the ABS system.” “The other day my wife and I were out in town when we ran across Sum Guy, he said he knew you.” Man, this dude gets around, how do ya keep up with him? He’s everywhere! I’m going to put an ad in the paper one of these days… it should say something like; “Looking for Sum Guy who can fix cars and impress customers more than I can. Sum Guy who has all the correct tools and diagnostic equipment that I don’t have. Sum Guy with the smarts of a rocket scientist and the strength of a gorilla. Sum Guy who can be in two places at once and never-ever makes a mistake. Sum Guy that can keep a customer happy even in the worst of conditions and knows just what to say to calm them down. And, most of all Sum Guy who can do all of this and still show up to work on time. I doubt he’ll answer the ad, I think he doesn’t want the rest of the automotive industry to know about him. I think he likes to stay in the shadows away from the lime light and keep in close touch with all his customers. He’s a credit to himself… that guy… he’s Some Guy… Stories are pre-posted here at ASO... you guys get to see them first before I edit them and send them onto my editors... your thoughts and comments mean a lot... let me know what ya think of them.... thanx... Gonz

Best make that a few beers... One of these days.. or years... we'll all get together... maybe in Vegas or something... bring your golf clubs (if you have any)

That's one of the trade shows I've always wanted to go to... but never make it. I really need to make an effort and go to these things...

Clop, Clop, Clop, Whoosh Many years ago I started wearing slip-on boots to work, these days it’s usually shorts and sneakers when the weather is right. It was a habit to wear the boots just, well, because I was too lazy to tie shoes I guess. This leads to a little story about yours truly. This was a few years after I was married to my dear wife and she was running the front office at the time. We had a call that a 300z was going to be hauled in on a wrecker. Something about a fire under the hood, but not a major fire, with a slight bit of paint damage. The owner wasn’t concerned with the paint, just get it running. When the car showed up it did have just that, a small centralized fire on the back row of injectors. I doubt it even had more than 2 or 3 actual wires burnt, the rest were just scorched a bit. I easily pulled the burnt wires apart and began checking into it further to see if I could tell how it all started. An obvious clue, the harness was lying on the exhaust manifold. Not a big deal, a simple rerouting of the harness took care of that. By the way it looked; I didn’t think it was all the bad. I thought it could start and drive into the shop. Well, why not try it. I turned the key and it fired right up, ran perfectly I might add. Then…. Whoosh… a flame shot out from under the hood. I shut the car down but the flame was still there. As quick as I could I ran for the fire extinguisher. This whole time my wife is in the office oblivious to the whole frantic situation going on just outside her door. She could hear me running back into the shop and then stop, then run back out of the door. With some quick thinking she deduced that I must have ran into the shop for only one thing and one thing only… the fire extinguisher. I wasn’t concerned with her; I wanted to put the fire out. One quick little shot from the extinguisher and the fire was out. No damage done, just a lot more clean to be done. Turns out one of the injector lines had a slight tear in it and gas was leaking out of it. I figured I better fix that while I’m at it. That’s when the real fun started. Rushing out of the office with that look of desperation on her face was my wife. There I was standing there in full glory holding onto a fire extinguisher and the smoke still coming from under the hood. “What just happened,” she frantically asked, “I knew what you came in for and I figured out what you were going for. You started the car on fire didn’t you?” The whole time she was standing there with the portable phone in her hand. “Because I’ve already have the “9” dialed and I was ready to finish the call if you didn’t get things taken care of. “Oh, it was nothing honey,” I answered while trying to sound calm and collective, “what do you mean you knew what I was going for?” “Ya big dope,” she said, arms folded and giving me that patronizing stare that only a wife can do, “Those boots you wear gave you away, why any fool could hear the clop, clop, clop of those things. You’re not very stealthy you know. I could tell you only ran into the shop far enough to get the closest extinguisher and run back outside. You’re lucky I was here.” “How’s that?” I asked, bewildered at her sudden concern for my dilemma. “Because now I can tell everyone that the “great” Gonzo tried to set a car on fire,” she said with a laugh. You know, when something is funny, it’s funny, add the fact that it’s involving me and my wife has a chance to tell her story… it’s only funnier. I’ll have to give it to my wonderful wife for this one, you’re right; it must have looked and sounded pretty funny, nothing like being on the other end of the joke around here. I’m never going to live this down. One thing my wife loves to do is find something I do wrong and tell everyone she knows. It’s like a badge of honor with her. I’m sure a lot of husbands go through this. So I don’t feel so alone in my situation. The way I see it, I figure if you’re going to screw up, do it in front of your wife. She loves the attention, and even more if it ends up where the husband looks like the fool. Yea, you know what I mean, big tough guy screws up… classic wife material for the family reunion. Ok, ok it was a little fire, no big deal. Come on, I ain’t perfect. I called the customer and gave them the news; surprisingly enough, there was no shock or concern from them. Seems the same thing happened to them just prior to bringing it into the shop. It was, as they called it, “the old beater” and just wanted to get it running again and weren’t concerned about looks. Well, thank God for that. I’ve gave up on the boot thing a long time ago. I’m a little more comfortable in an old pair of sneakers. I try not to do as much running these days, and of course the sneakers are not near as loud as those old boots were. One thing for sure… the wife can’t hear me running thru the shop anymore… Just have to be certain to keep the fire extinguishers in working order and close by… and my wife’s curiosity at bay till all the smoke clears… +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Before this country was a country... Pioneers crossed this rugged land in search of a better life for themselves and their families... I don't recall anyone ever giving them a handout. I'm pretty sure each and ever step they took was of their own free will and thru their sacrifices they accomplished one great thing... This country ... as far as I see it... hand outs and "gimmies" are for the weak... This country wasn't started by the weak... We need to get back to that thought process and not look for hand outs as a way of making our lives better.

Just a reminder... a lot of times, you're the first person to read these new stories... and I read your comments on each of these stories and decide on which one I'm sending to the publishers. If you would help rate the stories with your comments I'll have a better idea as to which stories will make a great published article.

One socket short a full set One morning while cleaning up the shop from the previous day’s repairs an old GMC pickup was being pulled into the parking lot by another truck. The driver was busy unhooking the old truck while I was busy restocking shelves and putting things away. When the fella was done he headed for the front door. Any moment now the bell should go off, and when it does I’ll drop everything and go see who’s there. It seemed like an eternity, I know the bell should ring any second now… I kept moving closer to the office door still waiting for that usual sound of the bell going off. No bell, hmmm… I better go up front anyway. Nobody, not a soul… I couldn’t see anyone standing out front waiting so I might as well go back to my work at hand. “Ding, ding” 2 dings… that was it, strange… usually the door bell would ring more than that. I’ll bet somebody barely opened the door and didn’t go in. I better go up to the front office and check it myself. Walking from the back door thru the lobby to the front door I opened the door and surprise… surprise the bell works perfectly. I could hear the ding coming from the shop area, but I was all alone, there wasn’t anybody in the lobby and I didn’t see anyone outside or in the parking lot. Oh well, I’ll go back to the shop. Thru the rear office door and back out to the shop again, I stopped by and grabbed my broom to finish the cleanup. There’s that door bell again… for cryin’ out loud… stop this musical door bell game already. This time I just stuck my head thru the door to see if anyone was there. Nope, nobody there now… I stood in the shop waiting for someone to come around the corner or hear the front door bell “ding” again. Nothing, dead silence… OK, that’s it… back to the front office… open the door… “ding, ding, ding” the bell is fine.. it ain’t the wind… it’s gotta be this guy with the pickup. I waited in the lobby… no one showed up… Ok that’s it… out the front door and walk around the shop and see if I can find this guy. I made it around to the first garage door just in time to see the rear office door close… AHA… found ya! ! As I reached for the door knob the front door “ding” was going off… Now that’s it… ! ! I’m standing right here… I’m not going back to the lobby; I’m not even going to pick up my broom… I’m just going to stand here and wait for this guy to stop his march around the shop. Here he comes … finally back thru the first garage door. “Morning, can I help you,” I said. “Yea, I’m the guy that called you yesterday about the 88 GMC that won’t start,” he said. “I remember somebody calling about an 88 but that was several weeks ago.” “Yep, that’s me.” “Ok, well, let’s go to the front office and fill out the paper work.” I turned and went back thru the rear office door and into the office. As I went by the stack of blank invoices I grabbed one and a pen and said, “What name should I put this under?” There was no answer; in fact there was no one there. Ok, ok, back out to the shop and find this guy. There he was standing in the shop, I guess he thought I was coming back out there. Now, in the past, I’ve seen a lot of old timers come thru the shop and stand there, talk about cars and such. These types of old timers you have to bring the paper work to them. I guess it’s the “old” way of doing things, you know, the mechanic is the guy in the shop with grease from head to toe and the shop is where you talk to the mechanic. This guy, doesn’t fit the description, way too young to be a part of that generation… I doubt if he’s any older than the truck he dragged in. “You can come up here to the front office with me, we’ll fill out the paper work then,” I told him. With that, he followed me to the front office. (finally) “So what’s wrong with the truck?” “I put a new transmission in, changed the fuel pump, put in a new starter and a new battery. I tried to start it and smoke came out around the back of the engine and the two metal fuel lines had to be changed. After the lines were changed I haven’t tried it again.” You know, sometimes I need to reword my questions. This door bell chasin’ DIY’r must be dizzy from all his trips around the office and service bays. The question; “So what’s wrong with the truck” turns out to be a history lesson on what he has done recently to the truck…. My bad….or maybe not… maybe…. that IS what’s wrong with the truck. I guess I got my answer to the question… just a little long winded to get to the point. “You need some help getting it off the trailer?” “No, where do you want me to put it?” “You can leave it right where it is; I’ll get it in the shop myself.” He did just that… right in the middle of the driveway… at least a car length from the parking spaces that are so conveniently open on both ends just for the purpose of allowing a tow truck to pull thru the parking space and unload. Well, I did say “right where it is”. Maybe those trips around the office are getting to me too. After he left I made my way out to the truck. Everything he described was correct, new parts here, new parts there, new parts everywhere. But the part he forgot was to hook up the ground cables to the engine. This would explain the smoking aluminum fuel line problem. I hooked the leads back up, started it up and gave him a call as to what I found wrong with it. He asked, “So where’s the truck now?” “It’s in the shop” “How’d ya get it there?” “I drove it in.” “But it won’t start, that’s why I brought it to you.” “It’s starts, runs fine and ready to go home.” “How’d ya get it started?” “I hooked up the ground leads you must have left off when you did all the work to it.” “So how did ya do that?” “Nothing to it… just bolted them back down to their proper places and you’re good to go.” “I don’t understand, how did ya get it in the shop?” “I drove it in.” “But it wouldn’t start, how’d ya get it going?” Is this guy listening? Maybe he is still dizzy, maybe he’s just dumb… maybe he’s both… I told him again, and again, and again… I don’t know why, but it always seems to me that you have to repeat things at least 3 times to someone who doesn’t understand you… this guy has gone way past that point. This guy is one socket short a full set…. I’m glad I don’t run across guys like this too often, I’m getting older, my patience wears down more than it use too. Dizzy, dingy, or just wacky… I find myself thinking about them while dealing with new situations that have some similarity to this story…. I smile, I laugh, I already know what to expect. Next time, I think I’ll stay in the office and let them find me. I’ll let the younger techs run around the shop to find them. That’s the best part about getting older…. Experience.

good one... ugh.

Now that's some motivational stories... Thanx for sharing... and don't you also think that this website is another motivating factor? Sharing our ideas and thoughts can in some way help each of us. I have a weekly lunch meeting I attend of nothing but business people (kind of like a Rotary) It's a good stress relief. Bankruptcy is a hard thing to come back from... but it's not impossible. So there's always hope... Nice story Joe... Xrac... excellent.

Ya see, that's what happens when ya get old...ya don't remember do ya,... you where standing right next to me in the assembly line... but I know... the two things you lose when ya get old.... your memory ... and.... ah,hmmm,ah, what was I talking about now.... I think Joe was there too... he was the guy tightening the center nut on the spoked wheels... never could fit that sucker on there right. LOL

Great video ... a must see ...