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How to Become a Thermostat Instead of a Thermometer- Dave Hobbs [RR 601]


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Dave Hobbs automotive service experience spans 40 plus years in the industry, starting out as a technician and then as a service manager working in his family’s repair shop (Hobbs Auto Electric) in Kokomo, Indiana. After leaving Hobbs Auto Electric, Dave began working as a hotline advisor and field engineer at GM’s Delco Electronics. Those roles eventually led to becoming an electronics systems instructor for thousands of Delco Electronics / Delphi engineers throughout North American and Asia.

Dave is currently the lead technical trainer and course developer for Delphi Product and Service Solutions. In addition, he serves part-time as a contributor to Motor Age Magazine and as a field correspondent for MACS Worldwide (Mobile AC Society). Dave’s previous episodes HERE.

Key Talking Points:

  • Become a thermostat instead of a thermometer When things heat up with frustration thermometers react, thermostats do something (cool down or heat up)
  • Pertains to shop owners, managers, and lead technicians- it’s in our control
  • Virtual classesDifficult to connect with distant learning- no interaction and often time camera for zoom calls are off
  • Missing the important feedback from in person classes
  • ADAS trainingMany cars don’t require targets for radar or cameras that you can do yourself
  • Fuzzbuster, thermal imager etc are tools you can use (“MacGyver” tips)   
  • Love of cars and the car industry- then vs nowDave’s first car- ‘61 Chevy Station Wagon
  • Cars have more technology on them- can appeal to tech savvy students, but still needs to have aptitude of taking apart and putting back together, coding and computers
  • Encourage women to join industry as well
  • Selling it as “computer on wheels”    

Resources:

  • Thanks to Dave Hobbs for his contribution to the aftermarket’s premier podcast.
  • Link to the ‘BOOKS‘ page, highlighting all books discussed in the podcast library HERE. Leaders are readers.
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  • Have you checked out Joe's Latest Blog?

         5 comments
      I recently spoke with a friend of mine who owns a large general repair shop in the Midwest. His father founded the business in 1975. He was telling me that although he’s busy, he’s also very frustrated. When I probed him more about his frustrations, he said that it’s hard to find qualified technicians. My friend employs four technicians and is looking to hire two more. I then asked him, “How long does a technician last working for you.” He looked puzzled and replied, “I never really thought about that, but I can tell that except for one tech, most technicians don’t last working for me longer than a few years.”
      Judging from personal experience as a shop owner and from what I know about the auto repair industry, I can tell you that other than a few exceptions, the turnover rate for technicians in our industry is too high. This makes me think, do we have a technician shortage or a retention problem? Have we done the best we can over the decades to provide great pay plans, benefits packages, great work environments, and the right culture to ensure that the techs we have stay with us?
      Finding and hiring qualified automotive technicians is not a new phenomenon. This problem has been around for as long as I can remember. While we do need to attract people to our industry and provide the necessary training and mentorship, we also need to focus on retention. Having a revolving door and needing to hire techs every few years or so costs your company money. Big money! And that revolving door may be a sign of an even bigger issue: poor leadership, and poor employee management skills.
      Here’s one more thing to consider, for the most part, technicians don’t leave one job to start a new career, they leave one shop as a technician to become a technician at another shop. The reasons why they leave can be debated, but there is one fact that we cannot deny, people don’t quit the company they work for, they usually leave because of the boss or manager they work for.
      Put yourselves in the shoes of your employees. Do you have a workplace that communicates, “We appreciate you and want you to stay!”
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