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Be Professional

 

 

 

The definition as Wikipedia describes it: "A professional is a person who is paid to undertake a specialized set of tasks,and to complete them for a fee." That's true, and "professions" are associated with some sort of recognition that quantifies them as a professional, such as a diploma, certificate, or degree.

 

 

In the automotive field an ASE certification, manufacturer certifications, or years of service are just some of the ways to distinguish one as a pro vs. a parts swapping wanna-be mechanic. But the mere fact of calling oneself a professional doesn't always add up to the degree or certificate that says you are one. In my opinion, handling yourself as a professional matters just as much.

 

 

I try to approach each and every job as a professional. These include detailing your results and striving to make each repair look as neat and orderly as possible. (Sloppy work usually means sloppy results.) It doesn't matter whether the job is for a customer off the street or for another repair shop… you do the best professional job possible.

 

 

I recently got a car from a small motor swap shop that I used to see once in a great while. They never sent a lot of work, but their techs would call me constantly asking for information on how to repair something. Very rude, and definitely a second rate repair shop. Grudgingly, I told them I would look at this car, even though it didn't sound like one I wanted to deal with. The car had a zillion miles on it with a turbo/intercooler engine under the hood. The car definitely had seen better days, however this was the typical type of car they were likely to get in their shop.

 

 

Under the hood I found a lot of new parts slapped on and several things out of place,most of which were not fastened down correctly with their retainers or clips. What wasn't broken or out of place was coated with oil sludge and dirt. You could tell they had no idea what was wrong or what they were doing, and were only throwing parts at it hoping it would start.

 

 

The first thing I found were several wires that were poorly spliced together, and most of the relays were dangling off their brackets. I had to fix the wires even before I could check the rest of the systems. The main complaint was the fuel pump wasn't coming on. They had already changed out the fuel pump relay, and even though (at the relay) it had all the correct signals, it refused to cooperate. What I found was something I rarely see, but it does happen… the relay was built backwards. For now, the easiest solution was to reverse the leads at the relay. Once I switched it over, the car started. It ran terrible, service light was flashing,and a misfire code was stored.

 

 

Upon further diagnosing, I found a broken wire at the no#1 coil. The front cylinders were a little easier to get to, but the no#1 cyl. was in the back,covered by all the intercooler and intake tubes. I had the O Scope hooked up to a pressure transducer, and it was showing some weird exhaust pressure readings. Sure enough, a compression test on one of the front cylinders confirmed my suspicion: the converter was clogged as well. I wasn't surprised that the sparkplugs were, at best... finger tight, and every single intake bolt, intercooler bolt, and fasteners had never been properly tightened. Instead of pulling the intake section and intercooler lines off to get to the no#1 cylinder and fix the wire, I thought it's time to call these guys and give them the news.

 

 

"We can handle it from here," they told me.

 

 

They paid for my time, and as expected it wasn't long before they needed more help. They had already fixed the wire on the coil and replaced the converter.It started, but died shortly after that. They were at a loss, so naturally I got a call. I could tell there was already some tension from their end of the phone, and I was going to be the scapegoat for this car's demise.

 

 

"I'd check the fuel pressure... sounds like that might be part of the original problem, before all this other stuff went wrong," I told him before he rudely hung the phone up.

 

 

I went over my test results again. My guess is they probably broke the wires while changing the plugs, and only made things worse by changing the relays. More than likely the fuel pump was the original problem all along, with a slightly clogged converter.

 

 

I always thought these guys were a little shifty, and it wasn't long before I found out for sure. Their tech needed to save face with the boss,so he proceeded to tell him I didn't know what I was doing, and never did anything to help the repair along. The owner turned out to be just as unprofessional as his hired hands. What was my clue? He stopped payment on the check.

 

 

You bet I was furious... but, let's cool down a bit and not stoop to their level… let's be professional about this. I kept my cool and called them, "I'm not here to lie, cheat or steal...and I've never-ever done that to you or anyone else. I'm here to do a job… a job I do with the utmost of care. Your lack of handling things in a professional manner only shows me what caliber of a person you really are. If you had a problem, call me or bring the car back. But trying to save a few bucks on your part after the efforts I put in this is uncalled for. I don't want your money. I also don't want your techs calling me to pick my brain for answers. It's not about the money now, it's about the principle."

 

 

I said my peace, and hung up the phone…case closed. Shops like these give the rest of us a bad name. They'll deny everything, charge for anything, and never do any service on a customer's car in a professional manner. I could tell they expected an argument once they realized who was on the other end of the line, but they weren't expecting the response I gave them. It's as if they hada lot of practice arguing with customers over repairs… I'm not arguing…

 

 

Actually, I felt a hundred percent better after handling it this way. I didn't see any reason to stand there toe to toe, and try to get compensated for my professional time. My professionalism means more to me than a few bucks. Let's face it, for a repair shop to insult another shop, especially when they couldn't figure it out shows their true nature.

 

 

The Wikipedia definition of a professional needs some clarification. It should have included not only doing a task or job for compensation… but acting like one after you've written the check.

 

 

Who loses out with these poor repairs done by mechanics who only know how to swap parts? …unfortunately, the customer.

 


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Posted

It's not my habit to write "ticked-off" stories, but this was something that I thought needed to be told. We all talk about those unscrupulous shops and how the customer gets taken by one of them, well... this time it was the other way around.... I thought it was time to put it in writing that not only the consumer has to be aware... but so do other repair shops when dealing these kinds of idiots.

 

I would expect a professional to act professional...but, I guess that's just too much to ask for from some people.

Posted (edited)

Directing you to your last sentence:

 

"Who loses out with these poor repairs done by mechanics who only know how to swap parts? …unfortunately, the customer."

 

Who loses in my opinion? Everyone except the poorly run shop that did the work. Surely the customer as you mention but they may deserve it. They probably chose the shop because they didn't want to pay to have the job done right. If they didn't know the shop was performing poor work they do now. Other shops in the area lose as well. I have seen shops that low ball price suck the life out of other shops by taking work from them. Only to have both go down the tubes because the poorly ran shop didn't get the training... buy the equipment to do the job they are doing... charge enough to make a profit so they could stay in business.

 

I'm sure you have had the "new" customer trying to get their car repaired come in and say "I have spent enough trying to get this car fixed and I do not want to spend anymore". I hand them back their keys and with as much professionalism as I can mustard up inform them they didn't spend a dime at our place yet. It takes proper knowledge and test equipment to determine what is wrong with their vehicle and there will be a charge for it. From there I will call them and give them the results of the tests and an amount to fix their vehicle. If that is good with them then we'll proceed. Nine out of ten will give me the keys a second time. If so they accepted how we are going to do it and understand there will be a charge for it. For the one in ten that don't... Well they deserve the shop that does the poor work and I have sent them down the road.

Edited by Spence
Posted

Well put Spence, and I do think you're right about the customer choosing that particular shop because of costs or other "dollar" reasons. Quality went out the window on both sides, customer and repair shop.

Directing you to your last sentence:

 

"Who loses out with these poor repairs done by mechanics who only know how to swap parts? …unfortunately, the customer."

 

Who loses in my opinion? Everyone except the poorly run shop that did the work. Surely the customer as you mention but they may deserve it. They probably chose the shop because they didn't want to pay to have the job done right. If they didn't know the shop was performing poor work they do now. Other shops in the area lose as well. I have seen shops that low ball price suck the life out of other shops by taking work from them. Only to have both go down the tubes because the poorly ran shop didn't get the training... buy the equipment to do the job they are doing... charge enough to make a profit so they could stay in business.

 

I'm sure you have had the "new" customer trying to get their car repaired come in and say "I have spent enough trying to get this car fixed and I do not want to spend anymore". I hand them back their keys and with as much professionalism as I can mustard up inform them they didn't spend a dime at our place yet. It takes proper knowledge and test equipment to determine what is wrong with their vehicle and there will be a charge for it. From there I will call them and give them the results of the tests and an amount to fix their vehicle. If that is good with them then we'll proceed. Nine out of ten will give me the keys a second time. If so they accepted how we are going to do it and understand there will be a charge for it. For the one in ten that don't... Well they deserve the shop that does the poor work and I have sent them down the road.

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      The Technician Shortage Is Our Fault, And It's Time We Own It
      Nearly every day, I hear shop owners complain: "There's a technician shortage. We can't find qualified people. There's no one out there." If that's true, then who's to blame?
      The industry? The schools? The government? I don't know how you feel, but who promised us an endless supply of qualified technicians?
      Another common complaint is that young people do not want to work in the trades. Well, if that were true, then why are other trades such as HVAC, electrical, and plumbing growing? What are they doing that the automotive industry is not? 
      Here's the reality we need to face: We do have a problem, but we shouldn't look for someone or any entity to rescue us. Not the government. Not the trade schools. Not the recruiting companies. No one owes us a workforce. If we want great people in our industry, it's up to us. At some point, we need to own up to the truth: Building a pipeline of qualified technicians is our responsibility.
      In this blog article, I will break down the key reasons we are in this situation today and what we, as an industry, can do to solve the technician shortage. Are you ready to look in the mirror?
      Have We Pushed Technicians Away?
      Let's take a look at flat-rate pay. True flat rate, which pays a technician only for the hours they produce, is a controversial pay plan that emphasizes high production levels and creates a competitive work environment that, if not properly controlled, can lead to increased mistakes and a decline in morale and team spirit. Additionally, the stress and physical demands placed on technicians as they age are not favorable to long-term employee retention. What do we do with technicians as they grow older into their fifties and begin to slow down? 
      I have heard all the arguments and pros and cons of flat-rate pay, and I am not going to judge any pay plan. Let the facts speak for themselves. True flat rate has changed in most areas around the country and has evolved into a pay plan that gives technicians some pay guarantee.
      Many shop owners have learned that team morale, along with the opportunity to earn income, is important to technicians and to the company's long-term success. But let me ask you: how many technicians have left or been pushed out over the years because of the old flat-rate pay system?
      Another issue is the workplace environment. I remember being grateful to be hired as a young technician at a local repair shop. While very thankful, the work environment was not ideal. The shop owner kept the bay doors open year-round (I am from New York) unless it rained or snowed. He felt that if the bay doors were closed, customers might think we were closed for business. We had no heat and no hot water. Many of the jobs were done outside, year-round,  in all types of weather. The starting pay was minimum wage, with no benefits, sick days, or vacation pay. 
      Now, again, I need to point out that I was truly grateful for the opportunity this shop owner gave me. I learned a lot working there, and the experience was pivotal in my career. But looking back, I wonder how many people were discouraged by these working conditions?
      While the physical demands of the repair workplace are daunting, perhaps even more critical is the culture. Too many of my generation shop owners preached the mindset of "my way or the highway." We were the business owners, after all. We started our companies, took all the risks, and provided jobs. Why shouldn't we be the ones to set the ground rules our way?   
      Many of us found over the years that the "my way or the highway" mentality was a sure way to isolate employees and make them more likely to look over the fence for greener grass. In other words, it led many technicians to seek employment elsewhere, where they felt they could be appreciated and recognized for their hard work. The issue, however, was that there wasn't much green grass around. Disappointment after disappointment, bouncing from repair to repair shop, eventually led to despair. So, I ask you: were workplace conditions a contributing factor in today's technician shortage?
      Another factor that we are all well aware of is the complexity of the modern automobile. When I started, the work was mostly physical, and you were required to master essentially three vehicle models: General Motors, Ford, and Chrysler. Let's fast-forward to today. The evolution of automotive technology, along with the extensive training and tools required, has outpaced the typical technician's pay compensation, with no clear career path. Again, leading to frustration and insecurity about the future.
      Here is the bottom line: people don't leave their job; they leave their experience. We must do a better job. 
      The News Isn't all Bad; Your Next Steps to Fix the Technician Shortage
      To fix the technician shortage, it will take a combined effort from everyone in the automotive industry, particularly automotive shop owners. Shop owners are in the perfect position to make the greatest impact, not only on their businesses but also on the future automotive workforce.
      First, shop owners must become better leaders and understand that their ultimate success is directly dependent on the people they assemble around them. Any shop owner who mistakenly believes they can build an empire solely on their abilities is destined for serious disappointment. Business owners who think like this will eventually plateau. Without the collective contributions from a team of qualified people, your business will stall; it will not continue to grow.
      Create a workplace that attracts top talent: a clean, professional, well-equipped facility designed to support productivity, teamwork, and a career, not just a job. Build a great reputation in your community by getting involved locally. Become the auto repair shop that people take notice of as "the" place to work.
      Next, shop owners must become more financially knowledgeable. Knowing your numbers and what you need to achieve for a strong bottom-line profit is essential to paying technicians the money they need and deserve. Profit will also allow you to compete with other trade industries by providing a benefits package that has real take-home value and security.
      When it comes to culture, this is where the rubber hits the road. People crave recognition, praise, and a sense of purpose. Despite what you hear, people are not just money-motivated. Once people feel secure in their financial situation, retaining and motivating technicians can only be achieved by connecting with them on an emotional level. You cannot show enough appreciation. Give out praise for a job well done as if your business depended on it, because it does.
      As technicians age, we need to have a place for them. Expecting a 58-year-old to perform like a 35-year-old is unrealistic. We need to be more focused on career pathing. Provide training, skill development, and coaching to develop leaders and mentors within our older workforce. While their bodies may have slowed, the knowledge they have gained is priceless. 
      Our future is dependent on young people entering our industry. We need to give more young people opportunities. Every shop owner across the country should consider hiring an apprentice, then build an apprentice training plan and career path for them. If every shop did this, we could solve the technician shortage within five years. Get involved with the trade schools and high schools in your area. Look into the NAPA Apprenticeship Program. Don't sit on your hands with this one. Do it today.
      Lastly, don't get left behind. Commit to ongoing training for all your employees. Keep up to date with tools and equipment tailored to your business model. Don't try to be all things to all people and all vehicles. Identify your core profile customer and the vehicles they drive, and become an expert on those vehicles and the services you offer.
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