Evolv-ing Thread

[SlickWilly]

My familiarity is limited to dealerships of one particular manufacturer. But yes, things are different now. One of the things that's changed is that the flow charts are now all scripted and embedded in the factory scan tool, and the techs have little choice but to follow them, no matter how little hands-on experience the guys in the white lab coats with the title "Dr. Dipl. Ing." who wrote those scripts have. In addition, no dealership I know of has one scan-tool per tech, meaning they're often waiting for their turn with one.

Anyway, I've hired three absolutely top-notch techs away from dealerships, and it was no problem making them offers that were considerably better than what they were earning previously. No, they no longer turn wrenches. Instead, they spend their day helping people who do turn wrenches over the phone and via e-mail.

That's a real surprise. And it's a shame techs don't earn what they should, the beating on the body, the time it takes to learn and the wide knowledge you need, I wonder how they get young techs to work for low wages and expect them to pay those kind of prices for tools and still make a living? That's a shame.

 

[SlickWilly]

Love the photo, Willie! You were young once!

I just tighten things up until they feel "right". Never snap small stuff, but I have a habit of snapping bolts 3/8 and up. I tend to get carried away.

I have a different dodge than the toggle switch. A push button right to the starter solenoid. Nothing to remember to flip back and forth. Turn the key, push the button and go like the good olde days.

Good old days my friend, they really were, I just didn't know how well I had it then.

Mom was always after me, "Get a hair cut!"

 

[SlickWilly]

Got a paypal policy update email, a quick scan and this caught my eye, I'm highly surprised!

"• Updating the user agreement to enable you to seek public injunctive relief in court instead of arbitration, if a court decides that you have a right to pursue that type of relief and it is not available in arbitration under the terms of the user agreement’s arbitration provision."

 

[kiba]

I also worked in a Honda and Acura dealer, I liked them both, enjoyed working on them, made the best money I ever made at that dealer.

I truly enjoyed working on cars, I love all things mechanical, nut and bolts, figuring out how things work. I wanted to be the best mechanic I could be and make the most money I could for my wife and daughter, I paid my dues to get there then like you life thew me a curve ball. I was forced to stop as a tech because of spine problems, I tried to keep working, the dealer let me come in, gave me lighter work and let me work til I couldn't take anymore then go home early, my paychecks were half what they use to be. I really didn't want to give it up but the doctor told me I was just doing more damage and it was time to face I just couldn't do it anymore, I couldn't pull a tire off a Civic without pain, it was time to give it up.

Now I love to tinker in my shop, but I don't enjoy working on cars anymore because it's just frustrating I can't do it with hurting. I don't take care of my cars like I should, I don't repair them unless it's needed. But that doesn't mean I can find pleasure in just being in the shop, listing to tunes and tinkering around. It keeps the hands and mind busy.

After giving up the wrench twisting a buddy who is a gun smith got me into handgun shooting, he belonged to a Bullseye team and got me involved in shooting Bullseye pistol matches. Gun's are just machines, it was a naturally progression for me to be drawn to them, learn how they worked, take them apart and learn how to make them better, more accurate. Shooting a lot get's expensive unless you reload, so that was then next progression/hobby. Again, the reloading machines and tools were something new for me to learn and tinker with. But then the spine problems from my back also started showing up in my neck. Bad back, bad neck, your either leaning over when under the hood or looking up when under a car on the lift. The pinched nerves in the neck weaken my arms and my hands are not as steady. Soon precision Bullseye shooting wasn't fun any more, I couldn't shoot a decent group to save my a**, my scores plummeted, it was getting hard to keep all the shots on the paper and once the fun was gone I gave that up too.

I still find things to tinker with, building mods became a natural attraction and gave me something to tinker with. I enjoy building mods but I've got more dna mods then I need or can use, but yet I can't help but build more.

We're only weeks away now from weather warm enough that I'll get outside and back in my shop, I look forward to it!

I feel your pain, I still do most of my own maintenance (even did a front wheel alignment with a pair of cinder blocks & a tape measure but mostly as a goof) but there's absolutely no way I'd be able to do it as a job. My nerve pain flares up just after a few hours of standing & then it's everywhere, plus my muscles are so tensed up from basically holding my spine together that my pt's all the time tell me feel like one of those knotted climbing ropes for kids.

 

[awsum140]

Can't like that, Kiba.

 

[SlickWilly]

Mike, Did you make your own white chocolate from scratch or buy it? I LOVE white chocolate better then any other but it's hard to find that's not absorbently expensive. 98% of what I see in stores labeled as white is crappy fake, vanilla and sugar, I'll take a bite and throw it away. I'd love to know where to get some real white at a reasonable price or if you can point me where to find the butter (used to make white, correct?) and a place to learn how to make it I'd be grateful.

 

[SlickWilly]

I feel your pain, I still do most of my own maintenance (even did a front wheel alignment with a pair of cinder blocks & a tape measure but mostly as a goof) but there's absolutely no way I'd be able to do it as a job. My nerve pain flares up just after a few hours of standing & then it's everywhere, plus my muscles are so tensed up from basically holding my spine together that my pt's all the time tell me feel like one of those knotted climbing ropes for kids.

Hey, I've set toe on my cars with tape measures too, you can get close enough, within tolerances, if careful, good job!

My one advice I'd give with spine pain, go for what ever non evasive treatments help, acupuncture helped early on, short term but did help, steroid injections, PT, what ever helps. But before you let them cut you open, go to the best damn spine doctor you can find, then get a second opinion. AND ASK THEM BECAUSE THEY WON"T TELL YOU, will this be a one time permanent fix or will it just buy me time and I'll be back on the table? If they tell you it's permanent run like hell, they are lying to you and see you as another payment on their yacht.

I've been through it all, once nothing else helped they told me the surgery would fix me right up, yeah it did for two years and then I was worse then before. I know other's who have been through multiple spine surgery's and every time then end up worse then before.

Now that's just my experience, people I know personally and my advice, take it for what it's worth. Just be careful and ASK questions before jumping into surgery. Myself, I'm done with surgery's, I'll live with what I have, a few years relief to end up worse is no bargain, for "me".

 

[dwcraig1]

At one of the shops where I worked I did all the wheel alignments but on my day off another mechanic did them. After about a year or so he asked me if I would teach him to do alignments. What he was doing was faking it, since he had no idea what he was adjusting he just made it appear that he was even though he changed nothing.

 

[northhar]

@mikepetro posted this pokee mod from fastech with a dna 75 .. it seems dovpro decided to dump it.. 27.06 with coupon "SAVING" gives an extra 5%.. lots of parts and a dna75.. for those it interests.
$28.48 Authentic DOVPO POKE VAPE DNA75 TC VW APV Box Mod - 1-75W / 200-600'F / 1*26650 at FastTech - Worldwide Free Shipping

 

[SlickWilly]

At one of the shops where I worked I did all the wheel alignments but on my day off another mechanic did them. After about a year or so he asked me if I would teach him to do alignments. What he was doing was faking it, since he had no idea what he was adjusting he just made it appear that he was even though he changed nothing.

I saw that type of thing too, used to p*** me off, then there was the set the toe and go guys.

One day the guy next to me pulled the rear drum off a car and set it on the floor under it, it was during the winter and the car had road slush stuck to the rocker panels, as it melted a big clump fell right into the center wheel bearings. He sttod right there and watched it happen, I keep and eye on him, he just picked it up and slapped it right back on the car. I walked over and pulled it back off, walking into the tool room, set it in the solvent tank and turned the washer nozzle on. He wasn't happy and started to give me some lip, we exchanged some words but I wasn't going to let him get away with it. It would have taken those bearings out in short order and the customer would have been back spending more money because he was lazy. Those are the guys that give techs a bad rep.

 

[kiba]

Willie I haven't gotten any major surgeries, I chose not to literally at the last minute... in part bc my insurance won't pay for the one I believe they should & would rather fuse my spine in 2places. I have had them go in 3 times for cleaning the crap out of there, & once for minor shoulder surgery & some kind of graft/fix w/ like a few titanium things on fractured vertebrae after initial accident which, 2 of my spine bumps actually has this like pokey thing through it... long story short its like the horror stories I'm sure you've heard, not my bay & I'm getting ready to leave & picking up tools, rear differential comes down, weight shifted & truck came down off the lift.

I also have seen some questionable stuff, a very recent one was like I always put hash tags on my oil filters to tell the difference between mine & hers, & my gf bought an offer for 6 for 1 oil change with some new tires she bought, I'm thinking, combined w/ incredibly cheap price on tires they have to be losing money on this deal & just out of curiosity I checked the filter afterwards... yep you guessed right, the mark was still there.

Another time, back at the dealer, service writer says customer complaining of strange noises etc. I talk to customer who just happens to be watching from the lot. before the car gets brought in, I ask when was the last oil change & they tell me it hasn't, that they've been told by several people on sales, that "oil will last 100,000 plus miles". I tell him that even if that was true about the oil, the filter would not & I'm thinking this could be bad... So strangely enough the porter drives the car into the shop, it doesn't sound good but it's moving, plug in scan tool, errors all over the place, bad enough that I just get out & immediately check the dip stick, nothing. clean as a whistle. Remove drain plug, nothing. I end up taking off the oil pan and it's just full of jello-like coagulated oil, same under valve cover & all surfaces, not a drop of liquid oil, just gross. lol, 0 oil changes in 90,000 miles and they're just driving around like nothing.

The one thing I learned from that though, is that the Japanese can build one hell of an engine.

 

[tiburonfirst]

 

[mikepetro]

 

[mikepetro]

@mikepetro posted this pokee mod from fastech with a dna 75 .. it seems dovpro decided to dump it.. 27.06 with coupon "SAVING" gives an extra 5%.. lots of parts and a dna75.. for those it interests.
$28.48 Authentic DOVPO POKE VAPE DNA75 TC VW APV Box Mod - 1-75W / 200-600'F / 1*26650 at FastTech - Worldwide Free Shipping

Reminds me of "BB8" from Starwars.

 

[SlickWilly]

Willie I haven't gotten any major surgeries, I chose not to literally at the last minute... in part bc my insurance won't pay for the one I believe they should & would rather fuse my spine in 2places. I have had them go in 3 times for cleaning the crap out of there, & once for minor shoulder surgery & some kind of graft/fix w/ like a few titanium things on fractured vertebrae after initial accident which, 2 of my spine bumps actually has this like pokey thing through it... long story short its like the horror stories I'm sure you've heard, not my bay & I'm getting ready to leave & picking up tools, rear differential comes down, weight shifted & truck came down off the lift.

I also have seen some questionable stuff, a very recent one was like I always put hash tags on my oil filters to tell the difference between mine & hers, & my gf bought an offer for 6 for 1 oil change with some new tires she bought, I'm thinking, combined w/ incredibly cheap price on tires they have to be losing money on this deal & just out of curiosity I checked the filter afterwards... yep you guessed right, the mark was still there.

Another time, back at the dealer, service writer says customer complaining of strange noises etc. I talk to customer who just happens to be watching from the lot. before the car gets brought in, I ask when was the last oil change & they tell me it hasn't, that they've been told by several people on sales, that "oil will last 100,000 plus miles". I tell him that even if that was true about the oil, the filter would not & I'm thinking this could be bad... So strangely enough the porter drives the car into the shop, it doesn't sound good but it's moving, plug in scan tool, errors all over the place, bad enough that I just get out & immediately check the dip stick, nothing. clean as a whistle. Remove drain plug, nothing. I end up taking off the oil pan and it's just full of jello-like coagulated oil, same under valve cover & all surfaces, not a drop of liquid oil, just gross. lol, 0 oil changes in 90,000 miles and they're just driving around like nothing.

The one thing I learned from that though, is that the Japanese can build one hell of an engine.

I saw the same kind of thing once but not that many miles, a guy bought a new Nissan Pathfinder with the V6 engine, two years later he returned for the first time with engine noise. The top end noise was loader then the lower, same as you discribe, original oil filter and amlost no oil. I pulled the valve cover and yup, thick caked and baked oil crud. I brought service manager out and showed him, told him there's no sense going further the engine is toast, the guy never did one oil change. They worked up an estimate to replace the engine with a new OEM crate eng from Nissan and called him. The guy first claimed he had done the oil changes himself, knowing he was lying they told him to bring in as many receipts for the oil and filters so they could show the factory to have it covered under warranty, he claimed he had none. For two weeks it went on, he called Nissan, came in and yelled at the dealer owner, then finally came in with a stack of hand written receipts for oil changes now claiming he had the changes done at a small shop that since closed. He or someone had gone to Staples and bought one of those little note book size receipt books and either he or someone wrote them up as oil changes, the funny part was they were numbered and the numbers followed in sequence, guess he was that phantom shop's only customer for two years..... Nissan caved and covered it under warranty, and, he never came back again for one service....

 

[SlickWilly]

Reminds me of "BB8" from Starwars.

Guess they might appeal to those who vape and play lawn bowling.

 

[SlickWilly]

School put us on the call list becuase sometimes we have the grand kids here on school nights, got another robo call, another snow day, coming down out there again.

I give up, I'm going back to bed, someone wake me up when the snow is gone and it's at least 50 outside.

 

[mikepetro]

Mike, Did you make your own white chocolate from scratch or buy it? I LOVE white chocolate better then any other but it's hard to find that's not absorbently expensive. 98% of what I see in stores labeled as white is crappy fake, vanilla and sugar, I'll take a bite and throw it away. I'd love to know where to get some real white at a reasonable price or if you can point me where to find the butter (used to make white, correct?) and a place to learn how to make it I'd be grateful.

The chocolates were dark chocolate, the white was colored cocoa butter painted into the mold for decoration.

For White chocolate, which I mainly use to make a raspberry ganache filling, I use Valrhona Ariaga Blanche 30% from Chocosphere. Anything "Valrhona" brand is not cheap. Look around on Chocsphere, they have a ton of REAL white chocolate though. I also recommend "El Rey" brand.

For just really good cocoa butter I get this Ecuadorian from Cocoa Supply and its good and also cheap. I would have to dig for a recipe on how to make white chocolate from it, cant be hard though, just add sugar and vanilla, and maybe lecithin if you want. I buy a lot of their Ecudorian dark chocolate 72% Couverture as well, VERY good chocolate and very reasonable, but it is industrial chocolate in that you have to temper it yourself.

I use the cocoa butter to thin the viscosity of some of the dark chocolate, some of it is just too thick for molding or enrobbing.

 

[SlickWilly]

The chocolates were dark chocolate, the white was colored cocoa butter painted into the mold for decoration.

For White chocolate, which I mainly use to make a raspberry ganache filling, I use Valrhona Ariaga Blanche 30% from Chocosphere. Anything "Valrhona" brand is not cheap. Look around on Chocsphere, they have a ton of REAL white chocolate though. I also recommend "El Rey" brand.

For just really good cocoa butter I get this Ecuadorian from Cocoa Supply and its good and also cheap. I would have to dig for a recipe on how to make white chocolate from it, cant be hard though, just add sugar and vanilla, and maybe lecithin if you want. I buy a lot of their Ecudorian dark chocolate 72% Couverture as well, VERY good chocolate and very reasonable, but it is industrial chocolate in that you have to temper it yourself.

I use the cocoa butter to thin the viscosity of some of the dark chocolate, some of it is just too thick for molding or enrobbing.

Thank you! Don't worry about finding me a recipe, now that I know what to look for and you say it's good real WC I won't mess with trying to make my own. As I said before, if I can get a wrench on it I can fix it, otherwise my talents are limited and cooking isn't one of them. That's why I married a great German cook and my expanding waist during the winter months reflects it, down side of the holidays and not being active outside.

Thanks again, last thing I need right now, order sweets, but I love WC!

 

[kiba]

I saw the same kind of thing once but not that many miles, a guy bought a new Nissan Pathfinder with the V6 engine, two years later he returned for the first time with engine noise. The top end noise was loader then the lower, same as you discribe, original oil filter and amlost no oil. I pulled the valve cover and yup, thick caked and baked oil crud. I brought service manager out and showed him, told him there's no sense going further the engine is toast, the guy never did one oil change. They worked up an estimate to replace the engine with a new OEM crate eng from Nissan and called him. The guy first claimed he had done the oil changes himself, knowing he was lying they told him to bring in as many receipts for the oil and filters so they could show the factory to have it covered under warranty, he claimed he had none. For two weeks it went on, he called Nissan, came in and yelled at the dealer owner, then finally came in with a stack of hand written receipts for oil changes now claiming he had the changes done at a small shop that since closed. He or someone had gone to Staples and bought one of those little note book size receipt books and either he or someone wrote them up as oil changes, the funny part was they were numbered and the numbers followed in sequence, guess he was that phantom shop's only customer for two years..... Nissan caved and covered it under warranty, and, he never came back again for one service....

If only he put that kind of effort into maintaining his truck... Do you remember many miles did it have? This guy did a similar thing & blamed the dealers he got it from... The sad part is that's not even the first time I've seen that, there was a soccer mom w/ a Honda odyssey w/ pretty much the same story, and another guy w/ a BMW 3, so that's at least 3 different sales people telling them that they don't have to worry about oil changes.

I asked the one guy bc he said he felt a little weird about it, why didn't you look it up or just ask a tech? he said he did ask his local gas station & the mechanic told him that he needed to change his oil/filter, but he said he trusted the sales people more. "it's their job to know these things" he said. I'm just like, how can you trust someone that much, who you barely know... If you're having any doubts at all, why not just spend the $25 bucks.

Reminds me of "BB8" from Starwars.

Guess they might appeal to those who vape and play lawn bowling.

Come on guys, seriously? It's Pokémon lol. I can't be the only one with cousins/nephews/neices/grandkids etc? That's the ball they throw at them.

(edit, I don't have grandchildren)