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I wouldn’t take that lube tech job. You can do better than that. It’s hard to find good techs, and it sounds like you’re a good tech and places are always looking. Be patient and find the right one. Kind of like marrying a girl. Don’t settle. Unless you’re overweight and lonely, then yes, settle, larger people need love too. Keep looking. If you’ve got the goods and the experience and all of that, don’t take some lube tech job, come on man, pull yourself together! Find a good mom and pop shop would be my advice, and I think that would be Eric’s advice too. Be patient and good luck, you’ll find the right girl. But if you don’t and you’re getting older and time is running out then start freaking out and settle with any girl that will have you because that is better than dying alone! (I kid.)
Unions can be messy. I wouldn’t trust anyone who would hire a good diagnostic tech as a lube tech. That is just stupid, and a set-up for disaster. Who’s leading this brigade, some Napoleon type or child emperor? Who in their right mind would hire a diagnostic tech as a lube tech? Fishy baby, that seems fishy…
I wouldn’t take that lube tech job. You can do better than that. It’s hard to find good techs, and it sounds like you’re a good tech and places are always looking. Be patient and find the right one. Kind of like marrying a girl. Don’t settle. Unless you’re overweight and lonely, then yes, settle, larger people need love too. Keep looking. If you’ve got the goods and the experience and all of that, don’t take some lube tech job, come on man, pull yourself together! Find a good mom and pop shop would be my advice, and I think that would be Eric’s advice too. Be patient and good luck, you’ll find the right girl. But if you don’t and you’re getting older and time is running out then start freaking out and settle with any girl that will have you because that is better than dying alone! (I kid.)
Unions can be messy. I wouldn’t trust anyone who would hire a good diagnostic tech as a lube tech. That is just stupid, and a set-up for disaster. Who’s leading this brigade, some Napoleon type or child emperor? Who in their right mind would hire a diagnostic tech as a lube tech? Fishy baby, that seems fishy…
25 pairs in a month. (Box of 50 gloves) I think I’ve got you all beat 😉 We ought to keep track and make this a competition.
I use Harbor Freight’s Heavy Duty and Extreme Heavy Duty (7mil and 9mil). The blue heavy dutys for oil changes and less handsy work, the black Extreme Heavy Duty for everything else. I reuse them, wash em, etc. And even though they’re the most expensive gloves there ($10-13 bucks, but with 20% off, cheaper), the fact that they don’t puncture as easily makes them re-useable and therefore actually much cheaper. Quality over quantity.
I cycle through like 7 pairs a day, because once I take a pair off to drive a car or whatever, it’s wet with sweat and you can’t put wet gloves on, it’s impossible. So I’ll cycle through them, and when the first pair dries, I can wear it again. I’ve got the cleanest, least bloody hands in the shop, lol. All for about $10 a month 🙂
I heard something about using a hole punch and punching some holes into your gloves so your hands don’t sweat as much. Never tried it, but I never had a problem with my hands being sweaty. It’s natural baby.
25 pairs in a month. (Box of 50 gloves) I think I’ve got you all beat 😉 We ought to keep track and make this a competition.
I use Harbor Freight’s Heavy Duty and Extreme Heavy Duty (7mil and 9mil). The blue heavy dutys for oil changes and less handsy work, the black Extreme Heavy Duty for everything else. I reuse them, wash em, etc. And even though they’re the most expensive gloves there ($10-13 bucks, but with 20% off, cheaper), the fact that they don’t puncture as easily makes them re-useable and therefore actually much cheaper. Quality over quantity.
I cycle through like 7 pairs a day, because once I take a pair off to drive a car or whatever, it’s wet with sweat and you can’t put wet gloves on, it’s impossible. So I’ll cycle through them, and when the first pair dries, I can wear it again. I’ve got the cleanest, least bloody hands in the shop, lol. All for about $10 a month 🙂
I heard something about using a hole punch and punching some holes into your gloves so your hands don’t sweat as much. Never tried it, but I never had a problem with my hands being sweaty. It’s natural baby.
[quote=”onyx” post=68291]Time to sue some auto manufactures lol[/quote]
Lol.
But is this a joke? Is this a prank? Are you kidding me? This is planned obsolescence at it’s finest. You have got to be kidding me. I’m not sure I believe this, Someone give me a link. I am telling all of my co-workers about this. Yet another reason to hate European cars, as if we needed any more. Oh man this is insane.
[quote=”onyx” post=68291]Time to sue some auto manufactures lol[/quote]
Lol.
But is this a joke? Is this a prank? Are you kidding me? This is planned obsolescence at it’s finest. You have got to be kidding me. I’m not sure I believe this, Someone give me a link. I am telling all of my co-workers about this. Yet another reason to hate European cars, as if we needed any more. Oh man this is insane.
#1 Take your ASEs. As many as you can. Study for them and pass them. I won’t get into the ASE debate, Eric’s covered that in a video, but I do have to say I would prefer hiring someone with experience over ASEs and no experience. But ASEs show that you’re committed and serious and all those good qualities. Like a college degree. Doesn’t necessarily mean anything and someone without a college degree might be better, but it does show that you put the time and effort into earning it. Something like that.
Stay up to date. Buy those magazine subscriptions and read them. I’m telling you those magazines are worth their weight in gold. We had a nightmare of a car with an electrical problem and threw every part known to man at that car. After we finally fixed it, after the fact, I read about that exact car and problem with the simple solution in a back issue of one of those repair magazines sitting around in the shop, unread. Oh man that was bitter, but luckily I didn’t have to work on that absolute nightmare. Read and study as much as you can, and soak up all the knowledge you can. Magazines, forums, textbooks, YouTube Videos, Eric’s videos! websites, Alldata, Mitchell, etc. Let me say this: Identifix is the greatest thing on this planet. You don’t know how many times it’s saved our hides. Worth it’s weight in gold. If your shop doesn’t have it, it NEEDS it.
#2 Tools, tools, tools. Buy tools. Do NOT get into debt, do NOT pass Go, do NOT collect $200. So help me if you run up a bill with the Brothers Snap, Mac, and Matco, you are digging a ditch that you do not want to climb out of. ESPECIALLY if you’re just starting out making nothing an hour. There are PLENTY of affordable, good quality tool companies out there:
Harbor Freight (oh there’s some junk alright, but mostly fine tools), Craftsman, Stanley, Husky, Kobalt, parts store tool brands (a little questionable) like Duralast, Autocraft, OTC & Lisle (affordable specialty tools), OEM Tools, Gearwrench, Tekton, Sunex, Genius, Channellock (they make sockets too), J.H. Williams, Mountain, Titan, KD Tools, Carlyle (a bit more expensive), Grey Pneumatic, SK, Proto, Blackhawk, Armstrong, and more.
Employers will ask you, “Do you have your own tools?” This is the time to brag and tell them about your tools. I’ve even said, “Even the master tech at my old shop would borrow tools from me from time to time.” And it was true. And baby I did not break the bank. I’m working on a starter tech list of tools, feel free to PM or something to remind me and I should have it up in a week or so. Maybe, if I don’t procrastinate indefinitely, forever, lol. Even include a picture of your tools in your resume, seriously. Sounds weird but if it works it ain’t stupid and if it helps you get the job, and stand out, great. A beautiful color photo of your precious car next to your toolbox or something. I’ve even included in my resume all the cars I’ve owned and my favorite one and so on, just to add some color and show them I love cars (or loved, lol, but that’s a different story for another day) and work on them a lot and that counts for something, it does.
#3 Work on cars. Buy cars. Practice. Go to the junkyard to mess around (eh, maybe). If you go into an interview and tell them, “Yeah I rebuilt my own engine and replaced my clutch and diagnosed my friend’s cranking, no start, and solved this issue and that…” That counts for a lot, it really does. Put it on your resume the work you’ve done and what you can do. Struts and shocks, drive axles, etc. This is probably what helped me get my first job, along with my ASEs and I had printed out and attached to my resume my tech school graduation papers and even a copy of my DMV record and the idiotic ASE Refrigerant and Recovery license and my Smog papers and so on. I had no experience by the way.
#1 Take your ASEs. As many as you can. Study for them and pass them. I won’t get into the ASE debate, Eric’s covered that in a video, but I do have to say I would prefer hiring someone with experience over ASEs and no experience. But ASEs show that you’re committed and serious and all those good qualities. Like a college degree. Doesn’t necessarily mean anything and someone without a college degree might be better, but it does show that you put the time and effort into earning it. Something like that.
Stay up to date. Buy those magazine subscriptions and read them. I’m telling you those magazines are worth their weight in gold. We had a nightmare of a car with an electrical problem and threw every part known to man at that car. After we finally fixed it, after the fact, I read about that exact car and problem with the simple solution in a back issue of one of those repair magazines sitting around in the shop, unread. Oh man that was bitter, but luckily I didn’t have to work on that absolute nightmare. Read and study as much as you can, and soak up all the knowledge you can. Magazines, forums, textbooks, YouTube Videos, Eric’s videos! websites, Alldata, Mitchell, etc. Let me say this: Identifix is the greatest thing on this planet. You don’t know how many times it’s saved our hides. Worth it’s weight in gold. If your shop doesn’t have it, it NEEDS it.
#2 Tools, tools, tools. Buy tools. Do NOT get into debt, do NOT pass Go, do NOT collect $200. So help me if you run up a bill with the Brothers Snap, Mac, and Matco, you are digging a ditch that you do not want to climb out of. ESPECIALLY if you’re just starting out making nothing an hour. There are PLENTY of affordable, good quality tool companies out there:
Harbor Freight (oh there’s some junk alright, but mostly fine tools), Craftsman, Stanley, Husky, Kobalt, parts store tool brands (a little questionable) like Duralast, Autocraft, OTC & Lisle (affordable specialty tools), OEM Tools, Gearwrench, Tekton, Sunex, Genius, Channellock (they make sockets too), J.H. Williams, Mountain, Titan, KD Tools, Carlyle (a bit more expensive), Grey Pneumatic, SK, Proto, Blackhawk, Armstrong, and more.
Employers will ask you, “Do you have your own tools?” This is the time to brag and tell them about your tools. I’ve even said, “Even the master tech at my old shop would borrow tools from me from time to time.” And it was true. And baby I did not break the bank. I’m working on a starter tech list of tools, feel free to PM or something to remind me and I should have it up in a week or so. Maybe, if I don’t procrastinate indefinitely, forever, lol. Even include a picture of your tools in your resume, seriously. Sounds weird but if it works it ain’t stupid and if it helps you get the job, and stand out, great. A beautiful color photo of your precious car next to your toolbox or something. I’ve even included in my resume all the cars I’ve owned and my favorite one and so on, just to add some color and show them I love cars (or loved, lol, but that’s a different story for another day) and work on them a lot and that counts for something, it does.
#3 Work on cars. Buy cars. Practice. Go to the junkyard to mess around (eh, maybe). If you go into an interview and tell them, “Yeah I rebuilt my own engine and replaced my clutch and diagnosed my friend’s cranking, no start, and solved this issue and that…” That counts for a lot, it really does. Put it on your resume the work you’ve done and what you can do. Struts and shocks, drive axles, etc. This is probably what helped me get my first job, along with my ASEs and I had printed out and attached to my resume my tech school graduation papers and even a copy of my DMV record and the idiotic ASE Refrigerant and Recovery license and my Smog papers and so on. I had no experience by the way.
At my old shop, we all shared each other’s tools and we were very cool. Me and the smog tech didn’t even bother locking our boxes, and neither did the boss and he had a lot of Snap-On. But he did have video cameras, heh heh heh. The diagnostic/smog tech would borrow tools from me all the time, he just didn’t have that many tools. Oh man and he would lose them and misplace them and almost never returned them, lol. But I loved him like a little brother and I could never be mad at him. And besides, a lot of my tools were from Harbor Freight and I got my Gearwrenches on sale baby, hah! Like Eric’s reliable old beater. If someone hit it with a shopping cart he’d just laugh. And if I lost a screwdriver or a socket, I’d be like, “Oh well, guess I’ll have to spend $10 to buy an entire new set!” Lol.
At the shop I’m at now I never keep my box locked either. There’s nothing there that if I lost I would cry over. Now if I had Snap On and lost a single socket, you bet I’d be crying spending five hours looking for it. Our master tech has a mixture of all sorts of tool brands from Snap On to Harbor Freight. We’ve got a new tech school grad and he is decked in Snap-On. I look at a single socket set of his and it’s like, “Man, those twelve sockets cost more than my entire second drawer.” Lol. Strange when I think of it like that.
I never lock my beater car either. It’s like, if you have your windows rolled down and car unlocked, people don’t think there’s anything of value in it. There could be ten thousand dollars in cash in it and people would just pass by it. And leaving my toolbox unlocked is kind of the same thing a little. I trust them and who in the world would want to steal my cheap Genius sockets or my Kobalt pliers (handles which are horrible by the way, and they’re hideous, but they work fine, lol).
New techs have no excuse. There is a plethora of good quality affordable tool brands. Harbor Freight (oh there’s some junk alright, but mostly fine tools), Craftsman, Stanley, Husky, Kobalt, parts store tool brands (a little questionable) like Duralast, Autocraft, OTC & Lisle (affordable specialty tools), OEM Tools, Gearwrench, Tekton, Sunex, Genius, Channellock (they make sockets too), J.H. Williams, Mountain, Titan, KD Tools, Carlyle (a bit more expensive), Grey Pneumatic, SK, Proto, Blackhawk, Armstrong, and more.
New techs starting out making nothing an hour should not be getting twenty grand into debt with the tool man, starting out just doing oil changes. If I were just doing tires and oil changes, I could probably buy less than $100 in tools and be set, lol.
There’s just no excuse, especially when they’ve got ridiculous rims on their cars or $200 sneakers or an iPhone. You better sell that iPhone and buy some tools right now or there is going to be some hazing and paddlin’! No I kid, hazing is one of the most sadistic human practices man has ever devised, and those people have no souls. That was a bit heavy, lol. Anyway, make him buy some tools, and don’t get into debt.
At my old shop, we all shared each other’s tools and we were very cool. Me and the smog tech didn’t even bother locking our boxes, and neither did the boss and he had a lot of Snap-On. But he did have video cameras, heh heh heh. The diagnostic/smog tech would borrow tools from me all the time, he just didn’t have that many tools. Oh man and he would lose them and misplace them and almost never returned them, lol. But I loved him like a little brother and I could never be mad at him. And besides, a lot of my tools were from Harbor Freight and I got my Gearwrenches on sale baby, hah! Like Eric’s reliable old beater. If someone hit it with a shopping cart he’d just laugh. And if I lost a screwdriver or a socket, I’d be like, “Oh well, guess I’ll have to spend $10 to buy an entire new set!” Lol.
At the shop I’m at now I never keep my box locked either. There’s nothing there that if I lost I would cry over. Now if I had Snap On and lost a single socket, you bet I’d be crying spending five hours looking for it. Our master tech has a mixture of all sorts of tool brands from Snap On to Harbor Freight. We’ve got a new tech school grad and he is decked in Snap-On. I look at a single socket set of his and it’s like, “Man, those twelve sockets cost more than my entire second drawer.” Lol. Strange when I think of it like that.
I never lock my beater car either. It’s like, if you have your windows rolled down and car unlocked, people don’t think there’s anything of value in it. There could be ten thousand dollars in cash in it and people would just pass by it. And leaving my toolbox unlocked is kind of the same thing a little. I trust them and who in the world would want to steal my cheap Genius sockets or my Kobalt pliers (handles which are horrible by the way, and they’re hideous, but they work fine, lol).
New techs have no excuse. There is a plethora of good quality affordable tool brands. Harbor Freight (oh there’s some junk alright, but mostly fine tools), Craftsman, Stanley, Husky, Kobalt, parts store tool brands (a little questionable) like Duralast, Autocraft, OTC & Lisle (affordable specialty tools), OEM Tools, Gearwrench, Tekton, Sunex, Genius, Channellock (they make sockets too), J.H. Williams, Mountain, Titan, KD Tools, Carlyle (a bit more expensive), Grey Pneumatic, SK, Proto, Blackhawk, Armstrong, and more.
New techs starting out making nothing an hour should not be getting twenty grand into debt with the tool man, starting out just doing oil changes. If I were just doing tires and oil changes, I could probably buy less than $100 in tools and be set, lol.
There’s just no excuse, especially when they’ve got ridiculous rims on their cars or $200 sneakers or an iPhone. You better sell that iPhone and buy some tools right now or there is going to be some hazing and paddlin’! No I kid, hazing is one of the most sadistic human practices man has ever devised, and those people have no souls. That was a bit heavy, lol. Anyway, make him buy some tools, and don’t get into debt.
You could probably survive with only Metric, except maybe for a small 1/4″ socket for some hose clamps and stuff like that.
A lot of Metric and SAE sizes cross over, and are close enough. I’m always using my 7/8″ and 13/16″ and 15/16″ wrenches on alignments for tie-rod nuts (even though they’re metric), and then a 13/14/15mm wrench to turn it. You can find conversion charts online.
I almost never use SAE sockets or wrenches. My metric sockets and wrenches always fit them. And I’m working in a shop that gets mostly American cars, so that should say something.
TL;DR – End the Imperialist System! Petition the Queen! Use Only Metric!
You could probably survive with only Metric, except maybe for a small 1/4″ socket for some hose clamps and stuff like that.
A lot of Metric and SAE sizes cross over, and are close enough. I’m always using my 7/8″ and 13/16″ and 15/16″ wrenches on alignments for tie-rod nuts (even though they’re metric), and then a 13/14/15mm wrench to turn it. You can find conversion charts online.
I almost never use SAE sockets or wrenches. My metric sockets and wrenches always fit them. And I’m working in a shop that gets mostly American cars, so that should say something.
TL;DR – End the Imperialist System! Petition the Queen! Use Only Metric!
There’s something about 12-point bolts I just love. It is just so satisfying to fit a 12-pt socket perfectly on a 12-point bolt, like a clutch bolt or something. Probably why I love doing alignments. I love seeing that perfect alignment in the green. But anyway,
I rarely use my 12-point sockets. Use 6-point whenever you can. Man, one stripped bolt can just ruin your entire day. I could probably go months without using a 12-point socket, seriously.
I use 6-point wrenches as well for the same reason, like these Gearwrench and SK wrenches. I do have both 6 and 12pt wrenches.
Now spline/universal sockets – those are something else. I haven’t used spline sockets but I probably should try them out. If they work like they do on my spline wrenches, then they’ll probably grip better than even a 6-point socket. You would think that you couldn’t improve on a 6-pt, but there’s something magic about spline sockets I think, but I haven’t tried and tested spline sockets long enough to know. I have tried and tested these extra extra long, flex-head, double-box end ratcheting Mountain wrenches (also branded as E-Z Red, exact same wrench). I use these wrenches everyday and they’ve been fantastic. They’re splined/universal, and being long I put a lot of torque on them, and I’ve never so much as even slightly rounded off a bolt yet. I was skeptical at first about these spline/universal sockets and wrenches, thinking they’re just a gimmick, but man, they pass the test in my book.
Someone on another post mentioned I think Matco impact spline sockets. Interesting to make them impact. I guess Matco trusts them enough to make them impact and that they probably won’t round bolts. I’d would try those out definitely. Maybe spline can replace 6 and 12 pt, who knows.
There’s something about 12-point bolts I just love. It is just so satisfying to fit a 12-pt socket perfectly on a 12-point bolt, like a clutch bolt or something. Probably why I love doing alignments. I love seeing that perfect alignment in the green. But anyway,
I rarely use my 12-point sockets. Use 6-point whenever you can. Man, one stripped bolt can just ruin your entire day. I could probably go months without using a 12-point socket, seriously.
I use 6-point wrenches as well for the same reason, like these Gearwrench and SK wrenches. I do have both 6 and 12pt wrenches.
Now spline/universal sockets – those are something else. I haven’t used spline sockets but I probably should try them out. If they work like they do on my spline wrenches, then they’ll probably grip better than even a 6-point socket. You would think that you couldn’t improve on a 6-pt, but there’s something magic about spline sockets I think, but I haven’t tried and tested spline sockets long enough to know. I have tried and tested these extra extra long, flex-head, double-box end ratcheting Mountain wrenches (also branded as E-Z Red, exact same wrench). I use these wrenches everyday and they’ve been fantastic. They’re splined/universal, and being long I put a lot of torque on them, and I’ve never so much as even slightly rounded off a bolt yet. I was skeptical at first about these spline/universal sockets and wrenches, thinking they’re just a gimmick, but man, they pass the test in my book.
Someone on another post mentioned I think Matco impact spline sockets. Interesting to make them impact. I guess Matco trusts them enough to make them impact and that they probably won’t round bolts. I’d would try those out definitely. Maybe spline can replace 6 and 12 pt, who knows.
I haven’t tried these out and couldn’t find any reviews, but it looks brilliant: http://www.xforcetools.com/products/hexforce
It wraps completely around the nut. Just brilliant. I just hope it’s as good in practice as the idea. Some just aren’t, like the Pocket Hose for instance. Brilliant idea, a garden hose that you can fit in your pocket or something, but it has hundreds? of horrible reviews. So if someone here wants to bite the bullet and buy this thing and tell us about it, tell us about it. Just a brilliant idea.