Forum Replies Created
-
Replies
-
When I started, I had a Craftsman set from Sears, the 255 piece one. I got it for Christmas. From there I went to garage sales, picked up stuff from there, (screwdrivers, pliers, wrenches) believe it or not, women and men who don’t know the brands will sell Snap On, Mac, Matco, Cornwell, and many other great brands for just a couple bucks. One man’s trash is another man’s treasure. I slowly accrued enough to feel good about going into a shop and applying. When I got denied the first time, I started wrenching at home. Started pulling in around 300 bucks a week un-taxed, so I saved and purchased tools that were better quality. A little at a time, I bought tools that I know I’d use daily, or extremely often. You don’t want to buy something because it looks cool, you want to buy it because you know that when the day comes, you’re gonna need it. I’ve been very lucky to have accrued what I have, but I wrench 45 hours a week, and I do it at home too. Any extra money goes to buying extra tools to make my job easier. Don’t worry about huge brands, Harbor Freight, stuff like that, will suit you just fine as a lube tech until you show your worth and start making decent money. Don’t worry about impacts and stuff unless they don’t supply them, then go and buy a 20 dollar one from HF and be done with it for a year. Don’t buy new stuff unless you can’t find it elsewhere. So don’t fret over your tools, you’re a lube tech. All you really need is a socket set, (1/4, 3/8, 1/2) Metric, Ratchets, an Impact, and various things. Don’t just go out and buy. Wait and see what you borrow often, then set a goal to get that item. If you borrow a 24mm wrench a lot, maybe it’s time to get your own. Do that, and you’ll be fine.
I wouldn’t think so much that you’re the problem. A failure in management is very bad for a technician. They rely on their management because if they don’t have someone distributing work evenly, efficiently, and effectively, then there’s hard feelings. There is no place for nepotism, or favorites, because we all have bills and we all gotta eat. Your boss needs to re-evaluate his position and think about how he runs things. Especially if he’s going through people like crazy.
Our careers are of two different calibers my friend. You are in an air conditioned environment, we’re exposed to the elements. You’re dealing with light equipment, we’re literally defying gravity and delivering all of our trust into our lifts, if they fail, our lives are at stake. Any distraction can lead to a serious issue, customers have developed a sour taste for mechanics, and think we’re all crooks. So they want to watch to make sure you don’t pocket any of their change in their car or otherwise. I work downtown, so we have a lot of very wealthy customers, most of which are judges. One guys literally left 10,000 dollars in his glove compartment, knowing full well that I was going in there to reset the TPMS light. (It was a VW Jetta). As soon as I saw a brick of 100’s I jumped out of that car like it was on fire and refused to work on it any further until the money was removed. You have to be cautious in this field because if a customer claims you stole something, unless you have a good service manager that can sense bullshit; you’ll be held liable, which is never good because a lot of larger companies have a zero tolerance policy and will boot you to the curb. When I told the guy that the money was there, he looked me in the eye, said, “good job, you passed the test. I need my brakes done, my alignment done, and I have a RF control arm that needs replaced.” Turns out, he was wrenching while in law school and tested me to make sure I was ”trustworthy.” Never doubt the customer, but always be on guard.
The GM 2.2 was one of the more difficult ones because of where it’s located. I usually just swing my right arm over the subframe and can grab it pretty easily. You just have to have patience for it, especially if it’s hot. The most pain in the ass filters that I’ve found so far are the 3.7L Chryslers. You have no room to do anything. Drives me crazy.
What’s up guys!
My name’s David, I’ve been professionally wrenching for around 3 years. I grew up in Dayton, OH, and I’m currently wrenching there. I started my own YouTube channel after being inspired by Eric. I’m currently a student, but I graduate in May. I’ve always been fascinated by cars, bikes, and anything that has a cycle of: Suck, Squeeze, Bang, Blow. Currently, I work for AAA as a Tire tech, but I do anything but tires. They have me basically doing alignments, S&S, and light duty diagnosis. Electrical is my thing, Gadget is my nickname at work because I have just about every gadget known to man for electrical diagnosis, (Power Probe ftw). I make ProDemand my slave and I kill trees with all the schematics. I’m comfortable doing everything except hyper in depth stuff. I’m still developing confidence in that area. I look forward to talking to you guys more and maybe learning a thing or two.