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What's In Your Bay?

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Keith Browning

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Just curious how business is for you guys? Things got strange in the North East this year as many shops slowed to a crawl and I witnessed several dealers fold. There is one that is still clinging to the edge...

 

Things are picking up now but if you have been following some of my posts my shop has lost a few guys (more that I have not mentioned) and my team is down to TWO guys, myself and another. We are booking trucks two and three weeks out as are other dealers. Owners gripe that when calling around all dealers are saying the same thing.

 

I am noticing another problem. with the exception of the occasional waiter LOF every job seems to be a BIG job. I have warranty jobs like blown 6.4L engines, injectors, heads - you name it. The cash end is surprising too! It seems like most trucks coming in either have a list of concerns or arrive for a maintenance with which we look over really well performing QCRC's. Many turn out huge all day jobs for front ends, brakes all around, major services and a lot of rot caused by NJ road salt.

 

I haven't touched my engine job since Monday and still have work from Tuesday in the rack! Anybody want a job? I never thought I could be so busy and feel like nothing is getting done!

/forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/whattodo.gif

Whats in your bay?

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Welcome to my world!

 

I am the only diesel tech in the shop, 17 techs total including Quick Lube, you know, the gravy guys.

 

In all fairness, I have one tech that will help out on certain jobs, because he is not afaraid to do anything, but this is after I do diag and order parts, and it is usually stuff like FEAD issues, sensor swaps, turbos, etc. simple grunt work that allows me time for more major repairs, while getting the rack cleared and keeping customers happy.

 

Even then I do all the billing and story writing, speak with customers, and so on.

 

The customer pay work will also go that tech as a thanks for picking up the slack when I am 5 or 6 deep.

 

We have also rehired my brother in arms (who was part way to full diesel certification), as the tatoo business (excellent artist BTW) has slowed somewhat and he can use the extra cash (recently sperated from the Queen Bitch from Hell), but he is only PT.

 

I have accepted my fate and deal with it accordingly, and hey, when everyone else is bitching about lack of work, I just keep motoring along.

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in my 3 bays

 

Bay 1 ihave 04 F-350 no a/c and runs rough only when cold. (compressor hub nut missing and hub is laying against fan shroud)

Finished

 

Bay 2 from a indie shop 05 F-550 with 99,560 miles on it, very very neglected with a coked up egr valve, intake port clogged, turbo stuck, cac ttubes leaking oil, runs rough cold

finished

 

Bay 3 40-50foot F53 chasis motorhome wanting belts, hoses, oil change, charging system check.

 

Other then that nothing else out back /forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/banghead.gif

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I have nothing. I got 1 job this morning. It was a Ford Five Hundred that needed insturment cluster bulbs, 2 tires and a align. That was a decent job but there is nothing to do and nothing coming in the door.

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this weak I had a 2001 7.3 with a bad glow plug that did not want to come out,a 1999 e450 with 750 000 km engine job and then alot of oil and filters and inspections,alot of trucks came in for winter maint. but they give that stuff to anyone

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05 E450 6.0 airport shuttle bus for a engine wire harness. /forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/drinkingdude.gif /forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/puke.gif Got to love those 6.0s, if they weren't around we all would be out of work. /forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/poke.gif /forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/rofl.gif

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06 E350 AMBULANCE FOR WIRING HARNESS, 3 F650'S WITH THE FAMOUS CUMMINS TRANSFER PUMP THAT NEVER GOES BAD, AND AN 08 WITH WHITE SMOKE. BY THE END OF THE DAY---- /forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/puke.gif

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4 LCFs, 2 of which need turbos. one needs an IPR and the other needing a glow plug relay. also have a 450 that needed at front pump seal. Its been hit and miss with work. sorta busy but not buried. this week is starting slow

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exmod.... that's probably not a bad thing.... off brand work is going to be retail work..... and retail work always pays better than warranty work....

 

Every cloud has a silver (or sometimes gold) lining....

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OK.... my Saturday to work.... As I was closing up the shop I got to thinking about this thread....

 

Not exactly in my bay, but hanging over my head all the same - a 4R70 that stinks to high heaven - looks like it's from the thing that used to be a direct clutch.... I'll go in tomorrow if I have nothing else to do and unstack the trans and see what I'm looking at.

 

A 2000something Chev half ton with a front diff bearing noise... Hooray for the guy that pooched the used vehicle inspection... DP is royally pissed because this repair is going to eat up most of the profit on the deal. An apprentice is doing the job..... which means he'll be watching me do it.....

 

An 03 Expedition with a front diff gear noise.... Hooray for the guy that pooched the used vehicle inspection... The DP saw the estimate for this one - his reaction made the Chevy seem like small potatoes... Not sure how this will play out...

 

My first "dance" of next week.... A Hyundai.... a FREAKIN' Hyundai.... runs bad MIL, slipping clutch... belongs to one of the partsmongers....

 

Along about Wednesday, they'll ask how that 4R70 is coming along..... and I'll tell them that they haven't given me any time to work on it....

 

And my day is never complete without a constant string of smiling faces asking me to "come and look at....".....

 

The really, really sad part about all of this is that I love my job.....

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Jim not to sound like a prick or anything...Don't you have a personal life, your going into work on a Sunday, you chirp in on your vacation... Man I thought I had a Diesel Tattoo on my ass, but you make me seem small...

 

Don't take this as me bitchin but come on enjoy some of you life, take a walk, go out on the boat, do something. Or better yet, kick the cat, pet the dog, and KISS THE WIFE

 

/forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/thumbup.gifOh Yeah If you need any help with the Hyundai I got you covered, just hollar.

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I don't know what's in my bay because unlike Jim I'm not at work, I'm at home on the couch with the family for a long weekend. (wed-sun)

but I know I got some old crap waiting for me, 97 F250 no power low fuel pressure and fuel filter housing full of some sort of silt, and a 88 with no brakes. a bad vac pump, and fuel leaks at the injector caps.

But I will say that most of the time my days are exact copies of Jims.

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I do all those things, Larry. It's just my lifestyle and sleep habits that offer me a longer day than most get.... I'm not much of a television watcher and as long as I get 5 hours of sleep I wind up with a lot of spare time on my hands....

 

I love fixing and building things.... but most of all, I love learning things and perfecting what-ever techniques I am learning.. be it mechanical or wood-butchery.

 

In 8 years, I'll be 65... I have had people ask me what I plan to do when I retire... and all I can reply with is "Retire? Who said anything about retire?".

 

Work-a-holic.... probably. But I'm a well paid work-a-holic /forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/grin.gif

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Jim ure used car guy sounds like ours. He used to be the diesel tech but throwing parts at 6.0's that doesnt pertain to the same system finally ended him up at used cars. We always get cars and look at them like "didnt this just have a UCI/Certified. Then we tell the sales manager what it needs ( with huge smiles on our faces ), then he looks at us like...ure kidding...we say no...then he gets mad

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  • 2 weeks later...

Got an excursion racked right now which got new tires, diesel oil change, cam sensor recall which the old one broke and burnt my .3 in a hurry and needs new front brakes and before that had a 7.3 with a bad injector waiting for approval finally got it done and before that to start my day had a 6.4 with a cel for a eot out of range and a radio problem customer waiting might I add. I was not happy but took care of it as best I could and finished the first two and hope to have the excursion rolling in the morning and off to more crap work that no one else wants

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I can't speak for Tony.... I have three trucks in the shop right now but I only have one bay. We use evert last square foot of floor space when we need to.

 

As for "lucky"..... (Larry... here's some "ammo" - I really don't have a life)..... Once again, "duty" calls.... Tomorrow will mark 20 days in the shop with only one day off in that entire time (might explain some of my "edginess" this past while).

 

Bad enough that the taxman likes me so much.... my loving bride has gotten used to having that kind of money around....

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I guess that explains why I haven't seen as much of you around all the venues lately. At fist I thought we lost ya! The last I mentioned, I was down several techs and unable to keep up with the work thus turning away customers. You would think that situation would mean I am busy and productive but the two if us are beaten down working on nothing but tow-ins, engines and rust buckets whilst the "car team" takes our light work and services to "help us out."

 

/forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/scratchhead.gif

 

 

It has been really hard on me mentally and having a new writer has been no help to me at all. I am still on the fence with him both professionally and personally. He has stepped on my feet with respect to dispatching resulting in nearly halting all productivity. Whats more he has lost his temper with me for no reason, cutting off any constructive dialog and running to the manager like a child tattling. I have lost respect for him and will speak to him only about customer vehicles and necessary business talk. I should probably change my approach to that...

 

On the bright side, my SM just had a bunch of interviews for techs for my team. Looks like I will be gaining two techs soon, hopefully. I am looking forward to a "fresh start" come the new year. I'm holding on for a couple of weeks then I am off for the rest of the year. Much needed down time.

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I know how you feel, Kieth... two green people on the front desk and the DP helping (he was once a SM but is rusty as hell) and still the same overload of green apprentices in the shop.

 

The way I feel this AM, I might start yelling at people for no reason.... /forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/shrug.gif

 

Staff Xmas party tonight.... I hope I'm smart enough to get shit-faced and sit in the corner with my mouth shut....

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