Dealerships should count their blessings

[Brad Clayton]

After I relocated I got a better feel for how a light duty diesel tech's position plays out in the grand scheme of a dealerships overhaul well being. I have always known that we were under appreciated and definitely under paid. Most dealers in the day clung to the idea that we were a dime a dozen mechanics and could be replaced by the end of the day if we walked off the job at lunch.

 

I left a dealer in South Carolina and I was one of 2 diesel guys. Shortly after leaving Ford mandated only trained diesel techs for diesel repairs. This became an issue for any dealer with only 1 guy. If he took a vacation, got sick, or whatever then the diesel game was put on hold. Most places couldn't even fudge the paperwork with the certified guys number because most non diesel guys will not crossover.

 

I went to a dealer in Vermont and eventually settled in to be one of 4 diesel techs. The shop only had 14 techs and this was quite an incredible ratio in my opinion. Of those we had 5 senior masters, and 3 masters in various capacities, another astounding ratio. The shop was also grandfathered in when blue oval cert came about and they were exempt from all the prior approval silliness. This was quite amazing to me. Even more amazing was the way the techs were looked upon as numbers. This was a very small dealership in a small town, not a conglomerate. 

 

I often told the higher ups, hey you better count your fucking blessings, cause this could all change in the blink of an eye. Well, 1 guy moved that left 3 diesel guys, then 1 guy opened his own shop and we were down to 2 guys. Then 1 guy got a better offer at another dealer and it was left to me. Then I moved and they were left with the prospect of sending diesel work to competing dealers. A year and a half later, and they still have not found a diesel guy that can pull his weight.

 

I look at the want ads from time to time and see loads of dealers trying to find diesel guys. I think it's time for me to remind my dealer that a blessing count is in order.

[lmorris]

There are 2 of us here, and one other tech that worked on diesels back in the haydays of the 7.3L powerstroke. My counterpart is coming up on retirement in a year or so, that will leave me and possibly the other guy, who will need a crap load of training( doubt it will happen). Not so sure what is going to happen in the next year. No one else here wants to switch to diesel either.

[Matt Saunoras]

I am the go to guy now but it wasn't always that way. We've got 2 other guys here, the one that trained me and still helps when I need it doesn't want to do it anymore. The other guy wouldn't be able to hang.

 

Right now I like being the only diesel guy. You wind up being the guy everyone trusts to get stuff done right.

[Keith Browning]

We have been looking for techs in general. Not much coming in and applying I am afraid.

[mchan68]

With two techs off on workman's comp, and one apprentice off on comp as well, one apprentice left and our last manager left, I've been running pretty ragged here this last couple of weeks. I haven't been able to leave earlier than closing every night, and I've pretty much been working almost every Saturday to fill in for the MIA techs normally scheduled, as well as my own scheduled Saturdays. In the last nine years I've been here only two have tried doing diesel work and left very shortly after. They can't even get anyone to touch anything base engine, be it retail or warranty. I've got two waiting for me to get to, but at the same time they can't afford to tie me up long term so they keep getting pushed to the back of the bus.

[Matt Saunoras]

I open the doors in the morning and lock them at night.  I haven't left short of a 10 hour day in a long time.  It's not all wrenching either, it's a lot of crap other people should be doing.  As long as I can say and do as I please I'll take it though. 

[Chad_Kelsoe]

When I started 2 years ago, there was 3 certified techs, myself, and an oil changer. Now 1 of the certified techs went to the car shop to be shop foreman there( he has been here 15 years and has worked on everything), another certified tech left for another dealer 2 months ago. I got certified last year and our oil changer has moved up to a line tech and is doing good, but isn't diesel certified yet( though he is A/C certified). So it's been me and the last certified tech left to do diesel warranty work, and they just moved me up to shop foreman for the truck shop here. So I've been working late nearly every night, taking all the difficult jobs, etc... I also just had to fight with them to get me signed up in the EcoBoost class that I lack to get gas certified. They don't like to send people to class in the summer. What's sad is I already was automatically enrolled, but they canceled it at the first of this month.

[Jeff Clyde]

when I got sick 2.5 yrs ago, I was the only certified guy in the ttruck shop. they were able to keep going with the guy in the car shop that was certified, and no doubt I am sure my number was still doing a lot of warranty work. Ford allowed another tech to do diesel warranty as he was just waiting for his classroom courses to come up; starting with basic electrical.

Since then, I have received many calls and offers from out of town dealers, although that was a regular occurrence before, as well as calls from numerous indy shops to at the very least, help diagnose diesels, many of which were my previous dealership customers.

[mchan68]

I have received many calls and offers from out of town dealers, although that was a regular occurrence before, as well as calls from numerous indy shops to at the very least, help diagnose diesels, many of which were my previous dealership customers.

Sounds almost exactly like my world here for about the last five or six of the nine, going on ten years since I've been at my store. Rumour had it, that our management found a guy from Puerto Rico to come to our store, to do some trannys. All of us in the shop were toying with the idea of giving him ALL the 13S12 recalls.

[djmiller]

I'd be calling you if I thought I had a chance My place is nuts. CP last month up 40%, ESP, up 100%, Warranty up 50%....sales are higher up front so internal work growing too. My parking lot is overflowing, my advisors and appointment co-ordinator are bombarded trying o explain people why we're booking 5 working days out (and that's a push).

 

I'm proud of the tech's in our shop and look after the as best I can. They often find mysterious extras on their time tickets for keys I've programmed, entry codes I've retrieved, or a diagnosis I did myself. Gotta try and help them make up some of the tough losses on the hard-to-fix that the best guy ends up getting screwed on. It's one thing that always soured me. Getting "better" never made me any more money, so I do all I can to make sure they never feel that way.

[cbriggs]

Too bad more SM's didn't operated the way you do! That's awesome. 

 

I bet our SM doesn't know the % that retail or warranty is up or down. Not totally her fault though, upper management wont let her see the numbers. The only thing she gets to see is the techs hours.

[Matt Saunoras]

Our service manager is a little lacking in the service management department.  Other than that he's fine.  Work comes in and he sells most of my jobs so I shouldn't be saying anything.  If he ever retrieved a keyless or programmed a key I'd have a heart attack, he'd sooner take me off a job to do something like that rather than do it himself.  He doesn't even tag cars or half the times remember to get keys from the drop-off box.  We are small so he is basically a glorified adviser.

 

Also every vehicle that comes in is not written up (or ever walked around) until the tech gets a registration and mileage and hands it to someone at the desk.  We sometimes have no idea what keys go where. Orders are frequently written up wrong, I always read the schedule to see myself what work was requested.  I watch guys pull a car out and pull it back in an hour later because "we" forgot to do an oil change, meanwhile it was never on the RO. 

 

Anymore I basically manage myself. 

[Keith Browning]

WTF is going on in your service department Matt? Tech gets the keys and reg? Really?  I guess I am spoiled to have writers who know how to do their jobs and take care of customers. In theory a manager should not be writing ro's, dispatching and so on but be there to help out or cover when things get busy or is out for the day. I would think that a manager's responsibilities would have them doing "other things" such as making sure the employees are doing their jobs correctly and straightening out any deficiencies to start with.

[Matt Saunoras]

We are badly overdue for a service overhaul.  The problem boils down to this kind of stuff being allowed to happen.  My boss(the guy who signs my checks) isn't around all day, actually he may not even be in the store for a week at a time.  He owns our sister Lincoln store which is a tight ship (I apprenticed there and it was rough).  Our GM is even more of a problem than the SM, there is simply no discipline.  Both need to go.   

 

These guys have it a little too cushy.  Did I mention our SM arrives after 8 every single day and leaves at 4:30 every afternoon.  There is not one employee that arrives after him in the morning, oh wait, except the GM.

 

Mind you we are in a brand new facility.  A facility that needs service to be profitable in order to keep the bills paid.  We are making money but not even close to tapping our full potential.   Our new hire technician was a service manager at competing dealer for a few months before getting back into wrenching.  He is already tired of the way this place is run. 

 

All of this slacking makes me the hero.

[Matt Saunoras]

We got a new service manager yesterday.  I am not impressed. 

[forddieseldoctor]

We got a new service manager yesterday.  I am not impressed. 

 

That sucks. All you can do is keep doing what you're supposed to and if he can't hold his own he'll get taken care of.

[Keith Browning]

We are on our 4th in 2 1/2 years.. It seems there is not only a technician shortage as compitent and decent managers seem to be scarce as well.

[Matt Saunoras]

I just have a weird feeling about this guy.  He's going to want to do shit his own way and that's not going to fly.  He didn't seem to understand that I do all the trucks and I have 6-8 fleet companies that I do all the work for.  I'm not always slammed busy but my plate is full.  It only takes one day to get 2 weeks behind.

[Brad Clayton]

I have never waivered from my beliefs and work practices and I have survived a dozen or so service managers. Stand your ground within the boundaries of respect and you will persevere and come out on top.

[mchan68]

Going on service manager #5 at my store where I've been. The latest seems to like to play "tower operator" more than anything else. Doesn't speak much, so it's hard to read the guy.

[Matt Saunoras]

I guess I just haven't been around long enough.  It just seems to be an ongoing trend of me not getting along with anyone at this place. 3 weeks of having the GM as the service manager has taken it's toll. 

[Matt Saunoras]

Oh today was not good.  I can just see it coming, I had to have a talk with the GM about this guy, he's way overstepping his boundaries. 

[justins62]

Im on my third store after I graduated college 6 months ago. Im willing to work on anything in my bay especially diesel. In college when I was an apprentice I worked in the diesel shop and I liked it and so after I graduated I went to another dealership and told them i was willing to continue learning and after 4 months and a couple of trucks I struggled on a little bit they told me were going to have to stop giving you diesel work for a wile. Needless to say I wasn't happy and the hole next week I got used cars and new vehicle preps and I was done with it and moved on. Now Im in a place that seems promising and was in desperate need of a young buck to come in willing to learn. So far so good I guess. I dont mean to make myself sound perfect cause Im not, Im young and inexperienced, but if your going to take work away from me then how am I supposed to learn this job. Thats what I told that place before I left

[forddieseldoctor]

Im young and inexperienced, but if your going to take work away from me then how am I supposed to learn this job.

 

I went rounds with one of the owners at my previous shop over something similar. They were gonna take away a 6.0 ambulance with a high pressure oil leak and send it to their other store cause they felt that I couldn't handle it. I told them if it was gonna leave then so were my tools and I was gonna leave a crescent wrench, a hammer and a screwdriver in my tool box.