Jim Warman

This contains some of that rationality that is eluding my statements... the big thing is that flat rate techs be allowed to perform what flat rate techs perform... without interruption if possible. A line tech isn't doing ANYONE any favours if he allows himself to be called away from his job at hand... to begin with, this is how fasteners get forgotten and that's the nicer stuff... From 8AM to 5 PM, I have, in effect, sold this block of time to my employer... What happens in that time should benefit him. Each and every request for assistance needs to be weighed on it's own merit... (for my own accomplishments, our local Canadian Tire no longer calls us for assistance... and I didn't ruffle any feathers getting there). Some of the scenarios I work with.... One municipality purchases trucks from another dealer... the decision is out of the hands of the maintenance shop... However... they spend several thousand per month with our parts department. Now... the government isn't famous for hiring the best people for the job... They hire people that will trade slave labour wages for a better benefit package. I have given this fleet account a set of expired red discs with instruction on how to access them.... It ain't fucking gonna happen. I devote a portion of my time to assisting these types of situations... and, until someone comes up with a better way to ensure that these guys spend what they can at our store..... We have one account that has a construction company in a remote town. He hired a mechanic but couldn't keep him busy all the time.... Natural progression - start doing retail work to fill in the gaps. A little over a year ago, he purchased his wife a Tundra.... Is it my job to piss him off? Or is it my job to show him that SL Ford has better after sale support and her next car will be an expedition? After 5PM, I will share all of my knowledge freely.. I don't care because I know how many techs are as fussy as I am.... and I know how many aren't. I've known a lot of my customers longer than some guys have been sucking oxygen.... And part of that reason is.... I'm not out to make any tech better than I think I am (shit - don't that sound like I'm full of myself?).. I'll be happy of they turn out better than they were.... You can catch a lot more flies with sugar than you can with vinegar....

Years ago, I would "moonlight"... but that branched into becoming my own boss.... I'm a shitty businessman and I soon realized that I didn't want to be the boss.... all I wanted to do was fix cars. Today, I still pull the very odd side job... usually for someone on a fixed income (pensioner, single mom, handicapper)and often I don't even ask to get paid for the parts. But that's the altruism I spoke of in another post... If it benefits my store, be it from increase associated sales or improved customer (I said CUSTOMER)satisfaction - I help. Come July, 2010.. I will be 60... for over 40 years I have watched, listened, learned... everything I can remember from those 40 some years is available from nearly free... after work, we can peel the roof off a cold one - AFTER WORK... and all you have to do is sit back and listen... The better we can make the people in this trade... the better this trade will be for all of us... for the knee jerks... I didn't say "give away the farm"... Give a man a fish and he can eat for a day.... Teach a man to fish......now you got something

I don't recall saying anything about doing something on the dealers nickel.. I do recall mentioning that line techs should be left to do what line techs do... and that is fix vehicles... Something that seems to fly over the head... if we improved this trade... if we became the professionals that we pretend to be... we would have a chance at shaping the complection of our industry... we could initiate the change that would have us feel good about our progeny entering this field... But we have two problems... my view is altruistic... I have this misbegotten belief that enough people would actually want to invest some personal effort into improving the trade that pays their rent and feeds their family... The other problem is me actually thinking that anyone really gives a fuck.... we can't be fixing things because that would leave nothing to bitch about...

Here we go again... life isn't black and white.. life is shades of grey... I didn't say you were going to kiss the ass of an indy shop or one of their techs... however... there may come a time (at this point it is important to never say 'never') where one of these stores or outlets may save your bacon... it may be something inconsequential, but something they can offer will allow you to save face with your customer... unless you have already burned those bridges... You will find that indy techs will often bad mouth dealer techs... part of that reason is because dealer techs eventually develop the idea that their shit don't stink.... We refuse to work together... and I fail to see the common sense in that... Lawyers work together and their proferssion is self regulating.... Doctors work together and their profession is self regulating... Techs are holier than thou, at each others throats and they get more government... DUH!!! Take a tech... in your store... in another store... Give him the knowledge... the knowledge that shows the importance of documentation and whatever training he can get... the knowledge to perform appropriate testing and to perform it properly (not this bullshit Ford ohmeter for grounds, voltmeter for source voltage testing). Instill the thought process that enables him to choose a better test for the task at hand... The idea is to take capable techs... help them learn the skills they need to excell at their trade.... help them become better at what they do... band together... develop a self regulating body... get rid of the wannabes that can't read or that don't have the balls to insist that they have access to the proper manuals... We are all in this leaky fucking barge together.... you and I will never look good because we share the seas with assholes.... we work amongst "techs" that might have been better off with a rewarding career in the food and hospitality industry... Every second tech I talk to is dissatisfied with his career... all he looks at is what he can take from the industry... never at what he can put back in.... As techs, we owe it to each other to realize who is teachable and who is a waste of time... We need to improve the labour pool... we need to improve how the public and industry leaders perceive us... and if we are a few roses standing in a field of dandelions... we wont be perceived as being very pretty... We need to grow a few more roses... and get rid of more dandelions... Knee jerk reactionism is folly... it is plain dumb.... If we want things to improve in this trade, it is up to US to improve them.... You will find that much of our time is spent closing ourselves off from the marketplace... Maybe there's a reason why the indy shop gets to do the brakes and ball joints???? And maybe it has more to do with us than them.... Warranty work happens... retail sales require cultivation...

Well.... I don't think anyone will argue those points... proper documentation is called a "cost of doing business"... At the same time, we all need to be sure that the boot we are piussing on today isn't attached to the ass we may have to kiss tomorrow... FWIW, we don't send any of our leftover work to an indy shop, either.... but, somedays, we make sure that we send lots of work to independant shops... we price ourselves out of the market... we give a customer back a truck we had to boost because we kept the key on half the day... we give him attitude (hey buddy... THAT'LL COST you). I'm not saying hand out tools and manuals to anyone that asks... an assumption like that is a little... sophomoric? perhaps? I am saying there is a good way to handle a situation and many bad ways to handle a situation... Anything that any one of us says or does will be interpreted by that customer as "them dorks down at Ford".... Choosing our words and actions carefully is important...

Propane.... had a brief fling with it back in the 80s.... Ya don't cook rib-eyes over burning gasoline.... why would you run your car on barbecue fuel???

Would the new vehicle sales manager or the DP be so quick to congratulate? We take our profits from where we can get them.... all the while remembering that the dealership is all about several departments... and all of them might be further ahead if they spent a little time making each other look good... rather than trying to make the "other guy" look worse. Narrow minded "us against them" thinking can make the ownership arrangement something less than pleasant... and can be closer to cutting ones own throat than any "freeby info" could ever be.... But.... complex relationships are always oversimplified when our knee gives a good jerk.... Line techs should only ever need to interact with a customer as it pertains to a specific RO... reproducing symptoms that are difficult top reproduce... additional required info that wasn't proffered at the tine the job was written up... For customers requesting advice... be it from the service desk, the parts department, the sales department (you will have to show me that "I" in TEAMWORK) or where-ever... there are times to look at the big picture.... Let's say we have a customer... he has no say in where a truck is purchased.... but he can choose where he get's the parts from (this would, if you haven't noticed, be a fleet setting). Over the course of a month, I might spend no time with him... and then, one month or two, I might spend a couple or three hours with him. Remembering that he spends about 5 or 10K dollars a month in the parts dept...... is any one of us prepared to tell him to fuck off? The fleet owner.... this could be a seedy looking little guy.... he bought 12 trucks four years ago.... we pissed him off with our "I don't give free advice" attitude about the time he bought "other trucks" and today we have a chance to attract him back.... should we tell him to fuck off? When it comes to advice... each case needs to be weighed carefully.... should I obfuscate? Can I feed this guy just enough info to make jhim feel good about forgetting his efforts and scheduling a service appointment? Should I just bite the bullet and give him what he needs in order to sustain the proven business we get from him? How much time can I "invest"... how much time can I "waste"? It's a balancing act... and I expect I will never get it perfect. The curve ball.... part of the human condition is the need for acceptance, a pat on the back, an "atta-boy"... perhaps even something approaching reverance... Every last person that puffs his feathers and pronounces "no free info from me" has a 90% chance of being guilty of what he denies... There isn't one person amongst us that doesn't feel good when we earn someones undying gratitude... so let's cut the fucking crap... iATN...... iATN will live and die based on other peoples need for self-gratification.... Billy-Bob refuses to buy a manual or take a training course... someone will step up to the plate and impress Billy-Bob with his documentation/acumen/tools/ whatever.... He will feel good... especially if he can make Billy-Bob look like a fool without Billy-Bob realizing it... For some strange reason....... department managers at the dealership level lose sight of the "teamwork factor". They are determined to show the DP that THEY and THEY ALONE are the reason for the stores success.... In some respects, the DP may promote this thinking... unwittingly and unwillingly for the most part... And that...... will be a subject for another post.... It's not all about "free info"... it's about being in a busy bar.... and knowing which person to buy a drink for... and knowing all the people not to buy a drink for.... "I never give advice"????? I came to Canada on a boat... but it wasn't a recent boat.... Knowledge is currency... we can spend it for a pat on the back... we can spend it to enhance our store... we need to spend it wisely. Most guys choose the wrong time to deny or dispense. "Free" advice..... learn when to say what to who.... the idea is to be as helpful as you NEED to be. I have customers that have known me since about 1980... now and again, they may stray (human nature, remember?)... When they are in need - they know what store to go to... I have underwear older than some of you guys.....

I seem to have some sort of effect on some folks... I once caught absolute shit for putting up a sign that said "RTFM!!!". I was told it was a bit rude and showed some level of intolerance.... Not that I could ever be rude or intolerant, mind you....

Generally speaking.... if you have a plugged cat you will see one LTFT go way rich and the other LTFT go way lean.... Important to remember... the PCM cannot see "rich". It can see copious amounts of O2 or very little O2 or anywhere in between... If it sees little O2... it "thinks" rich.

I've been kicked off the monkeyhouse... I said "opinions are like @ssholes" and a moderator took exception to my character substitution... ("@" for "a"). S0, l 5tarted 5ubstituting 0ther ch@r@cter5... and I got punted...

"Back in the day".... we would often opine that we were heading towards the "disposable car"..... Hmmmmmmm...

Mike... one of the very good things about getting old is that there are a LOT more good looking women...

That's the deal... usually, it snows on Hallowe'en... well, it usually snows before hallowe'en - but that one melts away... the snow we get on all hallows eve is the one that stays... Now... if it would only get cold enough to drive some hard frost into the ground before the snow comes... this would make the oil patch good and busy...

Don't forget this car (not to mention Chevys full size hybrid pick up). As for techs... they come in four flavours - better than adequate, adequate, inadequate and fucking scarey. Techs that are better than adequate aren't real plentiful... but they excell at logic and diagnostic skills. They possess higher than average skillsets for the career they have chosen. Since they are smarter (not sure if that is the correct word) than your average bear, they are called upon to work on the more difficult, more high tech stuff. Adequate techs aren't much better off because they would like to be better but usually wind up "in over their heads". Inadequate and fucking scarey techs have the world by the short and curlies... As underachievers, the powers that be can readily see that giving them a task that requires thought is a waste of time and effort... Back to hybrids... they create a world of problems for our emergency services....

Here it is.... November 15th.... I just finished cutting my lawn.... did they drag Alberta south a few hundred miles while I was alseep?

Hmmm... in 1967 I went to Expo 67 in Montreal... it's where we lived at the time... At that time, I was spending most of my waking hours trying to get back into a warm place quite similar to the one you were evicted from. FWIW, I didn't say I didn't like the Flex... I said it was fugly. I've never gone to bed with an ugly chick... though I have woken up with a few....

In 1967 the man that was to become the best man at my wedding purchased a brand new 1967 Fairlane two door pillar coupe (two door sedan to the uninitiated). 289 CID, C4 automatic and power steering and brakes... Nearly a full load of options given the era.... The number sticks in my mind.... nearly.... was it $3258 for the purchase price? or $3248? I saw the line sheet but this was 1967.... If you want to pick on me.... what do YOU remember from 1967???? To put things in perspective - this car had an AM radio.... no media player of any sort... it had linkage type power steering... it had breaker point ignition.... it had an alternator with an externally mounted regulator... It was built by people earning a realistic wage... When this car was new, I was earning about $3.25 per hour, gasoline was about 32 cents per imperial gallon and a glass of beer was 15 cents. This car had less than a dozen glass fuses.... ATO, MAX, PAL and MIN fuses were an engineers wet dream. My loving bride bought a bakers dozen of bread loaves for a buck... and we didn't have GST.... or the gun registry... The only thing we should find surprising is that we now have twin turbos on a small displacement engine ... we have 2500 PSI plus on a gasoline fuel system.... (am I the only one that finds this scarey?).. and this is something that will jade us in the future... Overpriced? My first "real" house was $66K... My Dads first house was $39K. It isn't a matter of the V6 "holding it's own" against V8s.... It is all about the technology that got it there.... The last thing we should do is think that "this is where it stops"....

My friends 06 Corvette has the "smart key"... It is great... and perhaps a bit too simple? With the key in your pocket, all you need to do is approach the car... touch the doorlatch and the door unlocks... sit in the seat and touch the button... that car starts... Vision out the back is limited... Gee... in my 05 Mustang vert vision out the back is limited... This is the future of the automobile, Mike... convenience is one key phrase among many... we are bound, by logic, to work on those vehicles that the general public finds attractive... The Flex is fugly... but it's a nice car to drive... If this is the car folks buy, it's what I will have to work on. It really doesn't matter what any of us thinks about these machines.... what matters is "can we fix them"... What is the car of 2020 going to look like?

I see a lot of misunderstanding..... no big deal... but if you don't experience it... you ain't gonna understand it.... Like I said... Dad was a career soldier.... Mum was a war bride.... I was along for the ride.... I didn't have much say in the matter.... At about 6 years old, I made a few friends... we lived in Camp Borden, Ontario.... The army said "you are going to Vancover Wireless Station"... VWS... not far south of Vancouver BC.... At the age of six.... I went from having friends to having no friends.... in a heartbeat... gone.... We were about 7 years in VWS.... I made friends.... in my early teens, I was starting to learn about girls... about 1964 the army said you are going to move.... you are going from near Vancouver to Halifax.... Overnight, I had no friends... Everyone is so full of the man in the uniform.... nobody thinks about the family following his dreams.... My family became disfunctional because of the military.... I have no real childhood memories... other than the ones that have me leaving friends behind.... I have reconnected with some of these people thanks to facebook and classmates..... and what really sucks is that we didn't have enough time together to make anything mean anything... I see the US ads.... am army of one? Oh, yeah... but not the way they tell it... It ain't fucking romantic... and it's a waste of youngsters.... I'm an army brat.... fighting is for fools.

Oh... Larry... I could write you a book.... and, some day, I might. My Dad was a career soldier.... families seem to get in the way in these cases.... I don't hate my Dad.... we had a "unique"relationship up until I gave him a grandson from my side of the family... I almost feel it became "uniquer".... Anyway... when it comes to learning about life.... Your parents can teach you how to swim on one of two ways.... They will fit you with a flotation device and, with loving hands, support you through every step of the process.... Or, knowing that you have watched people swim, they will throw you in the water knowing that you will learn... or you wont.... I know how I learned, but I can't say which way is better.... We can become those things we aspire to because of our parents... or in spite of our parents.....

Many years ago, I had the misfortune to have a gas station.. A Canadian brand low on the popularity list. One day a turd walked through the front door and nearly accosted one of my driveway attendants... "these sunglasses are too fucking tight".... his attitude, his volume and him swearing at a teenage girl attracted me quickly.... Apparently, he bought a pair of sunglasses at a same brand gas station in another town about an hour from my station... he firmly believed that everything we sold, from gasoline right down to T-shirts, potato chips and joke novelties all came from the fuel supplier... and that I should take his ill fitting, scratched sunglasses and give hime a free pair in exchange... After a brief exchange.... he told me he would never buy anything from me ever again.... since he had never bought anything from me before, I didn't think I was missing too much.... Life is too short to suck up to assholes. You do what you can to service those that like what you do.... but never, ever allow assholes to drag you from the people that pay your wages.... Besides... today was Friday the WHAT????

If you can read... thank a teacher.... if it's in English... thank a soldier...

Actually no.....I have some bad shit going on and I'm taking it out on the wrong people....

Life is all about trade offs..... we give up <this> so that we can have <that>... Fuel consumption is a good example... we burn more fuel to reduce tailpipe emissions... it doesn't sound "right" but the facts and measurements speak for themselves... Producing the batteries for a hybrid can be "dirty"... but the consensus from the powers that be is that the benefits outweigh the detriments... Trade offs.... welcome to the 21st century... Back in 1986, I "saved" Alberta Government Telephones a shitload of money bt deleting the catalytic converter on one of their trucks... I had never been in that much shit before. I was to replace the unit - not delete it... And this is what we now call "a GOOD corporate citizen". Emissions controls are a necessary evil... many of them don't work well... many of them require a lot of periodic attention... The truck would be more dependable without them... the truck wuld get wonderful fuel mileage without them.... but it's not about the truck... it is about US.... Emissions control devices are a trade off... if we defeat them to save money, gas, fuel, whatever... we run the risk of being hypocritical. So often.... too often.... we are given the opportunity to say "that guy is a crook/hypocrit/charlatan/waste of oxygen".... we need to be sure that we don't offer the chance for turn-about.