ktmlew

Had a buddy shop owner that had a Chevy box truck that had broken the case through the bellhousing several times. Being the curious type I went to look at it...the two-piece driveshaft was splined out-of-phase...DOH!

As I get older I need less sleep. About 5.5-6 hrs is it now. Go to bed at 11:30 means wide awake 5:30-6:00. Even on Sunday.

That'll buff right out! :hammer:

Yes...it was intended as an insult on another board so I adopted it as my avatar. It's actually pretty accurate.

Stick a piston and exhaust valve in that baby. That's what the would have you do if it was under warrenty so must be a quality repair, right? :hammer:

So your area doesn't have a decent frame machine? Crazy to replace that frame instead of straightening it!

My favorite message board threads/sections are off-topic. I live in off-topic...

I need to try that. I have tinnitus also.

yep....Never expect them to acknowledge they are one of the biggest contributors to why skilled guys wont put up with being screwed day in day out. In the two years I have been away from flat rate I look at the times they are expecting to pay you guys for some of these major repairs(6.7 head tsb comes to mind) and it blows my mind. I do not regret getting into this buisness one bit as it has led me to where I am today however I strongly suggest a different path to those that come to me asking about getting started......I think this may be a trend everywhere from storys of lack of techs. I work at Pep Boys in the Raleigh NC area. My last paycheck was 56 hrs after working 83. The next one won't break 50 hrs for 80-83 worked. The managements response is "you just have to dig harder for work on every ticket"...what fucking ticket? We have no general service tech and today I did the first oil change at 10:47AM. Previous vehicle was headlight on 2007 Nissan Maxima. You know what you have to do to change a headlight on those? According to NoData remove the front bumper. Customer refused the repair after getting the estimate. It took 45 mins for them to decide to back-it-out! We have nearly no work and too many techs. The 50-70 flat-rate hr a week guy has spent the last week at the hospital getting his heart checked-out. This is the 3rd time in 1.5 years he "fell-out". He works 12-9PM and every Sunday. That gives him 7-8 bays and zero competition. We have 2 Master Techs, me and another that has been there 20 years. No guarantee. I will be job hunting tomorrow on my day off. Management just doesn't get it. Never will. We are replacable...or ARE we? I'm 55 and have been turning bolts since i was 12. They just can't comprehend that someone with my experience should be guaranted SOMETHING just for showing up every day. They disagree.

Another good one:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=riJtEDO0O24

One of my favorite fuck-ups! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NOvxzZH9ITs

That ain't blown-up. This is blown-up:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aUkXriHjQeI Or this:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kCsSVLZ6wCI

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oRX2V6_a3dc Probably the PCV tube... I bought his ebook, Awesome doesn't do it justice.

Got it almost all the way back together today in just over 1.5 hrs. Now that I know how it works it's not that bad. Just stupid!!!

I beleive Motor shows 3.4 hrs + evac & recharge. We also discussed giving the next customer the option of relocating the reservoir. In-gah-neers should have to work on the shit they design ...

2007 E350 5.4 A/C defaults to defrost on acceleration. WhyTF did they put the reservoir UNDER the evaporator box? What kind of times are you guys charging for this cluster-fuck?

OK... maybe a bit of a hyjack but somewhat relevant. I work for Pep Boys. Customer comes in yesterday around 4:00Pm with a brake shake complaint. When tech drove the car a massive amount of black smoke came out of exhaust. Customer is horrified at said "abuse". Customer goes absolutely ballistic because he was "trying to tear the car up by driving it too aggressively". Threatened to call police. Refused to allow tech to work on the car. Another tech removed wheels and mic'd rotors. Meanwhile customer calls husband. Husband says if it needs rotors we had to install the for free due to above abuse...parts & labor. Apparently the customer is a left foot brake'r. She must hold the throttle at 1/4 and control speed with the other pedal. And they did it. Shop installed rotors, parts & labor FREE! I would have thrown her out-in-the-street! She is going to trash the shop anyway so why bother doing anything to the car?

That was my Saturday...

I much prefer a small area of pink but to each his own! :hammer:

Anyone tried one of these? I have a PP III. Love it. http://www.powerprobe.com/hook.php

Looking for an amp clamp suitable for relative compression testing. i plan to start running said test on every driveability concern or tune-up as a CYA. I now work at Pep Boys and the corporate atmosphere is much like Ford's with never denying a "warranty" claim. If you want your car fixed for free...take it to Pep Boys, then bitch about it on the internet. They will fold like a cheap suit. I love the new shops employee's but corporate needs some work... Ohhhh! Just remembered we have a VERUS and it has an Amp Clamp. They only problem with using it is the Pep Boys security makes it a 3-5 minute boot-up with frequent crashes. They turned it into a WDS... Maybe I'll spend more time dicking with it first. never mind... :hammer:

Thanks for the info. I'm dealing with a 78 y/o woman with a head as hard as concrete...she just won't make a decision. She had the cat monitor replaced, which qualifies her for a waiver on cost, and said it "passed"...then said she was getting it inspected on Monday? So what "passed"? I have no idea what she's talking about 1/2 the time. So the drama continues...

Does it overheat when driven? Did you try putting a fan in front of it blowing through the radiator? Use a block leak detector to see if combustion gases are entering cooling system? options: 1. Waterpump fins deteriorated. 2. Radiator plugged. 3. Thermostat stuck. 4. Internal engine damage (head gasket, etc) 5. Ignition Timing issue if synchronizer has been removed and installed incorrectly. 6. catalytic convertor plugged. Some scan data would be useful.

I would do a comp test to make sure it hasn't bent any rods.

Moved back to Raleigh NC a few weeks back. Went to work at Pep Boys Garner location last Thursday. It's really amazing what a difference in location can have on your outlook/attitude. Everyone is SOOOOO positive and pleasant that it seems odd... So far it's been fantastic. They give an ASE Master a 100% guarantee for the first 8 weeks. It looks like I won't have much difficulty in turning better than 100%. Depends on if they resist the urge to hire another tech...there is just so much work to be had. Now I have to update my tools and actually feel good about it. Some cordless tools are high on the list.