Category: Episodes

On this week’s episode of Grease the Wheels, we talk about the bus! The bus we are referring to in this case is the metaphysical bus of the blame game, often between irate customers and uncaring management. We’ve all been hit with it in our careers as mechanics or just people who fix things for a living, and more often than not it is undeserved. When auto repairs do not go as planned or customers have nefarious motives, the first person in the crosshairs to blame is always going to be the mechanic. After being a mechanic for some time, you will be able to see them coming and be able to better sidestep the incoming blame for recurring issues by better documenting your repairs and making sure to thoroughly diagnose the issue.

Folks, there’s really no two ways about it: when customers car’s don’t work the way they are supposed to, they go looking for someone to blame when in most cases they can accomplish this by looking in a mirror. “I didn’t hit anything!” “Yea, I just got a new ______ it can’t be that!” These simple statements are often rendered completely null by the bent rims and split water pump impellers that we then see. Additionally, we go over some of the key words and phrases to look out for when looking for a used BMW. This is a jam packed episode, let us know what you think with a review over on iTunes!

Also Uncle Jimmy does his own version of “We Didn’t Start the Fire” except with stuff that is his fault culminating in the incredibly awesome destruction of a Volkswagen Beetle.

This episode is distributed by The Wrenching Network. Whether you’re a technician, a mechanic, or someone who just loves the car scene, The Wrenching Network is a place that you have to check out. They have all sorts of great content, gear, and snacks to keep you turning wrenches in whatever capacity you do it. Also if you see us over there, make sure you say hi and leave a comment with what you think about the episode!

On this week’s Grease the Wheels, we talk about those people and places that you don’t talk about anymore, because they’re on the blacklist! The blacklist when we are talking about the automotive industry also includes the “do not hire” list, and there are a lot of ways to get on someone’s blacklist. Almost every shop has some form of a blacklist, whether it be related to customers or staff. Additionally, certain shops can become blacklisted by both mechanics and customers because of the quality of the work they provide or the general attitude of the people that work there. There are many recent and historical blacklists as well. In an episode that hilariously meanders the spectrum from Abraham Lincoln to Harvey Weinstein, the blacklist is typically not written down- but that doesn’t mean it does not exist. We also dive into the idea that people are more likely to believe and remember negative stories about people rather than something positive. We just wonder how many shops have this podcast on their blacklist!

Also Uncle Jimmy mounts a Churchillian defense of Arby’s.

This episode is distributed by The Wrenching Network. Whether you’re a technician, a mechanic, or someone who just loves the car scene, The Wrenching Network is a place that you have to check out. They have all sorts of great content, gear, and snacks to keep you turning wrenches in whatever capacity you do it. Also if you see us over there, make sure you say hi and leave a comment with what you think about the episode!

On this week’s Grease the Wheels we take a break from our sustained assault of the senses and take aim at another plague of the world today: passive aggressive attitudes. In the automotive industry being passive aggressive is about as common as breathing with some people. However, in a departure from form we actually give you ways to be more passive aggressive! The opportunities are absolutely endless, from everyday conversation to purposely leaving your annotated resume on your toolbox and literally asking a service advisor for a grease gun for your toolbox. We go into some of the ways to be just that little bit extra passive aggressive to possibly cause a conversation that results in your concerns being heard.

Whether or not they are met is another matter entirely, but if you start the conversation with either your direct managers or the people in charge of the entire operation you never know where it might lead. Spoiler Alert: more often than not it will lead to broken promises and you greasing your wheels to a new shop, that is just where the automotive industry is at right now. Until management fields the concerns of their employees competently and in a timely fashion, they will continue to languish with staffing shortages.

Also Uncle Jimmy discusses the automotive industry’s relationship with the idea of “2-week notice” and channels Nostradamus to see where the industry is going if it stays on its current trajectory.

This episode is distributed by The Wrenching Network. Whether you’re a technician, a mechanic, or someone who just loves the car scene, The Wrenching Network is a place that you have to check out. They have all sorts of great content, gear, and snacks to keep you turning wrenches in whatever capacity you do it. Also if you see us over there, make sure you say hi and leave a comment with what you think about the episode!

On this week’s episode of Grease the Wheels we talk about the sense of touch! We also go into depth on having “the touch” and how to develop your own personal “touch” when working on cars. With the amount of components on modern cars that can’t be readily seen or accessed, having a good sense of touch is extremely important. “The Touch” is almost metaphysical, culminating in perfect harmony between man, tool and component with being able to nearly telepathically diagnose and repair cars. Uncle Jimmy also collectively makes the entire internet wince at once with a story of hitting himself in the eye with a hog ring- and being able to feel the dent it left! Some jobs require a deft touch, while others require levels of force only applicable with pressurized air. One more time and a little louder for the new/lube shop guys, 25nm on the drain plugs! When it comes to developing out your sense of touch as a mechanic, Lt. Aldo Raine said it best, “you know how ya’ get to Carnegie Hall don’t ya? Practice!” This is one of those episodes that is almost too funny to do a write up on, you’re just going to have to listen.

Also Uncle Jimmy describes his foreman fixing a rear window by finding it’s G-spot.

This episode is distributed by The Wrenching Network. Whether you’re a technician, a mechanic, or someone who just loves the car scene, The Wrenching Network is a place that you have to check out. They have all sorts of great content, gear, and snacks to keep you turning wrenches in whatever capacity you do it. Also if you see us over there, make sure you say hi and leave a comment with what you think about the episode!

On this week’s episode of Grease the Wheels we are talking about the sense of smell. There are a lot of smells that cars make and have in general. Right off the bat, the olfactory system is one of the major triggers for memory, so when you smell something and it makes you think of a very specific moment in time that isn’t a coincidence. We also talk about some of the smells that our customers diffuse into their cars, whether it be body odor, dirty diapers, garbage, rotting food, or any of the other million disgusting things that mechanics all over the world have encountered while working on customers’ vehicles.

We also give a proper explanation for the origin of that “new car smell” and find out that not all of the brands smell the same fresh off the assembly line. We also explain how mold gets into modern cars and how to remediate some of the more unpleasant smells from your car. When it comes to diagnosing problems, your nose typically isn’t going to be the first tool that you are going to use, but just because it’s not the first tool you use doesn’t mean that it isn’t useful, especially in cases where cars aren’t running well because the gasoline that used to be in the tank is now closer to varnish.

Also Uncle Jimmy comes up with 47 different ways to say that something stinks and talks about his most/least favorite automotive smells.

This episode is distributed by The Wrenching Network. Whether you’re a technician, a mechanic, or someone who just loves the car scene, The Wrenching Network is a place that you have to check out. They have all sorts of great content, gear, and snacks to keep you turning wrenches in whatever capacity you do it. Also if you see us over there, make sure you say hi and leave a comment with what you think about the episode!

On this week’s episode of Grease the Wheels we talk about the incredible amount of things that we as mechanics can tell about a car by the way it sounds. There are a ton of issues on cars, boats, machines, whatever you work on- where the first sign of trouble is going to be something not quite sounding right. Yet, somehow our customers (and producer) will ignore these sounds to the point where they become a catastrophic and completely avoidable failure. We also talk about one of the absolute keys to assessing the health of used cars- the cold start: there are a ton of things that a trained ear can tell you about a car from it’s cold start. We also go into some of the various musical genres that get played most in our shops while also discussing the futility of listening to AM radio in a car with a top of the line surround sound system.

Also Uncle Jimmy gives a shout out to “Punk-Rock Thursdays”

This episode is distributed by The Wrenching Network. Whether you’re a technician, a mechanic, or someone who just loves the car scene, The Wrenching Network is a place that you have to check out. They have all sorts of great content, gear, and snacks to keep you turning wrenches in whatever capacity you do it. Also if you see us over there, make sure you say hi and leave a comment with what you think about the episode!