Grease the Wheels Podcast

On this week’s GTW, we are talking a short run down of some of the simple truths of working in the automotive industry. Just because a problem is simple doesn’t mean that it can’t be catastrophic. There is never a good time for a breakdown, and customers are going to be annoying about it (unfortunately for them, our cars typically work and we can get home just fine). Also we talk about the Product Life Cycle of cars, and that cars are not meant to last forever. At the end of the day the mechanic is rarely the bad guy that various media and prevailing cautionary tales make us out to be. Also we talk how annoying it is when customers give service advisors gifts around the holidays and that cars are not the most important thing in life in the bigger picture. Also Uncle Jimmy talks about Volvo people and breaks the first two rules of Fight Club.

On this week’s GTW, we are talking the cheapest customers that you are ever going to get in your shop- the used car guys (and that’s a big statement considering our stance on working on your family’s cars). They are 100% about the profit and do not want to fix ANYTHING which leads to a lot of wire ties, duct tape, cutting rotors and other assorted “temporary fixes”. With a mantra of “buy low, sell high” even courtesy items such as oil changes are ignored in the name of the all mighty dollar. Be wary of these people, and if they want you to do substandard repairs tell them to go somewhere else- because at the end of the day they will shift the blame on a broken car to the guy who “fixes” them. Also, Uncle Jimmy talks about his favorite cryptids: Bigfoot, the Loch Ness Monster, and virtuous used car guys. More importantly, we want to hear about some of your dealings with used car guys, because everyone has a story about this!

On this week’s GTW, we’re talking some of the hilarious, ignorant, and ill-informed things that customers say and do. From the completely clueless, to the people who are pumped full of internet “knowledge”- customers often say things about their vehicles and do things to their vehicles that are beyond logic. Sometimes they think their car is broken when it’s working perfectly fine, but more often than not they think their car is fine when its about 4 seconds from detonation. We also revisit dash cams on cars that we are working on and some of the major pitfalls that come with proprietary information, test drives, and judging customers based on how they take care of (or more likely a lack thereof) their vehicles. Also, Uncle Jimmy talks valve cover gaskets that look like the Exxon Valdez and cost almost as much to repair. More importantly, we want to hear about some of the things customers have said to you!

On this week’s GTW, we’re talking one of the common shop friction points: borrowing tools. Despite some of the astronomical amounts of money we owe our tool dealers, very few of us can say that we have never had to borrow a tool. Because of this, there is an almost industry-wide mantra of, “ borrow it once, cool. Borrow it twice, go buy one for yourself”. However, we have seen some cases where this can go bad, really quick. From small shops borrowing tech’s scan tools that cost the retail price of a kidney to update, to tools getting broken by people who didn’t know how to use them right — this topic is going to get your shop talking, and possibly make things a little bit smoother by creating that dialogue.

Also, Uncle Jimmy talks about how round things roll, the basic tenets of karma, and doesn’t drop names because they’re not paying him for his endorsement.

This week’s episode is sponsored by our friends at KB Tools. KB Tools is the official tool sponsor of GTW, selling name brands like Snap-on, Mac, Matco, Cornwell and many others. Their fast and easy to use site gets you the high quality tools you need quickly and for a lot less money than than the other guys. Use the code “GTW” for 10% off your first purchase at your new favorite tool dealer. So next time the new kid in the shop asks to borrow something, send them to KB Tools and have him tell them that Uncle Jimmy sent him.

The biggest reason for the DIY crowd today is saving money because they feel like mechanics are ripping them off. Well, we’ve said it before and we’ll say it again, were not the guys getting paid when you come to pick up your car! But if you absolutely must do a DIY repair, for the love of god, have a backup plan.

Also Uncle Jimmy talks Pascal’s law, repainting the Rock and Roll Garage (and producer) with engine oil, Money by Pink Floyd, self medicating, and a parts store customer running over his Harley Davidson with his half ton truck with improperly repaired brakes. Yea, this week is loaded!

This week’s episode is sponsored by our friends at KB Tools. KB Tools is the official tool sponsor of GTW, selling name brands like Snap-on, Mac, Matco, Cornwell and many others. Their fast and easy to use site gets you the high quality tools you need quickly and for a lot less money than than the other guys. Weather your an old pro or just tinkering on the weekend, KB Tools will help you with all of your tool needs. Use the code “GTW” for 10% off your first purchase at your new favorite tool dealer.

This week we talk about the epic automotive roll of the dice that is junkyard parts. First off, junkyard parts are easily one of the best examples of recycling on the planet- if the parts are any good that is. Some stuff is easy to tell if its good or bad, sometimes it takes a leakdown test to figure out if its any good or not. A lot of junkyard parts need increased scrutiny though, but often times they are so cheap people are willing to roll the dice. We also talk “pick and pulls” which can be pretty fantastic if you know what you’re looking for and bring the right tools. Finally we talk wholesale recycling in terms of the beloved “parts car” which can be one of the best value purchases ever.

Also, Uncle Jimmy explains why sharing is not caring at pick and pulls and about buying 70’s Oldsmobiles for $50.

This week’s episode is sponsored by our friends at KB Tools. KB Tools is the official tool sponsor of GTW, selling name brands like Snap-on, Mac, Matco, Cornwell and many others. Their fast and easy to use site gets you the high quality tools you need quickly and for a lot less money than than the other guys. So if you loaned something to a bloke at the pick and pull and never saw it again, let our friends at KB Tools make that right. Use the code “GTW” for 10% off your first purchase at your new favorite tool dealer.

On this week’s GTW: our managers often want us to test drive cars to diagnose them, but if there is a driveability issue doing a test drive is the absolute last thing we want to do. Throwing it up on a lift and taking a look is usually a lot safer. Let’s be real, there is a lot that can go wrong (and it often does) when we drive customers cars. There’s a lot of really good reasons for this, chief among them that the average american driver has no idea what they’re doing- while sending a tweet, picking their nose, and listening to their favorite automotive podcast! Also Uncle Jimmy talks “venison karma” and his terrible driving habits!

On this weeks GTW: we want to hear your worst customer stories- everyone has one and most of them are hilarious given enough time. The customer is most certainly not always right, in fact in our industry, more often than not they are completely wrong. In this episode we are going over all of the ways customers can be the absolute worst. Customers who ignore major problems with their cars, customers who try to skip out on paying for their repairs, and customers who try to drive a wedge between the techs and management are all very good examples of bad customers. In reality we need our customers because they are the ones that keep our industry rolling, but the cold hard numbers are that there are thousands of us and hundreds of millions of them.

Also Uncle Jimmy talks the upsides of being an orphan and the downsides of being a mechanic in a family with a papal attitude towards birth control.

On this week’s Grease the Wheels, we talk distractions- there are a million of them (including your favorite automotive podcast) and they are almost all better than working. Some of them are pretty benign like your co-workers, daydreams, and even the cars your working on. Some of them can be a bit more invasive like problems at home and the ever present smartphone. Either way they can end up costing you money (except of course your favorite automotive podcast)

Also, Uncle Jimmy talks park distance controls for your phone so you don’t walk into shit and some of his favorite stuff on the internet.