Why I Can Never Work As A Mechanic...

[Jelly]

So among the many career possibilites I have in front of me, I figured one of them would be doing "mechanic type" work on engines, either with trucks, boats, etc, etc. I love hands-on stuff, and I really enjoy working on my own vehicles, so...

Anyways, today, I got to spend some time in a shop for awhile, and the number one thing that bothered me was how the owners took care of the oil in the vehicles...EVEN the MECHANICS that worked there!

For instance, guy comes in with a very late model (2000??) Pontiac with the 3.1L V-6...pop the 710 cap off and the entire top of the engine is coated in a heavy, brown varnish and even the PCV valve was coated in a heavy brown varnish as well. Take the cap off the 4.3L V6 in my truck (a 1992 by the way), and, with the exception of some pooled oil in spots, all you'll see is dark gray iron...no varnish at all (And I run $6/gallon 15w-40 on 5000 change intervals!!!!)

Asking the owner, his response was "oh, it will last forever like is is"...and he didn't want to hear a word I had to say about using the proper oil.

Even the diesels from fleets that are suppose to be taken great care of came in with a black coating on the entire valvetrain...take a peak under the cap of my dads Dodge/Cummins that has spent its life on Delo 400/7500 intervals and you'll see the shiny metal of the rocker arms..no black mess.

I don't know...maybe it is my oil addiction, but it really made me upset when I saw this, and looking at a few engines sitting in the shop, EVERY SINGLE one of them had a thick brown varnish or even noticable sludge! I know for sure that I couldn't work on engines that the person does not take great care of and then wants you to make run perfect...or better yet, ask why it is consuming oil or something...IT WOULD DRIVE ME CRAZY!

Time to start thinking about other careers...

[ January 27, 2004, 03:44 PM: Message edited by: Jelly ]

 

[novadude]

quote:

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Asking the owner, his response was "oh, it will last forever like is is"...and he didn't want to hear a word I had to say about using the proper oil.

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There is a lot of truth in his statement. The rest of the car will probably fall apart before the engine dies.

Us BITOG folks are a bit obsessive about keeping our engines perfect, but the fact is, modern engines can survive through lots of neglect.

 

[Jelly]

quote:

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Originally posted by novadude:

quote:

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Asking the owner, his response was "oh, it will last forever like is is"...and he didn't want to hear a word I had to say about using the proper oil.

---

There is a lot of truth in his statement. The rest of the car will probably fall apart before the engine dies.

Us BITOG folks are a bit obsessive about keeping our engines perfect, but the fact is, modern engines can survive through lots of neglect.

---

Yeah, he is pretty much right in what he says...his engine might last 160,000 before it goes south with his driving conditions and maintenance practices, but use a better oil, and the engine might last 200,000...

I'm obviously obsessive about my oil and keeping an engine clean, but because of this, I can't stand engines (THAT I WOULD HAVE TO WORK ON) that aren't kept clean or well maintained...people tell you how much they depend on their vehicle to shuttle them around, but simply do enough oil changes to keep the thing running and only fix something when it finally breaks.

And to address your point and touch on my first one...yes, modern engines can endure a good deal of abuse, but they will last a lot longer when taken care of.

 

[Patman]

quote:

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And to address your point and touch on my first one...yes, modern engines can endure a good deal of abuse, but they will last a lot longer when taken care of.

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Definitely! I want my engines to last for 300,000 miles, not just a measly 200,000.

 

[msparks]

quote:

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Originally posted by Jelly:
Yeah, he is pretty much right in what he says...his engine might last 160,000 before it goes south with his driving conditions and maintenance practices, but use a better oil, and the engine might last 200,000...

I'm obviously obsessive about my oil and keeping an engine clean, but because of this, I can't stand engines (THAT I WOULD HAVE TO WORK ON) that aren't kept clean or well maintained...people tell you how much they depend on their vehicle to shuttle them around, but simply do enough oil changes to keep the thing running and only fix something when it finally breaks.

And to address your point and touch on my first one...yes, modern engines can endure a good deal of abuse, but they will last a lot longer when taken care of. [/QB]

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And you wonder why Amsoil dealer(myself in particular as so anal.

This is what I'm about. Helping these folks understand(I know it's an up hill battle) that if they use good lubes and take care of their equipment it will last 10 times longer.

You want to talk about mechanics and bad equipment go to most industrial plants and you will see the same thing and even worse, I"m sure you can talk to GeorgeCLS he will verify.

Career wise have you thought about getting into lubrication??? If you are really anal you could become a Certified Lubrication Specialist. There are companies out there that are looking for smart individuals that will save a company money

 

[Terry]

Well, maintained cars also get better MPG,pollute less, run smoother,are more dependable, and maintain resale value at a higher level, to name a few reasons to lube them properly.

The Automobile is the second most expensive cost behind a home for people in the developed nations.

Become a Mechanic or pit crew for a pro racing team and your cleanliness will be not only appreciated but demanded !

 

[TooManyWheels]

Jelly:

It sounds like you are a natural for the Japanese discipline known as Total Productive Maintenance (TPM).

The idea is to keep machinery exactly in "as new" condition, so that little things that the average person would gloss over as unimportant don't build up into bigger things which result in a breakage, which of course, always comes at the worst time and costs the maximum amount in lost productivity and unintended consequences.

When they say "as new", they mean that literally. Not just functionally, but cosmetically also. No little oil leaks, no paint chips, nothing!

 

[Jelly]

quote:

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Originally posted by TooManyWheels:
Jelly:

It sounds like you are a natural for the Japanese discipline known as Total Productive Maintenance (TPM).

The idea is to keep machinery exactly in "as new" condition, so that little things that the average person would gloss over as unimportant don't build up into bigger things which result in a breakage, which of course, always comes at the worst time and costs the maximum amount in lost productivity and unintended consequences.

When they say "as new", they mean that literally. Not just functionally, but cosmetically also. No little oil leaks, no paint chips, nothing!

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I don't know if I'd be too good with this...from working on the farm, hauling stuff all over the place, driving-off road, and sitting outside, the body and paint of my truck has seen better days.

I've got a $100 bill though that says my engine (given I don't have a coolant leak or something) and drivetrain will last longer than the one underneath the one that is waxed weekly simply because of much better lubrication practices.

Terry - The problem with that is unless someone gets injured or worse, there are no job openings...would be fun though!

 

[TooManyWheels]

Jelly:

You missed my point entirely. I stressed the cosmetic and cleanliness angle because that is what you stressed, but what TPM is really about is functionality and the most efficient means of production.

The cleanliness aspect actually ties into a pride of workmanship/ownership angle, where workers are responsible for machines, but the bottom line is always about productivity and efficiency. Essentially a total lifecycle cost of production approach, geared toward getting the most for the least over the long haul, instead of the shortsighted approach of, for instance, minimizing the cost of an oil change. Keep the machine in tip top shape so it doesn't break down in the middle of the harvest, and so you don't have to replace it as often, if ever.

[ January 27, 2004, 05:43 PM: Message edited by: TooManyWheels ]

 

[SteveD2]

The reason why is simple: Most people are idiots. Period.

 

[medic]

This is why I hate buying used vehicles. As a rule, I buy vehicles that are 3 years old and I save thousands of dollars doing this. The little bugs are all worked out and they are usually still under the factory warrenty. The big thing is that the first guy took the hit in the wallet when he drove it off the lot.

But, with all of these pros, the cons are that you usually have no idea how the vehicle was treated or maintained. My current truck needed a starter at 42,000 miles - this tells me that while the truck had higher than average mileage for the year, it may have done many short trips. The good thing is that I saw the truck as soon as it got traded-in. The dealership hadn't had a chance to clean anything yet. Overall, as far as mechanically, it looked used, but taken care of. The oil change sticker was in the window showing that it was done by a Ford dealer in Ohio. I considered this good news. But how could I know for sure without actual maintenance records?

I am always afraid of leased or rental vehicles that the dealer may have picked up from an auction.

 

[JohnBrowning]

Take from me most people that take their vechiles to a Garage or Dealership only do so when the car will not function any more. It is mostly DIY'ers that do preventive maintence. If not for con-men pitch's at fast oil change places their would not be any differiental geting fluid changed, no trany fluid changes, no air filter changes etc........

The main job of a service writer at a dealership is convinceing them to have service performed that they had not intended to have done. It does not matter if the vechile needs it or not. In a lot of cases they vechile surely needed the extra service but their are sharks out their as well.

It is not fine working on other peoples beat up POS! If you want to consider other opertunitys look at import tuning. Check into private Exotic shops. Up scale places like Lexus,MB,BMW,Porsche, Masserati...............This type of clientel can normaly afford to take their vechile to the dealership or private shop for all scheduled maintence!