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I get the nightmares at work. The big nightmare I have is where another tech, chasing a water leak, tore the whole sunroof and interior out of the vehicle and then tapped out. I didn’t take it apart, and never have taken one apart, and I have a car full of parts to put back together. Some parts missing, some parts I don’t know where or how they go on. Had to put a whole new sunroof in, piece by piece as they aren’t available as an assembly. Got a couple assemblies from salvage yards but they were broken, but at least I know how it is put together.
I have a Murano with an oil pressure/timing issue. P0011. Someone else did a timing chain, sprockets, solenoids, valves, same problem. I did the rear timing cover. Still doing it. Technically doesn’t make sense because everything that the oil passes through and is controlled has been either replaced or swapped with a known good vehicle. The only thing I can think of is that the new part that replaced the actual problem part is faulty. To me this really wasn’t a nightmare because I’m following steps appropriately and didn’t start the process. My suggestion is to replace it with a known good engine. Still other possibilities. So, not my nighmare, but management and the owner’s nightmare.
I have found the best way to avoid nightmare/headache vehicles is to either do it right, or don’t do it at all.
Different manufacturers have different procedures. With Nissan, at operating temperature you shut it off and wait 10mins. That’s a long time after engine shut off, most manufacturers it’s 30sec to a minute.
It’s a Ford, there will always be parts for it and people to work on it. Even if it’s not at a dealership, there will be plenty of options. GM vehicles are the best when it comes to always being parts and service for their vehicles but Ford does fine. Really any domestic. Asian usually are pretty good about this. It’s European where you run into the problem of discontinued parts and no aftermarket.
Working on vehicles is definitely a field where it’s easy to get hurt and there are a lot of dangers but the good thing is that it’s usually a very easy to control. I think it’s important to make sure that you are never in the way of something if something were to catastrophically go wrong. Note how Eric was never under that engine or really in it’s way, and as soon as it started to tip, he pushed it away and allowed himself to be pushed the other way. Just pure instinct after working in a shop. The issue is that some people with less experience, worried about the consequences of the falling engine, might try to save it and that’s where you’ll really get hurt.
Welcome to the field, if this is what you really want to do, your passion, then by all means, lets do this. Good move going to school. It will help you, especially down the line. Don’t listen to those who tell you that you don’t need to go to school. Secondly, good move on the local college. Those “fancy” schools don’t do any better of a job but will put you in debt. I would suggest getting a job with a dealership. They have a lot of training and will bring you up. It will take some time. Please don’t tell me you want to go through all this just to help folks out with their cars. There is better things you can do if you want to be a charity.
As long as the finished product is the way it’s suppose to be, you didn’t cut corners. Never compromise quality for speed, that will bite you. If I did everything by the book, I’d be there all day and night. For instance, the SM tells us to remove the whole drivetrain when doing a transmission replacement. With a pole jack and/or engine support bar I leave all that in there, usually don’t even remove the axles. In the end, it’s better, less connectors disconnected, less bolts and nuts threaded and unthreaded, less parts moved.
I really don’t get these shops with their hustle mentality. Considering how much mistakes can cost them. Just glad I don’t work in all that.
Sucks to hear but don’t let it get you down too much. Your story sounds like so many guy’s stories of how it was when they first got out of school. Mine too. Keep your head up.
You went through all this schooling, more than 90% of people, and now you have all this technical knowledge but you are out in a field trying to learn how to apply. It sounds like you haven’t learned to efficiently apply this, and haven’t come far in the whole hands on, know how, skill set. This takes years to develop. The flat rate is based on “average mechanic, average tools” on a good day. You’re green, not to that level yet. I bet your boss isn’t paying you that well, so what does he expect?
When I first got in, I was the kid in the shop that had to get the mechanics to show me where the dipstick was sometimes, and had to get help with oil filters sometimes. Made a ton of errors. Saw an alignment being done and was like “wow I have no clue, maybe I can learn that”. Even out of school I was heckled, told I wasn’t fast enough, I would never be more than an oil changer, I wasn’t even a good oil changer, told I wasn’t getting it, I didn’t learn fast enough, I need to go find another job because I’m not cut out for this, told I’m slow, I don’t fit in…. blah blah blah,… I was fired, let go, ran out of shops a couple times, all of that. Well whatever, now (see sig line) I’m far beyond that. Now I’m the go to guy, now I’m that guy that the others go to and “how did you know that” and make most things look simple. Now that I am on the level I am, looking back, those guys that did that to me when I was green, well they weren’t that good in the first place and I’m glad I’m not like them. Damn failures that were trying to run people out so they wouldn’t take their jobs. Seriously, looked up some of them on social media and most of them flunked out. I will say this, I never will forget how I was treated, and make it a point not to treat the newcomers the way I was treated.
So, ignore them. Accept in this cut throat industry you’ll have to deal with these. You may have to change jobs or get fired a couple times. Just take your time, do things right, and do it right the first time. Take mistakes as lessons. Always work to learn and improve. It will take a while, but you’ll get there.
I have a 2015 Nissan Leaf SL. I still have my Silverado, but it’s retired from daily driving but I keep it for doing truck things.
Driving the Leaf. Actually, it rides very good, very quiet, very torquey off the line. Instant power. Handling is really good and smooth due to the heavy, but low battery, it has a very low center of gravity, would surprise you on how well it handles. Being the SL, it is leather, very nice inside. Bose radio, all of that. Nissan put more time into building this one. I also have a Versa (GF’s car at one time, now ex so I got it back) and it’s a POS compared to the Leaf. I got a very good deal on it, being right off lease. Seriously could not buy even close to that much car for the price. Before I got the Leaf, I was paying between 50-70/wk in fuel for my truck just back and forth to work. I charge my car at work, so what I save in fuel is the car payment, so basically almost a free car. What sucks is the range. Conclusion is that you can’t have a Leaf to be your only car. There is a learning curve to learning how to manage it.
As far as putting mechanics out of business? No, I am also a EV Tech at the dealer. Still lots of parts which will require repair and someone to know what course to take, and how to do it.
You will need your employer to fill out a work experience paper which is on the ASE website. As long as it’s an automotive shop then it qualifies.
Every process in the engine takes time. As engine speed changes, the timing of these processes needs to change so they all come together at the right place for the most efficiency. Early engines everything was mechanically set, and they had a very narrow range of efficiency and even then they weren’t very efficient. Of course the first to be made to adjust with engine speed as ignition timing. Fuel take about 0.003 seconds to burn in the combustion chamber, so you need to set the spark so that it has completed the burn at top dead center. So, you have to advance that timing as the engine goes faster. Then of course we changed valve event timing and with Direct Injection even in gas engines we have been able to alter fuel timing. There are many elements of physics involve in the operation of the internal combustion engine. Thermal, hydraulic, pneumatic, electronic as well as electronic. All these come together to determine how your engine operates.
Now I don’t know exactly what leaving the intake valve open longer does to reduce detonation but it is changing the attributes that caused detonation which is most likely thermal or the pneumatic factor to how the gasses are behaving as the mixture is being compressed.
It’s shop experience from a recognized automotive repair facility. I am not sure what that constitutes. Your experience needs to be in the shop, actually working on the cars. 2 years in school can be substituted for 1 year of experience.
1 year for G1 cert.
2 years for normal certifications.
3 years for advanced.
If you don’t have the experience, you probably won’t pass many if any. These young eager, bright/smart optimistic guys that think they are going to read a study guide and a automotive book and run out and pass these test are going to learn that’s not how they are set up. They aren’t that easy to study for, they are based on experience. I know of many rather competent mechanics with lots of experience that have a hard time.I started in this field in 1998, I went to school for automotive technology, and before that always tested high. Around 2000 I tested for ASE’s for the first time, took Steering and Suspension and Brakes. Passed S&S but failed brakes. Took a few more, failed some, passed some. Hit Master ASE in 2005. Kind of gave up somewhat until I got to Nissan, went through all their training, recerted and then got L1 in 2015, went and got L2 and L3 by the skin of my teeth. I have 18 years experience. There is so much to learn in this field, it’s incredible. I was once the kid that had to get help changing oil a couple times from the older techs. Made a lot of idiot mistakes. I’ve learned a lot since then. Still make some idiot mistakes. When I read about these guys with a year or two under their belt with little to no education talking about being ready to be an A tech, I don’t even know what to say except that kind of know-it-all attitude and ego will be a roadblock. Also, you don’t want to be that guy with all the ASE’s and unable to apply it. That was my problem at one time. I’m still learning, every day. Yesterday, I completed my first transmission rebuild on a CVT. That was nerve racking, having only had the class and using a book/bulletin. One mistake and I’m having to pull that trans back out of that FWD vehicle. We had a guy, just a couple years under his belt, and he rebuilt the trans on his chevy truck. Well, the under story is he had to pull it back out and redo it 3 times before he got it right and he had an experienced tech helping him. Worse part is he never did figure out what he did wrong exactly. I wonder it that trans is still holding up? Shifted awefully rough after.
The best part Eric is you have only entered the battle. Once you get that car running, you’re going to be changing things, adjusting things, tuning it… and the process never really ends. Then you’ll change one thing, which will require the adjustment of everything else to accommodate, then you’ll find something else isn’t well matched, so you have to change that and the saga continues.
Since you said you are good in English and history maybe get a degree in business and work your way up to being a service manager, and it only goes up from there.
I was recently in Nashville (Smyrna) TN at Nissan Corporate and I’ll tell you, there are so many careers in automotive not involving turning a wrench or selling them.
Well, I’ve read your post several times and want to reply but with what. You can make a good living (over 60K a year, 100K+ possible) but it takes a long time to get there. Too long. Not only do you need to get a lot of technical knowledge (education) but you have to have a ton of know-how which can only be acquired through experience. I make a good living now, but I’ll be honest and say that it hasn’t been locked in and stable until recently. If I could go back in time and tell myself something, I’d say to finish school, get a degree (automotive technology, Associates if possible) and then to lock myself to a dealership and insist on them sending you to as much training as possible. Tell your boss that you want more training rather than a raise. Read technical manuals in your spare time. Take on hard jobs nobody wants. Be as professional as possible. Accept that you will never know anything and to constantly learn.
I spent too much time working for independents and I did make okay money and well, had a lot of pride that I was a decent technician. Coming to Nissan I learned that I didn’t know crap. Stuck with it, got promoted, now I am where I am. It’s going to take a while though. Honestly, I love this job.
I’m a M1 customer and have been using M1 Syn Extended performance in my Silverado. I usually change it around 10K or so, not the full 15K because it is an older engine, gets fuel contamination because it isn’t the spring chicken it once was but it has over 300K on it. No clumps, lumps, signs of sludge, and I usually do have to add a quart or two during that 10K run. It seems like this annual formula is a step higher and I might do it next time.
I’ll be interested on the follow up video sometime next summer.