TechWrench

It was a nice day here in the great Northeast, so I thought I would change my winter tires (REVOs) out for the OEM Dueler H/Ts and do the tire rotation while I was at it. Pulled the spare (for the 1st time) out from under the back and found the dealer has proven once again why I cringe every time I have to take it back to them. I had the vehicle undercoated when I bought it, and the 'technician' apparently neglected to remove the spare 1st. He missed the entire area above the tire/wheel, but managed to give the outer side of the alloy wheel a good coating from the overspray. That stuff doesn't come off easy. Finally gave up and called them, they are going to coat the area they missed (after removing the spare I hope), and clean the wheel or replace it if it can't be cleaned.

shazaam

oh man .. sorry to hear it.

Yoter

LOL Sorry its funny to me. I use to work for Chevrolet & Jeep & I did undercoats. We got paid something like 1.5 to do them but I could get them done in .75. Its simply a case of them being in a hurry to get onto the next job and making money. Time is money. But none the less it is there neglegence and they owe you a quick spray and new spare. Its a waste of your time to wait on them cleaning that junk off. Good luck. Ben

TechWrench

What really P's me off is I used to work in a Honda dealer, on the line. And I saw the way some of the prep 'techs' did the rustproofing and swore I'd never let them get near my ride. I did it myself. Now that I'm out of the wrench business, I have a real hard time letting anyone else work on any of my vehicles. My wife thinks I'm an idiot for rotating my own tires, when they are supposed to do it for free. But I just don't trust them. The only thing I miss about working on cars for a living is not having access to the shop and lifts anymore.

Yoter

I know exactly what your talking about. I missed it so much I wanted to go to work for Toyota as a Jr. Tech but it didnt pan out. Never heard back from them about my ap. Oh well being a frikkin security guard isnt so bad. I to miss the use of the lifts, oil drains, car wash bay, part discount, freeby perks of checking in used cars. You know what I mean there. Ben

BT17R

This was so long ago that I'm safe to admit it. My first job in the auto biz was in a friend of the family's Ford dealership. I was the "New Car Prep Mechanic" (we weren't called Technicians yet). Except for one thing...I was in high school, 15 and didn't even have a driver's license! Nevertheless, I learned that Fords needed A LOT of work to make drivable from the factory back then. Of course I HAD to road test them all (everyone lived).

Yoter

I worked for Lincoln Mercury. I loved that new car smell. My favorite car during the time I worked there was the 97 Merc Couger & Lincoln LS. Those cars were so fast. I loved how the LS had the auto/manual trans.. We also worked on the State Patrols Crown Vics. Ofcourse we had to test drive them to assure all was working properly. I loved scaring fast drivers by waiting for them to speed by then chase them down. the looks on their faces were priceless. Those were the good ol days. Ben

Mohamed

Why don't you guys go to school, access to lifts and special machines like aligners, a/c machines, and presses galorie. If you make friends with the teachers like I do, then you can come in pretty much anytime they are around and they'll let you work on your ride, so as long as you know what you are doing.

Yoter

No time for me. I work two jobs and have the bills stacked up to prove it. If I do take classes it will be Spanish &/or welding. I took classes fresh out of highschool. Took engine tech, susp. & alignment, auto electrical, and then the on the job training from techs at Jeep, Subaru, Chevrolet, Lincoln, Mercury, & Mazda. Learned a little but could learn a lot more.

doink

hey, having bills doesnt prove you have two jobs..that just means you spend a lot just yankin your crank

anyway,..atleast they acknowledge the fact they screwed up and are gonna fix it..things could be worse

Mohamed

Hey Blue, what about the T-ten program by Toyota? My college features this program and in the end a guaranteed job at Toyota. The wages as a student are indeed crackhead wages, but in the end flatrates are well worth it. I hear some techs make in the area of $30 an hour if not more, based on how many jobs they get in a day. Wrenching though is not for me caz for one I enjoy it part time but not 40 hours a week, couldn't do that, second I am a slow bugger, I am not efficient when I do repairs, only because I am really, really, thorough in repairs and take the time to actually inspect, clean, and torque parts before installing them back in, or when installing them back in.

By the way, that RPM gauge on your sig file looks exactly like the one in my Honda, you uh...suddenly got an itch for Vtec???? hehe

Yoter

I straight up stole it fair & square from this dude on a forum in Colorado. Saw it and used my five finger discount. i know its Honda but it looks so cool. I will keep it on there for a week til I get bored of it. lol