As I’ve come to learn over time, there are effectively three groups of people that work to keep the cars of America running and driving in a safe order: Service advisors, mechanics and technicians, and parts guys. That is the service hub of the automotive world…at some point in time you will need us to keep that rusting contraption on the road, safe, and running. And we do our best…but like any one group made up of individual components, sooner or later you will run into the inter-diciplinary fighting. The military has it…as a member of the Coast Guard sometime how many jokes they’ve heard…and it’s about the same in our greasy little corner as well. Recently I had a meme come across my desk from Service Technician Memes…and I want to take a few minutes to correct a few “issues” that I may have had with it. (The Three Stooges? Really, guys?!)
Mechanics/Technicians: These are the guys that have their hands on, the ones that get dirty, the ones that make or break the job. Regardless of the other two, the technicians/mechanics are ground zero. But that does not mean they are infallible…regardless of what their ego has to say on the subject. These guys get the worse end of the stick. They are the ones that have to do everything from changing batteries on a Dodge Intrepid to pulling a Norwegian rat out of the pulley system of a Buick Regal GS. They get their due for doing the work, but when the Snap-On truck rolls by, they go running like it was the freaking ice cream van. And when the ice cream van rolls on by, the bay instantly becomes deserted. To service writers, these guys are effectively 1950s era grease monkeys…slow, rather unsociable and uncouth, best left in the dirty pit to deal with each other. To the parts guys, they are tolerable if they know what they are doing…otherwise they are a parts-bomber, the kind of wrench that just throws new parts at a problem until they fix the issue. Feed raw meat and hard liquor, and don’t allow outside of the shop floor.
Service Advisors: This is the friendly face of automotive service. Vehicle owners expect service advisors to have a solid base of knowledge about vehicles, to be ready with an explanation of the problem and to have options for the repairs. But anyone in any service industry knows that in order to keep the general public happy, things like discounts, loaners, and freebies are a necessary evil…that’s why mechanics tend to loathe advisors: when a cost is taken out of one end the profit has to be made up from another end…and that means that the mech/tech’s wallet gets kicked in the balls again as they are providing another promised “free” service. And that’s if the advisor knows what they are doing! Some service advisors have all of the foresight of Miss Cleo when it comes to the problem. I’ve seen mechanics go off on advisors for spouting a fix that sounds more like the result of a Taco Bell binge than a knowledgeable suggestion. Parts guys don’t normally interact with advisors all that often unless it is a small shop, but they know that we are the key to a timely fix and a happy customer.
Parts Guys: Here’s the deal: we are the step between the problem and the solution. Mechanics need the parts to fix stuff…that relationship is understood by good wrenches. Parts guys aren’t psychic…we can’t anticipate that a 1989 Lumina APV is going to roll in that needs headlights. So bitching at us for parts we don’t normally stock isn’t going to do anyone any good. We can’t control transportation before we get the parts, so quit yelping at us about how long it’s taking to get the part. If your service advisor hadn’t fluffed-up the customer to expect the world on a silver platter, we wouldn’t be having this f***ing argument, now would we?! We will give the mech/tech his due, but as for a service advisor talking smack…no, sir, that doesn’t work. Sit at your counter, make sure Mr. and Mrs. Smith are happy, smile a lot and don’t interfere. Okay? Come get us when you have a problem customer…we have the tools to help there.
Oh, and by the way…we chipped in and got you guys a cake. Enjoy!
Not sure why you have that picture for mechanics – last I checked dealer “techs” were simply monkeys that did whatever the computer told them to do. Mechanics don’t live in dealerships anymore.
You mean the clean guys looking at a screen and writing something? Seems fairly accurate.
there is a fourth dimension that we all deal with, he is known as “controller” he will make or break your day/week/month with the work orders he hands you.not “the” god but “a” god,use extreme caution when dealing with him…..
Then throw a body tech in the mix that over rides most mechanics to day. Because most Don, t now jack shit if a computer doesn’t tell them. Body tech has to figure out the what,when and why. On collision repair there is no computer program to tell you how to take a train wreck and make it back to never been hit with out any tell tale signs. Thank,s to parts guys on the other end for there help day in and day out. As these trades get less people going in to them the worse it’s going too get! Retirement coming thank god for that to much b.s these days with all the finger pointing.
You are probably a good parts guy, yes, because you have a brain. But to be a mechanic, you have to have a certification. A service advisor is pretty much a mechanic who got a better job than fixing the shitty cars. But to be a parts guy at auto zone or o’rielys, you have to be able to read and thats about it. Which is why we get the wrong part about 12 times a day, you can spell it to them 8 different ways and theyll get it wrong. Yeah at our autozone we have the 3 or so people that work commercial and have a brain, and you’re damn right I won’t even speak with another person at that store. I was there once late at night and I needed a serpentine belt for a ford 302 that had been put into my buddies rx7, and it was an odd size. We were told that there was only one size belt for a 302 and we could’t be helped, I told the guy that I knew where the belts were and that I knew where their tool to measure belts was but he supposedly knew for a fact they didn’t have a belt that would fit. Yeah okay. I showed up the next day with a string cut to length, my parts guy told me which number in the part numbers was the length, and I grabbed my belt and left. Dealership parts guys are just as bad too, if I don’t take the part with me, it pretty much guarantees I’ll get the wrong one; even with the vin and year make and model, they can’t get it right. Sorry but parts guys are stooges.
wow. where to begin. i do love your insight. u mos def have a hold on how the inter workings go on in a shop. which there are 1000s if not more in this country. they all dont run the same but most do. iv been a tech 20 years, got the papers to prove it. the only undervaluation u have is the $ and time spent on the problems relative to the pay, “spoiler alert” technicians make garbage these days yes ur right due to all internet sites and veritable blogs available these days u can look up anything. and as most dont know all major auto company’s have they own web page that has HIGH security passwords to access that do tell the tell of all known systems and problematic faults with their auto line. until recently i had no idea how much a ticket writer makes.Lots compared to a tech and or parts counter personal, until one of my ninja techs crossed over to the fount counter. he told me. And to parts….so we techs now diagnosis the problem look up the part and send you a invoice for said part to fix problem.which you mark up 110% by the way. you go and bin dip and have the part there at the counter for me……if said part is not “in-stock” u have to order it. why cant i bypass the lil problem of YOU the IN house parts “bin dipper” and souce my own parts napa, carquest , ect. why because we have to sell “genuine your make car parts” which are just as junky as autozone.. because u are in house parts which come with the package deal of a true dealership that makes the money to pay the bills.