Mechanic Life Archives

10 Things You JUST NEVER SAY to Your Mechanic

When speaking to your mechanic or service representative, there are many things one should never say. Sad as this is, certain questions and requests can trigger multiple price-gouging tactics from your service center. Following is a list of ten statements in random order. The term “mechanic” may be exchanged for “technician,” “service representative,” “service advisor,”… Continue reading 10 Things You JUST NEVER SAY to Your Mechanic

The Mechanic’s Wife

Whenever my truck is getting winched onto a wrecker here in our small town, the driver usually says, “Isn’t your husband the mechanic over at Such and Such?” Yeah, yeah he is, never mind, just tow my truck back to town, please. And thus is the life of the mechanic’s wife. Just like the wife… Continue reading The Mechanic’s Wife

School Bus Mechanic Garage Talk

Allison Transmission Clutch Pressure Test This is an old photo testing clutch pressures on an Allison 3000 series automatic transmission. The pressures would tell the story on clutch slippage and pressure retention when the transmission was at different shifting points. The tool of the day back then was a “ProLink” which was a hand held… Continue reading School Bus Mechanic Garage Talk

Life As A GM Mechanic

Mechanic Talk – Peculiar Problems In The Field

The Bad Ground Syndrome Have you ever experienced a problem with a light on a vehicle that shines very dim and seems to be illuminating another totally unassociated light? For example if you have the signal lights on and there are other lights flashing on and off as well you may have a bad ground.… Continue reading Mechanic Talk – Peculiar Problems In The Field

Mine Mechanic Memories

My First Mechanic Job It was 1977 and I had just finished the 6 month pre-apprenticeship training at Cariboo College in Kamloops. We covered soup to nuts in that course including automotive, commercial transport, heavy equipment and welding. It was a lot to ingest but great content for all of us rookies. It was taught… Continue reading Mine Mechanic Memories

Hot Rods From The Fifties

Hot Rods started growing in popularity around 1950. After the second world war America was ready for some fun which included it’s love for the automobile. The fifties represented a generation of rebels like James Dean who starred in “Rebel Without A Cause”. The fifties also popularized drive-in movies, Coca Cola and jukeboxes. In the… Continue reading Hot Rods From The Fifties

6 Must Have Apps for Beginner Automotive Mechanics

The popularity of NPR’s "Car Talk" illustrates a fact even beginner mechanics know: once you tell someone that you’re a mechanic, you’re expected to diagnose that weird sound the car makes every morning. These apps won’t get you out of those cocktail party jams, but they can help you diagnose car troubles quickly, accurately and… Continue reading 6 Must Have Apps for Beginner Automotive Mechanics

School Bus Photos and Rudolph Diesel

Here are some various photos on school buses I wanted to share with you. If you haven’t ever read up on Rudolph Diesel I would like to do a short Bio on him. Usually when you go to technical school for the truck trade you will most likely have gone through a class covering the… Continue reading School Bus Photos and Rudolph Diesel

How to Hire and Keep Mechanics

How to Hire and Keep Mechanics We are a AAA approved automotive service center and an ASE Blue Seal Shop, independently owned by a husband and wife that live in the community. Hiring, promoting, firing, and enforcing protocol with employees is by far the biggest problem our stores ever had and every other owner we… Continue reading How to Hire and Keep Mechanics