Re: IML: dealer wont work on car

["mike and linda sutton" <mikanlin62@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Right On Mark!

I agree with and echo what you said about dealerships not working on 10 year 
old cars, and what you said about there being a time when mechanics could 
fix cars. I too spent my fair share of years working on other people cars, 
and I am very grateful that when I got into the industry you actually FIXED 
cars and not just one limited make and model.  With no malice towards anyone 
who might be reading this and working in the industry or towards any 
particular dealership,  it absolutely positively sucks to see the kind of 
stuff that passes for maintenance and repair today.

I started in the profession in 1978, right out of high school, and worked 
while I was taking automotive, diesel truck and equipment classes at a local 
community college. We never had the luxury of declining what we would work 
on, or what we would be doing on a particular vehicle.  One day it was a 
valve grind job on a 65 Malibu 327, the next day maybe an old enclosed 
driveline in a 38 Ford truck, then maybe the next day it was a brand new ( 
at the time ) New Yorker with a lean burn ...every day was different. We 
didnt get to choose what systems we didnt want to work on, or what we didnt 
like to work on.  It was the same way in the parts side of things, you 
actually found people who could do more than type information into a 
computer and stare blankly when you asked them a technical question.

I do think there are some mechanics - I bristle at the term technician - who 
do care and who are interested in learning across the board, but they are 
probably not the norm. Most of them are trying to beat the flat rate and 
deal with service writers who are more often than not unfortunately a washed 
out mechanic who couldnt diagnose his way out of a wet paper bag, but now 
gets to tell the guys in the shop what is next on their plate. I do not envy 
them their position in that regard.

Am I sour, no..maybe jaded. Try finding someone who can set points, flash a 
generator regulator ( what the heck does that mean some are asking ) , 
someone who didnt grow up on OBD II and newer. I know thats the way of the 
newer vehicles, like the TV technician.

It may just be a matter of perspective, I know some of the import guys who 
can work their way around a laptop and tune their cars to the nth degree, 
shame that most mopars have more horsepower in their starter motors than 
they can get after dumping a fortune into them.  Its just what they grew up 
with and know how to work on.

Im in aviation now, and it has its rat races too. One nice thing,  the parts 
cost too much to just throw them at the airplane until its fixed. We 
actually get to diagnose, troubleshoot and verify problems before we fix 
them. We also quite often have to go up on the test flight, so theres a 
definite incentive to get it right the first time.

Mikey
62 Crown Coupe 


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