Why Can't I Find a Good Mechanic Anywhere?

Sure they do...... you tube is there new Manual

 

Thats everyones manual for everything anymore.

 

The reason you can't find a good mechanic is money. Throw enough out there you will have 100 apply. Only 1 will be good. What most can't or won't comprehend is there is a good fleet mechanic, a good tire/brake man, and a heavy line mechanic that can do most anything. Including diagnostic, if given time to look at the complaint. Not truck will be here in 5 hours needs to be rolling as soon as the drivers 30 minute break is up. Rush any of em they will throw a dart at the wall. Treat like they are stupid they will act that way. See what you get then for a bill. At that point they dont want your return business if they are Independent. #### just ain't cut and dried like it used to be.

 

I WAS the mechanic at times under my rig decades ago playing at Mr Fix it.

I used to be able to do alingments, brake work, engine rebuilding etc. But I have found that it is easier to let someone else deal with all that. If it's fixed, they get repeat business again. If it is not fixed then nope I will find someone else to fix it. Sometimes I wonder at some of the parts I threw into those things. Willitfit? Walia! there it goes.

With that said, some of my best mechanics were very young and inclined to do a very good job on relatively important time critical work at 3 am on a saturday morning when they would much rather be doing something with friends.

The worst mechanics are those you cannot talk to. They have been sick of the job a long time ago and stopped listening to you before that.

The fun one are those who you can deal with a little bit. What's the Problem today? Flat. Where is it? On the truck with the flat. Ok, let's try again. What kind of tire is it? Round tire. Sigh... can you tell me more? Yes it is black and flat. And so on. (Be prepared to buy them a bottle, case or lunch etc you are going to be paying a little extra today)

 

A few observations;

A place I used to work at, I bought my truck, still brought it to the same shop because they had a good parts selection and price on oil changes. I mentioned to him that Cummins has all the manuals and parts diagrams and diagnostics online for free.... He had no idea. Wasn't worth a #### if you needed something slightly involved, he ended up getting a talking to and that helped, buuut.... The one guy there who wanted to learn more and had a good head on him, occasionally he got to work on trucks, usually shuffled out to the washbay so a friend of the boss could #### around like a #### moron.

Another shop I went to, young kid that new tractors and wanted to learn, I showed him how to replace brake shoes, paid close attention and he'll probably be alright, because he WANTED to learn.

A couple different shops I've used, not quite middle age guys, know what they're doing and always booked up but they'll take a moment to get you rolling again. One time my exhaust manifold bolt broke off, 10 minutes at his shop and he had it out and a new bolt in with high temperature anti sieze, paid him 20 bucks and he'll be getting my business again if I need some engine work done that I can't do.
Another shop I've been to twice for road breakdowns, first time injector was out, he pulled it in, quick inspection and it was a bad wire that toasted it, he had it fixed back up quickly as soon as he got the new one in, appologized for the wait and made some recommendations for ensuring it doesn't happen again. Second time turbocharger exploded, towed in and in just shy of 2 days (mostly waiting for parts) he had the new turbo and air to air in, everything cleaned up and ready to go, all for a reasonable price.

I spoke with a guy awhile ago that had just finished diesel tech school, he was stuck doing oio change while some parts changer played at mechanic, he was frustrated because he'd learned so much but they wouldn't let him get to it.

What's the common theme? The good guys want to learn, and once they do, they get their own shop! It seems the bigger the shop the less chance they have a clue, the only exception I've seen is a shop where everyone also went to job sites for real mobile repair, they know what they need and are under a time crunch.


Good luck finding that mechanic and stealing them before they go into business for themselves.

 

the best luck ive had which is not much is taking a couple of kids out of UTI as crazy as that sounds and invest my time to bring them up my way the problem with that is that as soon as anyone hears they are good and what they can do, they are good as gone getting all kinds of crazy offers from fleets that i can not match. and the cycle continues.

 

From a mechanic's perspective:


If I'm happy at my current job, I'm staying put. Not going to jump jobs for a few pennies an hour more.

I've had zero luck with applying online. If I can't apply in person, your loss. Every wrenching job I've had I've been hired on the spot. Personally I steer clear of anything I see on Craigslist, Kijiji etc.

Many of us just want to do our jobs the best we can and go home to relax. We shouldn't need to be babysat or micromanaged while on the job.

New trucks are extremely technical. If you aren't willing to spend the money to buy a good laptop, diagnostic software and technical literature, don't ##### when the mechanic starts throwing parts at it or suggests sending it to the dealer.

General industry rule tends to be that mechanics supply their own tools from 1/4" drive to 1/2" drive. Anything above that as well as specialty tooling is generally supplied by the shop. Basically don't expect to hire a mechanic and have him supply 1" impacts, sockets, torque wrenches, laptop etc.

 

I have a job with a master cert# taking care of a fleet by myself (complete truck-trailer) all newer, want a better job with a boss that hires me for what he NEEDS to hear instead of what he WANTS to hear, with a LIVING wage that will take care of my wife and I. AM interested...