c/auto-mechanics

Had a customer yesterday that made me question everything about flat rate

Guy rolls in with a 2015 F150 saying the AC is weak, I quote him 3 hours diag and he starts lecturing me about how his nephew can do it in 45 minutes. Why do people think they know our job better than we do when they've never touched a wrench?

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xena_murphy•2d ago

Got yelled at by a shop foreman in Phoenix for using a pickle fork on ball joints

I was out at a fleet yard in Phoenix last summer and this old timer stopped me mid-swing, said I was destroying the boots before they even got installed. He showed me a trick with hammer blows on the knuckle instead, has anyone else stopped using pickle forks altogether?

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hannah385•2d ago

Was totally against using a cordless impact for lugnuts until I got the Milwaukee high torque

I used to swear by my pneumatic snap-on for wheel work, thought battery stuff couldn't hang. Picked up the 2767-20 last year after a buddy at the shop in Phoenix kept raving about it. That thing snapped off a rusted Ford F-250 lug nut like it was butter. Has anyone else found a cordless that actually beats air for heavy duty stuff?

1 comments

patricia_lee•6d ago

Had a customer yesterday who changed how I think about brake jobs

Old guy in a 99 Silverado watched me do his pads and rotors, then said "you know it's not about the parts, it's about stopping before you even think about it." Made me realize I've been rushing through adjustment steps for years. Any of you guys take extra time on brake feel or am I overthinking it?

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the_avery•8d ago

My Snap-On scanner bricked itself during an ABS bleed on a 2019 Ford F-150

I was bleeding the ABS module on a customer's F-150 last Wednesday when my Snap-On Zeus just froze mid-cycle and then went black. Tried the hard reset and the forced reboot from the manual, but it's totally dead now, won't even power on. Had to finish the job with my old Matco scanner from 2017 that I keep as a backup. Anyone else had a high-end scanner just die on them like this without warning?

2 comments

williamd70•9d ago

Hit 500 engine rebuilds this week and I'm still shocked

I was sorting through my job log books from the last 12 years and realized I just crossed 500 engine rebuilds. That's at my shop in Cleveland, Ohio, mostly for 80s and 90s Japanese cars. Has anyone else kept count of something random like that and been surprised by the total?

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mason.margaret•12d ago

Appreciation post: That one Tuesday where nothing went sideways

Last Tuesday, I had a 2015 F-150 come in for a routine oil change and tire rotation. Everything lined up perfect - the drain plug came out smooth, the oil filter was tight but not stuck, no stripped threads, no surprises. Then a regular walked in needing a quick battery test, and it took maybe 10 minutes. By 3 PM I was done with all four jobs on the schedule and even got to clean my box before closing. Has anyone else had a day where the cars just cooperated and you weren't fighting rusted bolts all afternoon?

3 comments

oscarmurray•12d ago

Dropped $400 on a snap-on scan tool and it paid for itself in one morning

I bought a used Snap-On scanner off a retiring mechanic for $400 last month, figured it was a gamble. Next day a 2015 F-150 rolls in with a no-start and the scanner found a bad crank sensor in under 2 minutes, saved me from chasing ghosts for hours. Has anyone else scored a deal on a used tool that just saved your bacon right out of the gate?

2 comments

aaronrobinson•15d ago

Debate: Did that moisture curing tip actually help your customer's engine bay or was it a waste?

I tried spraying down a customer's 2012 Ford F-150 engine bay with a simple water mist trick before a deep clean last week. The idea was to keep the dirt from drying on and caking up the injectors, but the alternator ended up acting wonky for two days after. Has anyone else seen mixed results with moisture before a degrease, or am I just unlucky with these trucks?

2 comments

black.patricia•19d ago

Dropped $400 on a Snap-on scan tool that won't talk to half the cars I see

Bought it used off a buddy who swore it was the best thing since sliced bread. First week it worked great on my own truck. Then a 2018 Honda Civic rolled in and it couldn't pull a single code. Tried updating it, spent another 60 bucks on a subscription, still nothing. Now I'm stuck using my old $80 Autel for anything newer than 2015. Anyone else blow cash on a name brand tool that just didn't deliver?

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andrew_nguyen64•20d ago

Back when I used a crowbar for stuck caliper pins... yeah that didn't end well

Early in my career I would grab a screwdriver and a hammer on any seized caliper pin. Ended up gouging the bore on a Ford F-150 three years ago and had to replace the whole bracket. Now I just use a battery powered impact with a pin socket and it zips them right out 90 percent of the time. The other 10 percent I hit it with some PB Blaster and wait 10 minutes instead of forcing it. That one bracket cost me like 80 bucks out of pocket because I was too stubborn to let the penetrating oil sit. Anyone else have a tool upgrade that saved them way more time than they thought it would?

2 comments

patricia_lee•21d ago

That $400 scan tool I bought off Craigslist was a total scam

I got this Autel scanner from some guy last spring for four hundred bucks, thought I was saving big. Turns out it was cloned software and it bricked itself after one update. Lost a whole Saturday trying to diagnose a check engine light on a 2018 F-150. Anyone else get burned buying used diagnostic gear?

2 comments

foster.oscar•21d ago

Swapped out my old timing light for a digital one and it changed everything

I been using this beat up old timing light from the 90s for years on customer cars, figured it was fine. Finally grabbed a digital one last week to set the timing on a 350 SBC and dialed it in perfect in like 2 minutes flat. Anybody else notice a big difference switching to digital tools or is it just me?

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keith943•21d ago

Heard a master tech say spark plug gap doesn't matter like it used to

Was at a shop in Portland yesterday waiting on parts and overheard this old guy telling a younger mechanic that factory gaps are fine 90% of the time now. He said coils are so much stronger than back in the distributor days that a .005 off isn't gonna cause a misfire like it would on older engines. Got me thinking about how many hours I've wasted double checking gaps on basic tune ups when the plugs come pre-gapped. Anyone else still gap every plug out of habit or have you stopped trusting the box?

2 comments

charlie269•22d ago

Old timer told me to never use spark plug anti-seize on modern engines

My mentor from the 80s swore by anti-seize on every spark plug, said it saved him from seized heads a dozen times. Then a customer brought in a 2017 F-150 with misfires, and I found the plugs were over-torqued from the lube causing false readings. Turns out Ford and Toyota both say to install them dry now. Who do you trust, the old school mechanic or the service manual?

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loganm52•26d ago

Tried dielectric grease on my spark plug boots, got misfires instead of better contact

Everyone online swears by putting a little grease on the boots to stop corrosion. Did it on my 2010 F-150, and three plugs started misfiring within a week. Learning for me is to just keep them clean and dry, maybe that grease messes with the seal on older trucks. Anyone else have this backfire?

2 comments

the_nathan•27d ago

Had to pick between a Snap-on scan tool and an Autel for my side work, went with the cheaper option

Honestly, I was stuck for like three weeks trying to decide which scan tool to get for working on cars at home after hours. The Snap-on guy comes by my shop every Tuesday and kept pushing their unit, but that thing is like $5,000 for a used one. I ended up going with the Autel MaxiCom MK808 for about $900 off Amazon. Tbh, I was scared it wouldn't do shit on European cars since my buddy said his cheap one couldn't read a BMW. But I tried it on a 2018 Mercedes C300 last week and pulled all the modules no problem. Only thing I don't love is the software updates cost extra after the first year. Has anyone else here used an Autel on a newer Volvo or Audi and had it actually work right for bi-directional controls?

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mark49•1mo ago

Client complaint about my ball joint press job made me change my whole approach

Last month a guy came back with a popped boot on a lower control arm I did six weeks prior, and he said I probably used too much grease and didn't seat the joint right. Turns out he was right I was rushing the install and not letting the press push fully into the knuckle before releasing pressure. Since then I started taking an extra 90 seconds to check the snap ring groove and it's saved me a come back how do you guys handle those tight press fit jobs?

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carter.hugo•1mo ago

Honestly, I miss working on carburetors instead of these new fuel systems

Ngl, I've been in auto mechanics for about 15 years now, and the older I get the more I appreciate working on a simple 4-barrel carb compared to a modern direct injection setup. Last week I had a 2018 Ford F-150 with a high-pressure fuel pump issue, and it took me two full days just to diagnose because the computer kept throwing random codes. Back when I started, I could rebuild a Quadrajet in my driveway in an afternoon with basic hand tools and a can of carb cleaner. Now you need a $500 scanner just to even start troubleshooting, and half the time the fix involves replacing a whole module instead of just cleaning a jet. Has anyone else found themselves taking on more classic car work just to avoid all the electronics?

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parker543•1mo ago

Had to choose between a Harbor Freight scan tool and a Snap-On one last week

My old scanner finally died on a Tuesday, so I needed something fast. I went with the Harbor Freight one for $150 instead of dropping $3,500 on the Snap-On. It reads codes fine but it took me 20 minutes to navigate the menu for a simple ABS bleed. I'm thinking I should have just borrowed a buddy's Autel or saved up for something in the middle. Has anyone else regretted cheaping out on a scan tool for a full shop?

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williamd70•1mo ago

That shop in Wichita told me my torque sequence was junk

I was at this little garage off I-35 in Wichita last spring helping a buddy with his F-150. Old timer there watched me tighten down a set of heads and just laughed. Said I was doing it all wrong - jumping around instead of a proper star pattern. He showed me his method using a specific order and 3 passes at different torque settings. First time I tried it on a 4.6L job last week, no warping and the head gasket sealed perfect on the first shot. Has anyone else run into old guys who swear by a weird torque order that actually works better than the manual?

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aaron_gonzalez•1mo ago

Spent 45 minutes chasing a vacuum leak on a 2012 Focus, turned out to be a loose PCV hose clamp I could've spotted in 10 seconds.

Ended up pulling the whole intake manifold off before realizing the clamp was barely a quarter turn loose, has anyone else gone way too deep on a simple fix?

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val_wilson•1mo ago

The old Chilton manuals vs. looking up torque specs on a phone

Honestly, I miss the old paper Chilton manuals we used to keep in the shop. Back in the day, you'd flip through greasy pages and find the exact torque for a head bolt after some digging. Now everybody just pulls out their phone and trusts some random forum post or app. I caught a kid last week torquing a Ford 5.4 spark plug to 28 ft-lbs because a website said so, and we all know that's a recipe for snapping one off. The book was slower but it was vetted, you know? The digital stuff is fast but I've seen it lead to two blown engines in the last six months alone. Anyone else prefer the old way or am I just being a dinosaur?

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andrew_sanchez94•1mo ago

Appreciation post: Swapped to a ratcheting wrench and it changed my life

I spent three years fighting with a standard combination wrench on rusty exhaust bolts in my little garage here in Phoenix. Picked up a set of Gearwrench ratcheting wrenches from the truck last Tuesday and got through a job in half the normal time. Anyone else make a simple tool swap that made that big of a difference?

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the_avery•1mo ago

That one comment about my ratchet straps changed how I haul logs

An old logger watched me strap down a load of oak last spring and said "you're gonna lose that whole pile before you hit the highway." He showed me how to twist the straps so they don't flap loose at speed... been doing it ever since. Anybody else get a tip that simple that saved them headaches?

2 comments