Great Interview guys i definitely have seen the automotive industry from. Multiple sides a lot of people in the auto industry should listen to this interview

@lucas-changingtheindustrypcast

3 жыл бұрын

Thank you!! We'll take all the shares we can get 😁

Brandon Steckler is a leader in the training field. Learning to self teach is the way of the future.

This made me miss working at my first dealership/automotive job. 17 working part time with school as lube tech then covid hit and went full time with little automotive experience but i grew extremely fast. 6-8 months in and i had my own roll cart and tools pulling dashes, transmissions, AC systems, doing PDI’s, etc. Became a tech 1 year in and got my own bay. They treated me extremely well and i Loved all my coworkers.I was given a opportunity to work at a newer dealership and took it but a few months in the work became less and less and less. Made me hate the system and got tired of it so i went to the refinery’s but looking back the first dealership treated me extremely well and i know they would love to have me back, the service manager told me before i left he was hoping one day to make me shop foreman. I may just go back one day

Can you guys talk about service writers. That's another aspect of the business I haven't heard you guys touch on too much.

@lucas-changingtheindustrypcast

3 жыл бұрын

Do you have a specific topic in mind?

The biggest issue I've ran into repeatedly is diagnostics. Brake check pays 0.2 hr. So how do you drive the car, check for dtc's, put vehicle on lift, remove wheels for physical inspection, check all moving parts, calipers, sliders, measure rotors, measure pads etc etc. For 0.2? There are a lot of examples of how diagnostics and checking tends to be the part of flat rate that continues to be a challenge. But also like Brandon said if there's not enough work it's truly a bad situation. And like Brandon says that's on the shop. Specially so if you have good techs. I have left shops because of extended periods of no work. It's simple math. My bills don't stop because my income stops. Meanwhile I've also got a 5k scantool to pay off.

@lucas-changingtheindustrypcast

3 жыл бұрын

.2 for a brake evaluation 😲 thats 1.0Hr here!

@ttstang43

3 жыл бұрын

shit... .3 brake inspection and then if sold, bye bye diag .... bullshit... what these gents talk about and with the various people, speaks of the shop im in damn near to the T.... just because you sell the damn job dont mean you dont pay me diag... shit pisses me off!!

@edwinlomonaco6754

3 жыл бұрын

@@lucas-changingtheindustrypcast It should pay an hour. And before your response I already knew that. Which is why, unfortunately, I don't perform the inspection by the book. First it would take too long. Second If the customer declines the work I still have to put it all back together. Third I still have to do the inspection. Between all of that work I'll be on that vehicle a minimum of an hour. So I do the bare minimum. And send it. I don't do that for everything. Or else I wouldn't have a job. But to be real when it comes to 0.2 brake inspections I can't afford that. My question to you, if I may ask, is how would you approach a conversation with the owner about this? Essentially I would want him to understand that that's not nearly enough. But trying to convince an owner to change what they pay for a brake inspection isn't easy. And usually doesn't work.

@lucas-changingtheindustrypcast

3 жыл бұрын

@@edwinlomonaco6754 what if you presented a list of concerns to your current employer in a concise and clear method. Outline why it would be advantageous for all parties (client included) to handle things such as a brake evaluation differently. Share that its a well known fact that low labor times on services of this nature result in lower ARO'S, lower quality results and a lower approval percentage. Approach it from "I want to help, here's what I've learned" as opposed to "I deserve more" or "This isn't fair". Be an advocate for your clients, your teammates and your owner - share that you've found information about a better more profitable process which is better for all and helps ensure quality. Then share the resources like ASOG, the podcast and training opportunities. He may not be willing to listen at first..... or he may not be willing to ever listen. I'd recommend giving him some time andcontinue to be supportive and helpful. If in 3 months, he's still not interested??? You have your answer.

One if many stories........I once did an engine swap on a BMW GT. It paid 27 hours. I did it for 14 because they misquoted the ticket. And then when I brought it up their response was that the customer would have walked if they didn't reduce the price. That one really pissed me off. When I was done that car had no check engine lights, no leaks, no hiccups. And anyone who's done of those knows the undertaking it is. Not to mention they got me the wrong model car engine so I had to also swap over the inboard turbos.

This is an absolutely amazing interview. Thank you gentlemen for taking the time to discuss this.

Good interview. Your podcast is Very enjoyable, and helps to look at the trade from multiple angles.

@lucas-changingtheindustrypcast

3 жыл бұрын

Glad you enjoy it!

Looking forward to it.

Double sheeting happens a lot on the Collision side some shop owners think that that's how you were supposed to do it.

What do you guys say to all the examples of shop owners switching to flat rate and all of a sudden the tech the never broke 30 hours starts doing 40 to 50 consistently? And that’s across the whole shop. There are multiple owners I know that have done that with the same results.

@ChangingTheIndustry

11 ай бұрын

Someone was sandbagging or now they are cutting corners and rushing while looking for a new employer is what I'd say 🤣

On the talk of tools for your technicians. Mine are very young. 18 year old which started with me when he was 17 and I have a 20 and a 21 year old that started also around the same time as my first boy. I have told them that any tool they buy I'm willing to buy for them if they pay for it first. I'll give them extra money on the side for there tool investment...it solved my problems and forced me to grow. Of course they are independent and don't really take advantage of me because we're still behind on shop bills but I'm always paying attention and give them money regardless. Create a culture. be the kind of person that helps these kids out in there Career Also I'm not afraid of them leaving because o told them that if they do that , I expect them to take my work ethic and knowledge and if they decide to work at a shop they better be great enough to take anybody's job and even the owners shop....I believe in making this new generation better than me/us

@williamtanner8222

Ай бұрын

I don't remember who taught me that, I think it was a step-dad I had, but, my whole life working, in the auto industry or not, I've always tried to learn how to do everybody's job and do it better than them lol

So I had just gotten hired at a shop. I was in the middle of a diag. I put the shop scantool on the drive on lift right next to the car I was working on. Well in the 30 seconds it took for me to walk to the other side of the shop to look at specification and look at then walk back another tech drove onto the drive on and ran over the scantool. I felt like it was my fault because I set it down on the drive on. But I still don't agree that he made me pay for it. It was a stupid move. But it wasn't a careless move. It was me just not thinking someone is going to drive up and over it in such a short amount of time. It was like a perfect storm situation. But maybe not. Maybe I should have thought about more. But by the same token I didn't think about it because I was so focused trying to figure out what was wrong with the car. Either way I paid 800 dollars to replace the screen.

@lucas-changingtheindustrypcast

3 жыл бұрын

Jocko Willink said something thats always stuck with me - "my team knew I'd never pass the heavy burden of command on to them"..... Owners are in the shoes they are by choice - we accept tremendous liability for actions which we didn't take but are 100% responsible for. We should never ask a tech to pay for a mistake like that IMO

@magogomez7664

Жыл бұрын

As a shop owner I believe accidents happen and I would believe it's nobody's fault but mine as the shop owner. Period. No ifs and buts because I hired my guys and therefore it's always my fault

Well taking the stance of that of a technician culture being one where they all consider the cars as being their own is an over simplified and not honest when applied across the board and or to shop owners. Shop owners are not "owners" because they're ultimately worried about making sure it's right. Yes we all want to do our best. But shop owners are owners because they are making money. I always make this comparison when asking for a raise. For example. I've never heard shop owners look at the numbers for the previous year and heard them say "We're good. All we gotta do is make the same next year and we're golden." It's almost always a conversation that's aimed at making more next year. Always trying to raise the bar. Now I understand that sometimes that serves more as motivation by way of setting goals. But more often than not it truly is owners just always want to find ways to increase year over year. So now reverse that. Now as a tech I want to increase my pay year after year. Yeah I averaged 50 hours a week last year. But this year I want a pay increase because like you I don't want to stay stagnant. See? Often business owners in general want to make more but don't want to pay more. And obviously it wouldn't be profitable to do that for everyone every year. But for sure would be motivating to do that for your top performers every year. Point being that although shop culture is important. And really the easiest way to guarantee good quality work is to simply have people who take pride in what they do. But you can't blame a tech who's really good at what they do for having the same mindset a shop owner would have. That is profitability. The same personality traits that make both the tech and the owner good at what they do is also the same traits that push them towards looking for more. Better. More efficient. Etc. So paying a tech as a means to motivate isn't necessarily a bad thing. And paying a tech 40 hour guarantee, I personally, don't know if that's a solution. Because then at any given time I get stuck on a car, get bombarded with diags etc you could essentially use the 40 hour guarantee as a means of rebuttal to the fact that I'm not making hours. But also if I can normally generate 50 hours a week flat rate average. Then I'd like my minimum to be 50 hours plus whatever bonus incentives. Because paying a salary can also cap a technician out. And that doesn't motivate me either.

@lucas-changingtheindustrypcast

3 жыл бұрын

Of course we all want to grow! And we want to grow as a team! But the focus must always be on doing whats right....whats best for the client. That's why I'd like to eventually look at some type of employee ownership configuration for our shop. Business are, by design, profit factories. But that doesn't equate to a culture where lying, stealing and cheating are acceptable.

@lucas-changingtheindustrypcast

3 жыл бұрын

You can't have your cake and eat it too! We pay flat 40 for 40 hours worked. When the production hours increase, the hourly rate for the 40 increases as well. Its too easy to get caught up on "well I turned 50 hours, I want to be paid for the 50 hours " There's a set financial business model that shops (most of them anyway) follow that allows the shop to properly care for its staff and generate profit which allows the operation to grow - be it in financial security or physical expansion. As much as techs would love a bigger peice of the pie (and in many cases they deserve it, don't misunderstand what I'm saying), there's a structure that must be applied to the business financials. This structure provides long term security and protection for the tech 😉

I found a company that pays hourly + over time that stacks with your commission ranging from 10%-30% depending on your experience level. It's the first time I've broken into 6 figures. I'm never leaving unless I decide to open my own shop.

@ChangingTheIndustry

Жыл бұрын

Listen to episode 50 of the podcast before you do anything...

@darkside6526

Жыл бұрын

@@ChangingTheIndustry where can I find you guys live? And what other platforms do you have your podcast on?

@ChangingTheIndustry

Жыл бұрын

www.theasogpodcast.com Lucas is on IG: instagram.com/lund.erwood?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y= And of course, the YT channel. We'll be at a few shows this year. We'll announce them as soon as things get finalized.

To me the solution is to simply not allow techs that are flat rate to do anything for free. I mean I make the comparison also to doing oil changes. I can do them. I'm not above it. But! With some vehicles in the time I get an oil change I can have a transmission out. Or a timing belt apart. Etc. So for me to do an oil change feels like you simply don't have the kind of work that I'm there for. Point being that good efficient techs can't be doing mundane tasks or filling up customer tires or whatever because that's time he could be turning hours. Often shops don't realize how much time techs spend doing things that aren't paying anything but are part of their procedures. Digital inspections is one of them. By the time I'm done taking all the pictures and writing all the notes. And taking the necessary things apart and back together. I could have the upper intake off of a valve cover gasket job. Or have diagnosed an electrical issue. And getting paid 0.1 hours for an inspection isn't efficient.

@lucas-changingtheindustrypcast

3 жыл бұрын

I'm going to agree and disagree on this. Techs should be paid for the evaluation. And we pay .5 - that being said, this is part of our responsibility as professionals. There's business models which advocate for charging clients once a year for a comprehensive evaluation. But let's be real - it sounds like you don't like a DVI, When it provides a large majority of the work, peace of mind and liability protection that makes your organization profitable. The best techs in the shop should be responsible for the DVI'S, should be paid for them and the 300% rule followed everytime. Its our responsibility as professionals.

The amount of ads during this video is unreal.

@DavidRomanKC

11 ай бұрын

Take it up with YT. Or, you can listen on a podcast player without ads. 😉

How to be a success as a tech? Grab your tools, walk out and find another career. Go do something else and get paid more with less hours.

@ChangingTheIndustry

11 ай бұрын

Meh.... Maybe if you're a toxic or terrible tech? But if you're a skilled tech with a good attitude? Right now is the prime time to be a tech!

scannerdanner!!!!!!!!!!!!

@ChangingTheIndustry

Жыл бұрын

💯

@screamingflat6

Жыл бұрын

@@ChangingTheIndustry Brandon steckler!!! The king of in cylinder testing!!