Posted on 03/08/2019 7:31:50 AM PST by nascarnation
Blue collar no more: Skilled auto technicians are in high demand
The tight labor market can be a boon for blue-collar workers: They are more likely to find good-paying jobs and experience rapid wage growth. More employers are trying to tackle the aversion to manual labor jobs by offering workers higher salaries, tuition reimbursement and apprenticeship programs. Technology is also transforming blue-collar workplaces, making more advanced skills in demand....
Across the country there are more drivers on the road, and many of them hanging on to their vehicles longer than ever. That means workers like Michael Gerhart are in demand.
Gerhart, a master auto technician at Pep Boys, has been fixing cars for nearly three decades, keeping on top of his skills as technology advances and learning how to do his job in a new way. Today, his focus is on engine diagnostic work, including things like the driveability of vehicles and emissions testing for the state of New Jersey. He works on different vehicles throughout the day, flexing his knowledge base on makes and models of all kinds.
"Cars have changed a lot, even in the past 10 years as far as the diagnostic end of things, and training has become more advanced as far as what's required to fix the current vehicles," Gerhart said. "It definitely doesn't get boring and it's always changing."
(Excerpt) Read more at cnbc.com ...
I must have had bad mechanics at PepBoys when I went there.
1st mechanic put my steering column on very crooked after a wheel alignment. The 2nd mechanic put the timing belt on wrong. Made a heck of a noise. Never went back after that.
I emailed a mechanic named Scotty Kilmer from youtube and he responded that I should not go there except maybe for an oil change.
Scotty Kilmer - 200 million viewers at Youtube
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7DsgBonIcO4
Holy cow.
We tend to do dealership maintenance on our vehicles, and it’s not cheap. But car repairs exceeded my general mechanical abilities a few quarter centuries back...and I got tired of trying to keep a trustworthy non-brand mechanic. Besides, I spend the extra $$$ on extended warranties, and that’s saved a good bit of money over the years plus there’s usually a rental supplied.
But, I had no idea a mechanic’s tools were that a big of an investment.
After having one of those shops strip the drain plug on my oil pan, I do all of our cars. My wife still brings her van into the dealer.
Last time it was in the dealer said the squealing steering was a bad steering pump. They want $870 to replace it.
I looked on line (Scotty Kilmer is a good one) and watched all sorts of videos. You have to watch a few to see who knows their stuff and who seems like an idiot.
Anyway - from my diagnosis and the numerous videos, it sounded like I just needed to replace two o-rings. $8 a pop for each o-ring off the net (what a rip, but the stores don’t carry them.) Took about 20 minutes to replace, but then I also drained and replaced power steering fluid, and installed a new fluid reservoir (it has a filter in it). So maybe 1.5 hours of messing around with it.
No squeals anymore. And the sad part is - I’m guessing that the dealer wouldn’t have even installed new o-rings! (Or - maybe they knew it was the o-rings, and replace those and charge me for a new pump.)
I did order another pump just in case - now I need to find that again so I can return it.
My used 2003 Honda Accord. Squealing noise when steering not long after buying the car. I found there was a recall due to the O-rings were too small which allowed air in creating bubbles. The dealer had to know but still did not fix before selling to unsuspecting customer. Me.
I too looked at websites and youtube videos. Easiest fix to replace. The cost was about .50 cents when I ordered online.
Carl Icahn (famous investor) bought Pep Boys in 2015.
I suspect he used the same budget cutting personnel shredding tactics there that he is famous for.
Sometimes you can get info from suppliers
I had to get a special windshield for my 67 Camaro.
I asked the company who should I get to install it?
The rep said I’m not allowed to recommend anybody.
Then I asked is there anybody I should avoid?
He answered “Safelite”
I will remember to ask that question: Who should I avoid : )
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