Service Technicians vs. Auto Mechanics

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HAGJewels

HAGJewels

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I am so tired of calling around to get work done on a 20 year old car and people saying, "phew that's old, before much technology was added. I can hook it up to the computer but I doubt we'll get much in good diagnostics"

Crap! Doesn't anybody keep a shelf full of Chilton's anymore? Isn't there still a guy (or gal) out there that can start a car and lean over the engine with their head cocked to the left or right that can give a nod and say,"Yep, it's a ..... - I can fix it but it will cost you ...."

I dropped my car off at the dealer in hopes to get a 'Master Technician' that knows my baby but even there the guy taking a test drive and taking my car keys has on a long sleeve WHITE SHIRT and tie! Give me a break!

I want someone with grit under their nails for crying out loud!

Turns out they think I need a couple injectors and o-rings, which sounds about right given the symptoms. I figured something along those lines or a timing belt. I just wish the place instilled confidence by letting me see a crusty old guy with black greasy fingernails that had skinned up knuckles.

It's days like this that make me wish I was still in the Air Force with a convenient Hobby Shop to pull into and work on a car myself!!!

Sorry for the rant but I figured this is one of the few places on the internet that understands the difference between a 'service tech' and an 'auto mechanic'.

:banghead:
 
Theres a big difference between a parts changer and an actual technician... i suggest staying away from all stealerships and go to a reputable independent shop. We've been in business (father/son shop) for 30 years and watched dealers come and go, we routinely fix (weekly basis) hack jobs done by so called 'factory trained master techs' .
 
I've never liked it since mechanics began being called technicians. There are nail technicians, sanitation technicians.....even personal satisfaction technicians. I've always preferred the name mechanic.

The reason you're seeing this is very simple. There is a trend now that is doing away with mechanics. When you take your car to a dealer now, they do not do anything to it without communicating with the manufacturer. They are given instructions by someone that isn't even there where your car is. The diagnostic procedure has been taken completely away from the service department and given to some pencil pusher probably a thousand miles away.
 
BS ... about dealer techs..... there is NO machine on earth that will on its OWN diag a vehicle PERIOD.... You look at most of the test plans in these so called scanners that are supposed to do everything for you .... you still need a brain , volt/ohmeter , tools and education .... AND know how to follow a diag trouble tree ... that may or most of the time may not help you .... in that case you either go back to basics and try and figure it out ... OR you call and get some help from the manufacturer....
MOST of the time corner ma/pa is NOT going to be able and diagnose newer vehicles !
 
When I bought my 98 Ranger, the previous owner told me the theft alarm had a problem, and that I'd have to manually lock "the last" door with the old mechanical problem. This was OK with me, I'd either do without or try and fix it.

So I began to research it, gathered up some of the manuals, and tore the whole damn rear trim panel out to get to the module, which I moved!!!

So I went up to the dealer to see "how much" for a "FULL" vehicle print -out, and asked him about the problem.

HE TRIED TO TELL ME

"Isn't a Ford alarm"

I said, "No, I've been reading the shop manual, it's Ford."

"I've been a service manager here for 18 years (and still don't know ****) and that is not a Ford theft alarm."

"So how come the indicator is built right into the dash, and the keyfobs have Ford part numbers?"

So he gets IN the truck, sets the alarm, and observes the indicator inside the cluster. "Well I'll be darned, I guess you're right, it's a Ford alarm"
 
the newest ride i own is a 77. there is nothing anyone can do to that car that i cant. half my reason for owning them. we also have a 08 puntiac G8. if that ride takes a crap its going straight to the dealer for service. i wont touch it
 
StrokerScamp said:
I've never liked it since mechanics began being called technicians. There are nail technicians, sanitation technicians.....even personal satisfaction technicians. I've always preferred the name mechanic.

The reason you're seeing this is very simple. There is a trend now that is doing away with mechanics. When you take your car to a dealer now, they do not do anything to it without communicating with the manufacturer. They are given instructions by someone that isn't even there where your car is. The diagnostic procedure has been taken completely away from the service department and given to some pencil pusher probably a thousand miles away.
Click to expand...

And now customers are called "clients"....that's so friggin gay.
 
I've been in this business for 37 years. I've worked nearly exclusively in new car dealerships. My 27 year old son is a Platinum Tech, trained on the highest line car and hybrids. I'm not even a gold tech yet. But can I work circles around him on some things, you bet. Can he diagnose an intermittent electrical problem in no time flat, you bet. It's all about getting the right tech for your problem.

I consider myself a mechanic, I can fix things, make things work that don't and fabricate something if I need to. My son is getting there and some day soon he'll be better than me. Makes a father proud. But cars are increasingly becoming more and more high tech, the mom and pops are going to be out of the loop on much of this stuff and relegated to doing oil changes and brake jobs. Fine with me, never liked doing them anyway.

I am a mechanic first and foremost but I am also a tech, I know how to diagnose an electrical problem by just reading a schematic but can still diagnose a problem just by listening or driving a car. It all depends on the problem.

Stealerships, that's funny. You won't find a more qualified or trained individual to fix your car than at the dealership. Where do you think the independent shops will take your car to after they have replaced everthing in the ignition system, charged yoy $700 and haven't fixed your problem? That's right the dealership, where I fix hack jobs from independents everyday, because they just don't know any better.

Say what you will but once you find a good dealership, they are well worth what ever little bit of extra money you are going to pay them. Cars can be very manufacturer specific these days. I don't like working on brand x cars because although we have equipment it's not the same as the factory stuff. Diagnosing some of this stuff can be a crap shoot simply because you are not trained on it.

To anyone that thinks this is easy these days, you are wrong. The days of the mechanic are gone, techs are not parts changers and the only time the factory tech line is called is when the problem is out of the scope of normal. Some times you just need a different perspective or some additional info that's not available in the factory publications.
 
Guitar Jones said:
I've been in this business for 37 years. I've worked nearly exclusively in new car dealerships. My 27 year old son is a Platinum Tech, trained on the highest line car and hybrids. I'm not even a gold tech yet. But can I work circles around him on some things, you bet. Can he diagnose an intermittent electrical problem in no time flat, you bet. It's all about getting the right tech for your problem.

I consider myself a mechanic, I can fix things, make things work that don't and fabricate something if I need to. My son is getting there and some day soon he'll be better than me. Makes a father proud. But cars are increasingly becoming more and more high tech, the mom and pops are going to be out of the loop on much of this stuff and relegated to doing oil changes and brake jobs. Fine with me, never liked doing them anyway.

I am a mechanic first and foremost but I am also a tech, I know how to diagnose an electrical problem by just reading a schematic but can still diagnose a problem just by listening or driving a car. It all depends on the problem.

Stealerships, that's funny. You won't find a more qualified or trained individual to fix your car than at the dealership. Where do you think the independent shops will take your car to after they have replaced everthing in the ignition system, charged yoy $700 and haven't fixed your problem? That's right the dealership, where I fix hack jobs from independents everyday, because they just don't know any better.

Say what you will but once you find a good dealership, they are well worth what ever little bit of extra money you are going to pay them. Cars can be very manufacturer specific these days. I don't like working on brand x cars because although we have equipment it's not the same as the factory stuff. Diagnosing some of this stuff can be a crap shoot simply because you are not trained on it.

To anyone that thinks this is easy these days, you are wrong. The days of the mechanic are gone, techs are not parts changers and the only time the factory tech line is called is when the problem is out of the scope of normal. Some times you just need a different perspective or some additional info that's not available in the factory publications.
Click to expand...
Well put. That's kind of why I asked what the OP does for a living. Cars are evolving whether we like it or not. I had a doctor tell me after fixing his Honda that I had it harder than him because the Human body is the same as it's always been where as cars are different every week. I worked my way up from tire changer at a goodyear to Line Tech at a Honda Dealership and yes I was labeled a technician.
 
Our old cars are better off at the mom and pop shop. If theres not a scanner plug it throws big dealerships off. Unless they have retained a dinosaur like Guitar.Most havent and dont want to repair non computer cars.
 
Well......in Milledgeville, the dealers bring US the transmissions. They have no one that is compentent enough to tear into them. It's similar in Macon....a little better but not much. I have a close friend, Tom Martin who owns a transmission shop there. Tom will be 84 in September. Been in the business 60 plus years. Dealerships in Macon are still bringing him their problem children. He still works 10-12 hours a day, but just bench jobs now. I do agree that the dealers are where the best training is to be had, but it all depends on WHERE you are as to what level of dealership technician you end up with. The dealers around here are good for nothing more than warranty work, because their rate of pay is probably 20 years behind.
 
The wussification of America changed the word " mechanic" to " technician" to appeal to Women and make them feel more comfortable than dealing with the stigma attached to the word " mechanic".

It's all about marketing trends....then the word " customer" was no longer accepted so to was replaced by " client" which sounded more important than " customers.

So now the " client" can talk their repairs over with what was once called a service writer but is now a " repair liaison " so they can relay this message to the " technician".....aaawwww....so cutsie ain't it?
 
After 30 years in the biz,.both in and out of dealerships,(where I got some outstanding training)...I'm am pround to be called a "good Mechanic",by my friends and coworkers,...The only time I like to be called a Technician is when I'm doin my thing in the back of an ambulance as an EMT...

Like Stroker said,...I make more on side jobs and on my own than I ever did workin for someone else,...especially dealerships...
 
cudaspaz said:
And now customers are called "clients"....that's so friggin gay.
Click to expand...

LOL,too funny but very true. I guess the real difference is a mechanic is a guy who was trained to think and use his brain to fix problems. A tech apparently doesnt have a brain,just a computor..
 
I live by this quote...
" Everyone hates a redneck mechanic until they need their car fixed in the middle of nowhere."
 
I am a restaurant manager but have had many careers over the years (results of a misspent youth lol). I have a friend with a shop that goes to our church but he's less involved these days than his son who is the type that will hook up to a computer and then spend 30 minutes explaining the print outs to you only to say he doesn't know how to fix it. Great people but not what I call a 'mechanic' more a 'technician'. I called a couple other recommended mom and pop types and had similar replies and that's why I reverted to the dealership. The dealership has done work in the past but it's so darn expensive. They are always respectful of my love for my '93 227,000 mile car that isn't as pristine as the others on the lot but you can tell they think I'm nuts for dropping a grand on a repair of a car that old. My car isn't a traditional muscle car but it's an Infiniti J30 with a v8 and has alot of pick up and go when she's firing on all cyls. She's a pretty red and has a big round behind. I love the body style. I will be more than sad when the day comes that I feel I have to retire her.

I've done rebuilds on a couple of pickups a couple of decades now and remember fondly scraped knuckles and sitting in the engine compartment with easy off oven cleaner and detailing before replacing the engine, etc. I don't have the space, equipment or time to do that kind of work on my vehicles anymore.

I would venture to guess anyone that claims never to have skinned a knuckle while working on a car because they are an expert at handling a wrench will lie about other things too or is a technician that wears a long sleeve white shirt and tie to work at a dealership and has 'technician' in their title lol

I appreciate the responses - it's good to remember there are people out there that like cars that don't talk to them, don't need air contiditioning to put them in gear and can't be found at the tail of a pack off at the green light :)
 
They went to technician awhile back...
I do not care if someone call me a technician or a mechanic...I just the guy that can fix your car right the first time.
I worked at both independents and dealerships.
For some things the dealership is the way to go but never under estimate independent garages...it all in the equipment and education.
Some dealers line up in the shop with freshly graduated techS from some tech school that rely on them calling their tech line for guidance that dealer is no good.
Other dealers have tech with over 30 years exp...NO need to pickup the phone.
I am an independent shop and can fix almost anything that can be done at the dealer and am well equipped and educated.I attended 8-10 classes a year on whats coming out and how to use the latest equipment and how I will need to re-tool for the future.
For example scanners are slowly going to be pushed out,all manufactures are going to lap top based diagnostic programs and you will be required to pay yearly dues for usage and updates....
To HAGJewels,
Your 93 Infiniti J30 is a nice car but it does not have a V8,It has a VG30DE,same V6 that is in the 300ZX .Find a shop that specializing in Nissan or Infiniti and they can keep it going for ya.
Any question about your car PM me,I have 7 years exp at Nissan and 4 years at Infiniti.
Sorry I know you do not want to hear this but I am a Nissan/Infiniti Master technician and an ASE Master Automotive Technician...LOL
 
TxDart I appreciate the offer of help and may take you up on it some day!

The numbers on the block read v8. I know the JDM variant (Leopard if I remember correctly) was made with a 4L v8. I am the second owner of this car. The previous owner was an executive of the company I work for and he had special ordered it. I don't know if that has something to do with the anomoly on engine size.

I just know that if you fully depress the pedal on the right, you will be pressed against the seat in return. For such a small body to have that much power is alot of fun. My teenage son thinks its the best car he's ever driven because of the pick up. The interior is crampy, kind of a 4 seater zx. My husbnd is 6'4" and hates to drive it because his knees are up around the steering column. I'm only 5' so I have trouble seeing over the steering wheel lol

I hadn't really thought much about it. I guess I thought it was USDM available in both engine sizes. Now I'm going to have to do some research or just call the guy and ask what he knows. If it's rare, it just makes that much more sense to me to keep it intact as long as possible. :)
 
TXDart said:
They went to technician awhile back...
I do not care if someone call me a technician or a mechanic...I just the guy that can fix your car right the first time.
I worked at both independents and dealerships.
For some things the dealership is the way to go but never under estimate independent garages...it all in the equipment and education.
Some dealers line up in the shop with freshly graduated techS from some tech school that rely on them calling their tech line for guidance that dealer is no good.
Other dealers have tech with over 30 years exp...NO need to pickup the phone.
I am an independent shop and can fix almost anything that can be done at the dealer and am well equipped and educated.I attended 8-10 classes a year on whats coming out and how to use the latest equipment and how I will need to re-tool for the future.
For example scanners are slowly going to be pushed out,all manufactures are going to lap top based diagnostic programs and you will be required to pay yearly dues for usage and updates....
To HAGJewels,
Your 93 Infiniti J30 is a nice car but it does not have a V8,It has a VG30DE,same V6 that is in the 300ZX .Find a shop that specializing in Nissan or Infiniti and they can keep it going for ya.
Any question about your car PM me,I have 7 years exp at Nissan and 4 years at Infiniti.
Sorry I know you do not want to hear this but I am a Nissan/Infiniti Master technician and an ASE Master Automotive Technician...LOL
Click to expand...

Nice of you to step up and offer your help. :glasses7:
 
I work in a shop, and we like the newer cars too. But face it, diagnostics is not about computers and scanners don't tell you what's wrong with the car. That takes mechanical ability. Any mechanic, or technician, is capable of working on older cars. They just don't like to because of unfamiliarity. You see a GM product towed in with a died on road, turns over no start, you know you better order the fuel pump. You see it all the time. Now the same problem on a 30 year old car? It takes time to figure that out, and time to a mechanic is money. They like fast diagnosis and repair so they can get on to the next car. So, can a mechanic do it? Yes. Would they like to? Probably not, unless it's slow. We work on a lot of older cars and I tell all the owners that parts can be found, but not as quickly, so be patient. Also, we work on a time and materials basis. I charge for the time spent. In the long run that is probably cheaper for the customer. All my techs beat flat rate by a lot.
 
I was an ASE certified tech for 19 years, always hated that word "technician", I'll always be a "mechanic"
 
StrokerScamp said:
I've never liked it since mechanics began being called technicians. There are nail technicians, sanitation technicians.....even personal satisfaction technicians. I've always preferred the name mechanic.

The reason you're seeing this is very simple. There is a trend now that is doing away with mechanics. When you take your car to a dealer now, they do not do anything to it without communicating with the manufacturer. They are given instructions by someone that isn't even there where your car is. The diagnostic procedure has been taken completely away from the service department and given to some pencil pusher probably a thousand miles away.
Click to expand...

X2 This is absolutely true in the Navy. They have operators that follow predetermined trouble-shooting paths on computers because training sailors to be technicians costs too much. Now they send a message off to the (retired technicians that were trained to solve problems) civilian contractors whom duplicate the problem and solution (for us Sub-guys) in a lab and email us back with the prognosis. Huge medals are given to a guy that fixes something vital when it is needed right now-what a joke.

Guitar Jones - I wish you would not get offended when they use terms like stealerships, because many of us have, or know a few stories about people ripped off by dealership technicians that performed at the same level as your 'hack' mom and pops shacks.
For every good dealership that you believe in, I believe in 40+ that are rotten, dishonest, con artists.
 
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