Auto Mechanic Caught Screwing Up on Video

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2 responses to “Auto Mechanic Caught Screwing Up on Video”

1. 

   David Chiffens

   February 6, 2011

   Kind of reminds me of the diagnostic 8 ball AVI sells,We have one at our front counter for those custmers that want an alternative to paying for proper diagnostics.
2. 

   John Gillespie

   February 6, 2011

   Hmmmmm.

   On the surface to someone who has not worked in the shop some of the things you just saw on that video could lead to the perceptions that were made by who ever created the video.

   The “diagnostic wheel” and of course the diagnostic “Magic 8-Ball” are essentially comic relief items used by technicians when the stress of some of the unrealistic expectations that we face each day catches up with us. Hardly a day goes by where we don’t come into contact with someone who thinks either that we automatically know exactly what is wrong with their car simply based on their description, or worst case all we have to do is “put it on the computer and it will tell us”. While experience can make for situations that can make a diagnosis seem quite simple, in truth those are the exceptions today and not the norm. So a spin of the wheel reminds the technician that few people truly understand exactly what we face, and to not rush the step that need to be performed when troubleshooting a problem. In otherwords, consumers act like what we do is as easy as spinning that wheel, we know better.

   Now lets talk about the cylinder head shot. I have to ask several questions about that and do some verbal demonstrations here.
   The first thing I want to point out is, how many technicians are comfortable working in front of a camera (let alone a customer) and do you think the distraction caused by conversing with another person while trying to work is capable of splitting someones concentration enough to cause a mistake to occur? You can quote this, “A well timed interruption can result in the most simple, and costly mistake”. The question then technically becomes, who’s fault is it really if an outside distration was genuinely a direct factor? It’s very easy to pin the error on the technician but if you really think about it some of the blame belongs to the person who’s actions disrupted the technician’s concentration. It takes a really honest person to step up and admitt they created the conditions that led to someone else making a mistake. Every time a technician is pulled from one job to do something like the quick tire repair or oil change, the first jobs quality is actually in jeopardy. Now sure a good technician can usually overcome the situation and have it not result in a mistake, but that should go to the technicians credit and not justify the habit.

   So what about putting the head on the engine, without the gasket. Surely that was a laughable mistake right? Sorry, I can think of one very legitimate reason for a technician to do that, and one very accusational reason for someone to video it as we saw above.

   If I suspect that I might have trouble carefully setting a cylinder head in place, before I risk damaging a new headgasket, I practice setting the head on, without the gasket. I normally take a piece of cardboard and use it to protect the surfaces of the block and cylinder head, but every technician does not do that. If I (you) can set the head down onto the dowel pins, without straining or risking dropping it, then I (you can) lift it back off and then after making sure everything is ready, resume the normal re-assembly. If I (you) find that its too much of a strain to place the head onto the block then you can either enlist a second person’s aid, (and you should both do a practice lift and set) or else it’s time to get the shop crane out and have it support the weight as you guide the head into place. That by the way makes the person who made the video not the brilliant observer they attempted to portrait themsleves as.

   So lastly what about the motivation of the person responsible for the video? If he/she is so technically skilled as to know all of the rights from wrongs in a shop, then why are they just a parts chaser instead of serving the public with their skills by being a mechanic/technician? Are we really supposed to believe they run around with a cell phone, or video camera taping unsuspecting technicans making mistakes, or were these events staged for one reason or another and then his/her opinions simply slapped onto them? If it is the latter, what did they really hope to accomplish? The one thing it will never do is improve technicians performance and work quality, and what it is likely to do is create more public distrust even for the technicians who are the best ones out there.

   There is one more thing I’d like to know, let’s “ASSUME” the gasket less cylinder head installation was a genuine “oops”. How prepared to accept part of the blame for the mistake is the person who actually shot the video? People often get upset that they are not allowed into the service bays, that is truly as much because of insurance regulations as it is because their presence forces the technicans to divide their attention. Repairing machines is not mindless work, and to do it at a professional level is in fact beyond the capabilities of many ( if not most) people. But even for those who have the ability, it often demands their complete concentration and from the outside you just don’t know when a simple interruption can tip the scale and result in a mistake occurring.

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