Over the years, sharp service managers and shop foremen have described goals they required young techs to meet as soon as practically possible. They wanted to gradually instill intuitive, instinctive behavior that improved customer service without a boss' involvement.
I will cite several of the goals because these may not be tasks you expected managers to prioritize.
First, young techs should recognize situations where they need additional vehicle history such as recently performed maintenance, repairs and/or modifications. This includes changes in vehicle usage, driving routines or drivers.
Even the least-experienced apprentice in an auto repair facility should recognize that "car does something" on a work order is grossly inadequate vehicle history.
In previous columns, I have emphasized that adequate vehicle history is an essential rather than optional step toward a successful diagnosis. If this means, for example, that service sales people must interview car owners a second time, so be it.
Eventually, techs' ongoing demands for additional vehicle information may persuade lackadaisical service writers to quiz motorists more extensively on the first try. Vehicle history is priceless knowledge.
Second, young techs should maximize use of their senses every time they approach another repair job. Regardless of the customer's concern or complaint, techs should comprehend what their eyes, ears, nose and hands tell them.
For instance, a tech notices that the right front tire and wheel look newer and cleaner than the others do. A second walk around the vehicle confirms this observation.
Next, the tech notices that the left front tire seems to be centered nicely within the wheel opening. But the right front tire appears to be set back somewhat toward the rear of the car.
Performing a quick-and-dirty measurement, the tech confirms that the left front tire is four fingers forward of the fender opening. The suspicious right front tire, however, barely sits two fingers away from the edge of the fender.
The tech traced the customer's initial complaints about poor performance and fuel economy to a failing air flow sensor. What the car owner failed to disclose was a devastating encounter with a large pothole that destroyed the right front tire and wheel.
The impact also forced the right front suspension rearward, pushing the right front tire closer to the edge of the fender. The motorist replaced the tire and wheel himself but never considered the risk of serious undercarriage damage.
Bottom line: An alert tech quickly and accurately identified a potentially dangerous undercar condition with eyes and hands alone — legitimate damage entirely unrelated to the customer's stated concerns.
This example leads me into the third example: Apprentice techs must watch for multiple, legitimate problems on every vehicle. There never has been or ever will be a guarantee that a vehicle only has one fault in it.
Previously, I have stressed that the older a vehicle is, the more likely it is to have multiple problems.
Young techs should accept motorists do not welcome the time and money required to address unexpected, additional problems on their vehicles. But they typically value and appreciate thorough assessments of present — not to mention pending — car problems.
Some grizzled old techs may prejudge certain motorists as penny-pinchers who will not invest in proper, complete repairs. But aspiring professionals should never make the same mistake.
At the very least, document the problems found on a vehicle in words and pictures; prioritize the urgency of each condition. Then have a sales person prepare appropriate estimates.
When all is said and done, this documentation helps safeguard the reputation of an auto service business and its personnel.