A fan, specialized creeper and ample work space speed up potentially tedious repairs under a vehicle's dashboard.
This topic may not be "front-of-mind" for some tire dealers and service shop owners, but at one point or another, technicians have to cope with tasks deep under the dashboard.
The seemingly simple things I have recommended matter for several reasons. For one thing, many bosses underestimate the challenge — pure aggravation — of squeezing oneself into the available work space under a dash.
Back in the days of larger vehicles and more-spacious interiors, working under a dashboard still could be a miserable exercise. As I stated in my last column, more-recent automotive designs often provide less space.
Some bosses have told me they were shocked at the claustrophobic conditions inside many vehicles' interiors. For example, they learned that some of their technicians literally could not get into the allotted work space under a dash.
In my last column, that's why I urged caution in assigning workers to under-dash repair jobs. For instance, rail-thin techs may be the least-experienced people on the crew, but they also are the only ones who can maneuver under a dashboard.
In other cases, trustworthy techs may be able to slide under a dash, but they soon discover that their burly arms and beefy hands barely fit — or do not fit — into certain spaces. The situation may force them to work very slowly, gently releasing latches and removing retaining clips with long-reach tools of some kind.
Overall, a patient approach may provide the sole path to successful under-dash repairs. Rushing the job, on the other hand, may cause costly mistakes such as cracked components or damaged fasteners.
The good news is that under-dash work does not occur nearly as often as other, more common repairs do. The bad news is that techs may not accrue enough practical experience to do under-dash jobs easily and quickly.
Some otherwise-reliable labor guides may not give realistic repair estimates for under-dash jobs performed by burly techs with beefy hands — or for factors such as blazing-hot weather and drenching humidity.
What's more, a labor guide cannot predict the consequences of techs squirming, stretching and twisting under a dashboard. Techs' productivity may decline for days afterward because they ache from these atypical exertions.
The onset of vertigo may prevent some experienced techs from tackling under-dash repairs that they used to perform readily. Later in life, you see, some people discover that they have vertigo.
Awkward tasks such as squeezing under a dash and craning one's neck to look for a component may trigger vertigo symptoms such as frightening dizziness and sudden, severe nausea.