Posts that don’t always fit with others but still worth writing
When it comes to my job there’s a long list of things that people don’t understand.
I guess that’s why there’s a lot of stories of people being caught out by unscrupulous mechanics.
I don’t really know what the answer to that problem is.
The only thing I can say is you need to find a technician or mechanic you can trust.
I realize that’s easier said than done.
This is something I’ve only recently started doing, saying no to jobs because they don’t fit either my schedule or my niche.
But I’ve learned the hard way. I would never say no to any work. I think it’s something ingrained from being completely broke financially, you never want to go back to that so you’re afraid to turn anything down.
I’m not convinced I have a secret skill, what I do have is patience in the way I approach my work and that gives me an ability to solve problems. Diagnosing cars is really about solving problems.
Even if it’s just a noise when your car is turning a corner, a mechanics mind will go into diagnosis mode. We can see mechanical components in our minds, we see them moving and can visualize how that noise might be happening.
This is honestly an easy answer for a mechanic. Dry weather in any form is usually the best, temperature permitting of course because I can’t think of anything worse than snow, ice or dirty water dripping down my neck and under my shirt.
Im struggling to make this daily prompt car related without making it sound cliché.
I could say I wish there were more hours in the day so I could work on more cars, but seriously, even if you’re very committed to your job – which I am – you don’t want extra time so you can do more work.
What free tool do you want and how would you get it?
Daily writing prompt
Getting something free always comes with a catch right? Well not necessarily if you’re an ITC1 member at Harbor Freight.
Today – March 20th 2026 – they are giving members a choice of three different free tools if you purchase anything in store. If you’re not a member but you spend $34.99 you also qualify.
Instead of writing this myself I asked someone to sum me up in one word.
Relentless. Always learning, always building, always pushing forward: even when things get messy or slow.
In this business the best compliment you can receive is a returning customer.
Getting to work on someone’s pride and joy is definitely the highest compliment you can be paid.
Owners put a lot of hard earned cash into the cars and they trust you as their mechanic to look after it as if it were your own.
Is there any better way of going cross country than taking a car? Well maybe a Motorcycle but then it has to be with a few other riders. For me the car is absolutely my choice.
Of course coming from my point of view a well serviced car is essential. But a pre trip check over should be carried out. After all this is going to be a fun trip.
So what should be looked at before a long journey?
That’s the essentials from a mechanical point of view. It’s probably a good idea to have some good breakdown coverage to get you home or even to get you to a hotel for a night should the unthinkable happen.
All that done it’s time to see the country with peace of mind and the comfort of knowing you can, if all else fails rely on your car.
Getting a car into your service bay and carrying out any service or repairs requires confidence.
All the knowledge we’ve been gaining for years, the courses we do, the tools we invest in that’s the confidence we have in ourselves.
So who’s the most confident person? The person who gets up everyday and gets the job done. You.
Being a mechanic courts negativity on a daily – no hourly – basis, you have to have a thick skin to just push past and ignore the noise. Everyone else knows more about cars than the next guy – YouTube has a lot to answer for!.
Negative comments can flood your email or socials when you’re running a repair shop.
Sometimes when a car comes into the workshop that has intriguing problems and an owner who’s invested in getting the issues sorted, I can get involved to a level where nothing else matters. I’ll put on some music and just get totally emersed.
There’s just nothing better just for the pure satisfaction it brings.
That’s a tough one to answer straight out. I’ll have a lot of stuff I’ve previously watched on in the workshop as familiar background noise that doesn’t distract me but keeps me entertained without having to think about it.
its like an old friend keeping you company.
I’m not superstitious myself but I have a very clear memory of a funeral hearse coming into my workshop for some brake line work quite a few years ago and other guys in the shop wouldn’t even look at it never mind work on it.
A friend of mine visited the workshop one evening when it was on the lift and upon realizing that he was standing beneath a hearse he told me he wasn’t going to hang around and quickly left the building.
A strange but true tale I had forgotten until I saw this prompt today.
We’ve a history of using the animal comparison to show how strong, smart or cute we are. Car makers have used this to great effect to sell us something we see as an extension of ourselves.
Im not even going to attempt to name them all but I’ll list a few that spring to mind, you can fill in the gaps yourself. Or better yet share them with me.
Can you think of more?
I can only imagine the level of technology that will exist in the automotive world 50 or so years from now. But my hope is I kept on top and at the forefront of whatever came my way.
I endeavor to do so now but with the necessity to up tool and avoid fads it can be an expensive business. And I imagine it will only get more so.
But the day you stop bettering yourself is the day you perish. If you want your 100 year old self to exist you have to keep on learning, stay open minded and don’t fear the unknown.
I’m not one for spree’s but if I were given the opportunity I’d have to say it would be on tools and equipment even though that feels selfish and probably the main reason I’ve never done it.
I believe I get more pleasure watching others close to me enjoying a spree than I do being involved in one.
But if I were given the opportunity and I decided to just let go I know for sure it would be on tools and other equipment. Even though if you saw my collection which has been amassed over the last 30 years or so, you would think this guy has more than enough.
But this is the curse of being a mechanic, you never have enough. Constant introduction of new fasteners, new special tool requirements and advances in technology always keep you in a mode of upgrading and buying.
A wise man once told me nothing is sure in life except death, taxes and your tool truck bill.
So true.
Determination.
Never under estimate how long a simple diagnosis can take. That’s the latest thing I learned.
You’ve been there before, you set yourself up, go through the problem with the same meticulous strategy you always do.
But somewhere along the way it gets away from you, something’s different. Suddenly this simple routine job turns into a nightmare.
The lesson is you need to walk away. Take a break from the problem. It’s not wasted time. You’re just getting your thoughts together.
Sometimes you need to slow down to speed up.
I think as a mechanic it has to be Can you do it any cheaper?
I realize these are tough times for many but cutting corners is more expensive in the long run.
Some places will advertise cheaper parts or low cost labor rates to get you in the door.
The reality is it can not be done cheaper anywhere else and car owners usually find this out the hard way when they get the call a few hours later to tell them it is in-fact going to cost a lot more.
I give the full price up front. All I can say is get a technician you can trust and stick with them.
