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Quoted: My dad had a Cadillac SRX with a transverse mounted V6. You hade to remove the forward motor mounts to change the serpentine belt. It is not something that can be done along side the road. View Quote Last generation of Pontiac Grand Am/Oldsmobile Achieva /Buick Skylark (N Body) had the same issue with changing the serpentine belt when it had a V6 |
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There is a reason i left the Truck industry 5 years ago. Mostly not enough money for the frustration.
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Quoted: Mechanic is such a boomer term, please OP, technician is the preferred nomenclature. Gotta have a computer to work on vehicles now. I also used to enjoy turning wrenches and maintaining my vehicles, yes I’m a boomer. View Quote Mechanic = Figures out why shit broke, easiest and lowest cost way to repair and repairs/replaces part. Technician = Looks it up on a computer and swaps a part. AKA: Parts swapper. ![]() |
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Quoted: I made the mistake of looking under the hood of the new Ford Bronco. https://hagerty-media-prod.imgix.net/2022/01/2022-Ford-Bronco-Raptor-18.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&fit=crop&h=426&ixlib=php-3.3.0&w=640 View Quote Moar better: |
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Quoted: https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/3561/Screenshot_20230720_144231_Firefox-2892517.jpg Masochists! (The buyers too) View Quote That's a time consuming job, but it isn't as hard as it looks. now this shit, this shit on the other hand is too much. (not my pictures but I've done this 20 times now and still hate it) ![]() to fix ![]() Dirty jobs are worse than complex jobs. this is a dirty complex job. its on mostly q5/7 and touareg. you can't work comfortably where the engine sits. your head is pushed into the hood while your standing on a step stool. the valley is also likely to have rodent nests mixed into the slurry of coolant, coolant crust and oil (the leak is primarily oil that seeps out and damages the plastic on a coolant valve for the EGR cooler) |
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Quoted: Mechanic = Figures out why shit broke, easiest and lowest cost way to repair and repairs/replaces part. Technician = Looks it up on a computer and swaps a part. AKA: Parts swapper. ![]() View Quote Exactly. If it makes a noise it isn't supposed to, replace it. Parts changers. I work in a privately owned shop. We work on everything from 1960's to 2022 model vehicles. Alternators and power steering pumps are the worst on all the newer stuff. A lot of times you have to lower the subframe just to get the damn alternator out. Absolutely zero room to work without removing it and you will not get it out from the top. Ignition coils can be a bitch also, especially if you have to remove the upper intake plenum to get to them. There are some vehicles you can't get to any coil packs without removing the intake first. Try properly diagnosing a misfire on one of those. Big ol' ball of what the fuck... Starters can be a mother fucker some times. Especially if the front lower engine mount is in the way and you have to remove it to make enough room to get the starter out. Try replacing an electric steering rack on one of these little ass cars that has an engine bigger than the fucking cabin. Again, you'll be lowering the subframe. I do this every day. We have zero computers in the shop. If you don't know theory of the system/s you're working on, you'd might as well forget it. You're useless in my shop. |
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Quoted: Mechanic = Figures out why shit broke, easiest and lowest cost way to repair and repairs/replaces part. Technician = Looks it up on a computer and swaps a part. AKA: Parts swapper. ![]() View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Quoted: Quoted: Mechanic is such a boomer term, please OP, technician is the preferred nomenclature. Gotta have a computer to work on vehicles now. I also used to enjoy turning wrenches and maintaining my vehicles, yes I’m a boomer. Mechanic = Figures out why shit broke, easiest and lowest cost way to repair and repairs/replaces part. Technician = Looks it up on a computer and swaps a part. AKA: Parts swapper. ![]() I tend to say mechanic when I’m talking about somebody that can replace a manifold, swap an engine, do a tuneup, do a brake job, replace a transmission, etc. and say tech when referring to someone that does oil changes at jiffy lube, replaces tires at Firestone, etc. |
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I started my motorcycle apprenticeship in 1980. Almost all bikes were still naked and air cooled and about 50/50 points electronic ignition. I loved seeing CDI come along but the addition of fairings and cooling systems just added extra work like empty calories. Glad I did my apprenticeship at that time though because I have a good grounding in the old tech. I'll bet young bike mechanics today can't set points or rebuild carbs but then again I can't service fuel injection or tune a bike on a dyno.
I love the old air cooled naked bikes but they really can't hold a candle to modern, liquid cooled EFI bikes in performance. |
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Quoted: https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/3561/Screenshot_20230720_144231_Firefox-2892517.jpg Masochists! (The buyers too) View Quote The best part....that's the BACK of the engine. |
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Most of them make themselves very happy by taking all the money you have left for the month
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Quoted: drunken, depressed, miserable guys that have not had a psychotic break? I’m not the least mechanically inclined guy out there. I have a decent amount of tools. A lift. I can cool or heat my garage. I have replaced relays or fuses on modern cars or recharged AC and saved people from getting a new compressor they were told they needed. I have put better discs and pads on modern cars for people for less than they would have paid for just worse parts. Or time for new shocks and struts. Now, this is pretty much limited to just immediate family. And I am not way versed modern stuff. My set up is more for me maintaining older vehicles. Which have their own quirks. Have you ever tried to connect the wiper motor to the arms on, say a 71-74 Javelin, or the extensions need to do spark plugs on an ‘85 Z28. Let alone how to get to the fuel pump on one. But for the most part throwing a new rotor in the distributor, rebuilding a carburetor, new wiper motor, repack wheel hubs, convert drums to discs, new starter, throw some relays in the wiring harness, new transmission, etc. is pretty straightforward and easy. One of my adult kids got the check charging system light on their 11 year old mid sized, Japanese AWD CUV. They had just put in a new battery a few years ago, whipped out their multimeter, it’s the alternator, and the belt has proper tension. They asked if I could show them how to change it. I said should be easy. Give me a minute. I looked it up. This is going to involve like 18 inch extensions and 18 inch shaft wrench, both longer than what I have, and require several hard to get connectors to move part of the wiring harness out of the way, then shifting an AC line out of the way, then moving fluid reservoirs, then you can get belt out of the way and start removing the alternator. Which also has a bushing likely to shift requiring messing around just to get the new one back in. Plus, it wouldn’t hurt to have child sized hands on the ends of extra long, extra skinny arms. Now, open up the hood of a ‘70 Chevelle or ‘68 GTO, ar just about any SBC truck of yesteryear, and you can have a decent alternator plus new voltage regulator for about 100 bucks and have it replaced in 15 minutes without a single curse word or bruised knuckle. And you could have hands like Hodor on arms the length of Tyrion arms. Plus the modern CUV alternator will cost two to three times as much. I would go mad working on stuff like that all day. View Quote Pull up the carpet in the rear hatch and cut an access panel and seal it back up with AC line wrap (the black sticky tape stuff) ![]() ![]() |
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Quoted: They absolutely are. It's a miserable occupation and everyone hates them too. That's why there is very few good ones and the majority are, are not talented. Pay is the worst of all trades as well. View Quote I can't believe how little mechanics make in my area. Even residential HVAC guys make more. The only plus for the mechanic is no standby. |
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Lol. Reading this thread after doing a bunch of work.
Spending a couple hours every weekend, I've saved thousands in labor on a new to me wrangler ![]() Doing a successful diag and repair makes you feel real good, no matter how shit the labor is. I would enjoy the daily satisfaction of buttoning up a repair and having it all work out. But around here, the path to that job requires schooling and certification, as well as starting out as an oil changer for years. But that doesn't mean they have experience or knowledge ![]() It's the oil jockies and "techs" that I can see losing it. Monotonous work, and obeying a computer and changing parts just to listen to a customer bitch that you didn't fix it would get annoying. |
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I use the money to dry my tears. Of course, in the summertime, they evaporate much faster.
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Rusted out shit boxes are the object of my hatred..
Ran when parked. ![]() Fortunately this one is headed to the grinder. |
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Quoted: Rusted out shit boxes are the object of my hatred.. Ran when parked. https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/109172/IMG_20230719_085433163_HDR_jpg-2892996.JPG Fortunately this one is heard to the grinder. View Quote ![]() |
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Quoted: That is mostly a myth. Of course there are always exceptions, but in general, you will spend MORE time experimenting with "shortcuts" than you will just following the procedure shown in the service manual. Mechanics are an underpaid and undervalued professionals. View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Quoted: Quoted: Sounds like you are doing the repair based on "the book" procedure. After you do one or two jobs you learn shortcuts. That is mostly a myth. Of course there are always exceptions, but in general, you will spend MORE time experimenting with "shortcuts" than you will just following the procedure shown in the service manual. Mechanics are an underpaid and undervalued professionals. Experience certain dictates improvement of economy of motion, knowing each tool you'll need for the particular repair, knowing each fastener that will need to be removed, knowing the order of putting stuff back together, etc. versus the guy doing it for the first time. |
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Quoted: Well I did buy this today https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/390973/20230720_110100-2892643.jpg View Quote I got this a couple of weeks ago ![]() |
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View Quote Perfect example of how easy it used to be to get to the alternator, the distributor, etc. |
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Quoted: Mid '80s after I got out of the Army (mechanic) I worked at two different service stations over a two year period. Mostly AAA towing calls, pumping gas as full service was a bigger deal back then, and light mechanic work; brakes, tires, oil, etc... The tools were outrageously expensive and you were expected to have a complete set of your own tools in one of those two shops I worked in. I could not afford to work that job. One buddy at one shop would complain everyday how his hands were being trashed. In the other shop my buddy would boast how he could not fully open his fingers as his hands were clutches at this point as wanted to be a real mechanic. He was beast at replacing clutches. One day I came to the realization that the only people from the public that wanted to talk to you is because they have a problem. This problem is because their vehicle is broken. Even thou I was green and new to this industry it was obvious these people cared more for the vehicles then their own children at times. This is my BABY you are told. They treated you like shit and took all their grievances on you. You Service Manager's out there, when not lying, deserve an extra twinkle on your halo. I realized and saw the abuse and quit. The older mechanics were worn down and the clients were getting ruder. I went back to school to be an Accountant then landed into the computer field and I am an IT Manager today. With that said. I recently found a new shop since I moved. This is after going to a shop I trusted for 20 years to touch the big stuff I can't or do not want to do. When I bring my car in I tell them I am very thankful and talk to them like people and tell them all the work I did on my car and if you don't mind giving it a look over if you time. Finding a good shop is not easy! View Quote If more people did it the way you do, there would more decent shops. We bust ass everyday in my shop, I make sure things are done right, we treat customers like we need them, and my rate is quite reasonable for the area. Some people still bitch and tell me that Walmart is cheaper, or my cousin will do it for less. Oh well! Good you for valuing the people who take care of you. |
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Quoted: If more people did it the way you do, there would more decent shops. We bust ass everyday in my shop, I make sure things are done right, we treat customers like we need them, and my rate is quite reasonable for the area. Some people still bitch and tell me that Walmart is cheaper, or my cousin will do it for less. Oh well! Good you for valuing the people who take care of you. View Quote The world if full of people who know someone who can do anything faster, cheaper, better. Doesn’t matter what it is. Car repair. Landscaping. Surgery. Emergency medicine. Home building. Plumbing. Electrical work. Painting. Wells. Driveway. Legal services. And 99.87% of the time those people are full of shit. |
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Quoted: Most of the experienced techs I know do occasionally drink but not to excess. These are all good techs. The new hires are another story, that is if you can find one. Generally speaking the public has no idea how complicated vehicles are today and how one system can affect others. We are underpaid, exposed to hazardous chemicals, dirty environment, high orthopedic wear, bad backs, and general injuries. Tool expense is another consideration. There is NO WAY I would go into auto repair today. View Quote My grandfather and his brother were both mechanics at the Ford dealerships in Marlow and Chickasha back in the 30's and 40's They specialized in a specific repair they mastered during the height of WWII rationing. They repaired car batteries. Dad told me when he was a little kid he would watch them pour out the old electrlyte, cut the tops off of battery cases using a red hot knife heated on an open flame, lift out the lead plates, clean them, resolder broken connections, put them back in the tar boxes with new or buffed up anode and cathode posts and reseal the boxes with hot tar and fill them with new battery acid... Both grandpa and uncle Eugene died of strokes before they turned 55, probably due to lead poisoning |
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Quoted: Quoted: I really don't understand all the fuss about the 4.7 starter, it's easy to get to. If people want to complain about a Toyota starter, they should be complaining about the starter on the 5.7; Toyota crammed it under the B2 exhaust manifold for some reason. Hey, it's not that tight. The JBA long tubes only take maybe 2 days to put on. |
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Quoted: I use the money to dry my tears. Of course, in the summertime, they evaporate much faster. https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/48955/th_jpg-2892957.JPG View Quote Heavy duty is where it's at. I don't think there's enough money in the world to get me to do automotive. |
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Everything on my Nissan Titan has been fairly easy to service.
The only major pain I could see would be replacing the starter which is placed under the intake manifold. However, at 223K miles it's still original starter. Chevy would have been through 2 or 3 in that time frame. Some of these POS rental cars I've had recently looked like a major pain in the ass to do any work on. The Chevy Equinox I had recently was one gigantic POS. Not to mention they put the damn gear shift stuff as buttons on the center stack. Dumbest shit I've ever seen and a total pain the ass to operate. If you're gonna do that at least use the stupid ass knobs to select gears. |
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We should consider engineering serviceability and eschew proprietary tools.
Crazy, I know. |
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todays cars are not made to be worked on by the shade tree mechanic, they intentionally made them that way to put "garages" out of buisness so they all go to the dealership... Its all about where the money goes
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Quoted: I'd say I'm pretty mechanically inclined. Since I was a teenager, I've paid a shop to fix my vehicles two, maybe three times ever. I've done entire frame off restos, rebuild engines and transmissions, body work, paint, lift kits, all sorts of general maintenance. I had to do a water pump on my wife's turbo Malibu a few years back. By the time I was done I was bleeding from both arms and ready to burn that car to the ground. I can sympathize. I did beat the dealers flat rate book time though. View Quote Fucking A do I know that feeling ![]() |
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I can’t sleep cause my shoulder hurts. Why does it hurt. Cause I had to remove a starter from a enclave. In order to do that, you have to remove the front cat converter and then remove the starter cable and connector while having no room and also these are rust belt cars. I also removed an alternator from a mitsubishi outlander. In order to do that one, the cv axle had to come out. I now have to drain the transfer case and refill it cause the cv axle goes thru the transfer case into the transmission and it leaked atf into the transfer case. And yet people complain about prices. I also love when they bring it stuff that got “repaired” by some guy in his truck for cheap but didn’t do it right.
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Quoted: My peev with automotive is fasteners/parts intended to snap together once. So much is designed around initial automated assembly with little thought in servicing stuff years later. View Quote I think every engineer involved in car design should have to change the part they designed outside in 100 degree heat with mosquitoes everywhere while someone shoots them with a hose. Only when they can do that easily, is the part really engineered correctly. |
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Quoted: I think every engineer involved in car design should have to change the part they designed outside in 100 degree heat with mosquitoes everywhere while someone shoots them with a hose. Only when they can do that easily, is the part really engineered correctly. View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Quoted: Quoted: My peev with automotive is fasteners/parts intended to snap together once. So much is designed around initial automated assembly with little thought in servicing stuff years later. I think every engineer involved in car design should have to change the part they designed outside in 100 degree heat with mosquitoes everywhere while someone shoots them with a hose. Only when they can do that easily, is the part really engineered correctly. While it was used in more cramped engine bays, the 2.5 Toyota used in the second gen scion tc is real easy to work on. Well, if it ever breaks ![]() You do have to remove the wiper cowl for any work on the intake, front struts, or throttle body, but that's a simple job. Still a pain to do a clutch job like any fwd transverse engine car, but the belt diagram shows the simplicity of the main maintenance items. All easily accessible without removing anything else, though depending on how fat your sockets are, two combo wrenches hooked together will easily take the tensioner loose. ![]() Unlike an older Mazda 6 I had, I can actually get the belt off without having to remove the fender liner, and I don't have to lift the engine of the front motor mount to replace a pully. Also the starter is right on top of the tranny ![]() |
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Keep raising the ERT until you get comfortable with the job. Seriously, most jobs are not difficult they just take longer than others.
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It’s 98 and sticky here. That means 110 in the shop with fans running. Everyone is hot and pissy, balls are chaiffed, and people who work in an office are whining that things are “too expensive.”
I spent the last two evenings out running calls until midnight. One for a very large DOA, and one for a MVA on the interstate due to cell phone use. Where did I go wrong? |
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