Most of my best friends are over 70. They have the know-how and the desire
to jump in there and actually CARE to do the job right. Why do you think
this engine shop waits for him? The answer is because people who are my age
have no heart and no concern. I realize this could be viewed as an
indictment of most of the list, but understand that this is actual fact and
the reason we no longer possess the ability to put a man on the moon.
This country has gotten decadent and is more concerned about the hour they
get off work than putting in a real days work. As a business owner its
useless to even try to convince me otherwise. I have seen for years the
decay of the American worker. This is not a statement against Auto
Mechanics.. its a statement that applies to each and every facet of the
working public. Yes there are good workers of all ages but no its NOT the
norm. Sloppy service, inadequate attention to detail, and whining about low
pay is the new standard. Its pathetic and its getting worse everyday. In the
everyday routine of running a business, I get backorders without warning,
wrong orders, incorrect billing, and more.. each and every day!
I hope to improve the condition of this country the best I can by making
everyone aware that we all have a responsibility to our children and our
nations future to set the proper example and do our jobs to the best of our
ability. You are either part of the problem or part of the solution. Its
totally irrelavent what makes money and what doesnt. If you accept the job,
then do it. Otherwise dont jerk me around for months on end.. just tell me
the situation and I will take my business elsewhere. Problem is, there is
getting to be nowhere to go. I have learned over the last several months how
to do body work, paint, sandblast, weld and rebuild engines. Not because I
wanted to as much as there was simply no competent place to go that didnt
have a HUGE waiting list because of the FACT that these good shops are so
high in demand. Why are the good shops so heavy in demand? Because of the
gazillion worthless shops out there that are concerned about quick, sloppy,
unacceptable work that burns their customers once never to ever get their
business again.
/END SOAPBOX ROUTINE
I have every respect for each of you and your professions. Why I get along
so well here is because each of you are proven DOer's. Its refreshing so I
am sure you all for the most part understand.
Deve Krehbiel
Hesston, Kansas
1950 3100 * 1949 3600
www.speedprint.com/Deves50/index.html
----- Original Message -----
From: "tcape" <tcape@weblnk.net>
To: "Kevin D. Pennell" <oletwuk@fastrus.com>; "Oletrucks"
<oletrucks@autox.team.net>
Sent: Tuesday, July 18, 2000 8:34 PM
Subject: Re: [oletrucks] In Defense of Mechanics.
> Kevin, this is an excellent message for all of us. Very well stated, my
> friend. VERY hard to find those people nowdays who do something just
> because they love doing it. They're national treasures....we gotta take
> care of them......and give them the time to work their magic.
> Tom Caperton
> 47-2nd 3100....in Whiteville, NC
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: Kevin D. Pennell <oletwuk@fastrus.com>
> To: Oletrucks <oletrucks@autox.team.net>
> Sent: Tuesday, July 18, 2000 9:25 PM
> Subject: [oletrucks] In Defense of Mechanics.
>
>
> > <<<Snip>>>I tell ya.. I have ALL the luck with slow,
> > unreliable and mostly inadequate service. But lets not get me started!
In
> > the engine shops defense (sorta) they have a 70+ year old retired guy do
> the
> > babbit work since he is the only one who knows how. If it were me, I
would
> > be learning that stuff so the art doesnt disappear with the older
> > generation!<<<Snip>>>
> >
> > Hi all,
> >
> > Deve,
> >
> > You're not the only one with "all" the luck with terrible service, but
if
> I
> > may, let me add some insight...
> >
> > A lot of shops in business today are in it for the quick job, and the
> > quick buck. They live for the fast turn-around jobs where they can make
a
> > profit. The employees are for the most part parts changers who, given a
> > specific task can do it fairly easily, and quickly. These shops are the
> > equivalent of taking your car to Jiffy Lube for an oil change. That's
> what
> > they do, and they are fairly proficient at it. They have bills to pay,
> and
> > taking the time to learn how to do something like pour a babbit insert
is
> > not cost effective by any stretch of the imagination.
> >
> > As a mechanic, I have to say that I've lost money on every job I've
> ever
> > had that required "real" mechanic-ing. God forbid I charge for the
actual
> > hours that I spend diagnosing, weighing options, considering the
customers
> > habits and use patterns, and the actual painstaking efforts to achieve
> > perfection in doing whatever job I'm doing that does not involve
changing
> > the brake pads, or replacing a leaky gasket. You must realize that
> > something as simple as how the air fuel mixture is set may vary
depending
> on
> > the customers shoe size, and where he or she uses the vehicle most. A
> > mechanic is somewhat like a doctor, and should know you and your vehicle
> > well in order to keep everything rolling along smoothly. The newer
> vehicles
> > have computers that compensate for everything you can imagine, thus
> keeping
> > you relatively happy no matter where you drive, or how you drive, but
the
> > older vehicles require middle of the road management by the mechanic, as
> in
> > most cases what works well at 8000 feet doesn't do worth a tinkers dam
at
> > sea level. A recent thread on vacuum wipers expounded on that a little.
> > Those guys "know" what they are talking about, trust me.
> >
> > Please be patient with that 70+ year old gentleman. He probably does
> what
> > he does because he loves it, not because it pays well. Allow him the
time
> > to get his mind right to do a particularly delicate job, and give him
> credit
> > due for perfection in areas of your engine that you will never see. He
> > knows what happens in there, and he knows exactly what his efforts must
be
> > to make it all right for the engine, and for you the customer. If he's
> like
> > me, he cares more about how the engine is feeling than he does about how
> you
> > are feeling. I think that just might be a good thing. After all, your
> > mechanic is your truck's doctor. You have your own. Find your own
truck
> a
> > good doctor, and be faithful to him. The rewards far outweigh the
> deficits,
> > for both you and your truck.
> >
> > Respectfully,
> >
> > Kevin P.
> > '59 Apache 38/NAPCO
> > Courtland, VA
> >
> >
> > oletrucks is devoted to Chevy and GM trucks built between 1941 and 1959
> >
>
>
> oletrucks is devoted to Chevy and GM trucks built between 1941 and 1959
oletrucks is devoted to Chevy and GM trucks built between 1941 and 1959
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