Grease The Wheels Podcast

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Episode 266: You’ve Got To Hide Your Love Away Nov 15, 2023

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On this week’s episode of Grease the Wheels, we continue the theme of Beatles B Sides, and the theme of not getting enough love from our employers. We have an interesting conversation about “things you shouldn’t say to technicians”, as well as an examination of the stupidity of repair line items as the warranty comes closer to being done. It’s a rip roaring episode of grease the wheels, and if you hear any of these sayings on the regular from your management- it might be time to polish up the resume. Phrases such as, “we’ve always done it this way”, and “because im the boss” ring especially true as omens of bad management. We want to hear from you; what are some of the worst things that a manager can say to employees besides, “you’re replaceable”, especially when the technician shortage renders that statement so invalid it is almost a joke. We also get into some of the better communication traits of managers, such as having clear expectations for employees and their role. Open lines of communication are alway important, but you don’t always need to have a solution if you are having a problem - especially if it is a personal problem.

Also Uncle Jimmy gives you a script for difficult conversations with your boss, even if he is a former MMA fighter.

This episode is distributed by The Wrenching Network. Whether you're a technician, a mechanic, or someone who just loves the car scene, The Wrenching Network is a place that you have to check out. They have all sorts of great content, gear, and snacks to keep you turning wrenches in whatever capacity you do it. Also if you see us over there, make sure you say hi and leave a comment with what you think about the episode!

Episode 265: Can't Buy Me Love Nov 09, 2023

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On this week’s episode of Grease the Wheels, we talk about the intersection of manufacturers, technology and image spin control for the profession in general. From inside the shop between service and management, to the manufacturers themselves - there isn’t a whole lot of love going around to the people who fix them. Luckily, there’s this podcast. Not getting love from the manufacturers is real: from making the vehicles more difficult to do simple tasks, to slashing warranty times in an effort to save profit margin. The real only bastion left is each other, so we suggest treating each other well and helping people out when you can in order to promote shop chemistry. It also doesn’t hurt to do things with your team outside of work, especially if some of your teammates are cooler than you are! The lack of love from customers is the most noticeable though. We almost never hear about the repairs that we do right, but you bet anything we hear about them when they aren’t!

Also Uncle Jimmy examines linguistics as a selling tactic, from the service lane.

Episode 264: Nowhere Man Nov 01, 2023

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On this week’s episode of Grease the Wheels, we title it after where we were last week, nowhere to be found! Sorry about that, we needed a week to get back to the grind. This brings us to the theme of today’s episode, where we go deeper into some of the crazy stuff that is coming down the pike and the relative rate of advancement in the automotive industry over the last 20 years versus the previous 50. A “Nowhere Man” in this case is a technician who’s skills and training cannot keep up with the rate of advancement, and are relegated to doing menial work like brakes and tires - and they’re going to get paid like it. From rear wheel steering, to all of the firmware going live on Autonomous Driving V, to iMax screens in the back of the 7-Series. Whenever there is a significant skill gap, and the lower skilled technicians keep sopping up all of the gravy, this is automatically going to create tension in the shop. With the growing number of EV’s this presents a new problem for “Nowhere Men”, because if you mess it up - you can die! Bottom line, the entire industry is getting more complicated by the day, so we all need to keep our training up and on top of the latest features that are breaking!

Also Uncle Jimmy pitches the console Turkish Press and “Operation: EV-Training”

Episode 263: What’s Next? Oct 21, 2023

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On this week’s episode of Grease the Wheels, we look at an article about coming trends in the automotive industry from connectivity, to automated driving and electrification, and even some of Jimmy’s better conspiracies. This is a wild one where we look into the future from the recent past and compare notes to how it’s going. When it comes to connectivity, the leaps and bounds have been extreme since Jimmy entered the industry. From a few cars having bluetooth to full Apple Carplay and Android Auto streaming literally everything (including this podcast). Electrification has taken hold faster in China than in the United States, which is probably a good thing considering their urban pollution problems. One of the main things in this article that we expand upon is the idea of hydrogen being the fuel of the future. There are several large automakers betting big on hydrogen, and we expect to see it in some viable form within the decade. Fully autonomous driving that can handle 4 feet of Buffalo snow, that will be impressive - but that is farther off than people think.

Also Uncle Jimmy helps to hasten the death of the sales team.

Episode 262: Hold the Door Oct 12, 2023

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On this week’s episode of Grease the Wheels, Uncle Jimmy pulls an article from Identafix talking about the burgeoning opportunities for techs in the $60 Billion per year Automotive Industry. We talk about this in the context of other episodes, but the main focus of this episode is dumb things that customers do. We ponder if technicians make good service advisors, even though they are typically more educated than the people selling the work or the products themselves. Being a service advisor is an easy way to make 6-figures without a college degree, however the people skills necessary to make this job look easy are something acquired over years and do not come naturally to most technicians. We also don’t recommend going into parts to make more money than you did as an auto technician. How do you stop the revolving door of technicians in your shop? It’s not a simple fix, but rather a long term change in outlook on recruitment, in house salaries, and communication.

Also Uncle Jimmy has a hard time sticking to one narrative after a Braves loss in October.

Episode 261: No More Help Wanted Oct 07, 2023

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On this week’s only slightly late episode of Grease the Wheels, Uncle Jimmy takes another swing at the problems we can fix - only this time it is the people in your building. We also examine whether the switch to EV’s is going to decrease the number of help wanted signs seen around shops. For some reason, the author of this article seems to think that EV’s are immune to the universal law of entropy and will never need any form of repairs and maintenance. Because of this, the author predicts that California will be down 32k auto mechanic jobs by 2040. Unfortunately for the author, because of the tax and regulatory nature of that state - that’s what they’re losing a year just to Texas! The real ramifications of California’s ICE Vehicle ban is that it is going to end up looking like Cuba, only hopefully the engines come from Wyoming and Nevada instead of Russia.

Also Uncle Jimmy gives a history lesson.

Episode 260: People as the Problem Sep 27, 2023

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On this week’s episode of Grease the Wheels, Uncle Jimmy swaps diagnosing problems with cars, to diagnosing problems with people. The source of 100% of the problems that a shop will run into in a given day is driven by the customers. If there was nothing to fix, there would be no problems. However, where problems become even bigger problems is the gulf between the perception of modern auto repair and the reality. Cars are a lot more complicated now than people think they are. Yes, they work better and last longer, but they are also significantly more complicated than the transportation of yore. One of the biggest problems since the pandemic has been parts turn-around times and with the current UAW Strike, this could be a big problem for some domestic makes. What is the ultimate weapon against unreasonable customers? The walk-around video. Just make sure that the car is up on a lift, otherwise you’re just pointing out a bunch of things that the customer can already see!
Also Uncle Jimmy brings 1984 to a shop near you, just pray it doesn’t have audio!
This episode is distributed by The Wrenching Network. Whether you're a technician, a mechanic, or someone who just loves the car scene, The Wrenching Network is a place that you have to check out. They have all sorts of great content, gear, and snacks to keep you turning wrenches in whatever capacity you do it. Also if you see us over there, make sure you say hi and leave a comment with what you think about the episode!

Episode 259: Idiocy Sep 20, 2023

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On this week’s episode of Grease the Wheels, Uncle Jimmy is back on form and shredding internet articles. Looking for a spark of lunacy, he delves into an article titled “20: Ways to Tell if your Mechanic is an Idiot” This is one of the more ridiculous lists we’ve seen as it actively counteracts things that we are telling our service advisors to do. It also completely discounts the thousands of absolutely fantastic technicians who have never even taken an ASE test. We also get into some of the ridiculous sounds that customers make in attempts to describe what is wrong with their vehicles and scold anyone who diagnoses over the phone.
Also Uncle Jimmy calls himself a basic bitch.

Episode 258: Forward Thinking Sep 13, 2023

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On this week’s episode of Grease the Wheels, WE ARE BACK! This week we are talking about the differences between the forward thinkers and the reactive thinkers in the automotive industry. Often times vehicles can be described as “forward thinking”, but rarely can the same be said of management in this industry. The difference is being able to anticipate where the proverbial puck is going instead of focusing on where it has been. One of the major areas that is going to stress test forward thinking managers in the next few years is retaining and developing the techs that come to work there. We also get into the “Russian Infantry” management technique, and more importantly why it doesn’t work! Throwing bodies at the problem doesn’t solve more problems - unless you can get those people up to snuff in a hurry. This in most cases will require technicians to be compensated for training the new hires and seeing them regularly tested on what they know and can do. Bottom line, the forward thinking fixed ops managers are going to have to grow their own talent.

Also Uncle Jimmy takes a stab at Greek epics.

Family matters Aug 20, 2023

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Okay, so this is how this shit works! This is actually Uncle Jimmy , Erik the Producer has been in a bad car accident . He and his significant other have both sustained some serous injuries. We are told they will be okay , but it is pretty bad as of right now. So if you have some prayers and well wishes you can send to Erik and Caitlyn that would be greatly appreciated. Since Erik really does all of the back breaking editing work ( I'm still not sure how he makes me sound good) we are going to take a somewhat extended break . Rest assured we will be be back and with a vengeance, in the mean time all you wrench twisting bastards , keep on keeping on. Thanks for what you do it is appreciated and we will see you soon .

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