Grease The Wheels Podcast

Latest Episodes:

Episode 257: Ya Tool! Aug 02, 2023

Show notes

On this week’s episode of Grease the Wheels, Uncle Jimmy hits one of our collective nerves: tools. From the tools that we use every single day and would be lost without, to the tools that get relegated to the back of the bottom drawer once a particular recall is done - we can’t get the job done without them. We also talk about the level of mechanical genius often found in some of the ways that we modify tools to do certain jobs better, or look at a tool designed to do one thing and having it do something completely different that requires some of the same physical properties. We also take a look at tool trucks, how they target the new guys, and what tools DIY’ers should have which should actually be as simple and non-destructive as possible. No DIY’er needs a 3 ft breaker bar, but if they do they should definitely have a tap and die set ready to go.

Also Uncle Jimmy pitches a worklight torture test, with a pitching component.

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 256: Get Out Now Jul 26, 2023

Show notes

Send us Fan Mail

On this week’s episode of Grease the Wheels, Uncle Jimmy dives into an article about alternative career paths for automotive technicians - written by people who know nothing about being an auto technician and even less about some of these other jobs. We’ll give them the easy ones like building maintenance technician, Parts Manager, HVAC maintenance, and even shop foreman and shop owner for those who age out of being an auto mechanic, but that is about it. If you had a hard time working on cars, we do not want you working on the next aircraft that we fly on! We also cock an incredulous eyebrow at some of the salary ranges that these jobs provided because most of the welders we know make what they say in a slow quarter (but they’re really good and some of them do it underwater) Bottom line, if being an auto mechanic is wearing you out, there are a myriad of other employment options that require the same critical thinking and problem solving abilities that the average mechanic really needs to be a master of. The real problem that we have with these articles is that they try to make it seem that getting a job in the automotive industry as someone who fixes cars is a difficult task, when the basic laws of supply and demand are making that simply false.

Also Uncle Jimmy goes scorched earth on COVID and almost gets evicted.

Episode 255: What Are You Talking About? Jul 19, 2023

Show notes

Send us Fan Mail

On this week’s episode of Grease the Wheels, Uncle Jimmy starts off with an innocuous enough question and rapidly descends the rabbit hole of what people who don’t know about cars think about car repair. The question is, “how hard is it to change an engine?” Simple enough right? Not for these folks! There are plenty of jobs that are more mechanically difficult or arduous than changing an engine. Sometimes changing the entire engine is a completely preferable alternative to the massive amounts of intricate work that rebuilding one can require. However, these people are so far in the dark about it that seemingly all of their advice is stupid. It’s a fun one of ripping the normies!

Also Uncle Jimmy gets into aftermarket warranty companies and how adjusters could be rendered obsolete by video.

Episode 254: Flip the Script Jul 12, 2023

Show notes

Send us Fan Mail

On this week’s episode of Grease the Wheels, Uncle Jimmy takes a look at some of the reasons why you should stay at your current job. We know we have spent the last 250+ episodes telling you why you should leave, but there are often serious pull factors such as not having to look for a job, and being stable financially to some degree. There are also people that make the job worth it sometimes, and many times these people get genuinely close to you due to the amount of time you spend in close proximity. Many shops can begin to feel like family with the right personnel in place, and that is not lost on customers. When a system works and every piece of it can rely on the others, you have a good thing going!

Also Uncle Jimmy fixes everything vehicular in Band of Brothers.

Episode 253: Independence Day Jul 06, 2023

Show notes

Send us Fan Mail

On this week’s holiday episode of Grease the Wheels, Uncle Jimmy breaks down just how many job openings there are on Indeed.com for every brand of car manufacturer. We really like Indeed, and they didn’t pay us to say that because it allowed us to break down the national demand for wrench twisting folks quickly and efficiently. Likewise, we see that national demand for technicians at independent shops is almost equal that of dealerships. The wildest part is that most jobs get filled before they're ever posted because that is the way this industry works. The bottom line is that if dealerships spent more time developing their native branding and employee retention programs instead of paying for recruiters, “talent acquisition” and ad space they would be a whole lot better off.

Also Uncle Jimmy almost bonsai-parachutes into a place with a 1.8 star google review score.

Episode 252: Thank You Jun 28, 2023

Show notes

Send us Fan Mail

On this week’s episode of Grease the Wheels, Uncle Jimmy endeavors to extend his thanks to the rest of the world that fixes things - by bringing you content created from people who need things fixed, but can’t. This is a good one folks. Anyone who seeks out information is already ahead of the game in some ways, but some of the responses you get on the internet can be dubious. In this episode we see responses that run the gambit from: “learn from the ground-up how to fix and shred the engine yourself” to the factually correct “take it to a mechanic/shop”. We especially love the “are these good used cars for $X?” because they can often yield some hilarious results. Bottom line, thank you for what you do - because if it were up to the people in the facebook groups, nothing would be running!

Also Uncle Jimmy talks logic vs. E90’s.

Episode 251: Drivers Seat Jun 21, 2023

Show notes

Send us Fan Mail

Episode 250: Ask for the Sale Jun 14, 2023

Show notes

Send us Fan Mail

On this weeks episode of Grease the Wheels, Uncle Jimmy gets back to good old fire and brimstone with the service advisors. Anytime you can start off an episode with the prompt, “you couldn’t sell an AC repair to a woman in June, in Texas” as a statement of fact instead of a murderous burn - you know we’re in for a good one. In this episode we explore how the customer service arm of the service department can and often does drop the ball when it comes to customer interactions. When you think that the customer is already there and knows that they either need repairs or maintenance - the hard part is over. Really all that leaves to to figure out the price and ask for the sale, which some of them completely ignore for a variety of reasons. As soon as there can be an AI Service Advisor, there will be - especially considering we will tell it not to diagnose from the base inputs until after someone has looked at it.

Also Uncle Jimmy actually gives some tips for Service Advisors to balance out the hour or so of running them into the ground.

Episode 249: DIY Land Ahead Jun 07, 2023

Show notes

Send us Fan Mail

On this week’s episode of Grease the Wheels, Uncle Jimmy takes a look at the Automotive DIY Market. This is one of those countercyclical industries that really kicks in when the economy gets bad - and in the past that wasn’t the worst thing in the world because cars were exponentially simpler. Today, depending on the make, model, and Russian YouTuber whose video you find - the results can be a lot more mixed. We go into an article about jobs that the internet thinks that people can do themselves - and a lot of them aren’t even relevant anymore. When was the last time you changed a distributor on a car? Regardless, there is often tons of money in it for the people who can undo this carnage and return these vehicles to their proper working order. The market forces are bound to balance out with the rising inflation and dwindling number of technicians entering the field.

Also Uncle Jimmy again avoids obvious anecdotes about Erik the Producer.

Episode 248: Find Em Wherever May 31, 2023

Show notes

Send us Fan Mail

On this week’s episode of Grease the Wheels, Uncle Jimmy goes further down the “talent acquisition” rabbit hole and finesses some good ideas out of mediocre ones. Establishing relationships with tech schools, colleges with automotive programs, and even some high school trades are a good start - but they need to be catered to the objective reality that the applicants are facing that cars are getting harder to work on every single day. We also get into the idea of hiring both the formerly incarcerated and homeless veterans to fill the ranks of automotive shops, which both come down to the willingness of the individual to develop and make a serious career of it. They also may require some additional support outside of work, and if their employers can help with that it will likely greatly increase their odds of being a successful part of your business. With the shortage being so dire and younger generations not yet interested in personal transportation - the future looks really bright for the people in these generations who enter the trades, especially one where the shortages are going to cause massive wage increases like the Automotive Industry.

Also Uncle Jimmy threatens an end-run on every single automotive “Talent Acquisition Specialist”

Our TOPPODCAST Picks

Follow Us

Stay Connected

Related Podcasts

Links

Stay Connected