Grease The Wheels Podcast

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Episode 247: The Wall May 24, 2023

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On this week’s episode of Grease the Wheels, Uncle Jimmy further explores the generational divide in the dealership. When it comes to Gen Z, they are getting driver’s licenses at an even slower rate than the Millenials did at that point. However, as the economy improved for millennials and needs eclipsed public transit options, they started getting their licenses. It has yet to be seen if this trend will replicate itself with Gen Z, mainly because the economy is still firmly in the sh*tter. However, the bigger issue comes with personnel, as very few millennials and even fewer Gen Zed are getting into the skilled trades. However, the longer the economy doesn’t improve, and the fewer people who replace the old guys in the trades - the premium for skilled help is going to explode. Anyone left standing or who gets themselves into the trades at the right time to acquire the skills from the old guys while getting all of the new brand manufacturer training is going to be worth their weight in palladium.

Also Uncle Jimmy totally forgets that China emits more CO2 than just about everyone else put together.

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 246: Put it Off May 17, 2023

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On this week’s episode of Grease the Wheels, Uncle Jimmy examines the pendulum-like market forces of auto repair. The basic idea here is that when the economy slows down, people hold onto their money - especially when it comes to their cars. However, because a pendulum swings back, when people put off certain repairs for too long they become a LOT more expensive. We also talk about the generational shift going on with Gen Z not getting their driver’s licenses - but that pendulum will swing back too as public transit probably won’t make any incredible leaps and bounds before they are kicked out of the basement. We also get into the idea of what customers think certain repairs cost, which is always fun! And we round it out with what customers have on hand to pay for necessary car repairs. Nothing you can do, it’s literally fighting entropy.
Also Uncle Jimmy resists the comically easy shot at Erik the Producer for putting off car repairs.

Episode 245: Time Bandits May 10, 2023

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On this week’s episode of Grease the Wheels, Uncle Jimmy goes into some of the biggest time sucks in western civilization - which gets compounded when you’re working flat-rate. There are a whole lot of things that can waste your time in the shop, and some of them are completely unavoidable. Is there ever such a thing as an actual quick question, NO! Industry wide, talking is one of the biggest time wasters there is - unavoidable really. We also get into the corporate time wastes from improper or poorly thought-out systems in your dealership that only get worse when people don’t do their jobs!
Also Uncle Jimmy’s case of “The Mondays” was winning most of the day until a late game into extra innings comeback.

Episode 244: GTW Code of Ethics May 03, 2023

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On this week’s episode of Grease the Wheels, Uncle Jimmy channels Aristotle to the tune of Charlie Manson and comes up with a much more nuanced 10 point code of ethics for technicians. “Thou shall know what you’re doing, thou shall not rip people off blindly,” that kind of thing. We also get the rest of the service department involved and come up with codes of ethics for Service Advisors and Service Managers alike! This one basically comes down to, “do your job!”, or the burning bush will be arson instead of the almighty! The only one here that Jimmy really struggles with is messing with the sporting equipment in cars- and we want to know some of your favorite things to find in cars!
Also Uncle Jimmy completely misses a chance to call this episode “the codes of Jimm-urabi”

243: Ethics, Schmethics Apr 26, 2023

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On this week’s episode of Grease the Wheels, Uncle Jimmy gets into the constant corporate kerfuffle of ethics. Specifically this week we examined the ASE’s technician code of ethics and found that it was really pretty hard to find! We get what they are going for here, but we don’t agree with the orthodoxy that “in order to be a good tech, you must be ASE certified”, because quite frankly we know brilliant technicians who just don’t test well. The meaning of this article is well, but we actually wish it was hammered home a little bit harder in the literature or directly included themselves. We also get into an article about what it takes to be a successful mechanic and see how it syncs up - pretty well. Bottom line, there is more than enough honest work for all of us, so let’s stick to that and do good work to raise the general PR stock of mechanics in general. Because after all, when was the last time the customer paid you directly for work you did at your shop!
Also Uncle Jimmy poses the ethical question of owning 100 cars if most of them are parts cars and the proverbial “GTW bus” example makes it into the meeting minutes in the shop for real.

Episode 242: Stupid is as Stupid Writes Apr 19, 2023

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On this week’s episode of Grease the Wheels, Uncle Jimmy takes aim at another batch of misconceptions spread by corporate entities when it comes to the direction of the automotive industry. Unless the good folks at Area 51 have come up with some new types of fasteners that use nano-bots and electricity to hold stuff together - we’re still going to need toolboxes! Seriously, some of the ideas being peddled by this article are not even close to where the industry is going, so at least it is good for a laugh. We know this article was probably written by an AI, and if so they have very low opinions on the people who actually fix stuff. If it was written by a human and they have anything to do with the current state of the auto industry - they should be fired!

Also Uncle Jimmy talks politics briefly.

Episode 241: Warranty A-Hole Apr 13, 2023

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On this week’s episode of Grease the Wheels, Uncle Jimmy goes down the angst-inducing rabbit hole of aftermarket warranty companies and adjusters. First point of contention, just because you “used to be a mechanic” does not give you carte blanche to be an asshole - we’re not on the same team anymore because it is literally your job to not pay us. Second point of contention, do not accuse Uncle Jimmy of not performing work on a vehicle just because it is clean - this will earn you a short drop and a long gurney ride. We kid, but this is something that can eat up tons of time, and directly cost you money so we needed to napalm it thoroughly. Third, we ask the very pointed questions, “are aftermarket warranties ever NOT a shitshow?”, and “what obscure Lithuanian labor time guide did you pull THAT time from?” All of this, while having a very authentic New York reaction to having his paycheck tampered with. However, aftermarket warranty companies are one of the few unifying forces in a dealership - because no one likes them - and the enemy of my enemy is my friend.
Also Uncle Jimmy gives all of the definitions to the term, “blowing up an engine” and lays out what sounds constitute the “Danger Zone” for having to push it out of the shop.

Episode 240: 3mta3 Team Apr 05, 2023

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On this week’s episode of Grease the Wheels, Uncle Jimmy cues the John Barry and suggests that one of the best ways to fix a shop or dealership is to send in a tech undercover to find out all of its strengths and weaknesses. It’s benevolent corporate espionage with just a hint of Grease the Wheels HR methodology. In terms of finding out how a shop either works or doesn’t work, a technician with a set checklist of things to figure out could be a ruthlessly efficient way to skunk out problem personnel and procedures that are directly costing a shop money. Did we just reinvent mystery shopping?
Also Uncle Jimmy is looking for input on this plan, while Erik tries to figure out how you get “00- status”.

Episode 239: The K Plan Mar 29, 2023

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On this week’s episode of Grease the Wheels, Uncle Jimmy goes into his K Plan for onboarding new hires and setting them up for success in your repair shop. The first part of this is having a deep understanding of the flow and chemistry of the shop, because if they are going to spoil this chemistry- you might want to back off on hiring them. The goal is to reduce the massive attrition amongst new hires in the auto industry - and we think this could definitely work. The K Plan is pretty comprehensive and can take anywhere from a few months to over a year for some of the higher end requirements to get the last few hundred points. Obviously we go over how to use the shop's tools and equipment, where it goes, and how not to break it. The K Plan allows you to mold a new hire into someone that is going to be a valuable member of your team by having all of the mile markers and paths laid out for the new hire before they even walk in the door.

Also Uncle Jimmy artfully dodges getting sued by Disney in naming the mentor for the K Plan “The Guru” instead of the obvious film reference.

Episode 238: Inter-View Mar 15, 2023

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On this week’s episode of Grease the Wheels, Uncle Jimmy lays out the real first step of the “K Plan” for new guys and outlines what has to happen in the interview process. Before that even happens, the job posting has to be succinct and tell the potential hire what they need to know - especially in terms of benefits and compensation. Also, where you place these ads and the keywords you target can have a drastic effect on the quality of the applicants you get. The real goal of the interview process is to figure out if they are going to be a good fit in the shop, while also figuring out what they know and what they don’t. We go into the weeds with Indeed’s “15 Interview Questions and Answers for Hiring Auto Technicians”, and right off the bat some of these answers should get you thrown out of an interview. The questions overall are good ways to get the prospective hire to tip their hand a bit as to how they approach the job and problem solve - but figuring out things like competencies on equipment really only pertain to the equipment they have in their shop. This is also a great way to gauge a potential hires attitude towards continued learning, how they deal with conflict, and their personality overall. Not nearly enough time is paid in the interview process to either of these two things, mostly because the sky high demand and extremely low supply. In this episode, we lay out some of the highlights that hiring managers need to follow if they want to find and retain any real talent within the automotive industry. We also lay out the “technician in interview” guideline which makes the competency part of an interview a lot more concrete.

Also Uncle Jimmy gives a short review of the Hunter Revolution and provides several examples of why he should NOT be a Service Manager.

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