Grease The Wheels Podcast

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Episode 236: No Parts For You! Mar 08, 2023

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On this week’s episode of Grease the Wheels, Uncle Jimmy talks about something that is kneecapping just about the entire economy right now: the lack of replacement parts for stuff that we have to fix! For some systems in cars this was a problem before the pandemic, but since it has spiraled out of control and has increasingly come under the microscope as the transition to EV’s has been hampered by production and quality control issues. That is nothing to talk of the massively underpaid and apathetic individuals who operate the nation's fading auto parts stores as e-commerce continues to dictate the terms and conditions. We go into some of the reviews on the remaining auto parts stores from a negative light, and share some excellent stories spanning Uncle Jimmy’s often hilarious career in the auto parts side of the business before joining the dark side and picking up the tools professionally.

Also Uncle Jimmy fires back against the parts cannon.

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 237: New Guy Setup Mar 08, 2023

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On this week’s episode of Grease the Wheels, we Tarantino it. Uncle Jimmy begins to formulate the answer for how to lower the “Verdun-esq” attrition rates among new hires. To do this, he’s going to need more time, but in the meantime we take a look at how corporate minds plan on dealing with the solution. The problem is that they are taking the position of the shop when in order to solve this problem you need to solve it from the perspective of the new hire themselves and address the root causes of this high attrition. We also have to continue to work on the overall occupational PR that we (don’t) enjoy as mechanics to continue to recruit new talent. The one thing that we will give these articles is that they do address that pay is one of the main barriers to entry in this field, and that tool expenses are out of control and can set new technicians up for failure.

Also Uncle Jimmy muddies the waters on the “technician” versus “mechanic debate” again, and slams EV’s.

Episode 235: Cranky ‘Sumbitch Mar 01, 2023

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On this week’s episode of Grease the Wheels, Uncle Jimmy examines ways to be less cranky. Getting enough sleep, avoiding being hangry, and regulating your caffeine intake are all tried and true mood stabilization methods. We also talk about the echo-chamber-inducing smartphone and how that can be an enormous cause of anxiety in people’s lives - the weird part though is just how self-inflicted it is. Anxiety in the workplace is a recurring trope here on GTW, and with cars getting even more complicated Uncle Jimmy writes a two sentence horror story: “Was out for 3 months. Came back to a new model of 7 series with an IMax Screen in the back, the IMax didn't work.” We also do some pseudo automotive journalism by ask the hard hitting automotive journalist questions of , “what happens when an irritable mindset IS your normal self?” and “what is your favorite piece of sports equipment to play with when a customer leaves it in their car?”

Also Uncle Jimmy gives his insight on percussive therapy: beating the tool or object that is the cause of your frustration until it is no longer frustrating you.

Episode 234: FNG’s Feb 22, 2023

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On this week’s episode of Grease the Wheels, Uncle Jimmy returns from his medical leave to a lot of new faces - who have never been in the business before. So this being a podcast for the auto industry, we look at how to set these new guys up for success because no one else has thought to do that - as seen in the atrocious 2 year attrition numbers for new mechanic hires. The first real goal is to have them have tangible touchstones where you can sort them out. If they are struggling to understand how to do an oil change and tire rotation, you’re not going to be giving them a job that is going to have them changing connecting rod bearings. The amount that technical schools teach you is directly proportional to how much effort the student in question put in, and for getting a rudimentary understanding of how cars work they are a solid option. However, this pales in comparison to the amount of constant on the job training that auto mechanics just do by learning new systems and new vehicles as they make new systems that break. This, in combination with the coming EV tsunami, gives employers even more reason to set their techs up for continued learning and future success with regular raises based on skill level.
Also Uncle Jimmy examines the extremely sharp double edged sword of training people and counting their hours as your own.

Episode 233: Love Feb 15, 2023

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On this week’s episode of Grease the Wheels, Uncle Jimmy dives into the things that we love about cars. To be clear, you don’t have to love cars to be a mechanic, but it definitely helps when the job is hard. From some of the noises they make to the memories made in them, cars have been an integral part of the human experience for the last 100 years. Cars occupy every space of the sensory field- from how they touch and feel to how they interact with the road or off road environments. We also talk about how time affects the way cars smell - what creates the patented “old GM smell” and “old BMW smell”. We also go over some of the high points of the auditory experience when it comes to cars - from wide open 4-barrels to screaming Ferrari V12’s. One of the other things we love about cars is junkyards - the combination of never knowing exactly what you’re going to find with the premise of cheap parts for what you need is like combining Costco with Raiders of the Lost Ark. We go over some of people’s favorite things to do in cars, as well as some of the preferred makes, models, and body types.
Also Uncle Jimmy shares his thoughts on automotive oddballs and butchers “Homologation” and amazingly never mentions a single European example.

Episode 232: Diagnosis Boondoggle Feb 08, 2023

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On this week’s episode of Grease the Wheels, we lighten the mood by talking about what the internet thinks is wrong with their cars and how they are going to diagnose them. This article from Family Handy Man is very erroneously titled “15 Car Problems that You Can Diagnose (and Fix!) Yourself”. We go over the difference between the “low Oil Pressure” Light and the oil change interval light - because apparently this article thinks they are the same thing and makes the bold assumption that every car on the planet takes 4 quarts of oil. We also dispel some serious internet myth about the check engine light, because the only reason it knows your car is misfiring is because it's making too much pollution. We also get wade into the sublime, as this article pitches everything from folk magic, to “the shoe trick” , to breaking the laws of thermodynamics to get your dead car to start. Because of this, Uncle Jimmy sets off on his own path defining the various problems in a repair shop environment, and giving you some level of diagnosis trouble tree of each.

Also Uncle Jimmy goes full Obi-Wan on how to make a trouble tree and expands the term “car problems” to be more inclusive of people who can fix them, but mostly keep buying them and storing them on their property.

Episode 231: Diesel Love Feb 01, 2023

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On this week’s episode of Grease the Wheels, we get into the heavy side of our listener demographic. This is clearly not a job for everyone, especially considering that some of the lug nuts you guys take off weigh several pounds. Uncle Jimmy has some diesel training in the brand that he works for, but typically they don’t weigh 15,000 lbs or require frame in rebuilds. Becoming a diesel tech can be an incredibly lucrative career choice, and if you’re a night owl you will find a surprising amount of opportunity! However, this article completely drops the ball on some of the key issues by a sheer lack of any understanding. The author seems to think that getting dirty is a con, folks, you’re going to det dirty as a diesel mechanic - if you think you’re not going to, you’re delusional! Despite the shoddy nature of this article, the demand for diesel technicians is going to be one of those things that continues long into the future just because of the sheer number of jobs that diesel engines do. Our hats are off everyone that turns a wrench on diesels, because those are the machines that are keeping the world moving.

Also Uncle Jimmy goes to DEFCON 2 on Journalists.

Episode 230: Are You Mental? Jan 25, 2023

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On this week’s episode of Grease the Wheels, we talk about some of the sobering mental health aspects of the job. Seriously, a lot of us commit suicide, which is not the first thought you have when you think of technician mortality (insert Rolls Royce video here, we’re not going there). Because of Uncle Jimmy’s staunch “you’re not allowed to die before me” rule, if you are having these thoughts, please reach out! This article is interesting because it gets right to the heart of the issue - a lack of financial stability has a direct correlation with a lack of mental stability. They get it, and one of the easy ways to find a lot of fulfillment is to go out and do this on your own. We also heap tons of praise on all of the various subgenres of listeners we have who use wrenches to fix what is broken out there in the world. A lack of appreciation, and oftentimes outright hostility from the general public towards what we do for a living is a part of this equation as well. Cheery stuff, so Jimmy goes on a few good rants just to lighten the mood.

Also Uncle Jimmy flunks math.

Episode 229: Opportunity Knocks Jan 18, 2023

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On this week’s Episode of Grease the Wheels, Uncle Jimmy does some old school comparing and contrasting between government figures and figures compiled by some of the brightest people in the industry over at WrenchWay. The government thinks that there is going to be little to no change in the need for auto technicians in the next 10 odd years, but we know as well as the folks over at WrenchWay - that is complete B.S. This week we dive into, “The Technician Shortage - Why it Exists and What Needs to Change” which is a rock solid article that comes out to needing 642k techs by 2024. Even though it is the end of January, there is still plenty of time to get your goals in order and have something to aim for in the remainder of 2023.

Also Uncle Jimmy coins the amazing catchphrase, “taking the WTF out of the situation, by fixing it”

Episode 228: Sell Me Service Jan 11, 2023

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In this week’s episode of Grease the Wheels, Uncle Jimmy puts service advisors in his sights with some basic communications sciences. The Service Advisors who are able to effortlessly convey their commitment to solving their customers problems, pre-sell work down the line, and set themselves up for major financial success are very rare. So rare, that when you get a good one you really have to take notes. So we have! The biggest thing here is to always be asking for the sale, if you at least do that we can’t fault you. But if you’re auto-declining work and not even attempting to do the job you are going to be on an expedited path out the door. The customer service arm of your shops is the most responsible for big operational forward facing sentiment about your company, and bad service advisors can ruin it in a hurry.

Also Uncle Jimmy gives more tips for Video MPI’s and why they are probably going to be a bigger thing in the future.

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