Quickest You've Seen A Tech Quit/Get Fired? (CV, auto, fuel)

[jimmy12345678]

A couple years ago at my old dealership they hired a guy named Steven. He was around 25 and was a recent graduate from UTI, he also drove a late 90's Dodge Neon with a big fart can on it and generally acted like a know it all douchebag. I didn't care for his attitude, so I tried my best to stay away from him whenever possible, though I would help him out if he asked. He was almost always on his phone or outside smoking a cigarette, or both, or when he wasn't he was going for an hour long test drive (Seriously, one day I swear he was gone at least 1 1/2 hours).

He couldn't fix a sandwich let alone a car, and nearly everything he touched came back with either the same problem, or some new problem that he created do to his stupidity. He would go all gung ho and make a simple problem into a complex nightmare, hooking up all kinds of diagnostic equipment and sitting in the bay revving the engine, sometimes for hours at a time. If a car had a front end noise, he would call both inner and outer tie rods, upper and lower ball joints, struts/shocks, CV axles, basically everything on the front end. The parts guys started calling him the "kitchen sink", because every time he would bring them an RO he would have 30 parts listed on it, asking for everything but "the kitchen sink."

If he couldn’t figure it out on his own (and he rarely could), then he would go around to all the techs and ask them if they had seen the problem before and what it could be. I remember one time he had this lifted Ram 2500 (the lift kit was installed by him) that was making a clunking noise when turning to the left. He had that truck all day, took it on over 10 test drives, and had it up on the rack multiple times, perplexed as to what the problem was. I had just clocked out and was leaving when I saw him out back and he stopped me and asked me to look while he turned the wheel back and forth. Turns out, he had installed one of the bolts in the steering stabilizer upside down and it was rubbing on the toe bar. It took me literally 30 seconds to find a problem he couldn’t find in a day.


At the dealership I worked at, no techs ever got fired. I had spoken to a couple of the guys that had been there over 15 years and both told me that they never fired a tech, no matter how bad they screwed up or didn’t come to work or anything like that, they all had quit on their own. So Steven was in no danger of losing his job, despite the fact that he wasn’t well liked by anyone in service (I could stand to talk to him sometimes, but most times I just found him annoying). When he either had nothing to do or couldn’t figure out what was wrong with the car he was working on, he would browse facebook, google and porn blogs, and took a cigarette break every hour or so.


He was hourly for the first 3 months or so, then management pushed him to flat rate and I know he didn’t make any money when he was flat rate. Service writers didn’t like giving him work, because it always took forever and would likely come back, and he was given to screw around anyways, so after about 9 months of flat rate and a 25 hour paycheck for two weeks, he put in his two week notice. This was on a Wednesday, and they gave him a couple cars Thursday and Friday. But come Monday he didn’t have anything, so he went to the manager (who was an ass) and asked if he had anything for him to do. He said “No, I don’t think we’re going to need you here any longer”, so he called someone with a truck, loaded up his toolbox and that was the last I saw of him. He needed to go, though.


Fellow techs, what's the quickest you've seen a tech quit or get fired? By the same token, have you ever seen a tech stick around for way longer than they should've?

[Electrician4you]

While not a car tech

Three days.
Day 1
Guy shows up to a job site at 1:30. We leave at 2. He was supposed to be there at 8 am. I’ll say no count on this day. But let’s give him one day.
Day2
Came back the next day. Worked (if you wanna call it work) that day.
Day 3
Called in sick next day. Gave me the my baby momma excuse. Ok whatever
Day4
No show next day
Day 5
Shows up at 12:30 with some crazy excuse. Then he wants me to “forget that he was here and not to turn in his time sheet” wtf? Ok let’s see where it goes. So do I dare? Yes I do. I ash why not?

Seems that wonder worker was on unemployment and taking the job would stop his unemployment bennies. So he wanted me to lie. I told him no way dude. You worked you get paid. He tells me he’s gonna say he was fired. Have at it

[mgforshort]

In 1978 I was hired in San D. , CA, at an independent garage called the "A to Z" Auto Clinic. Like in "Austin to Zundapp".
They had nine "techs" and four lifts. No service writers. The system was that when a guy didn't have a job, he would sit by the phone. We were taking turns answering the phone.
Call comes in, "how much is to replace a clutch in my 1971 Ford Capri?"
Mechanic: "Please leave your number and I'll call you back within ten minutes."
Mechanic calls the Ford dealer, gets a price for parts and labor, calls back the customer, tells him the same price with a $ 150 discount thrown in for good measure.

They had a going ad in the Pennysaver for an oil change way below the normal rate. The owner trained me how to do it. I'm not making this up.
First, check the oil and if it is clean but low, add a quart or two. Then spray the oil filter with brake cleaner and wipe it until it looks fresh. Once it's all done, call the customer and advise him that we recommend an alignment, tune-up (remember those?) radiator flush, transmission service, new brakes, differential service. Doesn't matter what, just be creative. We were strictly on commission if you need to ask.

I had to install a previously blown engine in a Ford. The engine was overhauled by our own "top tech", all I had to do is drop it in and hook up the belts and hoses.
The engine didn't start. Instead of going through simple troubleshooting, like spark? fuel pressure? distributor timing? compression? valve timing? the "top tech" hooked up that poor Ford to a huge marine battery and cranked the living daylight out of it until the starter went up in smoke.
This was on Friday, my last day, and I still don't know what happened after I left. I was hired Monday and quit Friday, the same week.
We got paid Friday night, by the owner, we were in the office, he added up our flag sheets and paid right there everyone, with cash.

We had nine "techs". When I started, Monday morning, I was the "newbie", the last dude to sit by the phone and wait for a call. When I quit, Friday after getting paid, I became the number four "tech" in seniority because five guys got fired or quit before me.
I forget to mention, they had an ad going in the Pennysaver, "Mechanics wanted, high volume shop needs mechanics, some tools and experience required."
I came here from a Ferrari Repair Center where we could eat from the floor. I kind of knew I will leave the "A to Z" by lunchtime the very first day, but I wanted to stay for a week just for the entertainment experience. To the day I still remember all the details, it was the most shocking and revolting job I ever had, short of applying to the mafia as a hit man.

Truth to be told, I didn't quit - it's too much trouble - just lifted my smallish toolbox in the trunk of my 72 Toronado and drove out. By Tuesday noon I had a job at Kearny Mesa Toyota, which I kept for nine months, then came 22 years at Honda-Acura; mostly new car dealers, some independents.

[rbohm]

i hired on to a dealership in nogales, az in 1979 after i graduated college. it was a bit of a nightmare at the time because the service manager who normally trained all the new mechanics was out for two weeks, so one of the dealers minor owners who oversaw the shop and parts department was the one that was going to train me. at that point in time, i actually knew more than he did, but since he was my "boss", i had to follow his orders. and granted i made some mistakes on my own as well.

some of the things he had me do was rebuild a power steering pump, instead of just replacing it. i spent probably five hours on that damned pump trying get it to work.

i decided to resign after a week and gave a weeks notice. on my last day there, the service manager came back and gave me some training, and taught me a lot in that one day with him. i almost changed my mind, but given his boss, i couldnt work there after dealing with him directly for nearly two weeks. i eventually found work on a race car and began my climb to crew chief on that car, while moving to other jobs for my lively hood.

[ryanek9freak]

I got one for you: I used to work at a place that refurbishes Fire trucks to like new condition. Rather involved job that entails completely dissasembling to the bare frame and rebuilding.

We hired a guy who had come from an Audi dealership, and he showed up the day before his start date to unload a MASSIVE Snap On tool box, I’m talking triple bay with both cabinets, top lockers the whole 9 yards. Requires a flat bed tow truck to move it. Came in on his first day, spent nearly all day putting his box together and reorganizing his tools.

Came in the next day, decided it “wasn’t for him” and quit before lunch. Called the tow truck and had his box shipped back out.

I think he saw just how much work he was in for and wet his little girl panties.

[mgforshort]

This has nothing to do with cars, but my favorite regardless.
My first job in the USA was dishwasher in a super busy restaurant in Sarasota FL.
We had a young kid hired on a Friday. He started around 3 PM.
By 4:30 the dining rooms became quite busy and the dishes rolled in. For someone who had never seen the other side of a restaurant the scene can be worse than chaotic. The kid told me he'll take out the trash.
We never saw him again.

[Army_Guy]

I don't have any stories to add but just wanted to say I've enjoyed reading this so far. Fascinating stories from you guys. Also fascinating seeing where people have lived. Had no idea where Nogales is until today. Been to Phoenix, Tucson and Yuma.

[burdell]

As told to me by a dealer tech I dealt with when I worked in a machine shop. Seems they hired a young kid who'd gone to some mechanic's school. First day he shows up with his father who helps him roll in his shiny new Snap-On cabinet and get set up. His first assignment was to rebuild a carburetor, he proceeds to remove it from the engine and drop it fully assembled into the bucket of carburetor cleaner. Dad returned to pick up the cabinet/tools before the end of the day.