If you don't feel like reading a novel, you might wanna turn away. It's long. I mean it 🤣
tldr: Service Management has no clue what we do, punishes me for things that aren't in my control, and expects 8 hour jobs to be halfway done in 2 hours. Not entirely sure how to handle management that's disrespectful and arrogantly ignorant.
I'm sorry, but isn't the point of having an LLC to be that no one takes personal liability for things when it comes to business situations??? Wouldn't the proper kit for repairing something have been a tax write-off/business expense? and isnt it supposed to be that the CEO's LLC takes the risk of doing business as a mechanic shop??? Idk where the legalities of this mess lie, but any time something happens, im told I'm going to pay for it, even if it's something out of my control, and that's getting on my last nerve… [I work for a big name dealership as a service technician]
Like a vehicle I worked on recently. 2005 Mustang. Complaint of no horn.
Ran the same tests I usually run. Verified that it didn't work [no operation from the switch], connected a scan tool, navigated to GEM Output State Controls, removed the front grille, disconnected the horn [that was physically damaged/disconnected at the connector on the horn case], probed power and chassis ground, set OSC for the horn to ON, verified 12V power, OSC OFF, Key Off, probed ground on the connector and ground on the chassis set for Ohms, got a 0.001 Ohm Reading from chassis ground to connector ground. With a damaged horn assembly, one would infer the horn is the problem correct?
Replaced the horn. Had the scanner still connected, so key on, output state ON, horn blows nice and loud! woo! disconnect scanner… Verify if horn works from switch now, and wouldn't you know it, my luck says… nah.
No horn from the switch. So, I take a quick peek into the diagrams and deduce what needs to be inspected, no tsbs or anything else out there about it, so I wrote “Need to inspect horn circuits/components further. Horn operates using OSC, does not using steering wheel switch. Requesting more time for diagnostics to find the root of the problem” and turned in the RO for approval.
I get it back, and it's just written with “NO” circled right next to it. SO…. I take a deep breath and just say Fine. I'll check these other parts, quick, and let em know whats up from there. So, I set my meter to Ohms again, pull the BCM off the RH floor wall, disconnect the related connector, probe the horn switch circuit and chassis ground, press the horn switch, nada. No continuity to ground. So, next thing to verify would be to check that horn switch wire from behind the airbag to the wire probed at the BCM right? Which requires removing the airbag, inspecting the components there, and then testing continuity of the ground signal wire from the switch to bcm. so again, I request more time. [Requested a 0.5hr time specifically because I didn't want to charge the customer too much]
I turn it in and go about my other projects for the day. 5pm rolls around, and SM comes out with that ticket in hand, and says “We can't pull any time on this. It's a misdiag. Find the problem and fix it” like dude… what??? I explain it's not a misdiag. How in the world could I have known that the switch didn't work if the horn itself was broken from the start? and without help, [everyone was elbow deep in something else. we're a 4 tech shop, which includes me in that head count] I can't press the steering wheel and be at the front of the engine at the same time. He argues back to say “Well, if you had followed all the right procedures this wouldn't be a problem. So you just need to fix it, and get it out of my shop” I respond saying “I followed procedures to the best of my ability, but when you see an obviously BROKEN horn, damaged by what looks like some collision damage, then you replace the horn! how am I to know working alone that without a good horn, the switch didnt work? you only pay us an hour of diag, then complain when it takes an hour, so I'm pressured to be quick with diagnostics, so that's what I did”
he responds “Well, you're not getting flagged another minute on this. You should've asked for help and didn't. You need to fix it. It was misdiagnosed, and we can't pay you for that”.
I rebutt with “I'll gladly fix it if you pay me to. I can't go pulling airbags or doing anything for that matter for free”
SM: “So you're telling me you refuse to fix it?”
Me: “No, I said I will if you pay me to.”
SM: “so you refuse to fix it? we call that 'insubordination' and you'll have your third write-up. That means suspension. So you gonna fix it now?”
[[I got wrote up for tardiness 2 times, surrounding some personal issues that came up out of my control. Which was spoken about prior to him starting there, and I got the old SM on the same page with me, and have not been late since then. that was 3 months ago, now, just to preface that]]
Me: “Oh, so now we blackmail technicians into fixing s*** for free? Pay me what it's worth and I'll get it done. I'm not playing this game with you”
SM: “I'm just gonna go make a phone call to [operations manager]. Let's see what he has to say. You're GONNA fix it. and I'm NOT gonna add any more time to it because you don't know how to diagnose a f***** horn.
me: “You can tell him to give me a call then too. neither of you are mechanics or technicians, meaning you don't know anything about what we do out here, and it shows clearly. Nor do you give a d*** about your subordinates if you're willing to take money out of both our pockets just to prove the ego driven point that you can't be wrong”
more things are said in smaller detail, that are petty remarks thrown at me by him, with me just repeating “Just go make your call and stop talking to me. I'm done arguing with you.” over and over again until he decides to take his ego and walk back into the office.
I'm never sure how to handle these situations when they come up. and small things like this happen more than 2-3 times a week, over petty shi*. Another one earlier last week, I had a 2020 f-150 for a torque converter R&R. 2 hours into this job [Time calls 7.8hr], he leans on the tire of it while I'm working underneath it on the lift, and says “Where are you at right now?”
me: “got a couple more parts to move before I start taking the bolts out to pull the trans, why what's up?”
SM: “Seriously? This Transmission should've been out by now.”
Me: “*scoffs* Believe whatever you wanna believe then”
SM: “No, I know enough about what you do. I know enough to say this shouldn't still be up there”
Me: “Dude, this is almost an 8 hour job, and you expect me to have the transmission out in 2?”
SM: “Well, you started it yesterday afternoon, so yeah. I do”
Me: “I didn't pull it in until 5pm. I had a 30 minute head start on it, after I just got done with a torque converter on that transit connect.” [10 hour repair]
SM: “no, you spent an hour cleaning up all the sh** out here before you pulled it in. maybe if you managed your time better, you would be where you need to be”
Me: “Ok, let me go to your desk, move all your pens around, shift your desktop icons all in different folders and locations on the screen, put your notepad in the RO folders, throw your sticky notes on the floor, and move your stool outside. how well could you get your job done, then?” [mind you, my work area had been accumulating a mess from back to back repairs for nearly 2 weeks. I HAD to reset. I was having a hard time locating my more important tools. It didn't even take an hour, honestly.]
SM: “I don't even know why you're focusing on this truck right now anyway with that C-Max for the HCU still sitting here untouched.”
Me: “I asked you last night which one we needed to push out first, and was told the f-150. It isn't my problem that you failed to prioritize. I just fix em. You tell me what to fix and when it needs to be done. That's the dynamic here, so don't make your mistake my problem.”
etc…
It just goes on and on. this guy hasn't even ran this shop for a month yet. we've butted heads like this probably about a solid 5 different times now. One of which, he called my work “Shade tree Mechanic, DIY Level, Half Ass BS” because while trying to use the shop press to replace a wheel bearing, idk what happened, but something in it's frame popped and bent the press where it would come down at an angle. sent the dies I was using to press the bearing flying across the shop. I went out to good ole HF, spent ~140 bucks on a bearing removal tool kit that uses a forcing screw, washers, cups and bushings to press a bearing out. I misread the instructions because of how vague they were on installation of a hub, and made a mistake which cost us a bearing. Honest mistake with that one, and owned up to it the minute it happened, claiming we need a new bearing to go into the spindle. he walks off, comes back, says we can get one but that I have to pay for it.
I disagreed, asking why, since the only reason that this situation is even happening is because the faulty equipment in the shop, and I'd already spent almost 150 of my own money on a tool to try and get the job done, but made a mistake in the process that was not grossly negligent, nor was it malicious. [this is like the 4th piece of shop-provided equipment that has had a failure in the last 5 months, since everything is so old and worn out, missing pieces, and they refuse to replace or restock anything… ]
He responded with “You're paying for it. Sorry.” and I simply said “You take any more money out of my pocket and you lose a technician today.”
SM: “The SMT Said that the press was fine. I don't understand why you didn't just continue trying to use it”
Me: “It sent a die flying across the shop. You think im willing to risk personal injury, injury of one of the other guys or damage to a client's vehicle? I'm not willing to take that risk. and the SMT didn't use the press now did he? I did. Not to mention it's a violation to continue using damaged or broken equipment. So fix it then i'll use it. otherwise, we stick with this tool I spent MY money on for YOUR work”.
SM: “He said it was fine. You're paying for it. Maybe if your work didn't come out looking like halfassed, shadetree, DIY BS then I wouldn't be making you pay for it”
Me: “Again, you take money from me and I swear on everything you'll lose me, today.”
etc..
Again, more petty insults are thrown at me, while I tell him that the further the conversation goes, the worst things will be and the further we'll get from a solution etc… He walks away continuing to insult, trying to get the last word, every single time, while i'm literally just trying to shut down the conversation so it doesn't become a full fledged fight. That one had already gotten loud enough to get the rest of the shop's attention, thanks to him raising his voice at me when I first disagreed with him.
Idk… I'm not quite sure how to handle a supervisor who, despite knowing that the technicians that are hired on to work there are hired for the purpose of being the PROFESSIONALS who have the technical knowledge and skills to complete the diagnostics and repairs that they sell on a daily basis, continually tell you you're wrong, that your diagnostics are wrong, that the way you're going about the repairs is wrong, and the time it takes to do something is wrong etc… How do you handle someone who refuses to listen to the counsel of the hired professionals who do this sh** on a daily basis, but instead, respond to any answer given to his questions with “I'm not a mechanic, but… I know enough to know….”??? Not to mention the disrespect and blackmailing of write-ups to do work for free, regardless of the fact that the issue was underlying and hard to detect in the first place? it's as if… *Gasp* I MIGHT know what i'm talking about, but since it leads to an outcome he doesnt want, it HAS to be false??