In this week’s heavily delayed episode of Grease the Wheels, Uncle Jimmy talks about the people who think the world revolves around them. We also do a seriously deep dive on the differences between being confident and being arrogant - turns out it's a pretty fine line dictated entirely by how you treat people! You can have tons of knowledge and use it for all the right reasons, but the minute you can’t back it up, or problems are suddenly not you daily - you’ve made the switch. Confidence isn’t a bad thing, and can go a seriously long way towards advancing your career, but when it traverses into arrogance, people are going to start rooting for you to fail! Also Uncle Jimmy wants your “Ego Check Moment” Stories!

On this week’s episode of Grease the Wheels, Uncle Jimmy takes aim at the divide that exists in many dealerships between the sales and fixed ops departments. It has been noted by several sources that while many techs could sell a car in a pinch - almost no one in your sales department could do anything if they needed to prep a car for delivery, or fix something that was going wrong with it. With the way that the internet is going they really shouldn’t act too big for their britches, but we are a long way off from AI being able to swing a hammer or torch up suspension components. We also go back into the CDK SNAFU, because it is still making lives miserable. Also Uncle Jimmy goes 3 for 5 on “reasons no one takes you seriously!”

On this week’s episode of Grease the wheels, Uncle Jimmy ventures into pseudo actual journalism talking about the recent cyber attack and ransomware woes of CDK. This one was a big one- big ransome and big outage. This has completely crippled thousands of shops and dealerships across the country being locked out of the software that they use to run the business both front and back, as the articles seemed to have forgotten about the back of the house. Being a solutions oriented person like all of you are, we knew the answer was simple: go back to analogue! Even the fact that the sales manager is chain smoking Lucky Strikes out of pure stress is right out of 1977! Handwritten Repair Orders and sales documents are back, for now at least. This is an interesting opportunity for all of the Reynolds shops as well, because this could definitely happen to any cloud based customer resource software. The business opportunities for R&R just shot through the roof too, because no one wants to be without this technology for long. We just sincerely hope that it doesn’t result in payroll errors, which cause shops all around to hear the greasing of wheels.Also Uncle Jimmy is fully prepped to work at “Kaczynski Chevrolet” and murders corporate press releases.

On this week’s episode of Grease the Wheels, we go into some easy ways to avoid a coronary - taking your vacation! Studies have proven that people who actually take their vacation tend to experience a myriad of positive effects when they are out of the office, and this is especially true when your office is a shop. Too many techs take their days off in the form of a check, and this isn’t always the best thing. Taking a day off here and a day off there is a good way to break up the monotony and avoid missing family milestones and memories. Or you can do it like Uncle Jimmy and use it all in one shot! Bottom line, if you have the time to take off - take it! If you don’t have the time to take off - grease your wheels to somewhere that understands basic human resources! Also Uncle Jimmy fixes Erik’s brakes on vacation.

On this week's episode of Grease the Wheels, we get into the “20 Most Common Automotive Scams”.  Right off the bat, “scams” is a relative term here because the author thinks we’re still using freon. Half of them are fixed with paperwork - which you should always do, and the other half can be covered easily by video. There is no doubt that the overall public image of mechanics is not good, but this level of ignorance seems to underscore the need for more intensive (often high-definition) documentation of problems with customers' vehicles. Sure, there is always the possibility of abuse when a customer doesn’t know anything about their car - but Thrust Bushings are real, we promise. This one is fun because it showcases the internal biases of people who don’t know anything about their cars, while being completely oblivious to some of the REAL scams and abuse going on. Also Uncle Jimmy chronicles his limited experience with scumbags.

On this week’s episode of Grease the Wheels, we get a little off topic with various developmental psychology articles. We’ve all heard the question, “what do you want to be when you grow up?” and we’re not sure how many people came right out and said, “mechanic!” Turns out even asking this question is actually not the best thing in the world, because it can put undue burden on developing brains that think that they have to live up to this expectation. Answering with “mechanic” might be a growing trend though, as Gen Z has started to turn the corner and get into the trades at a higher percentage than X-ers and Millennials. We’ve told them not to, but in typical fashion of a younger generation questioning an older one - they keep coming! We also delve into the concept of some people only being your friend when their stuff is broken, which is something everyone listening to this has experienced at one point or another and hit on the cyclical nature of “getting killed on the warranty at the dealership” to “making tons of money on the same job at an Indy once it’s out of warranty”. Uncle Jimmy rewrites the law of the hammer to his Snap-On guy, and talks about head injuries! Also Uncle Jimmy lives up to generational expectations and tells you exactly what’s on his mind!

On this week’s episode of Grease the Wheels, Uncle Jimmy goes full boomer and talks about some statistics involving cell phone use in the workplace. We get into just how much time we’re wasting, how we’re wasting it, and the incredible stats involving how likely we are to mess up after using our phones at work. There are some major streamlined processes in the automotive industry that have gotten incredibly advanced when it comes to workflows that directly involve the phone but Uncle Jimmy just wishes that he didn't have to keep it on his personal phone. Is the phone leading to the downfall of humanity? Maybe, but rest assured it is definitely a wiretap with a monthly payment to keep it running! Also Uncle Jimmy goes on one of the best rants about U-Haul since they “rented that mofo for $19.95!”

On this episode of Grease the Wheels, Uncle Jimmy dissects the most shortchanged part of the entire automotive industry - Human Resources! Hiring anyone who has tools and can fog a mirror is one way to fill your shop with bodies, but not paying attention to the shop chemistry can be extremely detrimental to the bottom line. When you hire the right people, the right things happen. Productivity increases, friendly competition can cause even more profit, and the shop is overall a loud but harmonious place. The inverse is also 100% true. When you hire the wrong people, work doesn’t get done, techs snipe at one another, and your customers are going to suffer. The bottom line for this episode, which really is a must-listen for service managers whose teams need some finessing, you get out what you put into the hiring process - and another opinion with some technical skills is a valuable tool in the interview.  Also Uncle Jimmy pitches the “Tech Combine” and outlines the HR Paradox: “The employees you wish would stay always leave, and the employees you wish would leave always stay (seemingly forever)”

On this week’s Grease the Wheels, Uncle Jimmy gets introspective about some of the main thesis points of the podcast in contrast with industry trends in the six years we’ve been barking into a microphone. Not a lot of podcasts age well, and some of our certainly haven't. We still don't have talking tool boxes but there are more important things at play than S4B. The pay has definitely gone up, and it has to keep going up as people get more and more trained and certified to work on the crazy stuff manufacturers are rolling out with now. We knew hydrogen powered cars were coming when we started, but we didn’t know we’d most likely be seeing them by the end of this decade. We also get into some of the personal points of the job; the toll that it takes on the people who do it day in and day out. We also get into the relatively new and welcome phenomenon of gender equality in the shop, although all of the liberal arts in the world won’t help you lift a small-block chevy. While there have been many points where we have been wrong, on a whole and on the big issues - we have been consistently ahead of the curve. We need to continue the ethos of the show and continue to look for better opportunities as we better ourselves and our craft in pursuit of the American(or wherever you’re from!) Dream. When all else fails, move to Texas! Also Uncle Jimmy talks aftermarket time guides and shouts out our favorite non-North American audiences!

On this week's episode of Grease the Wheels, Uncle Jimmy suggests dissociating from yourself  to better analyze your job performance! Sargent Peppers was a genuinely cool album, showcasing the intrinsic creativity of the Beatles, but if you think about in work terms you get things like “Customer Service Voice” The better you can analyze your performance, the better you can do your job. Sometimes when your heart just isn’t in it that day your coworkers can make it instantly better or worse. We also get into some of the bigger ideas of being a good employee and how to keep them in your building making you money - and the answer is money and recognition! Also Uncle Jimmy’s new apartment acoustics need to be figured out, and his chair gets the Keith Moon treatment.

On this week’s episode of Grease the Wheels, Uncle Jimmy talks about bad management practices. Bad management was the hallmark of the former Soviet Republics, but it also rears its ugly head often in the Automotive Industry. We get into some of the practices that make for bad management as well as relevant examples that are probably happening in your shop right now. From poor communication, to unmet or unwritten expectations - the automotive industry is often hampered by its own lack of interpersonal communication skills in the shops and dealerships that we work at. From asking for the sale, to bringing high definition video to your customers, there is a lot more money to be made in shops that are well run and can crank work through the door over shops that are mired in their own gossip and petty grievances. Bottom line, better run shops make more money, and there's nothing stopping you from going to them! Also Uncle Jimmy greases his wheels, more on that later!

On this week's episode of Grease the Wheels, Uncle Jimmy shows the flip side of the coin when it comes to customers. While all customers deserve a base level of respect and empathy, there are some situations where they are going to try to turn the tables. We also get into some genuinely useful customer service tips for the customer facing technicians, or anyone doing side work. Good customer service is a huge market differentiator and can often make long-term customers that you make a lot of money off of while solving a lot of their problems. At the end of the day the old adage of “under promise and over deliver” rings truest of all when it comes to preventing tension with the customers. We also get into the phenomenon of the customer's internal clock and just how long they can remain a waiter until they need their car back, or need to find alternative transportation. This one is weirdly useful and completely checks out on a corporate communications level, but you’ve never heard this much interactional breakdown with this much swearing! Also Uncle Jimmy’s Mom runs a scorched earth campaign on Midas for the better part of 4 decades.

On this week's episode of Grease the wheels we get to the ethos of the automotive industry - making people mobile. As the people who keep the cars running, we play an absolutely vital part of this ecosystem. We also take a look at emerging automotive trends, which is hilarious because most of the stuff they're soothsaying in the articles has been the standard for 20+ years. The automotive industry is more a slow and steady march rather than a series of massive leaps. Sure, there have been massive leap moments which have propelled the industry forward - but we are the part of the industry that figures it out on a daily basis. This is going to continue through electrification and the move to hydrogen - they’re just going to have to add more training. Also Uncle Jimmy gets sent to look for a fault that wasn’t a feature for another 8 model-years.

On this week's episode of Grease the Wheels, we talk about the much maligned doldrums of the flat rate pay system. When the shop isn’t making money - you aren’t making money. Whether it is a market adjustment to raising your door labor rate, to full blown economic meltdowns that make people put maintenance on the back burner - it is an incredibly cyclical beast. We also get into some of the various shop management theories that are floating around out there, as well as some of the end game systems that could ensure a shop's success for years to come. Love it or hate it, flat rate is the name of the game, and in some states that could be very interesting when it comes to warranty work. Tune in for this and more on this week's episode of Grease the Wheels. Also Uncle Jimmy resists the urge from naming this episode “Good Times, Bad Times”

On this week’s episode of Grease the Wheels, Jimmy hacks up a lung and explores the line where you should go into work and where you should call in. This is obviously a personal question with personal answers, but it’s important for the 90% of the audience that wouldn’t call in short of missing a limb. Also, if your employer doesn’t give you sick days, that is a pretty good sign to grease the wheels, unless there is some prior understanding to not commit acts of bio warfare on your coworkers. We also get into the myriad of other excuses to call into work, and some of our fan favorite scenarios throughout the years. We also pay homage to the greatest fake calling in sick of all time, and the model to which we aspire to on our days off of work. In the end, Uncle Jimmy makes this one work on a deeper level, because when you’re sick - it's really hard to give 100%. Also Uncle Jimmy leaves his phone at work so he can't call in.

On this week's episode of Grease the Wheels, Uncle Jimmy gets into what gets people into the automotive industry in the first place: passion. From your first car, to the first thing you fix, the seeds of passion are planted. For some of us, this culminates in a lifelong passion for certain makes and models. For others, it ends in compulsive hoarding. The best balance is a happy medium. Every make and model seemingly has its own subculture, from the Jeep Rubber Duckie thing, to the Subaru Merit Badges. These serve as small, but oftentimes meaningful connections for complete strangers who’s only commonality might be what they drive. In this sense, it serves to think that the cars we drive are oftentimes reflections of self that also get us from Point A to B. Also Uncle Jimmy talks about the future's markets on classic cars and the E30 tax.

On this week's episode of Grease the Wheels, we talk about complaining. There are right ways to complain and wrong ways to complain, and we go into both as well as some of the resolutions that get the best results. We also get into the gamesmanship and merits of taking intershop complaints directly to the person you are having them with instead of involving management. We also talk about productive complaints, malicious complaints, and chronic complaints and who in your shop fits each of these monikers. At the end of the day, the way you phrase your complaints and follow them up with solutions is the most important factor to getting them resolved. If the system that you are working in is something that doesn’t respond well to change, it might be time to get out of it and make more money elsewhere! Also Uncle Jimmy gets into mutually assured boombox destruction and Erik remembers to hit "save", unlike last week.

On this week’s episode of Grease the Wheels, Uncle Jimmy explores the explosion of mobile mechanics in the city of Austin. There are a lot of different ways to fix cars, and getting the job done on the side of the road has really never stopped any of us before but actually making a living with it can be tough. There are big parts of the country where it would be a major undertaking with the elements making life incredibly difficult. We also get into the idea of subletting out jobs that you don't have the right equipment for, getting financing, and a hybrid model with smaller shops that operate by appointment only, with a mobile unit for when the shop bookings are lower. We also get into the “Great Filter” of hydrogen cars, and the way that the industry is going to respond to a third major player in the automobile propulsion game. As Dylan put it, “oh the times, they are a changin’”, but that is a good thing for everyone with the skills to get the job done in the face of a whole rash of people not knowing anything about the technology. If going mobile on your own is something that you are interested in, reach out to us - we’re working on a pretty cool project to help get you up and running with the internet support you need to get jobs and start making money. Also Uncle Jimmy pulls a Service Advisor move and breaks into looking at memes in the middle of the episode and ends it how Mission Impossible usually starts.

On this week's episode of Grease the Wheels, we get into the nitty gritty when it comes to test driving customers' vehicles. Any manager who says that you should blindly test drive a vehicle before putting it up on a lift to see if it is structurally sound should listen to this episode. The aforementioned pitch can be a seriously bad idea, especially if that vehicle has serious problems. We have all seen the “just rolled into the shop” posts where a vehicle shouldn’t have even made it into the shop, and we get into some of the dangers that driving a vehicle like that can pose to both the technician and the general public.  We also get into some of the most dangerous cities in America to drive, but for most of them they really have no excuses compared to some of the other parts of the country that go through all four seasons in one afternoon. We also get a bit scientific with the idea that most people are too oblivious to know that they are bad at driving, as well as what happens with your brain when you get into an unpleasant smelling customer car. Also Uncle Jimmy classes-up “truck nuts” and recreates classic Dukes of Hazzard stunts with his mom’s Vega.

On this week’s episode of Grease the Wheels, we get into the transient nature of the automotive industry, just how bad the technician shortage has gotten, and the insane attrition rate of your new guys. In 2020 the reported technician shortage was around 178,000, now extrapolated out to 2025, which is right around the corner, they are projecting almost 800,000 want ads going unfilled in shops across the country. We get into why that is, but more importantly we get into some of the nitty gritty on what the articles aren’t talking about. Automotive journalists have routinely downplayed the money in their conversations about why so many jobs are going unfilled, and one that is completely ignored is the physical attrition rate of technicians. How many technicians physically can’t do the job anymore because of injuries sustained while working on cars? We have no idea, they don’t really want to ask that question. Finally, we do a detailed analysis of the guys in your shop, where they are going, and what is most likely to happen over a 5 year time frame. Also Uncle Jimmy quotes numbers from the government that are actually pretty believable!