Talking bad about anyone is classless. People would try to get me to trash a dealer ... I never would. Stories get embellished to where the truth is meaningless. What about ___? I've met the owner guy, seems nice enough to me. And that was the truth I knew. Did I perform the service? Do I even know which vehicle it was? Nope. Everyone makes mistakes. I own mine, do my best to get it right, and move on. Reputation isn't from not making mistakes, it's from how they're handled.
@@Mishn0 even if you're the only game in town. I've seen businesses started because only game in town was rude to a guy. So that guy figured it out. Everyone else noticed and started paying that guy to do it.
@@WatchWesWork accept my Brother in law. He's always right. Just ask him he'll gladly tell you. Great advice BTW. There are problem solvers and there are finger pointers.
I let the smoke out of a motorcycle wiring harness that way once. Tried to jump it on the outside of the main fuse, backwards polarity. Oops. Fully faired bike (Honda Pacific Coast). It took quite a bit of work to snake that harness out to fix the burned wire and check to see if there were any more!
A little late here but as an old retired electrician I was struck by two things in this video. You’re very quick and correct analysis of the problem and you’re statement at the close of the video about diplomacy. I was called out on hundreds of service calls in my job and many times it was obvious that the problem was something done by uncle Harry or cousin buddy. And many times we were just minutes away from disaster. I learned to keep my mouth shut cause the culprit was probably standing next to you or was a beloved friend or family member. You’ve got to get it fixed. The last thing you want is some outraged handyman you’ve insulted stomping around
I work in IT and one of my first questions to the customer is "what changed or was touched recently". That gives me a good starting point. I've learned a lot from you, thanks for the videos.
Still a good practice, but these days in IT a lot of problems boil down to "there was an update to [insert program name here] and now [insert other program name] doesn't work". The amount of things that go wrong and need to be fixed thanks to automatic software updates is ridiculous
If that thing was any of the newer machines with all the electronics and plastic over everything, it would have burned straight to the ground. Wise words in the end. Great job Wes!
That last little bit about professionalism is absolutely true. Learned that the hard way when I first started working in automotive garages. Now if only customers can start showing respect and courtesy, then we'll be getting somewhere.
Well the problem can be that people have no concept that machines fail and of course they do not fail at their convenience. And if they are having a continuing problem that nobody seems to be able to fix that is a problem. When people get angry their sense of right and wrong and common decency flies out the window and we say things that we really regret. This is of course on both sides. My philosophy is the customer has rights, and the business has rights and there should be respect for both.
And the key words here is not "everybody makes mistakes" but "I made a mistake" or in this case the customer owned up to his mistake and it makes it a lot easier to console him. Wish him a nice day and move on. Most of the time the customer is more than happy to pay for the service call.
When I get into a situation where the previous mechanic made a mistake and I cant avoid telling the customer about it, I just let them know that the reason I knew what to look for is that I did the same thing once. When one of us older guys walks up to a problem that had you stumped and they immediately recognize a mistake you made...its because they made the same mistake.
7:46 GREAT! Advice at the end. I am a tradesman and it blows my mind how many of my fellow tradesmen feel the need to be so critical of those who worked on it ahead of them. It serves no purpose.
Still have not quite worked out yet why I find these videos so fascinating (I have nothing to do with big Diesel engines) but I am always glued to the screen. Wes certainly is a wizard.
Pushing 50 yrs experience, with Automotive Education, and I can still miss something. Still learning and getting better. Thanks for the editorial. Good advice Wes. Back when i was in Mechanics class we didn't have smart phones, but now that we do it is a good idea to take pictures before disassembly.
Nice work man. I agree completely with you about when you find something done wrong just keep it to yourself and get the job done everybody goes home happy, and they will call you back for another job sometime.
your final words have made me think about how I go off when I see work done badly and get pissed about it, how going off about it can cause problems for me and others, I shall remember that advice forever, cheers.
Nice speech about not crapping on the customer at the end there. Lots of people try to fix things, and lack the tools or knowledge in the end, so surrender and bring it to the professional. Or they just overlooked the obvious and lack that second pair of eyes at home. They want to learn and should be encouraged. A more practical population is a happier population. Subscribed because of your positive attitude. 👍
I have never seen that. Had many weird things happen. One machine we have blew up alternators until I traced the positive wire with a rotten spot from road spray. Good advice, never trash who hired you. Take care Wes
Love the professional courtesy advice - fully agree. What was refreshing here was the honesty on both sides. Customer could have saved himself some labour hours by telling you what had been done recently.
Great advice to be sure. I worked in a field where I checked the work of other people amd instead of berating them and making them feel about 2" tall, I would spend whatever time it took to show them the mistakes and walk them through how to correct them and avoid them in the future and people are far more appreciative of that then being humiliated. I always learn something new with your videos and even though I am not a mechanic, it's helped me know more about my car and how to discuss problems with my shop folks, so you're doing an incredible service to everyone by sharing your knowledge and skills with all of us.
The RUclips algorithm must be favouring this one at the moment… I’ve been watching your videos for a few years but I hadn’t seen this one. This is gold! You are so right - the moment you badmouth a previous worker on a job, you dig yourself a hole. Been there, learnt from that! You’ve gotten much more professional in your videos since this one, I’m sure you agree - the content has always been great (hence the number of subscribers) but the execution has lifted a mile. Thank you for caring enough to do this, because I know sometimes it’s a labour of love.
Be Professional. Best advice, ever. I"ve worked in the pool and spa industry for the last 15 years, and have trained many service technicians. "Keep your mouth shut!" is often the hardest thing for them to learn; until that awkward moment when...
To your point about keeping your trap shut about finding mistakes in jobs, something I've always held to be true is that the only thing more annoying than incompetence is super-competence. No one likes someone who is way better at their job than they are. It's the opposite end of the Peter Principle spectrum. Love watching you work Wes, I hope you keep at making these videos! The best part is I get to watch and I don't get yelled at for holding the flashlight wrong
You'll go far in business, I have the same attitude in my business dealings as you. Never tell your customer he is an idiot, after all he is paying you. You can think to yourself but never tell the customer. I have been in business for myself 50 years, and it has worked well for me.
Another great video! Excellent and quick diagnosis of a serious problem. Tip on professionalism is 150% on point and excellent advice. Guy was probably delighted you didn't soak him for a lot more money - as many would. Men like you make the world a better place.
Most people who have worked on a vehicle and screwed something up and then drop it in your lap are embarrassed with not knowing what they did wrong. You are right, rubbing it in won't generate a repeat customer. I've had friends stop by and say something like "can you look at my back brakes? I changed the shoes, and now the rears won't work." Then you find they weren't bled, etc. They didn't know how to do that, or even how to adjust the shoes". I then offer to help with their next project, or direct them to RUclips tutorials. In Pennsylvania, we help our neighbors if we can, especially if they are elderly. We also have several local mechanics who will always do a great job. Others. not so much. As you know, what some people diagnose as their problem may just be the tip of the iceberg once a trained eye looks at it. You relate your customer interactions very well.
Hello from rural Idaho. My husband and I watch you faithfully. I have learned so much but doubt I will be giving you any competition. (Not because I'm a female, but I hit the big 70 and would have to take frequent naps between changing out the glow plugs in my husband's cherished 7.3 Ford 250 Superduty....whatever) and not saying I wouldn't try...ya maybe not..... We love your advice at the end of this video. My first husband was an exotic car mechanic in So. CA and ran very successful business because he lived by that same rule. GOOD FOR YOU! You're not only super smart but humble. God bless you kid. Keep teaching and entertaining us with your videos. (We found out our neighbor also watches you.)
I went to work for an industrial hydraulics company once. Seems you spend more time is a class than you do working. One class was actually about etiquette. Never bad mouth the mechanic before you as we all are capable of making mistakes. Very good thing. I cannot count all the mistakes I've made, lol Your a good man Wes, you have to admit we do see some strange things in our line of work.. Lol..
Great Video, Great Advice. I teach apprentices and one of my warnings is you never know who you are talking to, be honest, be professional. If you don’t know the answer tell them, and that you will find the answer. I have had guys try to BS a customer thinking they were just a janitor or maintenance guy, in reality he is the owner of the multi million dollar business that you no longer are allowed to work at. I know this video is old, but great. Thanks, Wes.
Ending comment was spot on. Letting them know about the problem without any commentary is the best practice. Your professionalism will get you call backs. Fixing it and being an ass could put you on their no-go list.
I ran a grader for a little bit as an equipment operator. You really only use a few levers the most and you learn where they are like typing on a keyboard. I don’t really like running graders they can be frustrating. That’s funny most likely the guy who worked on it is the guy that is paying you. Great advice. You can’t really take something back once it’s said. I’ve said things I have instantly regretted and I’ve been happy I didn’t say something I was thinking.
This is the first time I have ever watched your videos and I am so frikkin happy that there are guys like you in the world today. You are exactly like myself. Everything you did from start to finish was on point and very professional especially when you too the time to explain on what to do and how to do the job. Not many people out there can be a professional and still be a grounded individual out there. Most of them have inflated egos and run with it. I couldn't be more proud of someone like I am of you. Keep it real!
Wes, you'll probably never see this comment on a year old video but never the less, the last minute and a half of this video alone earned the thumbs up I gave you for this one. I've only been subscribed to you for maybe a month now (11/2021) but was your knowledge and especially the professionalism you practice that earned my subscription. Hold your course young man, I believe it to be true! Your a credit to your profession.
What you said at the very end is so underrated, I've experienced that a few too many times in the past, and I learned 2 ways of dealing with it, first take the project somewhere else, second learn to repair things yourself. No one starts out as an expert with repairing anything, its all a learning experience, and the last thing you need is some hotshot mechanic calling you a dumba$$ for trying to do something yourself.
Your thinking is very honest and plain...i agree 100%. I work in mining facilities, but only during commissioning, start-up and ramp-up stages... Sometimes the things we find are hard to believe, but the guys that hired our company are the ones that designed and built the plant, expended hundreds of millions, sometimes thousands of millions...and they want it running and producing YESTERDAY. No time or reason for recrimination/excuses/justifications... Cheers from the Patagonia, SouthAmerica.
I've worked in similar situations. We call them "outages", where plants are shut down to fix critical systems. It's costs the customer $ millions to shut down. They do not want excuses. Just fix the thing correctly and do it as fast as humanly possible. But, the quality of labor available to get the work done is appalling! It's amazing it gets done at all.
I was working on my car once trying to replace the valve cover gasket, a bunch of wires go across the top and it doesn't come off unless you remove them. One goes to the alternator. Didn't want to undo the battery because the alarm goes off and the stereo loses its settings. Thought I'll just be really careful and undo the charge cable and cover it in tape. Of course the spanner immediately slipped and began welding itself to the block, it was stuck good. Hit it with another spanner which got stuck to that... Ugh. Hit it with hammer, everything fell apart and the smoke stopped. Went to disconnect the battery in half rage and the alarm goes off, flipping scared the crap out of me, FML lol. A few months later the ABS motor failed, I'm not sure if that's related. The ABS is still broken.
thats a very much THUMBS UP about the talk at the end! not many people would be as professional about a job as that, and you sir, appear are a cut above in that regard! we need more people in the world like you!
I am a former US Navy Corpsman, and, a retired Physicians Assistant, in some instances being wrong can cost a life or limb, so, yeah, no one wants to be wrong! I'm my business uh oh, or, oops is really bad! Love your vids. Doc Mike USN
nice work Wes... Part of the difficulty in troubleshooting something like this is knowing how some component was "suppose to work" without having access to diagrams or service info... I am dealign with that now on the stupid belt sander optical eye... Good advice at the end, and yes, so many folks LOVE to point out what someone else did before and bad mouth it. Your wise beyond your years... Congrats on the growth of yoru channel!
Some systems are so complex that you just can't figure them out without a wiring diagram or some service information. It can take weeks to reverse engineer everything. I had no idea those belt sanders were so complex before you made those videos!
Very wise. That's why I love your videos. Get it fixed, get the work done, analyze later. Your follow ups are always informative and often entertaining.
That is very insightful and even more true Wes. I’ve been behind builders who didn’t do something right or to building code. You just have to show the customer and explain what the issue is and what needs to be done to fix it. There’s a 50/50 chance that they were the one who did it. I watch a lot of auto repair channels on RUclips. It’s educational. There is no way I could get a chance to see everything 3 or 4 shops see just by working on my 4 vehicles. And it’s entertaining too.
Absolutely agree. Bad mouthing previous work will get you nowhere. I am not perfect and have made my share of mistakes but what really gets up my nose is a workshop telling an unsuspecting person a lot of work needs to be done, like $3000 worth, and then that person finds me and we inspect the car together on the hoist and find that none of the work needs to be done. Last example was 3 days ago involved a Honda CRV and they were told it needed new front struts, rear shocks, rear discs and pads, new water pump (from slow coolant leak), rear sway bar bushes and a few other things. Showed the 2 owners (who had absolutely minimal mechanical knowledge) each of those parts/areas and how to determine if they are defective. No leaks from struts or shocks, no leaks from coolant system (tested to 1 bar for 20 mins) amongst all items checked. I am a self taught but qualified mechanic (now retired) in Land Down Under and I teach people how to service and check their car, particularly for those in poorer socio-economic circumstances. I only see a car approx once every 2 weeks. I typed and signed a report on the car for them to insert into the car service record booklet. They intend to sell the car and return to England after being here for 19 months. I did the check over and report for gratis - but got a hug out of them. It is not the first time I have had a person here who has been told that the car needs more work than it is worth. Had similar episode 5 years ago with a family friend who turned to me for guidance - brake pads supposedly down to the limit but they had 6mm left, plus rotors that were supposedly bad. But last one 6 months ago was a friend of my son who went to a leading suspension specialist and was given a list of work that needed to be done before the car was roadworthy enough to have a roadworthy check for registration transfer from another state to our state. We checked out the Toyota Prado together and found that nearly everything the company stated (in writing) was false or at minimum, misleading. The car was deemed totally unroadworthy, not to be driven. - defects in their report were in bold red. The ball joints did not need replacing, neither the tie rod ends, nor the wheel bearings. Other stuff was ludicrous - they also failed the car because of surface rust on the towbar - we do not have salt on Australian roads. We did some minor work and the car passed the roadworthiness check. That check was done outside my area by an independent authorized inspection station. One very happy owner. One person at the first workshop offered owner $600 to take car off his hands because it was not worth repairing. What a scam. And I know it does not only happen in Australia. It is a real slight on an industry I enjoy being part of. Me mistakes - yes, and own up to them. But scams need to be made public, but can't be because of likely recriminations in a court of law. Another thing. Found that having the logbook stamped by a dealership or an independent workshop means nothing. Not even an invoice which states what was done means nothing. Had several vehicles here where work was not done, even though previous owner had meticulous records of every service since new. I check everything, with the new owner present. One bad case was a whine in a Subaru. Subaru states change F &R diff oils as well as manual gearbox oil every 60K kilometres. New owner bought car at 140K kms and when we checked the filler plugs and drain plugs, none had ever been undone. Took 3ft breaker bar to undo 24mm head plugs. Previous owner had paid for all oils to be changed at 60K and 120K. Now gearbox had a whine in 2 of the 5 gears. It is just wrong. But I have had enough of a whinge (translated whine for other than Aussies). Just keep up the good work Wes. Have learned quite a bit from you.
I agree with you, fix the problem as a professional like you explained to the customer what’s needed to complete the repair he will respect you and be happy that the grader is fixed and hopefully give you more work in the future.
Number 1) Champion grader. UGH! Did battle with more then one of them in my career. Number 2) Would take the champion over the 14M we got at work just before I retired. Can you imagine the damage that would have happened if you crossed the polarity on it! Your little life lesson at the end was spot on.
Yeah I think reversing the cables would have nuked every computer on the thing. I worked on a CNC milling machine one time where the guy before me accidentally hooked 110VAC to the 12VDC bus. Fried every board in the control cabinet. They scrapped the machine.
I have been doing plant fitting for STC PLANT HIRE!!! In Birmingham UK for about 20 year's!!!! And like you I get sent out to fix things that's old and someone as already been fixing. It's right wot you say just fix it an go.
Great video and I totally agree with your Professional Attitude reply. I also work for a company and have close relations with customers and I never try to find blame, only problem and conclusion.
I was just curious about the video until you spoke about being a professional , just doing your job and keep your trap shut..I’m now a new subscriber ... great advice
Nice video. I wish you were closer to s.w. missouri. I am getting older and most of the shops like yours, that you could depend on, have closed and or retired. I could keep you busy for at least a month. I can't get up and down very well anymore.
That’s what happens when you let your brother Daryl, Daryl and your other brother Daryl work on equipment. Township should tell their employees no working on equipment! Your professionalism is exactly correct! Well done.
A positive ground lends me to think an old fella who's own vehicle had a positive ground, changed the batteries, and hooked them up to a positive ground. Some folk never cease to amaze me.
Don't look at a grader like it has 2 meany levers. Basically 1 on the left and right side do the same thing. Think about what the graders do push or grade out uneven dirt so 1 leaver on each side raises and lowers that side of blade. Allso you have one extra for things like tilting ( angleing) your front tires. Articulating your rear wheels. I have a 353 Detroit with 24 volts and you will burn up cable if only 12 volts is used on starting. Great videos please do more I learned something from you. Thank you
I love the dry, 1980 Chevy Chase style of humor you have............"I've never run a motor grader before. How do you do it? Do you have to have 8 hands?" I was literally laughing out loud! That was great! Thanks for the laugh man! Have a great weekend!
Gotta agree with the words of advice, as a mechanic in Central Australia hundreds of km from the next town with a proper workshop I constantly find myself telling people 'I dunno how long it's been like that or who did it, the fact is I'm going to need to do this to fix it.' Also I think you are very lucky it didn't fail when you were a couple hundred km away from the middle of nowhere.
Champion Motor graders. Built in Goodrich Ontario, for many years. Champions were sent world wide, then Volvo bought them and shut them down. They were the go to graders. Every motor grader is styled on the Canadian original.
your wise words at the end reminded me of a time i put new pickups in one of my guitars, id done it before but this was my first time doing it with 2 volume/tone knobs. anyways i thought i had it but couldnt get it working, so i took it to the music shop to be done professionally. got a call the next day from the tech flying off the handle about some ameture screwed up all the wiring, apparently not knowing it was me he was belittling. never went back after that, and honestly he didnt even really get it working. anyways, good stuff as always Wes!
Never good to fly off the handle, let them know what you found, I might even through in " an easy enough mistake " figure they will be happy to get it running
It's a wonder that grader didn't go up in smoke!! Good advice at the end. I once had to look at a Case dozer that was leaking hydraulic oil from the tilt cylinder. I got near it and smelled gasoline which was strange since it was a diesel machine. I discovered that someone had filled the hydraulic oil tank with gasoline. I changed filters and hydraulic oil and was on my way. I'll never know who filled the hydraulic reservoir with gasoline.
Never a truer word was spoken. Very professional. Everyone makes mistakes.
Amen! : )
Agreed. My parents made plenty. I'm one!
agreed....talking badly about the previous guy is classless. it also could prevent them from calling you again.
Right. Everyone makes mistakes.
Unless you're the only game in town, it probably WILL prevent them from calling you again. I know it would me.
Talking bad about anyone is classless. People would try to get me to trash a dealer ... I never would. Stories get embellished to where the truth is meaningless.
What about ___? I've met the owner guy, seems nice enough to me. And that was the truth I knew. Did I perform the service? Do I even know which vehicle it was? Nope.
Everyone makes mistakes. I own mine, do my best to get it right, and move on.
Reputation isn't from not making mistakes, it's from how they're handled.
@@Mishn0 even if you're the only game in town. I've seen businesses started because only game in town was rude to a guy. So that guy figured it out. Everyone else noticed and started paying that guy to do it.
@@WatchWesWork accept my Brother in law. He's always right. Just ask him he'll gladly tell you.
Great advice BTW. There are problem solvers and there are finger pointers.
i found an alternator hooked to ground once, it didn't charge well but made a great heater!!
Follow the smoke!
@@WatchWesWork Every machine is a smoke machine if you use it wrong enough.
I let the smoke out of a motorcycle wiring harness that way once. Tried to jump it on the outside of the main fuse, backwards polarity. Oops. Fully faired bike (Honda Pacific Coast). It took quite a bit of work to snake that harness out to fix the burned wire and check to see if there were any more!
@@WatchWesWork In electronics we have a term called "The smoke test".
A little late here but as an old retired electrician I was struck by two things in this video. You’re very quick and correct analysis of the problem and you’re statement at the close of the video about diplomacy. I was called out on hundreds of service calls in my job and many times it was obvious that the problem was something done by uncle Harry or cousin buddy. And many times we were just minutes away from disaster. I learned to keep my mouth shut cause the culprit was probably standing next to you or was a beloved friend or family member. You’ve got to get it fixed. The last thing you want is some outraged handyman you’ve insulted stomping around
I work in IT and one of my first questions to the customer is "what changed or was touched recently". That gives me a good starting point. I've learned a lot from you, thanks for the videos.
Yeah that's a good way to narrow it down!
Yes sir it seems redundant but a good service tech is a good detective.
Still a good practice, but these days in IT a lot of problems boil down to "there was an update to [insert program name here] and now [insert other program name] doesn't work". The amount of things that go wrong and need to be fixed thanks to automatic software updates is ridiculous
If that thing was any of the newer machines with all the electronics and plastic over everything, it would have burned straight to the ground.
Wise words in the end. Great job Wes!
I'm surprised the damage was a minimal as it was!
That last little bit about professionalism is absolutely true. Learned that the hard way when I first started working in automotive garages. Now if only customers can start showing respect and courtesy, then we'll be getting somewhere.
Well that's a long shot!
Well the problem can be that people have no concept that machines fail and of course they do not fail at their convenience. And if they are having a continuing problem that nobody seems to be able to fix that is a problem. When people get angry their sense of right and wrong and common decency flies out the window and we say things that we really regret. This is of course on both sides. My philosophy is the customer has rights, and the business has rights and there should be respect for both.
You couldn’t be more right Wes. Even if the customer didn’t work on it last, everybody has a bad day and makes a mistake or misses something. 👍
Right. Fix it and move on!
And the key words here is not "everybody makes mistakes" but "I made a mistake" or in this case the customer owned up to his mistake and it makes it a lot easier to console him. Wish him a nice day and move on. Most of the time the customer is more than happy to pay for the service call.
Watch the "archy sparkies". Love that. End note is a sign of a true professional. Keep up the good work Wes and thanks.
Very good troubleshooting! And you're an expert on human relationships. Good man, Charlie Brown.
When I get into a situation where the previous mechanic made a mistake and I cant avoid telling the customer about it, I just let them know that the reason I knew what to look for is that I did the same thing once.
When one of us older guys walks up to a problem that had you stumped and they immediately recognize a mistake you made...its because they made the same mistake.
not necessarily...maybe they saw or heard about it happening or maybe they are mentally sharper---some are some aren't.
Well said
Well said Wes, there is no up side to down grading previous work.
You are totally right about fix it and inform and move on.
Thanks for sharing.
"Down grading" as he works on a grader.
7:46 GREAT! Advice at the end. I am a tradesman and it blows my mind how many of my fellow tradesmen feel the need to be so critical of those who worked on it ahead of them. It serves no purpose.
Still have not quite worked out yet why I find these videos so fascinating (I have nothing to do with big Diesel engines) but I am always glued to the screen. Wes certainly is a wizard.
Pushing 50 yrs experience, with Automotive Education, and I can still miss something. Still learning and getting better. Thanks for the editorial. Good advice Wes. Back when i was in Mechanics class we didn't have smart phones, but now that we do it is a good idea to take pictures before disassembly.
Love the comment at the end - well said that man!
Nice work man. I agree completely with you about when you find something done wrong just keep it to yourself and get the job done everybody goes home happy, and they will call you back for another job sometime.
A 7ft long heating element, that's hilarious
your final words have made me think about how I go off when I see work done badly and get pissed about it, how going off about it can cause problems for me and others, I shall remember that advice forever, cheers.
That was a great video! Very excellent diagnosis and fix as well as wise words! Love it. Don't underestimate these "meatless" vids sir!!!
Heh. Well there wasn't much to it. Just an actual situation I ran into.
I like the Wes top job mate, and good advice tagged on to the end.
Al.
Stay humble. No one is perfect!
Great video! Thanks for sharing!
You're a credit to your profession Wes,love the channel
Nice speech about not crapping on the customer at the end there. Lots of people try to fix things, and lack the tools or knowledge in the end, so surrender and bring it to the professional. Or they just overlooked the obvious and lack that second pair of eyes at home. They want to learn and should be encouraged. A more practical population is a happier population. Subscribed because of your positive attitude. 👍
I have never seen that. Had many weird things happen. One machine we have blew up alternators until I traced the positive wire with a rotten spot from road spray. Good advice, never trash who hired you. Take care Wes
Love the professional courtesy advice - fully agree. What was refreshing here was the honesty on both sides. Customer could have saved himself some labour hours by telling you what had been done recently.
Great advice to be sure. I worked in a field where I checked the work of other people amd instead of berating them and making them feel about 2" tall, I would spend whatever time it took to show them the mistakes and walk them through how to correct them and avoid them in the future and people are far more appreciative of that then being humiliated. I always learn something new with your videos and even though I am not a mechanic, it's helped me know more about my car and how to discuss problems with my shop folks, so you're doing an incredible service to everyone by sharing your knowledge and skills with all of us.
You are a true professional, Wes..love your videos ❤️
The RUclips algorithm must be favouring this one at the moment… I’ve been watching your videos for a few years but I hadn’t seen this one. This is gold! You are so right - the moment you badmouth a previous worker on a job, you dig yourself a hole. Been there, learnt from that!
You’ve gotten much more professional in your videos since this one, I’m sure you agree - the content has always been great (hence the number of subscribers) but the execution has lifted a mile. Thank you for caring enough to do this, because I know sometimes it’s a labour of love.
Be Professional. Best advice, ever.
I"ve worked in the pool and spa industry for the last 15 years, and have trained many service technicians. "Keep your mouth shut!" is often the hardest thing for them to learn; until that awkward moment when...
When what?
Please carry on! Don't leave wondering!
When you make the man of the house look bad in front of his wife.
To your point about keeping your trap shut about finding mistakes in jobs, something I've always held to be true is that the only thing more annoying than incompetence is super-competence. No one likes someone who is way better at their job than they are. It's the opposite end of the Peter Principle spectrum.
Love watching you work Wes, I hope you keep at making these videos! The best part is I get to watch and I don't get yelled at for holding the flashlight wrong
You'll go far in business, I have the same attitude in my business dealings as you. Never tell your customer he is an idiot, after all he is paying you. You can think to yourself but never tell the customer. I have been in business for myself 50 years, and it has worked well for me.
Thanks Wes, That was interesting.
Another great video! Excellent and quick diagnosis of a serious problem. Tip on professionalism is 150% on point and excellent advice. Guy was probably delighted you didn't soak him for a lot more money - as many would. Men like you make the world a better place.
Most people who have worked on a vehicle and screwed something up and then drop it in your lap are embarrassed with not knowing what they did wrong. You are right, rubbing it in won't generate a repeat customer. I've had friends stop by and say something like "can you look at my back brakes? I changed the shoes, and now the rears won't work." Then you find they weren't bled, etc. They didn't know how to do that, or even how to adjust the shoes". I then offer to help with their next project, or direct them to RUclips tutorials. In Pennsylvania, we help our neighbors if we can, especially if they are elderly. We also have several local mechanics who will always do a great job. Others. not so much. As you know, what some people diagnose as their problem may just be the tip of the iceberg once a trained eye looks at it. You relate your customer interactions very well.
Thanks Wes for the end comment on true professionalism. Sometimes we forget that yes, someone else had worked on it before.
Your comments on professionalism were spot on. Some folks just don't get it.
Hello from rural Idaho. My husband and I watch you faithfully. I have learned so much but doubt I will be giving you any competition. (Not because I'm a female, but I hit the big 70 and would have to take frequent naps between changing out the glow plugs in my husband's cherished 7.3 Ford 250 Superduty....whatever) and not saying I wouldn't try...ya maybe not..... We love your advice at the end of this video. My first husband was an exotic car mechanic in So. CA and ran very successful business because he lived by that same rule. GOOD FOR YOU! You're not only super smart but humble. God bless you kid. Keep teaching and entertaining us with your videos.
(We found out our neighbor also watches you.)
I went to work for an industrial hydraulics company once. Seems you spend more time is a class than you do working. One class was actually about etiquette. Never bad mouth the mechanic before you as we all are capable of making mistakes. Very good thing. I cannot count all the mistakes I've made, lol Your a good man Wes, you have to admit we do see some strange things in our line of work.. Lol..
Such a wise head on such young shoulders.Well spoken Wes and great work.Cheers from Australia.
Great Video, Great Advice. I teach apprentices and one of my warnings is you never know who you are talking to, be honest, be professional. If you don’t know the answer tell them, and that you will find the answer. I have had guys try to BS a customer thinking they were just a janitor or maintenance guy, in reality he is the owner of the multi million dollar business that you no longer are allowed to work at. I know this video is old, but great. Thanks, Wes.
Ending comment was spot on. Letting them know about the problem without any commentary is the best practice. Your professionalism will get you call backs. Fixing it and being an ass could put you on their no-go list.
Right. Everyone knows that guy who is really sharp but a pain to work with. I don't want to be that guy.
I ran a grader for a little bit as an equipment operator. You really only use a few levers the most and you learn where they are like typing on a keyboard. I don’t really like running graders they can be frustrating. That’s funny most likely the guy who worked on it is the guy that is paying you. Great advice. You can’t really take something back once it’s said. I’ve said things I have instantly regretted and I’ve been happy I didn’t say something I was thinking.
This is the first time I have ever watched your videos and I am so frikkin happy that there are guys like you in the world today. You are exactly like myself. Everything you did from start to finish was on point and very professional especially when you too the time to explain on what to do and how to do the job. Not many people out there can be a professional and still be a grounded individual out there. Most of them have inflated egos and run with it. I couldn't be more proud of someone like I am of you. Keep it real!
That's quite a compliment. Thank you. I'm just a regular guy doing what I do.
Wes, you'll probably never see this comment on a year old video but never the less, the last minute and a half of this video alone earned the thumbs up I gave you for this one. I've only been subscribed to you for maybe a month now (11/2021) but was your knowledge and especially the professionalism you practice that earned my subscription. Hold your course young man, I believe it to be true! Your a credit to your profession.
Your ending statement was wonderful. I wish there were more people like you.
What you said at the very end is so underrated, I've experienced that a few too many times in the past, and I learned 2 ways of dealing with it, first take the project somewhere else, second learn to repair things yourself. No one starts out as an expert with repairing anything, its all a learning experience, and the last thing you need is some hotshot mechanic calling you a dumba$$ for trying to do something yourself.
Right. All it does is give our industry a worse name.
Be professional - good advice for all trades. Thanks for taking the time to share your experience.
Excellent adult advice in sharing information with the customer. Someone taught you well.
I think the last 1:30 of this video is the best part of the video, I appreciate your philosophy and could not agree more. Well Done Wes!
very well said Sir, your professionalism is impeccable.
Your thinking is very honest and plain...i agree 100%.
I work in mining facilities, but only during commissioning, start-up and ramp-up stages... Sometimes the things we find are hard to believe, but the guys that hired our company are the ones that designed and built the plant, expended hundreds of millions, sometimes thousands of millions...and they want it running and producing YESTERDAY.
No time or reason for recrimination/excuses/justifications...
Cheers from the Patagonia, SouthAmerica.
I've worked in similar situations. We call them "outages", where plants are shut down to fix critical systems. It's costs the customer $ millions to shut down. They do not want excuses. Just fix the thing correctly and do it as fast as humanly possible. But, the quality of labor available to get the work done is appalling! It's amazing it gets done at all.
Customer's remember the grace and professional courtesy long after the repair. It is a reflection on the character of the man.
I was working on my car once trying to replace the valve cover gasket, a bunch of wires go across the top and it doesn't come off unless you remove them. One goes to the alternator. Didn't want to undo the battery because the alarm goes off and the stereo loses its settings. Thought I'll just be really careful and undo the charge cable and cover it in tape. Of course the spanner immediately slipped and began welding itself to the block, it was stuck good. Hit it with another spanner which got stuck to that... Ugh. Hit it with hammer, everything fell apart and the smoke stopped. Went to disconnect the battery in half rage and the alarm goes off, flipping scared the crap out of me, FML lol. A few months later the ABS motor failed, I'm not sure if that's related. The ABS is still broken.
Heh. I think every mechanic has a handful of wrenches that are partly melted from the "in a hurry" jobs. I know I do!
Good advice when dealing with repairs. We aren't being paid to psychoanalyze or teach, just here to turn wrenches.
thats a very much THUMBS UP about the talk at the end! not many people would be as professional about a job as that, and you sir, appear are a cut above in that regard! we need more people in the world like you!
It always best to repair the damage and send them the bill. Great professionalism.
With a attitude like that you will go far in your business very good job..
I am a former US Navy Corpsman, and, a retired Physicians Assistant, in some instances being wrong can cost a life or limb, so, yeah, no one wants to be wrong! I'm my business uh oh, or, oops is really bad! Love your vids. Doc Mike USN
Yeah, thankfully no lives are at stake here.
They were very lucky to find someone like yourself and with your skills.
nice work Wes... Part of the difficulty in troubleshooting something like this is knowing how some component was "suppose to work" without having access to diagrams or service info... I am dealign with that now on the stupid belt sander optical eye... Good advice at the end, and yes, so many folks LOVE to point out what someone else did before and bad mouth it. Your wise beyond your years... Congrats on the growth of yoru channel!
Some systems are so complex that you just can't figure them out without a wiring diagram or some service information. It can take weeks to reverse engineer everything. I had no idea those belt sanders were so complex before you made those videos!
I wish that we had mechanics like you here in south Texas. You are one of a kind my friend!
Very wise. That's why I love your videos. Get it fixed, get the work done, analyze later. Your follow ups are always informative and often entertaining.
That is very insightful and even more true Wes. I’ve been behind builders who didn’t do something right or to building code. You just have to show the customer and explain what the issue is and what needs to be done to fix it. There’s a 50/50 chance that they were the one who did it.
I watch a lot of auto repair channels on RUclips. It’s educational. There is no way I could get a chance to see everything 3 or 4 shops see just by working on my 4 vehicles. And it’s entertaining too.
Very professional. Your a good teacher. Must come from a good family. Keep the good work Wes.
Great final words, great attitude. As always.
Absolutely agree. Bad mouthing previous work will get you nowhere. I am not perfect and have made my share of mistakes but what really gets up my nose is a workshop telling an unsuspecting person a lot of work needs to be done, like $3000 worth, and then that person finds me and we inspect the car together on the hoist and find that none of the work needs to be done. Last example was 3 days ago involved a Honda CRV and they were told it needed new front struts, rear shocks, rear discs and pads, new water pump (from slow coolant leak), rear sway bar bushes and a few other things. Showed the 2 owners (who had absolutely minimal mechanical knowledge) each of those parts/areas and how to determine if they are defective. No leaks from struts or shocks, no leaks from coolant system (tested to 1 bar for 20 mins) amongst all items checked. I am a self taught but qualified mechanic (now retired) in Land Down Under and I teach people how to service and check their car, particularly for those in poorer socio-economic circumstances. I only see a car approx once every 2 weeks. I typed and signed a report on the car for them to insert into the car service record booklet. They intend to sell the car and return to England after being here for 19 months. I did the check over and report for gratis - but got a hug out of them. It is not the first time I have had a person here who has been told that the car needs more work than it is worth. Had similar episode 5 years ago with a family friend who turned to me for guidance - brake pads supposedly down to the limit but they had 6mm left, plus rotors that were supposedly bad. But last one 6 months ago was a friend of my son who went to a leading suspension specialist and was given a list of work that needed to be done before the car was roadworthy enough to have a roadworthy check for registration transfer from another state to our state. We checked out the Toyota Prado together and found that nearly everything the company stated (in writing) was false or at minimum, misleading. The car was deemed totally unroadworthy, not to be driven. - defects in their report were in bold red. The ball joints did not need replacing, neither the tie rod ends, nor the wheel bearings. Other stuff was ludicrous - they also failed the car because of surface rust on the towbar - we do not have salt on Australian roads. We did some minor work and the car passed the roadworthiness check. That check was done outside my area by an independent authorized inspection station. One very happy owner. One person at the first workshop offered owner $600 to take car off his hands because it was not worth repairing. What a scam. And I know it does not only happen in Australia. It is a real slight on an industry I enjoy being part of. Me mistakes - yes, and own up to them. But scams need to be made public, but can't be because of likely recriminations in a court of law. Another thing. Found that having the logbook stamped by a dealership or an independent workshop means nothing. Not even an invoice which states what was done means nothing. Had several vehicles here where work was not done, even though previous owner had meticulous records of every service since new. I check everything, with the new owner present. One bad case was a whine in a Subaru. Subaru states change F &R diff oils as well as manual gearbox oil every 60K kilometres. New owner bought car at 140K kms and when we checked the filler plugs and drain plugs, none had ever been undone. Took 3ft breaker bar to undo 24mm head plugs. Previous owner had paid for all oils to be changed at 60K and 120K. Now gearbox had a whine in 2 of the 5 gears. It is just wrong. But I have had enough of a whinge (translated whine for other than Aussies). Just keep up the good work Wes. Have learned quite a bit from you.
I agree with you, fix the problem as a professional like you explained to the customer what’s needed to complete the repair he will respect you and be happy that the grader is fixed and hopefully give you more work in the future.
Number 1) Champion grader. UGH! Did battle with more then one of them in my career.
Number 2) Would take the champion over the 14M we got at work just before I retired. Can you imagine the damage that would have happened if you crossed the polarity on it!
Your little life lesson at the end was spot on.
Yeah I think reversing the cables would have nuked every computer on the thing. I worked on a CNC milling machine one time where the guy before me accidentally hooked 110VAC to the 12VDC bus. Fried every board in the control cabinet. They scrapped the machine.
That was enjoyable to watch. Professionalism is important. That what make a difference.
I have been doing plant fitting for STC PLANT HIRE!!! In Birmingham UK for about 20 year's!!!! And like you I get sent out to fix things that's old and someone as already been fixing. It's right wot you say just fix it an go.
Great video and I totally agree with your Professional Attitude reply. I also work for a company and have close relations with customers and I never try to find blame, only problem and conclusion.
Right. If it happens again, we'll fix it again!
Great advice. Fix the Problem, not the Blame.
Very good advice.I enjoy watching you work on trucks and heavy equipment.I grew up doing it also.Thank you for the videos.
I was just curious about the video until you spoke about being a professional , just doing your job and keep your trap shut..I’m now a new subscriber ... great advice
Nice video. I wish you were closer to s.w. missouri. I am getting older and most of the shops like yours, that you could depend on, have closed and or retired. I could keep you busy for at least a month. I can't get up and down very well anymore.
Wes you have wise words,And you have mostly got another customer good vlog
It was really interesting to watch how you went thru the process of diagnosing and fixing the problem. It was worthwhile posting this one. Thanks,
That’s what happens when you let your brother Daryl, Daryl and your other brother Daryl work on equipment. Township should tell their employees no working on equipment!
Your professionalism is exactly correct! Well done.
Great job and good advice thank you Wes !!!
Other people’s mistakes make us money. They also make us look good.
Great video…..very smart approach to dealing with customers
it was a good video made by a gentleman , we can all learn from our mistakes
A positive ground lends me to think an old fella who's own vehicle had a positive ground, changed the batteries, and hooked them up to a positive ground. Some folk never cease to amaze me.
Don't look at a grader like it has 2 meany levers. Basically 1 on the left and right side do the same thing. Think about what the graders do push or grade out uneven dirt so 1 leaver on each side raises and lowers that side of blade. Allso you have one extra for things like tilting ( angleing) your front tires. Articulating your rear wheels. I have a 353 Detroit with 24 volts and you will burn up cable if only 12 volts is used on starting. Great videos please do more I learned something from you. Thank you
I love the dry, 1980 Chevy Chase style of humor you have............"I've never run a motor grader before. How do you do it? Do you have to have 8 hands?" I was literally laughing out loud! That was great! Thanks for the laugh man! Have a great weekend!
Well it's not for everyone, but I find it amusing as well...
Simple Life at least half the fun of this channel is the jokes.
@@Volcker1929 Agreed. I have the same sense of humor. Some people aren't sure how to take it, which in turn makes it even more funny.
Gotta agree with the words of advice, as a mechanic in Central Australia hundreds of km from the next town with a proper workshop I constantly find myself telling people 'I dunno how long it's been like that or who did it, the fact is I'm going to need to do this to fix it.' Also I think you are very lucky it didn't fail when you were a couple hundred km away from the middle of nowhere.
You are a wise young man. Very impressive.
Champion Motor graders. Built in Goodrich Ontario, for many years. Champions were sent world wide, then Volvo bought them and shut them down.
They were the go to graders. Every motor grader is styled on the Canadian original.
Excellent video and sage advice. I love going through the process of determining the cause of a failure and how to fix it. Two thumbs up!
The last minute of this video applies to all service techs in all industries. Stay humble.
Totally agree with your last comments!
BTW, more short videos like this as well as your main videos would be great.
I really like your advice on the final, its a great lesson for me. Excuse my very bad english. Thank you great advice. Saludos desde Argentina
Good job. Wasn't long ago I was doing the exact same thing as you. We used to have a constant lineup of trucks and tractors to repair.
your wise words at the end reminded me of a time i put new pickups in one of my guitars, id done it before but this was my first time doing it with 2 volume/tone knobs. anyways i thought i had it but couldnt get it working, so i took it to the music shop to be done professionally. got a call the next day from the tech flying off the handle about some ameture screwed up all the wiring, apparently not knowing it was me he was belittling. never went back after that, and honestly he didnt even really get it working. anyways, good stuff as always Wes!
Never good to fly off the handle, let them know what you found, I might even through in " an easy enough mistake " figure they will be happy to get it running
Watched this years ago and watching it again now.
Must have been an impressive sight when those wires were glowing. A true "Oh S**t" moment for sure.
It's a wonder that grader didn't go up in smoke!! Good advice at the end. I once had to look at a Case dozer that was leaking hydraulic oil from the tilt cylinder. I got near it and smelled gasoline which was strange since it was a diesel machine. I discovered that someone had filled the hydraulic oil tank with gasoline. I changed filters and hydraulic oil and was on my way. I'll never know who filled the hydraulic reservoir with gasoline.
All very good points ! Customer service is the key !