How Would You Describe the Mechanic You See in the Mirror?

[PastTense]

The person I see is very slow, frequently misplaces tools and parts, overall not competent. His only virtue is that he works very cheaply.

 

[AltTransBikes]

About the same. Slow, methodical, and extremely temperamental. Throws **** at times. Downright moody in fact. But savvy enough to know when bad knees and busted knuckles have their limits and biting the bullet makes more sense.

 

[Terry]

Slow, but sometimes very good. As good as many that run a shop for the public. That's what gets me. I'm really not that good, but I'm as good or better than about 60% of the people that work for wages as a mechanic. I'm just a lot slower now days. And, I once upon a time did work for wages as a mechanic off and on. I am my favorite mechanic though.

 

[Patrick46]

I don't consider mysself a mechanic...as a good mechanic can diagnose problems...not me (unless it's obvious)

I'm a glorified "parts changer"...and I hate doing mechanical repair work.

now fabricating...I LOVE!!!

 

[papas34]

I'm cheap....and cheap is good!

 

[VanLifeCrisis]

Why is this giant mass of thumbs staring at me ?! :O

 

[Donedirtcheap]

Highly qualified yet underutilized, and dang glad of it.

 

[WheelEstate USA]

I look in the mirror and see a scruffy beard, windblown hair, and a perplexed look on a smudged face that I think looks too damn old.
When it comes to vehicles with computer stuff I'm lost.

lonfu, if I had your shop I'd be a happy wrencher...and enough room to park your MoHo inside too...how cool is that

 

[LFM]

I'm cheap....and cheap is good!

That's me too, but I don't buy cheap parts. If I have to replace something I buy good quality parts, I don't want to do it twice. I'm lazy too.

 

[Darth_Muerte]

I'm cheap....and cheap is good!

That's me too, but I don't buy cheap parts. If I have to replace something I buy good quality parts, I don't want to do it twice. I'm lazy too.

A lazy tech is a good tech. I am also too lazy to do it twice and thus prefer quality parts. I am an ASE certified Master Automobile tech(A1-A9), I also hold three heavy duty truck certs T1(heavy duty Gasoline Engines) T2(Diesel Engines), T6(Electrical/Electronics), L1(Advanced Engine Performance, Gas engines), L2(L1 for Diesel), and the refrigerant recovery certification. I have let most of them lapse though because most shops just don't care if you are current. Only the little rinky dink shops and the "rip off shops" really care if you are currently certified. I also hold a variety of Ford, GM, Toyota and Nissan Factory certs. I left retail work almost a decade ago though. Most shops really push the techs to lie about "needed repairs" in order to keep profits up. I can't see it. I can make plenty of money just by being honest.

 

[Terry]

It ain't just the repair shop[s. I went into an oil change place because I was making a trip and had nowhere to do it myself at the time. I found their bullshlt unbelievable. I let them get away with the air filter but they also mis-informed me about the cost of the oil change and then they tried to get me to let them "flush" out the engine by showing me the drain plug and said it needed it. If they hadn't drained the oil out of my blazer, I would have told them to keep their oil change. BTW, after that oil change and making a 500+ mile round trip, the oil was as clear and clean as when they put it in.

 

[steamjam1]

Hmmm. I see a guy who has to go to his folks house, dig out dozens of huge thick binders full of notes I took in the three years I spent in auto tech college and a year in auto body college only to be even more confused because my middle aged eyes can't read the terrible handwriting I had when I was 18.

 

[Simran]

Confident yet reluctant! I don't like getting greasy anymore. I know, I know, I'm turning into a pansy @$$!! Over the years I've realized tho that; the better I maintain something the less I REALLY need to work on it.

 

[Terry]

Actually, I'm better than I give myself credit for. I am unable to get a decent price for this place so I'm going to open a shop here. I have always been able to make a living doing auto repair and this time, I will have a lot better diagnostic tools as well as a two post lift so no more creeper for me and my back.

 

[Ladywolfe]

The mechanic I see in the mirror:
A woman that is chuckling as she writes this I can change a tire, change the oil in my car....that's about it. I do know when something is wrong - a motor mount going bad, shocks shot, brake pads need changing....but I don't fix those things myself.

I can see me PMing/reaching out to some of you great mechanics on here in the future

 

[wagoneer]

Someone stole my cherry picker and in hindsight thank you (you low-life opportunist) my last workable car was a 1973 BMW tii.

 

[Darth_Muerte]

The mechanic I see in the mirror:
A woman that is chuckling as she writes this I can change a tire, change the oil in my car....that's about it. I do know when something is wrong - a motor mount going bad, shocks shot, brake pads need changing....but I don't fix those things myself.

I can see me PMing/reaching out to some of you great mechanics on here in the future

LOL, you are already head and shoulders above my ex-wife. She could put gas in the car. That was about it.

 

[Sameer]

OLD AND SLOW! It took two days to replace the alternator when it crapped out. Always buy the best parts and carry tools to do most everything.

 

[Ladywolfe]

LOL, you are already head and shoulders above my ex-wife. She could put gas in the car. That was about it.

HAHHAHA - hey, we all have our talents...and at least she was able to put gas in the car. Maybe she reckoned that she had a big strong person in yourself to do all of the other stuff that needed doing :::wink::

Seriously, I grew up with brothers, and they always had a car in varying stages of repairing/diagnosing...strewn all over the back yard, lol. I actually helped a female friend of mine rebuild the carburetor in her stick-shift little hooptie (cannot remember make/model) - and we just followed the instructions we printed out from a Chilton manual.

That was maaannyyyyyy years ago, and the cars were easier to work on - heck, we could have climbed inside the engine to work on it (and probably did) - and it took us 3 days, where I'm guessing it would take anyone else a few hours to complete.

I wouldn't try something like that now--no telling what I would blow up - hahaha.

 

[bvanevery]

Competent, joyless, able to leverage the experience of more interested minds on my gurus' mailing list. Patient, won't break anything in anger. Just makes more work if you do. Glad I've got the skills now, but would outsource this if I was rich.