bad body shops

A place for professionals to network and discuss the business and technology inside the shop.



Top Contributor
Posts: 1531
Joined: Mon Mar 28, 2005 10:44 am
Location: San Francisco Bay area
PostPosted: Tue Jan 03, 2006 11:22 pm
Holy crap Nate, that place looks awsome! Go check them out, what have you got to loose.

Brian
Free lance adviser

"Hitting the pavement at 100 mph really smarts"
Evel Knievel



Fully Engaged
Posts: 307
Joined: Sat Jan 08, 2005 10:07 pm
Location: pennsylvania
PostPosted: Fri Jan 13, 2006 8:33 pm
I like that mentors at work thing. I just read an article about it in FenderBender magazine. I'd like to see more shops get involved in that sort of training. It would really cut out the problem that alot of new techs find themselves in. They get out of school, really don't know how to do anything yet, and sort of get thrown to the fishes out in the shop. That program that you're involved with seems to provide a good structured system that is definately needed in this trade. They say the industry is facing a tech shortage, but the shortage is of good techs, and that system definately has the potential to provide a shop with a good tech. Of course the owner would have to think outside of the box a little. Most can't look past the reduced productivity of the mentor, failing to take into consideration that he'll have another fully trained and competant tech in the future.



Top Contributor
Posts: 1531
Joined: Mon Mar 28, 2005 10:44 am
Location: San Francisco Bay area
PostPosted: Sat Jan 21, 2006 11:38 am
Nate, yeah, the program is really needed in my opinion. We actually have a young man who spent about $40,000 and a year at one of the famous "technical schools" and really can't do a whole lot. I am NOT saying that schooling isn't valuable, but it isn't for everyone either.

I have another mentee who dropped out of high school that I am SURE wouldn't get a darn thing out of a classroom setting (not that these technical schools are all classroom) but has made LEAPS and BOUNDS in the shop with this skills.

Then another who would do real well in a classroom. I was teaching him about steering angles yesterday on the alignment rack and he got it real fast. Stuff like that would kick the last guy I mentioned in the groin. So we are all different.

The Mentors@work program is pretty neat with about 350 "tasks" that you check the mentee off on. There are three levels he can be at "can do it with guidance", "Can do it wth little guidance" and "can do it with no guidance". These tasks are broken down pretty small, for instance just setting up a MIG welder is about ten tasks.

It works well, if it wasn't for the program these guys would still be pulling bumpers. But because I have these task lists for them and I push the production manager to give them more advanced jobs they know in the office that these guys are ready for them.

Brian
Free lance adviser

"Hitting the pavement at 100 mph really smarts"
Evel Knievel

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Settled In
Posts: 56
Joined: Tue Feb 21, 2006 12:28 pm
Location: Pawtucket, RI
Country:
USA
PostPosted: Sat Mar 04, 2006 11:58 pm
I think the reason why I started to get into the autobody business is because of the poor service and lack of attention that I received. I have a 75 trans am that needed a simple rear quarter fix. I was quoted an outrageous price, but I paid and when I received the car there were waves and it wasn't properly blended. It was bad work, but I learned. I want to start a shop for the anal car buff. Someone who would pay for me to do an excellent job. I'm not afraid to block sand a car.



Fully Engaged
Posts: 243
Joined: Thu Jun 29, 2006 9:05 pm
PostPosted: Thu Jun 29, 2006 9:19 pm
Try working in California. Last place I worked I get called into the office one day & told "The (illegal alien) Mexicans think it's unfair you get paid more than they do so you're either quitting or taking a 25% pay cut"
I walked.
One day there I replaced the entire floor in a '67 Shelby GT350 clone (sorry, I mean "recreation") & had used the gas axe to remove parts of what was left of the original floor. (only "The Boss" was allowed to use the plasma cutter :roll: ) After I get done with the OA rig I shut it off & thought no more of it.
An hour later the shop foreman comes over & asks what I did with the OA rig. I said "Used it & put it away, why? whats the problem?"
Turns out the wetbacks didn't know how to turn the **** thing back on & had gone crying to the foreman that I had "broken it" because the regulators were beyond their knowledge & they couldn't turn the gas on.
.. which goes a long way to explaining why the Acetylene was set at 45psi when I first found it that morning... :shock:
I think they had a grudge because I'd been working there about 3 months before they found out I could understand Spanish..
Just biding my time now, they don't know one of the guys I ride with is deputy commisioner of a rather large Ca INS dept.... $20Kfine x 20 wetbacks.... payback sure is a ****.... :wink:
'99 Kawasaki ZRX1100
'70 Ranchero 429GT
'70 Ranchero 351GT
'69 Cougar XR-7
'86 F350-460CobraJet
'03 Chevy ZR5 S10
'06 Miller 210
'06 Miller 375 Spectrum
'07 Miller SyncroWave 200

User avatar

No Turning Back
Posts: 701
Joined: Sun Jan 29, 2006 3:30 pm
PostPosted: Fri Jun 30, 2006 2:06 pm
Don't let them catch you calling them wetbacks. They'll get the formen on your ****.



Fully Engaged
Posts: 243
Joined: Thu Jun 29, 2006 9:05 pm
PostPosted: Wed Jul 12, 2006 1:05 pm
Bishop wrote:Don't let them catch you calling them wetbacks. They'll get the formen on your ***.

Doesn't matter, I'm no longer there. The foreman was one of em. I was being paid more than he was. Half the guys had DUI's & not ONE of them had a vaild DL...
'99 Kawasaki ZRX1100
'70 Ranchero 429GT
'70 Ranchero 351GT
'69 Cougar XR-7
'86 F350-460CobraJet
'03 Chevy ZR5 S10
'06 Miller 210
'06 Miller 375 Spectrum
'07 Miller SyncroWave 200



No Turning Back
Posts: 855
Joined: Thu Dec 16, 2004 3:09 pm
Location: pa
PostPosted: Sat Nov 10, 2007 1:27 am
Wow you must have alot of mney to take all of those I-car courses. I know what you mean by taking and passing test. You do learn from them. I have my ase certs. Now its off to see who is gonna pay me what I am worth lol. Before that they wanted to pay me under minimum wage. Boy I should of just gave them under minimum wage work lol.
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