Master Technician v.stories

I'm sure there are some good ones out there, I'll start.

I worked with a Nissan master tech that absolutely blew my mind at the shortcuts he had found, he actually got calls from Nissan Tech Line so they could try to get his secrets. He was also taken to court over one, the customer claimed there was no way he performed the service in the amount of time he had the car.

Pathfinder/Frontier V6 timing belt: 45 minutes, book 6.7 hours

(VG engine) Quest fuel injectors: 15 minutes, book 4.6 hours (this was the one the dealer was sued over, Cx was a waiter)

Z32 TT clutch: 40 minutes, book 5.2 hours

When I worked for Honda, there was another wise guy, he wasn't as pleasant of a coworker, but he was also quick.

Odyssey transmission: ~90 minutes, book 8.2 hours

6g Accord V6 transmission: ~90 minutes, book 8.2 hours

The only secret I learned was on the Quest, it involved a die grinder, and there's still no way I could do 15 minutes. These guys were just experienced.

[in response to VW generator belt change in on-topic forum]

when i was at hyundai they paid 4.9hrs to do inner tie rod sockets, i bought a tie rod set from napa(ordered an extra 29mm, crows foot with it) had the extra crows foot machined out to the hyundai socket i could replace the inners in 15minutes,

It's also much easier when any part that you may break or run into problems with you can grab off the shelf.

The rest is just practice and repetition. As cool as it is that they can get stuff done quick, it must suck having done so many V6 timing belts that your that good.

I'd rather be slow at doing something really awesome and still getting paid a large some of money for it. Like building race cars.

We're certainly no master-techs, but if 2 hongers can't get a 1g crx / 3g civic motor swapped in less than 90 minutes, kick them in the balls. On that note, the biggest time-saving tool in my small arsenal is the Snap-on Honda bitch-pin removal punch.

That's fracking awesome. When it comes to working on my own cars, the formula is pretty much book * 2, because invariable I don't have the right tool for the job or because I broke something.

When I worked at John Deere, one of my jobs was to make up the rates for the service manuals. When I say "make up", thats exactly what happened. If the big 3 are anything like Deere, the rates are such a mess, its not hardly worth looking at.

I don't have any personal stories but I reckon here's as good a place as any to post this:

http://vimeo.com/6773074

(Edit; here's the full story, from one of the comments on the video. Serious skill + bull-headed perseverance = win.)

93gsxturbo wrote: When I worked at John Deere, one of my jobs was to make up the rates for the service manuals. When I say "make up", thats exactly what happened. If the big 3 are anything like Deere, the rates are such a mess, its not hardly worth looking at.

I've only worked on imports, but the rates there seem to be fairly accurate on most jobs. I averaged right around the book time for the first time I performed a service.

I just did glow plugs on a '04 F350, and I think it falls into the fictional range. Warranty time was like 1.7, book time was 5.8. I took ~5.5 w/ only hand tools.

Well I'm no master tech, I'm not even a regular wrencher these days. But one that always get's me is internet-lor on Contour Alternators. I've seen many 'experts' claim it’s an all day job needing a hoist and lot's of extensions. Admittedly I've done it three times, but my last time was three hours start to finish. The key is everyone says you have to access the hard to reach bolt with lot's of extensions from the opposite wheel well. I remove the coil pack and go in from the top with a small ratchet and a UJ. Fiddly but not impossible.

I must be getting old and repeating myself as I just typed this a few hours ago inthe Contour thread as well

Also, DA Integras call for the driver's side axle to come out in order to remove the alternator. The inners tend to be a pain in the arse to pop out (an air chisel is usually required.) popping the outer and swinging the axle forward gives you enough room to remove the alternator. IIRC, I was quoted 3-4 hours labor.

I watched a tech do a recall on a ford truck for the fuel pump and regulator. Book was around 4 hours. He did it in 45 min. Instead of draining the tank and pulling it, he pulled the bed.

Toyman01 wrote: I watched a tech do a recall on a ford truck for the fuel pump and regulator. Book was around 4 hours. He did it in 45 min. Instead of draining the tank and pulling it, he pulled the bed.

Now wipping candy bar chunks off the moniter, glad iwasn't drinking.

The book quotes for my projects are listed in Beer, Blood, and Cuss Words.

Time is irrelevant.

Toyman01 wrote: I watched a tech do a recall on a ford truck for the fuel pump and regulator. Book was around 4 hours. He did it in 45 min. Instead of draining the tank and pulling it, he pulled the bed.

Sometimes thinking outside the box works best...

at home thats what we do. We have a book for each car, and then we go to town. Use the book only as a vague guideline. Whatever we see as working best is what happens.

My dad is a master tech and the man is a genius. There could be a whole GRM issue dedicated to him

I don't understand times on certain jobs. Small example: Honda Cabin Filters. Most new cars you can replace them in about 30 seconds blindfolded....and we will get paid three tenths of an hour. Then when it comes to a cabin filter on lets say a 98-02 Accord the time is only .5 hours and you have to take apart half of the dash board and cut every single one of your knuckles, then hope parts has the filter in stock, while the customer bitches at you for paying $90 to replace a filter.

In response to the first post, we have guys that can replace the trannies in Odysseys in about that time. Or remove tranny insert new torque convert, put back in, in around 3 hours--that job pays around ~9 hours.

I would totally agree with most warranty labor times/book times if our parts department didn't completely suck like the Tampa Bay Bucs this year. I did a warranty visor replacement today for .1 of an hour. It took .3 of an hour for the Bobby Hills in parts to figure out what kind of visor to give me.

CarKid1989 wrote: My dad is a master tech and the man is a genius. There could be a whole GRM issue dedicated to him

Do it!!!! Pleeeeaaase!!!

In reply to DirtyBird222: Check w/ parts before tearing into a job.

that assumes we actually plan a job

my '88 Saab 9000 ate a lot of votage regulators. They were Bosch and bolted into the back of the alternator. After I yanked the second alternator out (inner fender, etc., etc.) and lost a day of vacation on a road trip, my local independant Saab tech told me that if I laid across the top of the engine I could replace the regulator without pulling the alternator. 15 minutes is all that it took. After that, I kept a spare in the glove box.

jack

I love to pester some folks on another board when discussing the timing belt change on my Escort. with 335,000 miles on it I have become quite skilled at this. Kinda freaked my brother out once during a parking lot replacement when I loosened the balancer pully nut by wedging the breakover bar against the ground and bumping the starter.

Bruce

egnorant wrote: I love to pester some folks on another board when discussing the timing belt change on my Escort. with 335,000 miles on it I have become quite skilled at this. Kinda freaked my brother out once during a parking lot replacement when I loosened the balancer pully nut by wedging the breakover bar against the ground and bumping the starter. Bruce

I thought that would be the commonly accepted method around here (how do you think I got the one on my Miata off?)

petegossett wrote:

CarKid1989 wrote: My dad is a master tech and the man is a genius. There could be a whole GRM issue dedicated to him

Do it!!!! Pleeeeaaase!!!

Where do i begin? Call him up and talk to him. Anyone here. Having a family and associated responsibilities is what holds him back from being crazier about cars like me.

He, his brother, and a close frined built a elecrtic s-10 in the 80's.

Opened a shop with his dad and brother while still in highschool.--people still now that remember the shop will still comment that it was so clean you could eat off the floor.

Family and friends call with a problem. He will ask them to descirbe the sound and replicate the sounds...ten seconds later he tells em what it most likely is.

Im really proud of all he does and has done, and he is really talented in the garage around cars.

We salute you Vince Rozman.