by Bob Freudenberger
Observation and Celebration
When I first got into automotive publishing (remember Mechanix Illustrated? I was “Tom Tappet”), I read somewhere that in 1955 there were 52 cars per mechanic in the U.S. How far we’ve come. According to the best numbers I’ve been able to find, today there are over 245 million registered vehicles, and something like one million working technicians (400,000 or so hold ASE certifications). Do the math. But there’s more to the story. In 1970, we as a people drove just over a trillion miles, but now we do almost three times that.
That tells me that cars are way better than they used to be. No more plugs, points, and condenser every spring and fall, tires go a lot longer than 10,000 miles, front end parts often last the life of the car, and when did you do your last ring and valve job?
So, does this mean the days of the professional auto service technician are numbered? Will cars become like disposable appliances that just keep on working until the day their owners decide it’s time for something new? I don’t believe so, at least not for a long, long time.
First, vehicles simply won’t last hundreds of thousands of miles without proper maintenance. For years, I’ve been saying that shops can’t sit around waiting for something to break. They’ve got to promote regular maintenance services. Not only LOFs, trans flushes, and coolant exchange, but also brake and power steering fluid changes. Then there’s whatever might be included in the anachronistically-named “tune-up,” from plug changes to intake tract cleaning. This will provide lots of employment far into the future.
Second, there are a few services where cars seem to be needier than they were in the past. Think about brakes, for example. In my recent experience, air conditioning and cooling systems appear to be growth areas, too.
Third, new cars are so expensive, people tend to hang on to their old ones for as long as possible. According to R. L. Polk & Co., the median age of passenger cars in operation increased to 9.4 years in 2008, a record high. No matter how great designs, materials and lubrication have become, something’s got to give sooner or later. Water and fuel pumps come to mind.
Finally, horrible accessibility problems in most modern vehicles and the vastly increased price of parts mean that when a repair is eventually required, the ticket will likely be big enough to pay the skilled tech needed to perform it enough to keep him or her interested in this profession.
This adds up to what may seem a counter-intuitive prediction from the Bureau of Labor Statistics: There’ll be a shortage of technicians through 2010 of at least 35,000 per year. It’s my opinion that this doesn’t mean a shortage of people willing to work on cars, but of true technicians with real skill. Like you.
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Now for the celebration part. We’re blessed to have at least a dozen of the best people in automotive tech publishing on our editorial team. Names you know, such as Greg McConiga, Phil Fournier, John Anello, Chip Keen and Tom Nash, and some relatively new ones, such as Kerry Jonnson and Paul Cortes. To a man, we’re all deeply rooted in auto service with a couple of centuries of hand-on experience among us. We know how to provide you with truly helpful, real-world information that’s often actually fun to read. I don’t think any other publication can boast of such a great group of contributors. From the entire staff of Master Technician ONLINE, we thank you for your continued interest. It’s great to be back!
Hooray for me, hooray for you.
Responding to Sam211
The answer is in the relationship the vehicle owner has with the Tech. A good technician is able to communicate with his customers and offer dispassionate advice about when and how much to repair. The high cost of new vehicles is certainly a concern, and if a repair can stave off the need for another series of expensive monthly payments, the customer needs to understand the math. Recently I put in the equivalent of the Blue Book value in repairs to a 1996 Bonneville. But I talked to my tech and we discussed the amount of effort, the safety issues, the expected life of the car and what reasonable expectations were. Sure, the decision was mine, but I didn’t make it in a vacuum. Some people are overwhelmed by an estimate they don’t understand, a lack of context, a set of priorities and the tools to make a decision. It’s easier to junk the car than figure it out. If there is no personal relationship and no trust between tech and customer, the customer is more likely to give up. Understanding the customer’s needs and priorities are just as important as diagnosing intermittent problems.
Responding to Sam211
The answer is in the relationship the vehicle owner has with the Tech. A good technician is able to communicate with his customers and offer dispassionate advice about when and how much to repair. The high cost of new vehicles is certainly a concern, and if a repair can stave off the need for another series of expensive monthly payments, the customer needs to understand the math. Recently I put in the equivalent of the Blue Book value in repairs to a 1996 Bonneville. But I talked to my tech and we discussed the amount of effort, the safety issues, the expected life of the car and what reasonable expectations were. Sure, the decision was mine, but I didn’t make it in a vacuum. Some people are overwhelmed by an estimate they don’t understand, a lack of context, a set of priorities and the tools to make a decision. It’s easier to junk the car than figure it out. If there is no personal relationship and no trust between tech and customer, the customer is more likely to give up. Understanding the customer’s needs and priorities are just as important as diagnosing intermittent problems.
Great to have you guys back up and running – let me know if there’s anything we can do to keep you all going!!
Great to have you guys back up and running – let me know if there’s anything we can do to keep you all going!!
I just searched this site from an old magazine at a dealer training center and found it actually worked! I have tried it before with no result. It is a great site! After reading this article (I have been concerned with the future of our profession for a while) I still see owners of older vehicles opting to just junk them due to the astronomically high cost of repairs. Sure brakes and tires will need attention but the price of engine, trans and some of the increasing electronic content in these vehicles needing repair often cause the owner to ditch the problem rather than pay to have it fixed. The tire and brake techs are a dime a dozen so where does this leave the skilled techs?
I just searched this site from an old magazine at a dealer training center and found it actually worked! I have tried it before with no result. It is a great site! After reading this article (I have been concerned with the future of our profession for a while) I still see owners of older vehicles opting to just junk them due to the astronomically high cost of repairs. Sure brakes and tires will need attention but the price of engine, trans and some of the increasing electronic content in these vehicles needing repair often cause the owner to ditch the problem rather than pay to have it fixed. The tire and brake techs are a dime a dozen so where does this leave the skilled techs?
Bob: Welcome Back! I’ll look forward to reading your words of wisdom as we move down the road. Glad to have MasterTech back on the air. Let me know if there’s anything we can do to help here at ASE.
Best
Tony
Bob: Welcome Back! I’ll look forward to reading your words of wisdom as we move down the road. Glad to have MasterTech back on the air. Let me know if there’s anything we can do to help here at ASE.
Best
Tony
good to see you guys back
good to see you guys back