0:00
/
0:00
Remember Monster Garage? Tom of Big Dog Custom Diesel Says That Show Changed His Life
Remember Monster Garage? Tom of Big Dog Custom Diesel Says That Show Changed His Life
0:00
0:00
0:00
0:00
About this episode
Tom Batar from Big Dog Custom Diesel shares his journey from being a mechanic to appearing on the iconic show Monster Garage. He discusses how the show impacted his career and led him to start his own shop. The conversation dives into the challenges of running a diesel repair business, including staffing issues, customer relationships, and the importance of quality parts. Tom also reflects on the differences in working on diesel trucks in Texas compared to his previous experiences in New Jersey and North Carolina, highlighting the unique challenges and rewards of his craft.
Topics:
monster garage
diesel repair
staffing challenges
customer relationships
quality parts
business growth
texas vs new jersey
mechanic experiences
shop management
work-life balance
Cars:
Ford Five Hundred
Ford Mustang
Ford Super Duty Lariat Tremor
Jeep Grand Cherokee
Toyota Corolla
Toyota Supra
Like the show? Show your support by using our sponsors.
Promotive can help you find your dream job. Touch HERE to see open jobs.
Need to update your shop systems and software? Try Tekmetric HERE
Wanna go to Tekmetric's first ever industry training event Tektonic? Register HERE
In this episode of The Jaded Mechanic, Jeff Compton chats with Tom from Big Dog Custom Diesel. Tom remembers his appearance on Monster Garage and how that kickstarted his career transition from working at a Ford dealership to starting his shop. He and Jeff also cover the struggles of running a business, especially on finding quality staff and managing business finances.
09:13 "Reconnecting Over Hot Dog Cart"
12:09 Trailer Upgrades and Requirements
19:49 "Overcoming Financial Struggles"
24:16 Experience vs. Theory: Importance
28:29 "Prioritizing Expensive Repairs"
33:57 North Carolina Store Transformation
41:36 Challenging, Self-Inflicted Positivity
45:47 Efficient Work Strategy Debate
47:44 Old School Toolbox Enthusiast
57:10 Weird Industry Perception of Discounts
01:00:02 Vehicle Brake and Rotor Issues
01:05:34 Striving for Excellence
01:09:25 "Tekmetric's Impressive Features"
Follow/Subscribe to the show on social media!
TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@jeffcompton7
YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@TheJadedMechanic
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100091347564232
Filter:
|
Technical
Too Afraid to Ask
Car
Ford Mustang
"... one season. So we had like the lawnmower and the Mustang lawnmower and all of the like just were getting t..."
Car
Toyota A90
"Yeah. So my neighbor had like a 90. 90 acre farm behind us. I love, I loved it. I loved it out there, but the weather is kind of crappy. But I commuted to Charlotte. Okay."
Car
Ford Super
"...going to machine your rotors and I'm going to put Ford Super Duties on it. And they're not expensive, right. B..."
Car
Fords Five
"Yeah. Like one week you'll be there. There'll be 10 or 12 Fords. One week there'll be two or three Fords, five Dodges. Then there'll be six Jevons. You know, there's no rhyme or reason. You know, like we work on them all. It doesn't matter, you know, Then we work on some diesel cars. Never. I've never been in a dealership yet that had an on car lathe. But I mean, no, but up in Canada. Right?"
Car
Jeep Grand Cherokee
"...ty. The, the ones I remember doing a lot like the Grand Cherokee In 2003, 2004, they had a rash of them where they..."
"Reconnecting Over Hot Dog Cart"
Trailer Upgrades and Requirements
"Overcoming Financial Struggles"
Experience vs. Theory: Importance
"Prioritizing Expensive Repairs"
North Carolina Store Transformation
Challenging, Self-Inflicted Positivity
Efficient Work Strategy Debate
Old School Toolbox Enthusiast
Weird Industry Perception of Discounts
Vehicle Brake and Rotor Issues
Striving for Excellence
"Tekmetric's Impressive Features"
Select text to request an explanation
so when I would go up to the service writer and I would give him a list for $8,000 worth of work, after the third one, he'd.
Be like, you're killing me.
I said, no, you're killing me. Because I don't need to be setting the truck up 50 times because you're a. I want to work on this truck for two days, make 45 hours in two days and make you five grand. Then we can go to the next ten thousand dollar job and the next eight thousand dol. Foreign.
Welcome back, ladies and gentlemen, to another, another exciting episode of the Jada McKenna podcast. I've got a kind of an interesting guest here today, a relatively new friend of mine that has kind of a real old throwback vibe to at least, I don't want to say my youth because I'm, I'm old, but kind of my, my formative years in this, getting into this industry, you know, my background, I was into a lot of really cool stuff. Like a lot of us were. TV was a big deal. I got a friend here, Tom Batar from Big Dog Custom Diesel. How are you today, Tom?
Awesome. How are you?
Not bad. So the reason that I, Tom kind of reached out to me and we got talking and you know, like it always goes, I'm, you know, it just winds up here. Tom's been on not one, but two episodes of Monster Garage way back when, which I thought was the coolest thing in the world because I can't be the only mechanic in the, in, in the, in this realm that that show had a pretty, a profound impact on. So Tom, kind of give us your story. Like, because, I mean, that's a pretty big deal, right, to be on that show.
Crazy. So like 2003, it was season two. He only had one season. So we had like the lawnmower and the Mustang lawnmower and all of the like just were getting the thing going on. So on the Internet there was, you know, they were putting on something like Internet was like just getting rolling. Yeah, right. Infancy. And it was a thing there was that.
You want to be on Monster Garage, send us your, send us your info tape and this and that. So I did a whole, I did all the paperwork and what I was doing. And at the time I was working at a Ford dealer running a truck department. Working on diesels.
Yeah.
And I had like six guys under me. It was in New Jersey. And I made a video at my house where I was changing a frame. I had a lift in my house and everything. And I had A body shop that wanted a frame swap, right. On a diesel. It was smashed in the front, so I was actually doing that. And we made, like, a whole tape and that.
It was VHS back then, so. Yeah, it was the whole thing, dude. So I sent this whole thing in, and then they called me and said, hey, man. I was at work that called me on the phone. He's like, hey, man, this is such. Such a monster garage, man. You want to be on monster garage? And I was like, get the out of here. Hell yeah, dude.
So it was like a whole thing.
Did you really think when you did it like, that you'd get on?
I don't know, man.
I.
Not really. Not really. Really. It was just something I was doing. I just did it, you know? And I was getting. And. And I was trying. I was already transitioning into my own shop.
Right.
Like, I bought a shop, a running shop. Yappy's wheel alignment.
Okay.
And I wanted to get out of the. I had enough of the dealer, and I was working, doing side jobs at my house, and it got too big. So, you know, you. It was like, listen, it's time. So that was 2003. So, like, I was working on this shop, and I didn't. Wasn't given my notice. I did this.
And then when I. I did this, I came back, I gave my notice, and then I started my own thing.
Yeah.
Yeah.
That's. The first shop was Feet. It was T. L's car and truck center. Started that, like, two miles from the dealer. That was nuts.
So. So you're pretty, like, kind of. I get the feeling for you. You never really said it, but you've been a gearhead pretty much your whole life.
I grew up in it. My dad had gas station. I did. I did everything from when I was a small kid.
Yeah.
At hot rods 24. 24. Seven.
Like. And you. You and I were talking about. You were good friends with, like. Because. So your episode, the hot dog cart.
The first time that had that. That had a lot of awesome people on it. Like, I didn't know it. Listen, I had no. No clue who these people were.
Yeah. Yeah.
So I flew out. I flew out there. I'm driving to rent the car around, and there's Indian Larry walking on the road.
Yeah.
I pulled over. I'm like, indian Larry, dude. My name is Tom. I'm gonna be on your episode. He gets in the car, man. We're driving around Long beach with this guy. I'm driving around Long beach with this guy. Don't even know I Don't know who he is.
I just know Indian Larry, like, what he looked like. I didn't know about his motorcycles. Like, I wasn't into any of that stuff.
Yeah.
You know, because I was just working all the time.
Right.
That's all I was doing was working. So, like, I never had my head up to look around, like, who's doing the hot rods? Who's doing this? You know, the only thing was, like, Jesse, I just seen him on. He was the only one on tv.
Yeah. Yeah.
You know, it just seemed like he hit the TV and then after that, you know, because it's true, right?
Yeah.
You know, so you can't deny, like, he was the first one to do all the big stuff.
The first thing I ever remember seeing about west coast choppers is on the very first Fast and Furious movie. There's a scene where Paul Walker's walking around.
He just had a T shirt.
Yeah.
And I like, I'm just like, you know.
Yeah.
Paul Walker, obviously not with us anymore, but I mean, just think about that little bit of ad placement, right?
What.
That's what that did for. For, For Jesse. And I mean, like, the guy's talented as hell. Like, I don't care what anybody says about the. The politic, not the political side, but, you know, the celebrity side and all kind of stuff. The guy was talented. Is talented as hell. Back then was so groundbreaking in what he was doing.
You know, Listen, what they're doing now that I see firsthand is unbelievable.
Yeah. Because you're so like, Tom's from New Jersey, guys. But he's made his way kind of like you. You did a tenure for a little while after in North Carolina.
Yep.
And now you're in Texas.
Yeah.
I love Texas. It's hot. I love the heat. I came here to do SEMA builds with Jesse and I kept going home telling my ex wife, you know, dude, we gotta move. There's some. Every, like, grandma's driving a diesel truck.
Right.
Like, everybody, like kids from 16, like, you name it.
Yeah.
So I was like, I was blown away.
Yeah.
And that's it. Here we are.
And now you're. You're close to his. His shop, which I gotta say, like, you know, he kind of seemed like the vibe when he moved from Long beach kind of changed where he got it. Got a little bit out of the public eye. Right. Because we all know different reasons why that's.
It's, it's. It's country.
Yeah.
Like, you gotta. You gotta try to find his house.
But you're Pretty close. Like, you guys are kind of neighborly. And then like, yeah, yeah, yeah. So what is.
So the set. So that when I first got here after my divorce, I got here July 4, 2020.
Yeah.
And he was. It was during COVID and he was taping the second round of Monster Garage.
Yeah.
Bought a season.
Yeah.
So I went to the shop because I knew the guys at the shop, and they're like, yeah, man, he's taping and this and that. I was like, oh, man, whatever. No big deal. I'll see him. Whatever. And I went back to my hotel, and he texted me to. Called me on the phone.
Yeah.
I was hanging out, drinking. I was like, yeah, dude, what do I do? Freshly divorced, you know? Like, I didn't know what to do, man. I had my truck on my trailer outside, you know, and that's it. Like, I was looking for a place to live. He calls me. He's like, what are you doing, man? I'm just hanging out. He's like, well, get your ass to Monster Garage, man. You're gonna be on Monster Garage.
The guy who was coming from Georgia for the diesel build, right. Got coveted. They had to send them home with its parts and everything.
Yeah, yeah.
He was bringing the custom. Like, they went and filmed over there. He had a custom engine and all of this. And he made his way to Texas, and they sent them home. So that night, like, I did a COVID test. FBI, this, that.
Like.
Yeah. So they can keep filming. Like, so Tuesday. Tuesday the 7th, I was on. I was on the set.
Yeah.
For the week.
Unbelievable.
Didn't have a hot. Didn't have a place to live, but I was on Monster Garage for the second time. Time. Yeah.
That's awesome. How long were you.
That was. That was. That was a combine into a dragster, right? Yep. Yeah.
Because the very first one, you and I were just. I messaged you the other night, and it's. It's weird how this world comes together because I'm like. I'm watching reruns on the Speed Channel up here, and there's this hot hot dog cart building. I'm like, there's Tom. And I messaged you, right? Because this is after we're trying to set up and do a recording, and we had some technical issues, and I said, were you. Was that you on the hot car build? You're like, yeah. And I sat there and watched the whole building.
I'm like, that's like. And there's. I forgotten Indian Larry had been on that episode. So it's like, I mean, because he was a, like there. He was a cat that had a lot of input. I just, I. I just, I just dug that cat, you know? Like, I mean, he was, he was pretty.
Listen, where I was living was like, his shop was in Brooklyn, so I'd go there on Saturdays for months and months and months and months. Yeah, months. Just hang out with all the guys. Paul Cox, all of the guys. Like, you know, just watch them do the leather work, do the building and just fabricating. It's just crazy. And then I moved to North Carolina and ZMAX just opened.
Yep.
And that's when he was doing a show. I was on my way when they said that he crashed and died. I was on my way to see him.
Yeah, that.
I didn't see him.
Like.
Yeah. When I moved, I didn't see him for a year, couple years, and I wanted to see him. And I was driving to that racetrack was only 45 minutes away. Yep.
So what, what was the, what was the push for you to get out of Jersey and on to North Carolina?
Well, it was, it was like my brother in law at the time moved to North Carolina.
Okay.
Indian Trail. And he kept telling his parents, you got to move because they wanted to retire. So we had a family meeting and, you know, we made some stipulations and that. That's how we wound up there. So I wound up in the farmland in Monroe.
Okay.
This big Tyson area. You know, Tyson turkeys and chickens, right?
Yeah.
So my neighbor had like a 90. 90 acre farm behind us. I love, I loved it. I loved it out there, but the weather is kind of crappy. But I commuted to Charlotte.
Okay.
Which sucked.
So were you in Charlotte? Did. Were you working on another four dealer.
Right off South Boulevard? I was working on the biggest. Biggest four dealer. I ran it. I ran a truck department there too. Yeah.
Yeah.
That's what I did for 11 years.
So that's. That's power strokes in your blood at this point, right?
Yeah, that's it. Yeah. Yeah. Listen, if you went on my Instagram, you'll see there's a mural in my. In my waiting room. It's all. It's a big ass. My truck.
Ford F250. Big ass American flag.
Yeah.
Big, big Ford logo. But like, you know, we work out. We work on them.
All right.
Yeah.
Because in that I'm biased, though, when people call and say, hey, man, I'm looking at a truck. What kind of, what kind of truck you think I should look for? And then I ask them, like a couple Questions like, what do you do with it?
What?
You know, what kind of trailer do you have? How much trailer do you. Where are you gonna go with it? Like, you know, and then I go, okay, man, well, it's, you know, you need this kind of truck, then we need to do these kind of upgrades, and then you'll be able to be on the road, safely on the road if you get this kind of truck. We need to do this kind of upgrades because we do upgrades on everybody, you know, everybody's. They all. They all need upgrades.
Yeah.
Make them. To make them bulletproof, you know, like bulletproof. What, a 6 liter bulletproof? Like, I'm talking about a person's got a 40 foot camper. He's got his wife, he's got his dog and his cat and two kids.
Yep.
You need his truck bulletproof.
Yeah.
The good cat tubes, the good stuff for the transmission, the good stuff for the rear differential. Like, you know, like all of that stuff. Yeah. No matter what truck line you're working, it just doesn't matter.
So and so now in your, in your business, you're just talking before this, today or yesterday, you put out a. You did a pretty good day yesterday, and you were working on a particular fleet.
Right.
And you said like some Saturdays you're slamming at 12, 13 hours. Like you're just.
Or I have two or three. You know, like, when I couldn't get staffing during the week, I had four guys on Saturday.
Right.
And Saturday was a big day, man.
Yeah.
You know, but like now it's just, you know, I'm worn out too, so probably I could have shaved a couple hours off if I hustled some more. Yeah. But we're like, it's a. It's a quiet day, the sun shining finally after two weeks, you know, so like, I helped Anthony with his truck. I finished a job, you know, like, we did a bunch of upgrades, so I needed to finish that. And then after that, we started working. I started working on other trucks.
So what's your kind of your optimal customer from a diesel truck standpoint? Like, what is the one. Not the one that I want to say. Like, you can just see the money roll in. But what is your. You just love that kind of customer that, that they give you the least amount of problems. Like they, you know, now.
Now that I've been not like. So my shop's best to drip two. Two years out of three years that I'm open. I'm on my fourth year now, so by now my customers know all about the processes, the systems and everything. So most of the time I'll just get a text through shop boss and then the truck will be outside and then it's like, whatever. And then just come and pick it up.
Yeah.
They know I'm not going to rip them off. They know I'm going to fix it right the first time. They know I can go in the shop boss and go through, be like, okay, man. You don't, you know, some people be like, hey, do I need fuel filters this time? You know? Yes. It's either yes or no.
Yeah.
But like, I got people on a good schedule for everything. And all my good fleets are on a good schedule. Like, I don't have any crappy customers. I fire customers. I only fire two customers in four years.
Yeah.
Right on.
So, like, I got a five star on Google. Got a five star on Yelp. Everybody leaves reviews, leaves comments. Not just. I only had one or two people that just left. Four star, you know, with no comments. Everybody leaves. You got to bring your truck over the top.
Yeah.
This crew know what's going on. Like, you know, Scott's a Ford guy, Ozzy's a Dodge guy. Ryan's just an all around kid that, you know, works on everything with us.
Right. How many is in your crew all together?
There's four now.
Four. Is it tough to find people?
Oh, yeah, dude. Like, it took forever to find. It's like I had one guy when I started, I ran. We ran the shop two years with me and. Me and Blake.
Huh.
And we. We did good, man. We did really good. Like, and I don't have a service writer. I don't. It's me and one other guy. And that was it. And four.
Four beige, four bay shop one is the alignment rack. Right. And I got two 12s and a 2020 for picking up fleet trucks, you know.
Yeah.
And so then I got Scott and there was three of us. And then I had to get rid of Blake. So then there was two of us for a long time. And I had this other dude, Trent, and he went and he's working in Austin. And then I was spending. I spent about, I'd say 10 grand on trying to find help.
Right.
I hired a recruiter and then I was using, you know, that's. I was using one or two of the other ones and then comes to find out they were using the same one. So I fired them.
Yeah.
And it was like, then all of a sudden this. This guy, my. My guy Ozzy walked in. So I hired him. He's Been there a couple of months, almost six months maybe. And then I knew Ryan, I've known for years. So he's a kid. He used to work for Jesse.
So.
So do you. Do you kind of need like a guy that's got some. How do I say it? Do you kind of look for the guy that's got some dealership Diesel training?
No, no, no, no, no, I like it.
Yeah.
Like, you can mostly. Most of these guys who work out there, like, work at regular shops, so they're more car guys. You know, there's no. There's only like one shop. Moved out of the area into another town and then there's only one. One other Diesel shop.
Yeah.
Everybody else is a, you know, is just a regular shop that does them.
Yeah.
So we're just, you know, we work on our customers. Diesel's wives.
Yeah.
But I don't promote it unless somebody calls and says, I got high, highly recommended by the such and such. And I say, okay, you could bring your car in.
Yeah.
You know, but we don't get people just coming in.
Yeah.
Coming in place.
Right on, right on.
It's on the highway, but it's off the highway. Right sides on the highway. You could see my place from the highway. You got to make a right and then come in.
Yeah.
So you're not chasing that Corolla oil change money.
Yeah.
So once, you know, what's.
Has that been. Has that been the biggest struggle in the businesses then is. Is the finding people or like, did you have some early. Early growing pains that you kind of had to learn things the hard way or.
Yeah, well, listen, I opened the door with my bookkeeper.
Yeah.
Four Bay shop. I dumped all my money. Like, I divorced, you know, I had to do all of that. And then I took the rest of my money and I bought everything.
Right.
Bought everything brand new, like the shops, you know, it's a nice. It's a nice shot for what it is.
Right.
Keep it clean. The customers love it.
Yeah.
Like, the biggest thing is to customers love. I'm like, yeah, I'm gonna come out through. You could be doing the dirtiest job. But it. It's just that little area.
Yeah.
The shop is clean.
Yeah.
You know, so like, we try to keep. Everybody tries to keep it clean or keep the equipment clean. Like the hunter guy comes and he says every time, he's like, dude, I can't believe this alarm rack's three years old.
Yeah.
He's like, I can't believe it. I'm like, yeah, dude, it gets clean Once a week.
Yeah.
You know, the tire machine, the balancer. Like I have all the high end stuff from the. I'm a dealer guy, so I bought all the high end stuff.
Yeah.
So I could have everything that I need to do whatever I need.
Yeah.
What you're familiar with, I'm just that guy.
Yeah, I get it.
Totally.
In my first shop, I didn't have no money and like I just did it on a budget. And then I, you know, I struggled, I struggled for a long time. And at 2, I was really rolling in 2008 and that just took me out because I was working on all construction trucks, landscape trucks, welder, you know, all sorts of it. Just. Yeah, just so I, like when I came down here and I was writing everything down, how to do this place and how I'm going to do this and that and what's, you know, what I'm not doing or what I'm gonna do. Yeah. It's a big difference, big difference this time, you know, so like I don't worry about, I don't worry about anything with money. My bookkeeping has everything.
Like last time I, you know, I was staring at the thing all the time.
Yeah.
You know, just staring at it, staring at it, staring at it, you know, and it would just make me mental.
So you kind of, you put the faith in the bookkeeper this time and kind of said, this is the margins that I need and I'll go.
I just, I just say, you know.
Like, this is, well, Shop boss. That's like Shop Boss and QuickBooks, you know, the credit card is all together.
Right.
So like I write ros. I collect money and that's, you know, and I pay for, like I'm the parts guy. So like I'm, I do everything right and I pay. Everything that walks in the door is paid for.
Right.
You know, so. And I really don't have. I like it that way because last time it bothered the out of me that I have to figure out where I'm gonna get 15 grand from.
Right. Yeah.
O'Reilly's or Ford or Chevy or Dodge.
So is that kind of like before, back in the day? Because I can kind of talk about, you know, I've got some fleet experience and it's like they only want to pay every 30 days or every 60 days. Right.
See, like, like, yeah, well, now I can do that stuff. I tried to do that back then. Shop. I tried to do it with no capital.
Yeah.
And you can't pay your bills if there's nothing you like, you can't pay your rent for sure. So this time a lot of that stuff was super important, like getting the proper account, you know, accountant and then the proper bookkeeper. Like their best friends, right. She has. That's. That's who from ground zero. And I told them what I want and how I want it.
Right.
And that's how we roll.
And you find, you probably find then, Tom, that there's some jobs that the old way you wouldn't have been able to turn down because you wouldn't need it every job. And now you can probably pass on some stuff, eh?
Well, like for a long time, no, it was just killing me because I was trying to get the business rolling. But like, you know, dudes call come with these weird ass old diesels trying to get it running and get them on the road and stuff. And I did it a couple times and I got destroyed.
Right.
You could never charge as much. So like this year, this year I decided to do, you know, like it's time now. We're. We're rolling now I got some employees. I'm starting to work on the business, not in the business. Right.
Yeah.
Except for like when I have to like. But most of the time now I want to start concentrating on all that stuff. So with that you have to have judgment on what's going to be good for the business and what's not.
Do you do, do you do transmissions in house?
No. Yeah, but like all, all my trucks get hot rod trans.
Okay. Okay.
You know they'll get. Because these guys are all deleted. They're all towing big trailers.
Yeah.
They're all like balls to the wall.
Right.
They all come with. The trans is blown the out, you know, melted down fluid this that, you know.
Yeah.
But even the Ford stuff too. Too like even there's tsbs on stuff and it's just like it's not. I'm really more trying to be cost effective for the customer. So I talk to the customer about it and I'm saying this is how I feel about it and this is why I want to do it this way. What do you think?
Yeah.
Because since I have. I'm a tech.
Yeah.
Like they, they already. That's why we're getting to be really, really successful. Successful. Because I'm a tech. I'm not a service writer.
Right.
But I'm a. I'm a business owner. Like it's tough. It's a tough deal. Yeah, it's a tough deal. But it's actually in my favor.
Yeah.
I would think because it's like when you say, listen, man, I've seen this and I've had to go in and fix it after the fact that. That carries a lot more weight than just saying something like somebody that, you know, I want to say maybe is in a shirt and tie going, this is how we think you should do it this way. You know what I mean? You can speak from that first base. I was there. I had to fix the fallout. This is why I don't want you to do it this way. You know, I think that's huge. What, what was I going to.
Because you and I talked about before, we got on a little bit about some of the, the social media content and stuff like that. And you're on Instagram and you're on Tik Tok, right?
Yeah. And like my, my Instagram pushes to my Facebook.
Right. Okay.
And then just my. I just started tick tock. I just messed, you know, like, I don't have. I don't have no truck followers. You know, I just got whoever's. Whoever's following me, you know.
Yeah.
But we were talking about.
They do get a bunch of views.
Oh, look at the subject that we were just talking before going on like that. The whole how long do you idle? And the secret sauce and like with, with that guy. Like, I mean, he's, you know, he, he went through a podcast out the other day, you know, him and his son. It. The first episode of it was actually really good. I listened to it. But I mean, what do you think about all, like. Because I have to think like, climate wise, you must see some different failures down in Texas that you didn't see up north.
Yeah, dude. All like hoses, gaskets, o rings, they just melt under the hood, man. Under the hood. It's just hot as.
Yeah.
You know, but like in Jersey, you know, where I'm from in New York, you know, you left your truck running. Yeah, you know, but listen, I Left before a 6 7. Right, right. I went to North Carolina, you know what I'm saying? So I was in North Carolina, you know.
Yeah.
You know, for the end. The end of the six four and six seven.
Right.
So you still see a lot of the seven threes running around in Texas.
Listen, I'm a specialist or something. Like, we fix tons of them. Yeah, tons ton. And people love them. And you have no idea how much money they spend on.
Yeah, I can't remember.
You have a, you. You have a 73 guy. The last one I did, his bill was like, it was over six grand.
Yeah. Wow.
You know, and that. But he needed a turbo and he got a big exhaust. And we did the up pipes and we did manifolds and you know, we fixed leaks. We did this. We did a lot of work to the truck. You know, we do, really did. But like the truck had 380, 000. And he's like, you know, shop boss.
I don't know if you know about shop boss, but I like shop loss. So, like, make the whole estimate, send it on an email in the text. And then I get an email about approval and I go into the thing. Dude, it wasn't two minutes. I remember this like it was yesterday. It was a couple months ago. I sent it. Boom.
Like, all right, cool. Like, all right, I got one more estimate to do. And I was like, beep. Write an email. I'm like, holy, Wilcox. I go in there, down the whole thing, I'm like, holy.
He approved everything.
And like, you could pay like shop bosses. Which is another thing that's really good is I like, is that you could pay and then I just lock the truck outside.
Yeah, whatever.
Or lock it in it. And because they have the code, you know, so he just paid the bill.
Uhhuh.
I was like, damn. So that's the kind that's the like between this shop and the last shop. That's a 100% turnaround, right? You know, versus waiting and knocking on people's. Dude, a landscaper had like 10 trucks. I'm like, yo, dude, come on, man.
Yeah, I need to get.
He would bring these junks in, you know, just run up the tab, you know, So I don't, I don't. I'm not doing anything nonsense like that, you know, if I don't, if I don't like, get a good feeling about you.
Right.
Like you're given more than a deposit. But like for the first two, two and a half, three years, I had to do that.
Yeah.
Now I have to do it less.
Like, right.
Do I do it on a $10,000 transmission? Yeah, all day. I have to. But like, do I do it on a couple thousand dollar job? No. You know, do like upgrades, do tons of DCRs, right? Now I stock them. It's still, you know, it's a lot of money to have them on the shelf. It's just not cheap. But when they call, I'm like, yeah, I can get you in tomorrow, I can get you in Thursday. And they're like, really? Before I'd be like, yeah, I'll order it.
I'll get your bill ready. You Know this and that. I need a deposit. Now. I'm just like, yep, get the truck in here. I got one in stock, right?
Yeah.
So now I'm down to one. Not tomorrow. I'll order another one. Because the guy's coming in tomorrow for one, Right. And I'll have it in three days.
Now, that. That recall that just Ford got announced, is that going to affect your business or.
I don't know, man.
Yeah. Yeah.
I. I hope it doesn't.
I. I think it's a program first, but, like, who knows, man? Yeah, but, like, a lot of. A lot of ones that I do are upgrades, so they're not gonna. They're not gonna. You know.
Yeah.
Like, the trucks are tuned. The truck's got lifts, they got tires.
Yeah.
Tow trailers.
Yeah.
They call me and say, hey, man, I hear about this thing that's gonna happen to my truck, I'm like, sure, I can fix it for you.
Yeah. Yeah. Right.
So, like, I don't know about the whole recall, because I haven't really looked into it, but I heard it was like, first it's a reflash to change the temperature to change the temperature to cool the fuel off.
Right.
And I heard that first.
Yeah.
And then I don't know what they're. I think you can get reimbursed if you had your pump done right. I think. But, like, a guy who had his thing scattered for stupidity. Like, we just did a bucket truck, and the dude ran at 70 miles an hour down the road out of fuel.
Right.
We put fuel in it, we purged it. We cleared the codes. It started up, you know, and then I'm like, it was. You know, it was Friday night. I'm like, all right, we'll worry about it Monday. And then Saturday, I pulled the intake off. I pulled the sec. You know, both the intakes off.
Pulled. Pulled the sensor out. It was just smoked. So, yeah, you know, that was a really good customer. He's like, just fix my truck, dude.
Yeah, Right on.
God. The guy just comes there, just fix, dude, fix it. That stupid ass. That stupid ass I got working for me. Just fix it. You know? So that got a dcr, it got a whole fuel system. Pull the tank, fuel cooler, you know, fuel pump in the tank and the rear, you know, fuel filter housing, you know, it got everything.
It's a good ticket. It's a good ticket for sure.
Yeah.
You know, lots of guys talking about doing them right. Like, if you can get onto them and start to make some money at it, cut your labor in half. Like, on your actual time, your efficiency is way up. It's a good job, so. And a lot of guys don't want to touch it.
I don't. I don't pay flat rate. My shops. No, that's another. That's another kind of, like, issue that I have. But the other issue is, like, I don't deal. I don't want to deal with the flat rate issue.
Right.
Right. So I just don't do it.
Yeah.
Which is kind of a funny thing for me because, I mean, you're a dealer guy.
I know that. But the problem. The problem is, is that I was the biggest when it comes to my paycheck.
Yeah.
Right. And, like, some of the stuff that we do, we get destroyed on diag.
Yeah.
Sometimes it's days. So, like, what am I supposed to do there? Right. I can't, you know, it's like, it's. It's. It's a. It's a sword. I didn't feel like. I didn't feel like dealing with as stepping away.
You know what I'm saying? Listen, going from what I was doing to what I'm doing now was a transition, like nobody's business.
Yep.
Right. And I tried to have a, you know, girl in the office. I tried. It just doesn't work. I tried to have. I tried to have. Guys don't know anything and just try, and it just doesn't work.
Yep.
So, like, I'm figuring it out. It's painful. Every day's painful, you know, but the alternative is, like, I told my daughter June 5, June 5, 2020, when I. That was my last day at the dealership.
Right.
Home. And I told my kid, I said, tiffy, your daddy's never, ever, ever gonna work for anybody and make anybody a dollar ever again in his life. Yeah, but it's. It's hard, dude.
It takes a lot of guts. Like, I mean, there's. There's a reason I've never done it. And it, you know, I. I get my detractors.
Listen, man, like, I was making so much money that, like, my ex wife was just like, are you stupid? You're stupid. I said, nah, I'm tired of making people rich.
Yeah.
If I'm making almost a buck and a half, you know, around there. Right. How much am I making that?
Yeah.
At. At almost 200 a hour. Well, no, I was making 50 and the labor rate was 150.
Yeah.
So tell me that. You know. Right. So.
Yeah, see, and that's a funny thing because we've seen that conversation Come up before Tom and, And you know, it's like, well, that, that hund goes to overhead, you know, like there's there.
No, I know that we.
And you know it. But we've also, like a lot of us can put our hands up and go, yo, I've seen that. You know, none of that overhead's going back into the business. It's not buying me training. It's not buying me equipment. It's not, you know, I'm, I'm still working in the, in the dark.
You know, I was fortunate in North Carolina that the built the, the store wasn't bad. And then they built it awesome. Like when I left, it had 20 foot glass, you know, plexiglass doors, air conditioned tile floor, LED lights. Like they just, they went above and beyond. I had big lifts. I had. It was, it was, it was a good place. It was, it was good.
You know, I was at the top, you know.
And you know your shop's got air conditioning, obviously.
Listen, I wrote a list. This is on the list again. In my. When I was in my apartment, the first thing was air conditioning. So like my place was called Suds Monkey. It was like a bar, right?
Okay.
The brewery. So it's four bays. So half of it was the brewery then the hat. That half had the offices where my offices are now now. And the other half was the restaurant. And where my tool room is was the cooking area. Right, Right. So the cooking area was air conditioned.
The bar area was air conditioned. The office was air conditioned. The only thing that wasn't was the brewery. And that's where my alignment rack and Scott works. So that's. I put that air condition in first.
Right.
And then I had them all redone. I, you know, did. I went through everything. So, yeah, the shop was there. It's Texas, dude.
Yeah.
Like, I like. And I'm a heat guy. That's. I survive better in the heat than the cold. Right. That's why I got out of. Out of Jersey and New York, you know, and on to North Carolina. But their weather sucks.
Too much.
Yeah.
And everybody's like, well, if you like to eat, how come you're not working on trucks in the heat? Because they come to my shop.
Yeah.
And I'm like, why? Didn't say it was stupid, dude. Not really. Like, I worked in the heat before the shop got air conditioned in North Carolina. I worked nine years in the heat. You don't tell me anything about the heat. Yeah, it was like 115 degrees. My tools were 100 degrees. All day.
And that's when I'm working on a hot truck.
Yeah, I can get the job done at 110, but I do better at when it's 98, you know, like, I do a better job.
Yeah.
Flat out.
So, like, I got garage. I got a electric garage door openers. So like, I didn't. When I built this place, I built it for everything, right? LED lights, reels on the ceilings, you know, like, you can see everything. I painted the whole place white, you know, like the floors are clean.
Yeah.
Floors are just clear. Clear sealer.
Yeah.
And keep the shop clean, you know.
Have you ever been by. You ever been by Gas Monkeys facility?
No.
No. Eh.
Now he's. He's a couple hours away.
Yeah. Yeah.
And you're near Austin?
Yeah, yeah.
Yeah.
I've been dripping.
I'm dying to go to Austin one day. I've been. The music and the food is what it keeps me thinking.
You gotta go there. It's. It's a great place.
Yeah.
It really is.
Yeah.
I think the whole state.
Dude, I think the whole state and I would get along great. I don't think there'd be a bad spot that I'd ever not enjoy, you know? Like, my friend John Firm is from Fort Worth, you know. And then like.
Yeah.
It just seems like Texas has got it figured out from even this industry. You know what I mean?
Like, they got a lot of stuff figured out, but they got a lot of stuff to learn. Yeah.
So what's.
When it gets. When it gets like, first. I know it's Texas.
Right.
But all my pipes are above ground.
Okay.
So like, we just had a freeze for like two weeks.
Yeah.
I got a tent with a light over there trying. And I got to keep all my faucets on the drip. And that's like a thing out here.
So.
Yeah, so that's the thing. Like, when I came here the first year I was here, it's called Snowmageddon.
Yeah.
Like, I got snowed in. So I just had to close two weeks ago on Tuesday.
Yeah.
For a half inch of snow.
Yeah.
I remember we were talking because I'm like. Half an inch of snow. Like, we don't even. We don't even. We don't even wipe the cars off until they've got a foot of snow on the top of them. Right. Like, we just park them inside, clean.
A hole and just go. It'll be gone by the time you get where you're going.
Lots of stripped off windshield wipers and everything. Right. Because people Are like, I don't have a snow brush. So I just turned the wiper on full and ripped the gears out of this.
We don't see any of that. The only thing we see is wiper blades. Just smoked.
Yeah. Yeah.
Oh, like I consistently check.
So have you got yourself like a five, like a five year plan, a ten year plan? Like what's kind of.
Yeah, well, I kind of do, but I, you know, it changes man, by the week.
Yeah.
Just because of what's going on. Like, you know, there's another spot right across from my building. Okay. Two bays. And I really want to get another guy and get busier, you know.
Right.
Grow some more. But you know, the five year plan is, you know, I need to get a place that I'm, that's mine. But the problem is, is that it's in a great spot, which is a great spot. So you know, some people say buy in is better, some people saying renting is better. You know, like I don't, haven't figured it out.
Yeah.
I don't have, I don't have the collateral yet. You know, I'm only, It's going to be four years, July 7th. So you know, I don't have the collateral to take on a billion, million and a half, two or two million dollar venture.
Right.
Because you know what happens when you start with a million. Right. By the time they're done with you, it's two and a half.
Yeah.
So like I'm, I'm a realist. I'm not a real. Right. Like I, you know, I'm just a blue collar guy. Yeah. You know.
Yeah.
It always seems like whatever you think you're planning for, you always need more than what you thought.
Yeah. Right. So like I, I can't, I can't put myself under that kind of stress. Like I was under stress for a long time my whole life. Right. And that was another thing when I was sitting here. Stress management. Right.
Yeah.
So like I got rules, right. I, I only, I work, I work 40 hours a week, right. I work eight to five, 5:30 tops, right there at 7:30. I get there quarter to eight because I live five miles away. That's another thing. No commute, no long commute, no commute. So like I'm five miles away. I get there when I get there.
I leave at lunch to get my dog out, you know?
Yeah.
They're 12:30 to 1:15's lunch. So like I'll leave at 12:30, I'll get back at 1:15 and then 5, 5:30 that's it.
Yeah.
And then when the lights go off and the air goes off and I get in the car, that's it. Turns off. No matter what happens.
What do you do? What do you do to de. Stress? What kind of activities do you like to.
It's not. I don't really have a lot of activities, man. I like to just sit.
Sit outside.
I live on 30 acres. I ran up on 30 acres.
Okay.
I just sit outside, man. My cat, my dog. Yeah, it's a good place, place to eat and drink, close to home.
Yeah. You said you were. You saw Jesse this morning for a little bit.
Yeah.
That's pretty cool, man. Yeah, I'm the same way. I like, I just, you know, I don't have. I don't have 30 acres or anything, but, I mean, I've got. I've got my little dog that keeps me, you know, from. From stressing out. And this podcast really helps, you know, sometimes keeping the.
The positive going. This isn't an easy job. Yeah, this isn't an easy job at all. None of it tech wise, service writer wise, customer wise, you know, but, you know, like, a lot of now I've started listening to that dude's podcast and all of that stuff and some years. Right. Yeah, some of that, like 80 of that stuff is self inflicting. Yeah, it is. I.
I try like hell to alleviate all of that. This is why, like, it's been slow.
Right.
And I took on a third guy before Christmas. Right. So we made it through. Was I stressed out, in a bad mood and worried? Yeah. But, like, now, here we are now, now, a couple weeks later and, you know, no compromise. Like now. What do you mean? We don't lose work either. Yeah, like, you know, I was listening to that guy's podcast and he was telling me There's a statistic that 50 sales rate is good.
Huh?
Dude, are we talking about.
Are we talking about Mike, which. There's been so many episodes. I've been listening to, like, so many different people. The last.
This is that guy with the. The one you told me to listen to. Oh, Confessions of a Shop Owner, Zed Beard. No, no, I'm sorry. Yeah, let me go back. I'm listening to one with Stroker's Diesel right now.
That guy's cool.
So.
So shout out to Zeb Beard.
Yeah, he's big time.
Yeah.
Like, that guy's got it going on. You want to know why?
He's.
I got a. I got a rule. I've always had this rule that I taught service Writers for years don't let the tail wag the dog.
That's right.
But at the dealership, they're worried about car count. They are worried about this, they're worried about that. It doesn't even matter. They're not even thinking about themselves or their staff that they spend all of their time with.
That's right.
So I was. I was a big. About that.
Yeah.
Like you promised it. Well, you're dumb.
Yeah.
I already got five jobs I'm doing for you.
Yeah.
Well, you got to do this. I says I don't got to do.
That's right.
You got to go tell that customer you're a. Yeah, you.
You.
I was very hard. I was very hard on my service writers for years. Like, I had six guys under me in Jersey and I had two service writers.
Right.
Two truck. Service writers for one truck team, you know, And I said, you guys got to talk to each other. You're up there next to each other.
Yeah.
It's impossible what you want us to do.
Yeah.
So, like, that's another thing. When I was sitting there, don't let the tail wag the dog.
Yeah.
But see, they over promise. Right. Like, it's over promise and say yes to everything.
And so let's see. Matt. Matt Lofton with Elite Worldwide.
Okay.
That's what I listen to.
Yeah.
So he said. He was saying sales rate 50. I listened to this when I was at work, and I was like, what? Because I was like, trying to think, like, I don't want to chew my own horn, but, like, I'm at like, 98.
Yeah.
Truck.
Trucks don't come to me to leave.
That's right.
Yeah.
Right. Like, when you're a good shop, that other guy who's open a couple, three days a week, he's open. It's like, I'm mind blown by that. Yeah. I don't know how you get that much production done. I don't understand how, like, I can't have do it in my shop.
Yeah.
Because sometimes you're working on the trucks for two days.
Yeah.
You know, so, like, that bay is not running 10 vehicles through it. That bay is running his. Scott. Scott's bay some weeks runs three vehicles through it. But those three vehicles got piles. Like, I'm not a volume. I'm. I'm a.
I'd rather have less.
Yeah.
And do more. I've always done that. So when I would go up to the service writer and I would give him a list for $8,000 worth of work, after the third one, he'd be like, you're killing me. I said, no, you're killing me. Because I don't need to be setting the truck up 50 times because you're a. I want to work on this truck for two days, make 45 hours in two days and make you five grand. Then we can go to the next $10,000 job and the next $8,000 job.
Yeah.
So that was my. That's my whole. That's my whole take.
Yeah.
Well, that's what was so amazing about Zeb is when Zeb built his place. Zeb's got more room than he's got text for. And he built it that way intentionally because he's like, once the truck's inside, we're not pushing it out. We're not driving it out to the room.
It's inside.
And then he's like, the guys move their toolbox. You see them, they're on skateboards and. And you know.
Yeah. Well, all the big roll carts. Like, I was never advocate for any of that. I like to. I have a Mr. Big and it sits in front of my. My 20,000pound lift. And that's where.
When I want to work, that's where I work.
Yeah.
I have a roll cart and that's it. Like.
Yeah.
I don't have one of those roll cards that have 10. Your toolbox is your roll card. But it's kind of efficient, right. Because like, you know, Scott had to do that most of the week this week, because he's got. We got one that got the injectors out of that are being sent out to get tested. So, like, it's a big truck. Things on 40s.
Yeah.
So it's a big truck. It's super expensive. So the thing's got to sit there.
Yeah.
Now he's working in my bay, right?
Yeah.
And the alignment rack and like the weather pop now, so at and outside. So he's always. So that's. Now that I look at that, it's okay. But like, when I was running the truck department, right. My toolbox was in front of my two bays. When I rent, when I was doing the truck department in North Carolina, my toolbox was in front of my four bays.
Yeah.
So I. I'm old school, you know, I'm 50. I'm 54, so I'm old school, you know, like when I first started, I went out and snap on truck when I was 18 years old or 19 years old. Hey, man, I want the biggest, biggest toolbox. I'm a short guy. KR1000? Yeah, it was in front of my bay and I had a roll car. So I've had that, I've had that. It's just my M.O.
for 30, you know, 30 years. Get on the roll car, you go over your line rack.
Yeah.
Get you on roll cart, you go over the next bay, go to roll car, go in the back of the truck and take the rear apart. You know, it's just how I did it for years and years and years and years.
At 54, what's your, what's your succession plan? Do you have one? Like what do you want to. I, I mean is there anybody coming up in the family that wants to. You. You'd hand it off?
I just have, I just have a daughter and she's in medical field.
Right.
North Carolina. So like I really don't have one, dude. I just gotta rock and roll because like know I had a big divorce so. And yeah. So like at 50 I'm starting over.
Right.
So you know the only, the only great thing is is that everything I own is paid for.
Right.
Yeah.
Shop is full of the best and like I don't need to buy anything. The only thing I'm thinking about buying now is a hot trans flusher.
Yeah.
Usually when we do a trans, we put all the coolers in.
Yeah.
New radiator cooler, you know, wherever it goes. Yep, wherever it go. Wherever the fluid goes, it gets new.
Yeah.
I'm not putting a ten thousand dollar trans in it and then not having a 100 job.
Yeah.
A hundred dollar line standing there full of trash.
Yeah.
No, I, I like, I tell my customers whatever we need to do to make sure you are on the road. Yeah, you stay on the road. If you look at all my Instagram, it just says, you know, call us to stop by, see how we can help you stay on the road.
Scott lives in Canyon lake, so it's 60 miles one way. So sometimes he'll drive a truck home for three days, you know like because these trucks that aren't deleted got to go through a lot of monitors and this shit takes a long time and the coaches don't come back for a long look, you know, cycles and so he's always jerking them off all the way home.
Yeah.
And like I can't. The customers spend too much money for that.
Right.
And they're there by choice. Right. From other shops and saying dude, I.
Just can't deal with it anymore.
Yeah.
I just can't handle it anymore.
Yeah, I heard about you.
Yeah, please.
Oh yeah, no problem. When they Walk in and they see the fear Ford Mule. Like, yeah, I'm in the right place no matter what car line it is. It's just like this guy, me, like.
I had to do it.
It's awesome. You got to go on Instagram and see it. It's killer.
For sure. I, I mean I, I feel, I feel like for so many of the customers, they don't understand it, but I feel like sometimes the big truck market or the diesel truck market, guys kind of get it because they realize that it's not, you know, it's, it's not just a Corolla they're driving around like it's this.
Well, listen, they, they still got. The dudes aren't diesel guys. Okay. So like when you come to, like when you go on my website and you go on everywhere, we are certified diesel guys. Right? So like if you have a guy in your shop. Yeah, I work on diesels. Okay. What kind of classes have you taken? Do you know how the systems work? How do you get this? And like I'm still taught.
I have an ids. We have four scan. We have everything. Right. I have access to the Chevy scanner. I have access to, I have the, the pass through.
Right.
So I can program everything. My. Ourselves.
Yeah.
Right. And I have, and, and I have access to the Ford stuff. So all I do is text my dude. He gets me online. I can run Oasis.
Yeah.
You know, and we use, we use Pro Demand. So yeah, we had Identifix, but it was a pain in the ass.
What about training? That's always kind of a topic that comes up. Where are you guys on that?
We really don't do any. Well, listen, Scott's like super smart, like, and I am too. Right? For what? Like for what we're doing. Right. Ryan, he's. It's more in shop training really.
Yeah.
From us.
Yeah.
You know, it's like, you know, me, me to Ozzy, me to Ryan, you know, Scott to Ryan and Ozzy. You know what I'm saying? Because that's like the pecking order, you know, it's me, Scott, Ozzy and Ryan.
Yeah.
And you guys all like here's, here's, here's the pro. I'm a little biased on training too because like I'm used to Ford training. Right. For to be a double senior master. Like it's, it's ungodly amount of hours, godly amount of classes, ungodly amount of online stuff. So the stuff that the auto parts store brings in, you know, come and learn about basic Electric. Like, I don't. I don't know.
You know, I'm biased.
Yeah, you're kind of.
Because I'm. Because I'm. I'm thinking that the guys, like, can learn more from us. Yeah, right. And, like, when we get the damn code, we're doing exactly what you're supposed to be doing. We're not just saying, hey, man, we're gonna put this part in. Like, if it's a. If it's like an hour pen test, like, we got the meter out, we got the thing out, we got the light bulb out, and we're tearing a thing down and we're doing it.
Yep.
So, like, you know, I heard these other guys on the podcast giving free diag. How the hell you do that? Like, I have a hard time with diag also. But, like, this year's another thing on my list is, like, you know, if Scott spends two or three hours on. On. On diag, they're gonna be charged three hours, like, not an hour no more.
Yeah.
Because that's what happens. And it gets me frustrated, you know, but, like, the customers, you know, they want their trucks fixed, right?
Yeah.
Me, I'm still, like, customer conscious. I'm not going, dude, I'm not getting anywhere in my business. So, like, I'm gonna. Like, this guy's gotta fucking get it. Like, you know, I'm not, like, these guys are saying all these numbers and doing all this stuff all day and, you know, roi. And then, you know, like, I don't pay attention to any of that shit. I pay attention to what's right for the customer. You know what's gonna happen.
Like, I'm not saying, dude, I need. I gotta make another $10,000 this month. Like, I don't. That shit doesn't even come out of my head. So I'm not a businessman. Like, I'm not those guys who have automotive shops that don't know anything. I have no idea how they do it. No, really? No.
I'm being dead serious about it, because you can get hoodwinked by these. Everybody and your whole staff. You could get hoodwinked and you can get ripped off, and you. And you know nothing about taking care of customers. So, like, I really am blown away by that.
Yeah.
Blown away.
And that's like.
That's like me buying a business I know nothing about.
Yeah.
And see, I see a lot of failures, Tom, have happened because people think that they know how to take care of the customer, but they take care of the customer at the expense of. There's Nothing left for long term, you know what I mean? So you can't. You can take care of that customer that one time and you do 100 customers and by the time you're so broke because you value yourself, you didn't charge enough. Right. You gave away too much diag and then it's like you're not even. You can't even afford to take the car in next time because you buy parts or you can't, you know, like look at a warranty problem. You can't do it. You don't have any money.
I need to get this tire promo done because I can't.
Yes, you like, I don't, I don't really like those guys. That one guy was saying like, you know, he did I don't know how many thousands, 30 or $40,000 discounts, dude, that would put a hurting on me hardcore. Like, I do. I take care of people. Yeah. Like, you know, military discount. Absolutely. You know.
Yeah.
You know, but I wanted cash, you know. Yes, you get some, you know, you get some stuff. But like, as far as, like, I don't make coupons for nothing. Everything's too expensive. Like a diesel oil change is over 200 now. How can I and it. And I'm making not a lot. I'm not in the business for oil changes.
I'm in a business to repair your truck.
Right.
The oil change is just part of it.
Yeah.
You know, the oil change place down the road does most of my customers oil changes because you just run in and out of the grease monkey. Just run in and out of grease monkey.
Yeah.
You know, but then I tell them, hey man, we'll do waiters at 8:30. You know, we do alignment waiters at 8:30. We do waiters at 8:30. I got a couple customers that come in at like 3 o'clock in the afternoon. Neutral. They're all new trucks, you know, gelatin. We're doing maintenance. Like.
Yeah, okay. I can schedule that perfectly. I'm in 100 control of everything, you know.
Right. So like I always found the guys, when they puff their chests in, they go. I gave all this as a discount. That always was a weird flex to me because it's like, you know what I mean? I'm like. My friend Brian and I had a conversation this morning and it's like this industry is so weird because it's like as soon as you say I managed to get that much money for doing this job, you know, conversion or something like that, that everybody either says two things, they either go, oh, My God, you're ripping them off or like they're going, there's, I, I could, I, could I, I, I don't know how you do that. Like, I don't know how you get that price. Instead of saying, congrats, man, teach me how you do that. The knee jerk reaction is all, you're ripping them off.
You know. You know, I got a, I got a giant pet peeve, right. My big pet peeve is every brake job gets rotors. Like I, I have a hunter on the car brake lathe, right. I made so much money with the pro cut at the dealership, right. I should do four wheel brakes at lunch time. You know, I used to have two going, right? One in the front, one in the back.
Yeah.
Like for dualies. It's just the best thing since life's bread.
Yeah.
You know, and then it's. I hear horror stories, man. Yeah, man, I just had breaks done last year. It was like 900. I'm like, yeah, man, it's 375.
Yeah.
How are you so cheap? I said, I'm going to machine your rotors and I'm going to put Ford Super Duties on it. And they're not expensive, right. But like, I got other shop owners telling me, you know, I don't charge enough for parts. And I'm just, I just don't feel like, you know.
Yeah.
Our fleet of F250s. I could buy rotors and pads from the dealership. The OE stuff.
Yeah.
Same price as why I could buy the premium line from the parts store. There was no reason to buy the part store stuff. None.
Like, plus the brakes are better. The super duties are just the better pads.
Yeah.
They last so much longer. And like if I say 80 to 85% of my customers tow.
Yeah.
It's just like, you know, And I'd say 85 of my customers, or 7, 70% of my customers are Ford customers.
Yeah.
Like one week you'll be there. There'll be 10 or 12 Fords. One week there'll be two or three Fords, five Dodges. Then there'll be six Jevons. You know, there's no rhyme or reason. You know, like we work on them all. It doesn't matter, you know, Then we work on some diesel cars.
Never. I've never been in a dealership yet that had an on car lathe. But I mean, no, but up in Canada. Right?
But that's, well, I guess because it's so bad up there with the. Because like warranty, dude, I'm Talking about in the 90s when the first pro cut came out with the, with the, with the, the band.
Yeah.
Like.
Yep. Yeah.
Seeing them. But I mean at the same time, like we, we seem to have no problem getting. We didn't have to do first of all, too many brakes under warranty. The, the ones I remember doing a lot like the Grand Cherokee In 2003, 2004, they had a rash of them where they. You couldn't keep rotors on the stupid things. They'd pulsate so bad. But like most of us, like if we have to go in and do like front U joints in a, in a 2500 RAM and you're smashing that bearing out of there and you're pounding that rotor off, it's got to get everything thing. It's getting everything new.
Because that was like, listen, if you hammer. It's all rusted. You got to hammer that bearing out. You're just killing it.
Yeah, it's, it's.
It just doesn't make any sense, you know.
But I mean I, I've never. So I've watched a guy doing on car I think in 2000 on a. I can remember it was like a little Honda that he did it on.
Listen, the Honda's a big one because the rotors are behind the hump. Dumb. Dumb.
Well, it's like a transit now. Don't go, don't transit. Do it the same way now. I mean, it's stupid. You probably don't work on a ton of them though.
Not anymore. Yeah, but I. Listen, I bought the air powered freaking caliper thing right at the dealer. But you know, like these other idiots, like you have to read the book. They're torque to yield bolts. Like, we had a lot of problems, man. The heavy ones were shearing the bolts off and crashing. And like Charlotte was a big, it was a big deal in it.
And, and they kept coming, coming around and coming around. And I kept telling the boss, I said, go in the shot manual, dude. These are using the old bolts, just hammering them off the gun. And I said, they're. They're torque to yield. And it says right in there with the. Look, with the eyeball, with the garbage can right in the book. They, they.
Ford went to dummy stuff the emblems. The eyeball. The eyeball, right. And then you got the garbage can with the arrow.
Yeah.
You take the bolt, it says bolt with an arrow into the garbage can.
Yeah.
I mean, come on.
Yeah.
I should show like, like my boss would come and say, how come these brake Jobs are costing the customers so much money because they parts was ripping them off on the bolts. Yeah, they were ripping them off on the bolts.
Yeah, but. Yeah, but I'm trainers and. And whatnot. Coaches that, like, the cheaper the part is, the more margin you put on that part.
Yeah.
Buy the bolt for a dollar, you sell the bolt for 10.
Yeah.
Well, if you all of a sudden you have that brake job where you need 10 new bolts, there's 100 new, 100 more dollars that you just price your brake job out of somebody else. And. And then it's like all the texts are doing it wrong because the techs are reusing the shit. I go and say to the customer or to the advisor, it needs brakes. And then that's it. Like. And really, I could put down in the service information says, you know, these bolts are supposed to be replaced. I can remember doing this on transits, the ones that hold the front rotors on.
They're all supposed to be replaced, dude. And they'd be like. They'd call up the dealer, and the dealer's like, you want to do both sides? Well, of course I want to do both sides. Oh, okay. I've only got the bear, you know, I've only got enough bolts to do one side. Well, like, what do I do now? Right. Call another dealer. Try.
Hope to be able to piece together the whole job. Like, people don't inventory properly and people don't, like, quote properly. It's just, you know, read the service information is an important thing to. To live by, but a lot of people ain't doing it, you know?
Right.
Yeah, no, that's definite.
Yeah. But I mean, it. It is. And it's an obstacle for sure, because it's like, you want to do the job properly.
Oh, totally. But, you know, I just, like, there's no. There's no other way. So there's not a lot of options by me, man. Give options. Like, I spend more money at the dealers than I do at the auto parts store.
Huh.
Are you even, like, shot Chevy and Dodge brakes. Like, same thing, man. Yeah, the truck. Let's try. Like, it's not cars. It's all trucks.
Right.
So 2500 Chevy, the pads last 80,000 miles.
Yeah.
So why wouldn't I put those back on?
Huh? Yeah.
And they're like, I don't like anybody's brakes. I just don't because I've. I've been at a dealer dealers for so long.
Yeah.
I know the outcome of the quality of the parts.
Yeah.
So, like, in my Own shop. I can't do that to customers. Because you're looking for a comeback.
Yeah.
You're looking for a comeback.
You just are, 100%. I'm gonna. When we, when we. And I'll let you go here because I know you got some stuff you got to do tonight. I'm gonna set you up with. Talking with my friend John Firm. He's got some training that he's bringing to, to Texas.
Yeah.
And I'll set you up with him and then. Are you familiar with Mike Cleary, the Power stroke?
Listen, I don't know anybody, right? I worked at the dealers and I worked, I don't know, like this, this whole thing here is, it's all new, man.
Yeah, I'll try and set you up.
It's, it's interesting, but it's also frustrating because the stuff that these guys talk about, like, I'm just, I'm blown away, man.
Okay, I'll, I'll try and get you linked up with some other people that know because Mike Cleary's been like a Ford certified power stroke instructor for 20 something.
Yeah.
He and travels all over North America. He's based out of California, but like him and John Firm are, they're like peas and carrots, as Forrest Gump would say.
Yeah.
Like, I just, you know, for the future, like, I just gotta, gotta be the best and that's it. Like, I was the best at the dealer. Like, everybody came to me like I had the best fault, you know, and my side job and then you know, just everything. So like when I, I wasn't on Monster Garage twice, because I'm not good, right? And just like I, I work on all Jesse's stuff.
Yeah.
Like, you know, and I work on all of the guys stuff at the shop. Like, I work on just, you know, a lot of cool people.
That's badass, man. I, if I ever get to get in your neighborhood, I'm gonna knock on the door and I'm like, hey, can you this place, man, I'd love to. You know, it'd be, it'd be cool to, to, to get to sit down and talk with that guy for just an hour. I, I, I, I pay a lot of money for that opportunity.
Nobody really, like, he's, he's very intelligent, man. Extremely intelligent.
Yeah, he's not, he's not dumb at all.
He's like the engineering aspect, the stuff that he comes up with, because I see some of the stuff firsthand, dude. Yeah, he'll show, he'll give Anthony a napkin with some stuff on it. Be like, yo, build this thing.
Yeah.
Anthony's the programmer.
Yeah.
You know, like, all the guns and stuff. Like.
Yeah.
She's just crazy. They got three. Damascus is going on right now. Yeah.
Like, yes.
They're hard. They're hard at work over there, those guys.
I mean, I. I always respected him because it was like, when he wanted to learn how to do something, he just did it. Went right back to the Craftsman level. Like, what did it as. Right. And that's how I start. Is at the basis. And then he just.
Yeah, he's a cool as hell dude. You're a cool hell do too, man. So I won't. I won't take any more of your time, but I appreciate you coming on today.
I appreciate you, man. I just thought we were just gonna talk about some stuff, and it's been fun, but, like, I want to really talk to that guy. Strokers Diesel. Too bad.
We will.
I can't believe he's got a 62,000 square foot shop.
Listen.
And 12,000 square foot. He lives in 50,000 square foot and three tech. Three people.
Okay. So, Tom, what I'll try and do is I'll set up and we'll do, like, the three of us will get on night, and then you can. I'll just kind of sit there, and. You can. You can, because you guys will hit it off, man.
How old is he? How old is he?
Oh, he's younger than me, dude. He's like. I don't. I think he's 42, maybe.
Oh, my God.
Yeah, he's a.
Like. And I'm. I'm. I call myself 50. I'm 49. But, yeah, he's younger than me. And he's like. But he's an old soul.
Like, he's been. He's been hustling since he was a kid. He's never stopped. And the thing that makes Zeb so powerful and, like, is everybody says he's got some big balls on him. That dude. I'm amazed. Can walk. Because there is no fear in Zeb.
There is no quit. There is no doubt.
Listen. I'm listening to that thing where he's building his shop. He went to the town. They gave him the piece of property he wanted.
Yep.
And they just started. I got my own dozer, and I just started clearing the land out.
Oh, yeah. Yeah, he's.
And then nothing.
Banker. And just. I don't know how, like, yeah, I have a. I have a peaceful life. Like, not having bills like that. So, like, big dreams. And big goals. You got to have some stuff like that.
But you know, the, the five, the next five years is. That's, that's the goal, you know.
Well, like I feel sure that's going to be my goal going out of here is we'll get you, you and him on in an episode and you kind of just like pick his. And, and then going forward, I'll help you reach out to a bunch of other people in your area that can kind of get you kind of not pointed. Because I'm not saying you're not killing it. That's not what I'm trying to say. But you know, they can help you tweak your little.
Two things. Tech metric is that you think that's better than Shop Boss. You know anything about Shop Boss?
I've never used Shop Boss. I've used Tech Metric. I was blown away the first time I used Tech metric on how it took everything from my tech standpoint, like, because I don't do the front counter thing right. So I can't say on that. But in terms of like the inspection of the vehicle, the finding everything that I need to find on the vehicle, how it integrates, amazing. And you know, like, it's not just because they sponsor the podcast. When, when I went to using it, I was like, wow, once you get on this thing, it's like every shop out there, I think can benefit from having it.
What's. And what goes with it? Oh, there's, there's something else that was going with it. I was listening to another podcast. What did he say?
Shop Genie.
Yeah, that's it. Yeah. What's that?
I couldn't really tell you on the Shop Genie side of it. That's more I think to do with the accounting side.
Yeah, well, I don't care about that. Yeah, we're, we're on the money with that now. My, my bookkeeper, like I have one business card and like it gets paid every week.
Yeah.
You know, and that's it, you know.
Like I'll reach out to everybody I can and we'll get you, you know, following along and see what we can help you with.
Yeah, dude, that'd be awesome.
Alright, man, that's it.
Who do you, who do you use for the, for getting people? Who is that?
Promotive.
Promotive. So how is that? Did that really work?
It does, yeah.
Yeah.
Really? Is it expensive?
Um, I've never had to pay to use it, so I can't really tell you. And again, as a Canadian, like they're. I'm up In Canada. They're not in Canada yet.
Okay.
You have to reach out to them personally and ask them. But if you mention, like, that you're on the podcast and you know me, I can get you in touch with either Lisa or Joelle or somebody over there that will help you, you know, get. Get your name out there and you tell them what you're trying to find, and they'll help you. They'll do the best.
Because, listen, where. My spot that I'm in. In Dripping Springs.
Yeah.
The Austin people won't come out of Austin. Right, Right. And the other people won't.
It's.
It's in, like, a dead spot. No, it is.
Yeah.
Yeah.
So my dude from Canyon Lake, you know, I gotta pay him. You know, Wimberley's not far, so Ozzy comes from Wimberley. And then Ryan lives in town.
Right.
So me and Ryan live in town, so. Yeah, but you listen, it's very expensive to live here. Like, I rent here. Like, if you're not gonna get text, don't live here.
Yeah.
You know, I'm saying the average house is 500 plus.
Yeah.
You know, so the average income is six figures. It's not 50,000.
Yeah.
Understand saying. I'll read them and see what we can do. We'll get something going. All right, man.
Awesome. I appreciate you.
I appreciate you coming on tonight. Thank you very much, dude.
Thanks.
Hey, if you could do me a favor real quick and, like, comment on and share this episode, I'd really appreciate it. And please, most importantly, set the podcast to automatically download every Tuesday morning. As always, I'd like to thank our amazing guests for their perspectives and expertise, and I hope that you'll please join us again next week on this journey of change. Thank you to my partners in the ASA group and to the Changing the Industry podcast. Remember what I always say, in this industry, you get what you pay for. Here's hoping everyone finds their missing 10 millimeter, and we'll see you all again next time.
Request an explanation for:
6 cars
6 cars featured
Request an Explanation
Heard something you'd like explained? We'll add it to this episode.
Sign in to request explanations for terms you heard.
Want to learn more?
Browse our glossary for plain-English explanations of automotive terms, jargon, and concepts.
Help improve this episode
See something that's not quite right? Our annotations are AI-generated and can sometimes miss the mark. Click the flag icon on any annotation to suggest a correction.
Report incorrect info
Suggest better explanations
Flag missing cars
More from The Jaded Mechanic Podcast
Why Shops Lose Technicians Overnight | Lisa Coyle and Kat Ayers from Promotive
Jun 2, 2026
Why Repair Shops are Toxic and Why Technicians Deserve More with Greg Hilliard
May 26, 2026
Derek Amodio Was a Chef but Now He’s a Technician?
May 19, 2026
Christopher Clingerman Compares Fleet Life to the Dealership
May 12, 2026