Why Auto Repair Specialists Leave Our Industry (And How Shop Owners Can Keep Them) [THA 490]
About this episode
Specialists leave auto repair when the job feels hard to make a living from, when respect and working conditions fall short, and when shops communicate unclearly. The hosts walk through practical hiring and retention moves: ask pointed questions (like lift downtime), protect internal motivation, and make compensation transparent. They also discuss shop culture “shadow games,” reputation headwinds, and how structured one-on-ones and idea voting can improve day-to-day life. Along the way, they promote shop-management and training tools like NapaTrax and Kukui.
Why do talented automotive technicians leave the automotive industry, and what can shop owners do to keep them?
Host Carm Capriotto is joined by Technical Specialist Matt Fanslow and Technician Find CEO Chris Lawson to explore what it takes to attract, hire, and retain top talent in today's automotive repair industry. The conversation examines industry professionalism, workplace culture, compensation, employee engagement, and proactive recruiting strategies that help shops become destinations for exceptional technicians.
What You'll Learn
- Why elevating the image of automotive professionals is critical to attracting the next generation of talent
- The three primary reasons technicians leave shops: lack of respect, limited growth opportunities, and compensation concerns
- How financial transparency can build trust, ownership, and a stronger team culture
- The difference between a shop's "official game" and its "shadow game," and why understanding both matters
- Practical ways to gather meaningful employee feedback and turn ideas into action
- How leaders can remove obstacles that prevent technicians from finding joy and fulfillment in their work
- Why relationships with tool truck drivers can become a valuable recruiting resource
- How a shop's appearance and reputation can influence whether top candidates choose to work there
Finding and keeping great technicians requires more than competitive pay. Shops that create a culture of respect, provide clear growth opportunities, communicate openly, and actively remove workplace frustrations are far more likely to attract and retain top performers. The most successful shop owners don't wait for talent to find them, they intentionally build workplaces where skilled professionals want to stay and grow. Matt Fanslow, Riverside Automotive, Red Wing, MN, Diagnosing the Aftermarket A to Z Podcast: https://mattfanslow.captivate.fm/ Chris Lawson, TechnicianFind.Com. Listen to Chris' other episodes HERE Love your shop? Stay, but stay ready. Auto techs join to level up, find good shops, and keep tabs on top indie jobs nationwide. Techs only. No BS. Independent Wrench Jobs: https://www.skool.com/independentwrenchjobs Thanks to our Partner, NAPA TRACS NAPA TRACS will move your shop into the SMS fast lane with onsite training and six days a week of support and local representation. Find NAPA TRACS on the Web at http://napatracs.com/ Thanks to our Partner, Today's Class Optimize training with Today's Class: In just 5 minutes daily, boost knowledge retention and improve team performance. Find Today's Class on the web at https://www.todaysclass.com/ Thanks to our Partner, KUKUI Stop juggling multiple marketing tools. KUKUI’s integrated platform delivers 4x better website conversions, automated follow-up, and real-time ROI tracking. Get industry-leading customer support with KUKUI at https://www.kukui.com/ Thanks to our Partner, Pit Crew Loyalty You’re probably tired of chasing new customers who never return. We understand. Pit Crew Loyalty ends the one-and-done cycle, turning first visits into lasting, reliable revenue at https://www.pitcrewloyalty.com/ Connect with the Podcast:
- Visit the Website:https://remarkableresults.biz/
- Subscribe on YouTube:https://www.youtube.com/carmcapriotto
- Follow on Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/RemarkableResultsRadioPodcast/
- Follow on LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/carmcapriotto/
- Follow on Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/remarkableresultsradiopodcast/
- Join Our Virtual Toastmasters Club:https://remarkableresults.biz/toastmasters
- Join Our Private Facebook Community:https://www.facebook.com/groups/1734687266778976
- Join our Insider List:https://remarkableresults.biz/insider
- All books mentioned on our podcasts:https://remarkableresults.biz/books
- Our Classroom page for personal or team learning:https://remarkableresults.biz/classroom
- Buy Me a Coffee:https://www.buymeacoffee.com/carm
- Special episode collections:https://remarkableresults.biz/collections
The Automotive Repair Podcast Network:
Chevrolet Trax
"...op, so it's your choice. Let us prove to you that Trax is the single best shop management system in the ..."
The Chevrolet Trax is a small SUV made for regular driving, like commuting and errands. It’s meant to be easy to live with because it’s not too big, but still gives you the SUV-style space and ride height. People mention it when they’re talking about which vehicle is a good fit for everyday needs.
The Chevrolet Trax is a compact crossover SUV designed for everyday driving, offering a practical size and easy-to-use packaging. It’s often discussed because it’s positioned as an accessible entry point into the SUV segment, making it a common topic when people talk about value and daily usability. In a podcast, it may come up as a “best choice” option depending on what the host is comparing it against.
unintended consequences
"One is the unintended consequences. No matter what you do, there's always gonna be other things that kind of scored out the side that you didn't expect."
It means you try to solve one problem, but it can accidentally cause other problems you didn’t expect. In a shop, that could be from a new workflow or a decision that affects how work gets done.
In auto repair and shop operations, “unintended consequences” means a change you make (like a new process or policy) can create side effects you didn’t predict. It’s a reminder that fixing one problem can sometimes expose or trigger other issues elsewhere in the system.
sensory acuity
"And then there's a term in neurolinguistic programming that's called sensory acuity. So you have to be aware of what's going on."
It means being really good at noticing small clues. In car repair, those clues can be things like unusual noises, smells, or how the car feels while driving.
“Sensory acuity” is the ability to notice subtle signals—like sounds, smells, vibrations, or visual cues—that indicate what’s happening with a vehicle. In diagnostics, higher sensory acuity helps technicians catch problems earlier and avoid missing clues that point to the real cause.
one-on-ones
"And this, again, goes back to one-on-ones. It goes back to asking them, I worked with a shop owner and what she did was"
“One-on-ones” are private, 1:1 conversations. In a repair shop, they’re used to get honest feedback and find ways to improve how people work.
In a shop context, “one-on-ones” are structured, individual check-ins used to gather feedback and improve how technicians and owners work together. The idea here is that direct conversations can surface issues and improvement opportunities that group discussions might miss.
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.