derBayerische September/October 2024 - 14
A A R O N I N T E R V I E W - S E R V I C E T E C H A N S W E R S
workers at Sears Automotive convinced me to apply at the Honda Dealer
across the street from the BMW dealership where I currently work. Long
story short, the service manager at Honda decided to have me sit in the
lobby to wait for him. I don't know exactly why, but after two hours of
waiting I decided to give the BMW dealership across the street a chance
instead. I had wanted to become a BMW technician so what would be the
harm in trying? Just as I walked in to apply, the current tire and
alignment technician put in his two weeks notice. Two weeks later I got a
call from the parts department and this got my hopes up, but then the
manager apologized for calling the wrong person. Not an hour later the
departing foreman called me and decided to make me his last hire.
From there the rest is history.
As for the difficulty of the job, I rather enjoy it. Now, no one enjoys
having their butt handed to them by a car, but I do enjoy fixing problems and
working with my hands. So just like
any other job I have my days when I
look forward to going to work and I
have my days when I wish I was an
arsonist. As far as challenges, there is
always the production crunch and no
guarantee that the hours will be there.
That's what I find a bit frustrating
about the automotive industry. You'll
have your learning days then you'll
have your earning days. But, oddly
enough, that's what I also find interesting
about it.
As to what I love about my job?
I rather enjoy helping people. I know
it's a simple answer but that's the honest
truth. I have the ability to work
with my hands and just so happen to
be able to work on cars. With those
two abilities I'm able to help people
with their cars. I get to work on cool
cars and help people.
There is no escaping regular
maintenance. Oil changes, micro filters,
brake fluid services, vehicle
checks, brakes and rotors, and if
you're lucky, tires and alignment. As
for challenging work-I try not to
think of anything as challenging.
I believe if you think of anything in that
manner you'll automatically place yourself in the wrong mind set. Now if
you're asking about nightmare situations I have plenty of horror stories.
Everything from removing dead animals, often in pieces, to accident cars
where faults do not follow a natural pattern of failure, or any techs' favorite:
sporadic noise concerns. If I could cue a moment of silence for the reader
I would, random noise concerns can be frustrating for everyone involved.
I've yet to meet anyone on either side of the issue who enjoys random,
or hard to duplicate noise issues. I'll be sure to document my next
challenging car.
As for routine, if you are lucky you will have your next car or day
■ At work at BMW of Sterling.
planned out ahead of time, hopefully with productive work. But there is no
real pattern to workflow, or at least consistent pattern besides maintenance
14
work and waiters which are often routine maintenance work. I have a
routine to place myself in the working mind set. I go to the gym before work.
I check in with the warranty girls either before or after I change. I go up front
and tap each writer on the shoulder to see who's there and to make sure I'm
not unknowingly overlooking any car or if they need me to place priority on
any car. I say good morning to " Boss Lady " , that's the service manager,
then as I walk back into the shop I say good morning to the foreman as I walk
past his bay. If my stack is empty I'll grab the next Repair Order " R.O " .
If not, I'll mosey on over to my bay and ask my neighbors what type of music
they want to hear since I have the karaoke speaker in my bay. Then I check
over my repair orders and get to work.
2. Q. I started following your Instagram account 'quackedautomotive " or
Yellow Ducky Automotive when you helped me out with my car at the
dealership. I love following it because
I learn something new from your
stories, and they pique me to ask questions
and be curious about the
mechanics of my car. I know you didn't
start the account for people like me.
Tell us about what is behind your
Instagram account and your zeal for
sharing knowledge and helping others.
A. The idea or " mission statement "
behind Yellow Ducky Automotive can
be found in my instagram page
'quackedautomotive': " Improvement of
ourselves and those around us " .
I hate to sound cliché but it's really
that simple. I want to leave this world
a better place than how I found it. I'm
not rich nor do I have some special
talent. I am a humble technician who
is trying to use his skill set to give
back. My ultimate goal with Yellow
Ducky is to open up a do it yourself
shop where the local youth and car
enthusiasts in our communities can
come and learn a skill set or just
enjoy their hobby. It's also my
attempt to show some of the youth
who are willing to listen that there is a
time and place to do what they enjoy.
I'm trying to show the blueprint on how to turn their passion into a career.
I've benefited from the car community so with Yellow Ducky Automotive
I'm trying to give back. My page and overall goal with Yellow Ducky is
meant for people exactly like you Mrs. Anna. It's meant for anyone who
enjoys working on cars and is willing to give back and share a positive
message.
3. Q. You came out recently to one of our DIY events and you brought
a posse of your social media friends. You interviewed several of our
club members. Tell us about your passion for BMW and how you are
spreading the word about the club among younger people. In what
way do you think this population of BMW enthusiasts could enjoy
derBayerische
derBayerische September/October 2024
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of derBayerische September/October 2024
derBayerische September/October 2024 - Intro
derBayerische September/October 2024 - Cover1
derBayerische September/October 2024 - Cover2
derBayerische September/October 2024 - 1
derBayerische September/October 2024 - 2
derBayerische September/October 2024 - 3
derBayerische September/October 2024 - 4
derBayerische September/October 2024 - 5
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derBayerische September/October 2024 - 14
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derBayerische September/October 2024 - Cover3
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