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Episode 2- Lindsey from Feminauto talks about the world of being a Mobile mechanic!
220 Plays6 months ago
On this episode, we get to chat with Lindsey from Feminauto! She's a mobile mechanic and killing it! Join us for this episode of banter and insight into the mobile mechanic realm. What she does isn't for everyone but she's turning wrenches in the snow! Kudos to her, what she does is NOT easy! We need more woman in this industry and i'm glad Lindsey is part of the trade.
Brand new podcast hosted by a Shop owner and a Shop owner/Technician . We dive into shop ownership and how it all began for the both of us. This is the second of many episodes to come so stay tuned for next weeks episode. We will be featuring special guests every week from the automotive industry and also a few surprise guests we have lined up in the not so distant future. We want this podcast to be fun but informative about the automotive repair industry. We are not perfect in what we do but operate with integrity and have been doing so for years. Sit back and listen in for some fun banter and conversations about the automotive repair world!
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Transcript
Introduction and Guest Overview
00:00:03
Aniz Lavji
Welcome everyone to another episode of the Shop and Tread Talk podcast. Today we got our co-host Frank and Frank you can introduce our guests here.
00:00:14
Frank Wiebe
Okay, today we are joined with ah Lindsay. She is, a ah as you can see, a female mechanic, a mobile mechanic. She services the Prince Edward County area, Belleville area, stuff like that.
00:00:29
Frank Wiebe
um So, yeah, Lindsay, it's good to have you on the show. And, yeah, if you want to take a minute, introduce yourself a little bit, and we'll just start chatting, see what's up.
00:00:33
Feminauto
Thanks for having me.
Challenges of Being a Mobile Mechanic
00:00:42
Feminauto
So I've been in the trade, like, i don't know, at least 12 years now. um I decided to go mobile because, well, it's a less political.
00:00:52
Aniz Lavji
Oh
00:00:53
Feminauto
um It's definitely harder, but it's pretty good. i mean, wintertime is not amazing, but it's different. I started in January, so I picked, like, the absolute worst month to go mobile.
00:01:05
Aniz Lavji
boy. You started this January for mobile?
00:01:09
Feminauto
Started, yeah, I'm almost out of year now, so...
00:01:11
Aniz Lavji
Wow.
00:01:11
Frank Wiebe
Oh, just started. Oh, really? Okay.
00:01:14
Feminauto
and
00:01:14
Frank Wiebe
I didn't realize that.
00:01:16
Feminauto
Yeah, I took like a year off ah in between from my last job. But besides that, like I've been in the trade since I was fresh out of school. And then, yeah, I took a year off to think about things.
00:01:30
Feminauto
And yeah, i decided like make or break. I'm going to go mobile. And that's where we're at.
00:01:35
Aniz Lavji
Yeah.
00:01:37
Frank Wiebe
see See, a mobile mechanic for me, i keep hearing about mobile mechanics and I hear about them in the US, like all over the place.
00:01:43
Aniz Lavji
Oh, yeah. Oh.
00:01:44
Frank Wiebe
And it's just around here.
00:01:45
Feminauto
where it's funnier.
00:01:47
Frank Wiebe
I've never, I've never heard or seen of a mobile mechanic. So when I, when I came across your TikTok and I'm like a mobile mechanic, I'm like, this is interesting. So I thought it was pretty cool.
00:01:57
Feminauto
Well, I'm in a small town.
00:01:57
Frank Wiebe
um
00:01:58
Feminauto
There's one other person who's mobile. But like in Belleville, there's quite a few of them, actually.
00:02:04
Frank Wiebe
Really?
00:02:05
Feminauto
getting to be a thing now yeah it's definitely more popular in the cities and stuff but yeah it's gotten to be a thing here too like the convenience factor everybody wants everything right now like
00:02:16
Frank Wiebe
yeah
00:02:17
Aniz Lavji
For the lowest price possible, of course, right?
00:02:19
Feminauto
yeah
00:02:22
Frank Wiebe
i think i remember about five well maybe four five years ago i heard about somebody starting up a mobile service like like to uh a group of mobile mechanics or something like that and i'm like I heard that they were doing in the U.S. and then they said they were coming into Canada. I'm like, ah, man, you guys are going to get screwed because the winters up here suck.
00:02:44
Feminauto
wake up call
00:02:44
Frank Wiebe
But, yeah yeah, you come from down south Arizona. Yeah, you can be mobile mechanic all you want. But you come to Ontario or even northern Michigan or something like that, that's not a place you want to be in the wintertime.
00:02:58
Frank Wiebe
So kudos to see you for doing that because I sure as heck wouldn't.
00:02:59
Aniz Lavji
Do you do a lot of tires or?
Tools of the Trade: DeWalt vs Milwaukee
00:03:03
Feminauto
um I don't have a tire machine, so only on rims. And really not a lot.
00:03:06
Aniz Lavji
On rims, yeah.
00:03:08
Feminauto
Like, that's the least. Like, most people call me if they're broke down. but
00:03:12
Aniz Lavji
Yeah.
00:03:13
Feminauto
Or, like, say, people trying to fix their own stuff and they run into a problem. And it's like, who do we call?
00:03:19
Aniz Lavji
lot It's a lot cheaper to to you know do your wheel bearings at home after you look at it on YouTube, right? It should be easy enough.
00:03:26
Frank Wiebe
yeah
00:03:26
Feminauto
As long as you get it right the first time, then yes, I agree with that.
00:03:28
Aniz Lavji
Oh god. yeah
00:03:29
Frank Wiebe
Yeah, you should you should you should see her fight wheel bearings. It's couple of videos of fighting wheel bearings.
00:03:35
Feminauto
Nobody likes that.
00:03:35
Frank Wiebe
and
00:03:36
Feminauto
Nobody likes the good old hammer.
00:03:37
Frank Wiebe
No, you need a big...
00:03:39
Feminauto
Yeah.
00:03:40
Frank Wiebe
no while you At least you got the good hammers. Those those those a Mac Andy vibes, those ah those are the best hammers ever made.
00:03:43
Feminauto
Yeah,
00:03:46
Feminauto
yeah and I got a bigger one if I needed it. Like, that wasn't even the biggest one.
00:03:49
Frank Wiebe
Yep. Yep. Everyone's saying, oh, go get go get that. Actually, Jeff made that comment. Did get that hub the hub shock or whatever they call that thing?
00:03:58
Feminauto
I love that one.
00:03:59
Frank Wiebe
Do you really? i hate that thing. I had it once.
00:04:01
Feminauto
I've had to pull it out a couple times, yeah.
00:04:04
Frank Wiebe
I can't. I used it once in the shop I worked at before. And I beat the crap out of that thing. And and i've I bent it. And the wheelbarrow did not come out. So then I'm like, I'm going back to the old ways. I got my ear chiseled up and rotated the you know, you get it and just rotate little bit and out the game.
00:04:21
Frank Wiebe
Like, so I'm like, i
00:04:22
Aniz Lavji
Oh, God.
00:04:22
Feminauto
The Subaru? Ford Explorer?
00:04:26
Frank Wiebe
you know, what was the absolute worst wheel bearing ever changed? Would was in a, a Dodge truck. Like, uh, it wasn't even, it was a 1500 Dodge truck front wheel bearing. Holy crap. I think, I think I air hammered on that thing for two hours.
00:04:40
Aniz Lavji
god
00:04:41
Frank Wiebe
Oh no, I had the torch.
00:04:41
Feminauto
don't have the Airhammer.
00:04:43
Frank Wiebe
Oh no, you you need it. Well, in your little Mazda, you can't put any air compressor in there either. So,
00:04:48
Feminauto
I bring it sometimes, but yeah, no.
00:04:51
Frank Wiebe
No, you need a truck.
00:04:51
Aniz Lavji
So you're not using any any air tools, mostly like Milwaukee and just battery power?
00:04:52
Feminauto
I'm desperate.
00:04:57
Frank Wiebe
No, no, no, no. She's not a Milwaukee girl.
00:05:00
Feminauto
He's great to that.
00:05:00
Frank Wiebe
She's no, no.
00:05:03
Aniz Lavji
know Milwaukee?
00:05:03
Feminauto
We've had this firstpi conversation.
00:05:04
Frank Wiebe
You'll get into the big boy leagues yet one day and get the Milwaukee tools.
00:05:08
Aniz Lavji
but What are you using now?
00:05:08
Frank Wiebe
but
00:05:09
Aniz Lavji
DeWalt?
00:05:10
Feminauto
I'm a DeWalt girl.
00:05:11
Frank Wiebe
Oh, man. That's sad.
00:05:16
Aniz Lavji
No. There's a...
00:05:16
Feminauto
Everybody goes silent now. Yeah.
00:05:19
Frank Wiebe
yeah
00:05:19
Aniz Lavji
don't know.
00:05:20
Frank Wiebe
you said that You said the bad word.
00:05:20
Aniz Lavji
there was a no There was ah there's a mobile mechanic somewhere in the States. I can't remember what his name is, but he's got a pretty pretty big following, and he's all Milwaukee tools. I can't remember the name of the guy, though, but
00:05:33
Feminauto
It's not Parker's, is it?
00:05:36
Aniz Lavji
I'd have to look it up. I'd have to look it up. he has He's more...
00:05:40
Frank Wiebe
that's my wife's favorite guy online. She loves the park Parker's a Mobile Mechanic. She loves that guy.
00:05:46
Aniz Lavji
it may be him.
00:05:46
Feminauto
He does it for free.
00:05:48
Aniz Lavji
he's He's just built a shop and everything, apparently.
00:05:51
Feminauto
Yeah, it might be.
00:05:52
Aniz Lavji
So he's not mobile really anymore. looks
00:05:55
Frank Wiebe
didnt didn't they move Didn't they move to like, they were going to move to ah Florida or California or Jamaica or something like that?
00:06:03
Aniz Lavji
That's a pretty big mix.
00:06:04
Frank Wiebe
I don't
00:06:04
Aniz Lavji
you Sorry, you think California, then you threw Jamaica in there?
00:06:05
Feminauto
Yeah, I'm not sure.
00:06:07
Frank Wiebe
know. No. yeah Hold on. no that It was an island.
00:06:10
Feminauto
They moved somewhere else and they weren't very welcome or something. So they were moving, but I don't remember where they were going.
00:06:13
Frank Wiebe
Yeah. I thought they moved to an island. I thought maybe, I guess that'd be Jamaica, wouldn't it?
00:06:19
Feminauto
It might have been Florida or Cali. I don't know. You might be right.
00:06:23
Frank Wiebe
See, that's see so what I'm saying. i don't know. I'd have to ask Margarita. She would know.
00:06:28
Feminauto
Yeah, she knows.
00:06:28
Aniz Lavji
ah you threw me you got me You threw me off with Jamaica. so
00:06:32
Frank Wiebe
Anyway, back to this back to this Milwaukee, yeah, Milwaukee-Dewalt thing.
00:06:34
Feminauto
It'll be
00:06:38
Frank Wiebe
i I personally find that Milwaukee is more geared towards the automotive industry. Like like just with with some of the tools that they built,
00:06:49
Frank Wiebe
Like I just know when we go to the tool show, we have what's called Wise Line Tools. And that's what they do is they sell all of these different brands. And when they have and when to have their show, DeWalt's got this massive display.
00:07:05
Frank Wiebe
But it's like all the trades that they supply to. But automotive is a very small portion of it. When you go to the Milwaukee side, it's like almost everything is geared, in my opinion, towards the automotive side.
00:07:19
Feminauto
See, I'm partial.
00:07:20
Frank Wiebe
attitudes might be.
00:07:20
Feminauto
like um Part of the reason why I went with the Walt is because they're older style, not the new 20 volts and stuff. But I left them in my toolbox in the freezing cold for like two years or something.
00:07:34
Feminauto
And I reached in and they just like fired right up. So like I was like, okay, they're pretty.
00:07:38
Aniz Lavji
Oh, wow.
00:07:40
Feminauto
And like I used to be really hard on them, like, you know, drop them on the ground and whatever.
00:07:45
Aniz Lavji
Yeah.
00:07:45
Feminauto
And they were always good. So I just stuck with it because that's what I use. But now, is still, that's what my ratchet did and My finger's been like this for like two months.
00:07:50
Aniz Lavji
Whatever works for you, my gosh.
00:07:57
Aniz Lavji
oh oh my god
00:08:00
Frank Wiebe
It takes forever for a nail to grow back.
00:08:00
Feminauto
don't know.
00:08:02
Frank Wiebe
You'd be surprised. Apparently it's like one millimeter every three months or something like that. It's like, that just takes way too long.
00:08:12
Aniz Lavji
I'm sure you can get some special stuff on Amazon and make it a little faster.
00:08:18
Feminauto
Just paint them black.
00:08:20
Frank Wiebe
I...
00:08:20
Aniz Lavji
We'll just do that. Match them.
00:08:22
Frank Wiebe
i've i've often thought I've often thought of going when my wife gets her nails done, going to get my nails done just to get a hard coating on them so that stuff like when they do break, then you just colour it, whatever, or when it don't break as easy.
00:08:35
Aniz Lavji
Just get some ah some rocker guard.
00:08:39
Frank Wiebe
Oh, that stuff is impossible to take off
00:08:41
Feminauto
Maybe dirty all the time.
Mechanic Tales and Vehicle Insights
00:08:43
Aniz Lavji
Just just get you get get the rocker guard nail treatment and, you know, you'll you'll never have to worry about them breaking. I mean, in fact, you can probably use them to, when you're cleaning off rotors, you need to get, you know, just use your fingers and make yourself a tool.
00:09:03
Frank Wiebe
i i just i just posted a tiktok video about using fingers to clean something so go ahead and check it out after you after the podcast you don't want to see it now
00:09:03
Aniz Lavji
Says the guy that's not a mechanic at all.
00:09:03
Feminauto
Whatever works.
00:09:15
Feminauto
duly noticed.
00:09:15
Aniz Lavji
I saw the one you posted earlier with the oil pan. That was gross.
00:09:21
Frank Wiebe
well this was the last of that trilogy or i don't know how many videos it that was that was nasty i've never seen an a oil pan that bad I'm so thankful that customer decided on getting a ah long block because if they would have just been like, oh, let's do head gassing. So I'm pretty sure I would have tore it apart and be like, nope, because it was, it was bad.
00:09:43
Aniz Lavji
Look at clay.
00:09:45
Frank Wiebe
Oh man. I got, I've got a, I've got a, like a pile of that crap and in a rag. I'm going to show him when he comes and pick up the truck. I'm like, do your freaking oil change.
00:09:56
Frank Wiebe
is I don't know.
00:09:57
Feminauto
Send it home with them in a baggie.
00:09:58
Frank Wiebe
This is first time customer to me. What's that?
00:10:00
Feminauto
Send it home with them.
00:10:02
Frank Wiebe
Yeah, yeah, stick it right on top of the engine.
00:10:03
Aniz Lavji
It's a souvenir.
00:10:04
Feminauto
Yep.
00:10:05
Aniz Lavji
Nice souvenir.
00:10:05
Frank Wiebe
This first time customer to me. So like, I've never seen this vehicle before. So I have no idea what their what their maintenance, what they do for maintenance it's at all.
00:10:16
Frank Wiebe
But just by looking at,
00:10:16
Aniz Lavji
I'm hoping you took a hell deposit for that kind of job, man.
00:10:20
Feminauto
I always wonder too, like, you know, like the quick lubes and stuff when they drain them and you know, like they pull the drain plug out really quickly and don't drain all the oil out and just stick it back in.
00:10:20
Frank Wiebe
yeah, yeah.
00:10:30
Frank Wiebe
Yeah.
00:10:34
Frank Wiebe
I mean, yeah, that does something, but at least you got 90% new oil in there. i was talking I was talking to actually, i got ah I got a friend that works at Toyota and he messaged me, he must've seen my video somewhere and he messaged me and he says, what the heck happened to that engine? I I really don't know. and He says, they never go like that. He's been working at Toyota, i don't know, lots of years. And he says, I've never seen an engine like that ever in a Toyota. And I'm like, well, now you have.
00:11:03
Feminauto
It was there for its first oil change.
00:11:06
Frank Wiebe
Yeah, probably.
00:11:07
Feminauto
First and last.
00:11:09
Aniz Lavji
Oil is oil.
00:11:09
Frank Wiebe
No.
00:11:09
Aniz Lavji
I mean, how much how much do you mechanics want in the engine? I mean, just throw some in. Canola oil. It's all the same, isn't it
00:11:16
Feminauto
as said
00:11:16
Frank Wiebe
Yeah, really.
00:11:17
Feminauto
I just had one. It was a diesel. And they were it was going to a quick lube. And they were putting gas oil in it.
00:11:25
Aniz Lavji
Oh, my God.
00:11:25
Feminauto
They were just putting regular 530 in it. And she was saying that she had all these issues with like having to do regens and stuff because emission problems. And I was there because she had a code for the deaf. And it was going to lock her out and stuff.
00:11:42
Feminauto
I don't know. I did an oil change on it, and it's been good.
00:11:45
Frank Wiebe
Is that was that one of those that takes a Dexus D oil?
00:11:49
Feminauto
Yeah.
00:11:51
Frank Wiebe
That shit's expensive.
00:11:51
Feminauto
Yeah. Squeaks and knocks.
00:11:54
Aniz Lavji
my ah My dad used to drive a actually I had the same car, 2013 Mercedes, emma ah no, GL350 diesel. And it had a DFP or DPF issue.
00:12:10
Frank Wiebe
Mm-hmm.
00:12:12
Aniz Lavji
So i it's a few years ago now. So we ended up tearing apart of the whole engine to replace. we had the hole We had all the front heads and everything redone and all that. And it got to the point where we did not have time to actually finish the car.
00:12:28
Aniz Lavji
So we sold it to a customer that specializes in it. He towed it out. And two weeks later, you was dr drove it in. I'm like, oh, that's nice.
00:12:39
Frank Wiebe
Yeah, that makes you belittle yourself a little bit like, oh, crap.
00:12:44
Aniz Lavji
but it was, we had time and then all of a sudden, well, which is good. We got so busy where the car was literally stuck and in the way and it started costing me money because I could have had another vehicle up there. So I'm like, this thing's got to go.
00:12:58
Feminauto
cut your loss.
00:12:59
Aniz Lavji
Cut my losses. I would have sent it to Frank.
00:13:02
Frank Wiebe
Yeah.
00:13:02
Aniz Lavji
Frank would have had it up and running in like half an hour.
00:13:05
Frank Wiebe
Not a Mercedes. No, one no.
00:13:07
Aniz Lavji
Your favorite vehicle.
00:13:09
Frank Wiebe
No, I do like Chevy Cruises.
00:13:09
Feminauto
He likes Chevy Cruises.
00:13:11
Aniz Lavji
Whoa.
00:13:12
Frank Wiebe
I got two in the lot right now that I got to fix up.
00:13:16
Aniz Lavji
They're really good paperweights.
00:13:16
Frank Wiebe
my no I don't know why people hate on these things so much.
00:13:17
Feminauto
all broken.
00:13:23
Frank Wiebe
I love them because the the biggest problem with them is they leak they leak oil.
00:13:26
Feminauto
yeah
00:13:28
Frank Wiebe
okay It's always the oil cooler. And you can buy an oil cooler gassing kit real cheap, pull the turbo off, pull the oil cooler off, takes you about an hour. replace the gas, put it back in and 90% of the problems on the car are fixed.
00:13:43
Frank Wiebe
So why not? So I, I, I buy a ton of them. Like I've got, like said, I've got two right now.
00:13:46
Aniz Lavji
i think i think the name of I think the name is false advertising because you don't see them cruise, okay?
00:13:47
Feminauto
We are repetitive.
00:13:53
Aniz Lavji
They're always in the parking lot. It should be a Chevy Stade.
00:13:55
Feminauto
They're broke down.
00:13:57
Frank Wiebe
Hey, no, listen, I've got, there's two in my family right now. My, my daughter's boyfriend has one my son has one. And one's got, 280 on it the other one's got like 355 on it or something like that and just keep on going so i don't know why people hate on them so much i think they're great uh
00:14:16
Aniz Lavji
But that's what's on the odometer.
00:14:17
Feminauto
My brother.
00:14:18
Aniz Lavji
Are they running or is that just what's on the odometer?
00:14:20
Frank Wiebe
okay the one with three hundred and fifty k did they did get an engine replacement uh at about 300k but hey 300k my my sister my sister had one she had it from almost new
00:14:24
Aniz Lavji
Hey, there you go.
00:14:29
Feminauto
but That's not bad.
00:14:29
Aniz Lavji
oh
00:14:29
Feminauto
It's so wonderful.
00:14:33
Frank Wiebe
I think she bought it when it had, i don't know, $50,000 on it or something like that. And she drove it to about $420,000 something on it.
00:14:37
Aniz Lavji
Yeah.
00:14:43
Frank Wiebe
Never did a damn thing to it. Like, she's probably the worst for car maintenance ever. And every once in a while, she's like, oh, there's something wrong with it. I'm like, come in, let's do an oil change.
00:14:54
Frank Wiebe
Do an oil change. And now it's got oil again, so now it can drive again. But I never did a turbo on it. I never did head gasket on it. Never did a timing chain on it. Nothing.
00:15:04
Aniz Lavji
I shouldn't hate on those cars so much.
00:15:04
Frank Wiebe
And she just drove it, drove the bag off of it.
00:15:08
Aniz Lavji
I shouldn't hate on them so much because when we were busy selling cars, I had like five to seven of them on the lot for sale.
00:15:14
Frank Wiebe
Oh,
00:15:16
Aniz Lavji
And the only stipulation was if you're buying this car, you are buying it with a one-year warranty or do not buy the car.
00:15:24
Frank Wiebe
yeah. Yeah. No, that's a good idea.
00:15:26
Aniz Lavji
Because, you know, drive it two months down the road and like, well, my engine's about to blow up. I'm like,
00:15:34
Frank Wiebe
Put oil in it. You'd be a fine.
00:15:36
Aniz Lavji
We pray.
00:15:37
Frank Wiebe
But if you do buy another one, yeah, send it to me.
00:15:37
Feminauto
Send it to Frank.
00:15:40
Frank Wiebe
But if you do buy another one and it needs rocker panels, those I love doing those things.
00:15:43
Aniz Lavji
Oh, God.
00:15:45
Frank Wiebe
I love her i'm doing rock. Oh, no.
00:15:47
Aniz Lavji
Not really be sick.
00:15:49
Feminauto
My brother, he's got a cruise, but it's permanently parked right now.
00:15:55
Frank Wiebe
what What do you break on it?
00:15:58
Feminauto
Um, he probably like blew it right up because he drove it with like, I can't remember what all was wrong. It's been parked for like two years now. um The belt came off it and then um got like all chewed up inside and it was a whole mess.
00:16:15
Frank Wiebe
Geez.
00:16:15
Feminauto
There was oil leaking everywhere. The head gaskets were leaking. um
00:16:19
Frank Wiebe
Oh
00:16:20
Feminauto
I'm trying to think of what wasn't wrong with it, but he drove it while it had no coolant in it.
00:16:23
Frank Wiebe
yeah.
00:16:25
Feminauto
And it was massively leaking to the point where it was like shooting out where you poured it and I'm like, don't drive it.
00:16:32
Frank Wiebe
Yeah.
00:16:32
Feminauto
Yeah, he blew it up. So that's not a good example, but
00:16:35
Frank Wiebe
No, that's not a good example. and and and And on that note, um two customers this week that are having trouble with their Chevy Cruises. So one blew an engine for sure. and The other one, i don't know. He thought it was in the shop a couple of week and a half ago just to get his winter tires put on. And I'm like, dude, you got a massive oil. look You got to get this thing fixed.
00:17:00
Frank Wiebe
He's like, oh, my dad's got a part ordered.
00:17:02
Aniz Lavji
Oh, God.
00:17:03
Frank Wiebe
i said no no i told him i said i don't care what your dad ordered whatever he did is not going to fix this oil leak it was leaking out of the oil cooler i said you need to get this fixed asap well then yesterday i heard a a car broke down and he lives in windsor which is like an hour and a half away from me yet so he's got it at a shop there and he's text texting me today he said uh
00:17:05
Feminauto
Mm-hmm.
00:17:12
Aniz Lavji
No.
00:17:28
Frank Wiebe
ah they're not sure what's wrong with it. Every time they put a fuse in it, it just keeps blowing. I'm like, okay, at least the engine isn't blown that we know of unless they're trying to crank it and it blows the main fuse.
00:17:40
Frank Wiebe
So i said, well, if they are good just going to, you know, jerk you around too much, tow it to me, we'll get it figured out and we'll get it sorted out.
00:17:48
Aniz Lavji
ah you can know You can at least park it next to the other two Chevy Cruises and at least have a monopoly on Chevy Cruises in the Aylmer region.
00:17:49
Frank Wiebe
We'll see if I see it.
00:17:57
Frank Wiebe
I currently have one, two, three, five Chevy Cruises in my lot.
00:18:05
Aniz Lavji
You know, most people collect baseball cards, Frank.
00:18:06
Frank Wiebe
who are yeah two two Two parts cars, ah two that need to be fixed up and one that is waiting for death to lead.
00:18:19
Frank Wiebe
It's a customer's car and he just needs to go. But anyways, so yeah, there's five in my parking lot right now.
00:18:28
Aniz Lavji
Lindsay, do you have do you have a certain spot that you work on the vehicles that like if you're not able to work on it at the customer's location, do you have a spot like do you work in your at your place or do you have another area you can take the vehicle to work
Mobile Mechanic Setup and Work-Life Balance
00:18:45
Aniz Lavji
on?
00:18:45
Feminauto
I honestly just go to them every time.
00:18:47
Aniz Lavji
Yeah.
00:18:48
Feminauto
My driveway is like super slanted, so I can't really work on anything here. I'll work on my car here, but that's about it.
00:18:54
Aniz Lavji
Okay, okay. The um like advertising is it mostly like TikTok or Google? What seems to work for you?
00:19:03
Feminauto
Um, Google for sure, but also like just being out working, I usually end up like people see me working and just be interested and want to take a business card.
00:19:13
Aniz Lavji
That's awesome.
00:19:13
Feminauto
Um, yeah, or I do small stuff. Like I was just in the parade and that got me a bunch of business, but.
00:19:20
Frank Wiebe
Yeah, and you have you have your logo or on the side of your car, right?
00:19:24
Feminauto
Finally.
00:19:25
Frank Wiebe
Oh, her work vehicle is a Mazda 3 in these.
00:19:28
Aniz Lavji
Beauty.
00:19:28
Feminauto
yeah Gotta keep it like fully interesting.
00:19:33
Frank Wiebe
Yeah, really.
00:19:33
Aniz Lavji
course. What year is your Mazda 3?
00:19:37
Feminauto
2015. Oh my
00:19:39
Aniz Lavji
You know, weird thing is, for some reason, I've been doing gas tanks in 2014-2015 Mazda the past like month or past few weeks. but We did the second one today.
00:19:53
Feminauto
my gosh
00:19:53
Frank Wiebe
Well, I think Mazdas came from the factory with rust already starting.
00:19:58
Aniz Lavji
yeah I was told by somebody at Mazda that apparently there because there's going to be a recall in the new year for the gas tanks.
00:20:07
Frank Wiebe
Oh, cool.
00:20:08
Feminauto
Oh, really? OK.
00:20:09
Frank Wiebe
There you go. Keep an eye on that.
00:20:11
Feminauto
I know like for sure, so far, the only one I can think of offhand is the rear calipers. If they're corroded, they'll replace them, but mine are unhealthy.
00:20:20
Aniz Lavji
Yeah. And as long as you don't you know get the new caliper that the bleeders are broken, then you're in good shape.
00:20:30
Frank Wiebe
Oh, we have so many calipers come in where the the bolts are stripped out of them.
00:20:35
Aniz Lavji
Yeah.
00:20:35
Frank Wiebe
And it's like, how the heck? How did this pass quality control?
00:20:37
Feminauto
I've never had a problem with
00:20:37
Aniz Lavji
and as well as As soon as the caliper shows up and David, my mechanic, tries to put it on, I'm looking at the video, at the camera because it's right there.
00:20:48
Aniz Lavji
And you see him look at it. hear And he just he throws his hands up like this. I'm already on the phone ordering another the caliper i mean know right away.
00:20:55
Frank Wiebe
Yep.
00:20:55
Feminauto
Oh my gosh. I've had really good luck. I had one that burned me and it was like a 2020, it was an express 2500 van and it didn't even need front calipers, but my customer, he like, he had a caliper seize up on his Cadillac.
00:21:11
Feminauto
So he's like, okay, let's just do brand new. I want new calipers, new pads, new rotors. And it made an awful noise.
00:21:17
Aniz Lavji
It's a good customer.
00:21:18
Feminauto
So warrantied them out. And then I did that twice now, I think, and it's making noise again. And it's like, I've changed everything and it's all premium, like fleet pads, premium calipers. and I've never had an issue with brakes ever. Like,
00:21:35
Frank Wiebe
Like, are they squealing or clicking?
00:21:37
Feminauto
Like, um I don't know if you've seen that video I did a while ago because I never did the follow up on it because like to me, I'm like, it's not resolved. Yeah, I mean, it is. I know what the problem is, but it was that one where I was like, had the phone recording. It was like, you know, guess the noise or whatever. But it was like a weird like it wasn't your typical. you know how they usually like click up and down?
00:22:00
Frank Wiebe
Yeah.
00:22:01
Aniz Lavji
yep
00:22:01
Feminauto
no like i we both thought the wheel was falling off like my customer called me we're driving i got my head like hanging out at the window and yeah it was like the pads were so loose and they last like two weeks loose again the other issue um
00:22:15
Aniz Lavji
So I know what the issue is.
00:22:15
Frank Wiebe
Really?
00:22:17
Aniz Lavji
They're loose, right? is that They're loose right now? So you have to just get the pads from the dealer. That's your issue. No, really, because we...
00:22:28
Aniz Lavji
We went through that with another vehicle and the same like the pads, you can literally move them up and down and they're not sitting flush.
00:22:35
Feminauto
Yeah.
00:22:36
Aniz Lavji
So with Volkswagens, we went, I think I was talking to you a while ago about that, Frank, with Volkswagens, we don't put any brake pads in those vehicles from any suppliers just from the dealer.
00:22:48
Aniz Lavji
And we haven't had any come comebacks at all.
00:22:48
Frank Wiebe
okay yep
00:22:51
Aniz Lavji
And we if we have any vehicle that comes in that has the flimsy pads where you move it, it's like click, click, click, click.
00:22:58
Frank Wiebe
yep yep
00:22:58
Aniz Lavji
We get the pads from the dealer. Solves that issue. Because a lot of the times they're not made, they're punched out of God knows what country. And then the backings, those little flaps, they don't have enough glue on them.
00:23:11
Aniz Lavji
So you get that on top of the pads moving up and down and they're clattering and you're sitting at a pissed off customer.
00:23:18
Frank Wiebe
Oh, yeah.
00:23:18
Feminauto
Well, this one, ironically, and like I got everything in the same, like it was all CarQuest brand. And they thought I was crazy because like I called them from my customers and I'm like, these clips are all different thicknesses.
00:23:31
Feminauto
Like the ones that came with the caliper, the ones that came with the pads.
00:23:32
Aniz Lavji
Yeah.
00:23:36
Feminauto
And we ended up when I finally got there to get the parts, they had all the pads out with all the clips. They pulled them out of the new boxes and they were all different thicknesses.
00:23:48
Feminauto
By like quite a bit, yeah.
00:23:48
Frank Wiebe
Really?
00:23:50
Feminauto
We were all kind of like, oh, damn.
00:23:51
Frank Wiebe
Like, you mean you mean the shim that goes in the bracket where the Pats is in?
00:23:55
Feminauto
Yeah, like the tin clips for the bracket.
00:23:59
Frank Wiebe
Really?
Quality of Parts and Supplier Incentives
00:24:00
Feminauto
Yeah.
00:24:00
Frank Wiebe
we've We've had, the biggest issue we've had with those is on freaking caravans.
00:24:04
Frank Wiebe
Like those stupid clips, they never sit properly. and we've We've been complaining about it forever. Every once in a while, if you get a caliper, the shims that are in a caliper, they work fine. But the ones that came with the pad from CarQuest, and we primarily use CarQuest, and we're like, look, you guys got to do something about this. It's just terrible.
00:24:23
Frank Wiebe
And i don't know, so far nothing's happened, but every once in
00:24:27
Feminauto
Well, the last time I put it together, I used the ones that came in the caliper because that was my thought too. um so And then he went to Florida.
00:24:33
Frank Wiebe
you know
00:24:35
Feminauto
So it's like to be continued right now.
00:24:38
Aniz Lavji
If it comes back, grab some pads from the dealer and see what happens at this point.
00:24:38
Frank Wiebe
um
00:24:43
Feminauto
Yeah.
00:24:43
Frank Wiebe
I heard you say that you're you did you use fleet pads on that one?
00:24:47
Feminauto
I did. Yeah. Like literally it was a good customer.
00:24:48
Frank Wiebe
Yeah.
00:24:49
Feminauto
So I'm like, he's going to want the best. Like I said, he was changing his calipers.
00:24:53
Frank Wiebe
Don't.
00:24:54
Feminauto
His were fine.
00:24:56
Frank Wiebe
My opinion is we never use the fleet pads. We always use the goals. Even on the heavy-duty trucks, we found that the fleet pads quite often have a hard spot on them and they score the rotor or they squeal.
00:25:13
Frank Wiebe
ah But the the CarQuest goals have been an absolute dream of a pad. um We had APCs like, oh, you should try our new pads, Bosch ah brand that they have.
00:25:24
Aniz Lavji
Yeah, Marsh Blues and all that.
00:25:26
Frank Wiebe
Yeah. Okay. they I'm like, my wife's like, not where the goals are working for us. We're sticking with that. We're good. Well, I'm like, you know, okay. So my personal truck, I just got that, that red truck.
00:25:39
Frank Wiebe
And I'm like, yeah, you know, I've got to put new rear brakes on it. I'll try these ones from these Bosch ones. Every freaking time I back out of my driveway, she's like, I told you so. I'm like, shut up.
00:25:53
Aniz Lavji
It's the backers, Frank.
00:25:53
Feminauto
That's ironic because I thought they were good. Like one of my customers, he insisted getting his own parts and he ordered them from like Rock Auto or something. So it's not like you could just easily return them. And they were boss and noisy, heating up, like just horrible.
00:26:04
Frank Wiebe
Yep.
00:26:09
Aniz Lavji
I actually talked to the Bosch rep. He stopped by at my shop two weeks ago and I had a conversation with him for about an a half an hour. He's never heard of any complaints about his pads.
00:26:19
Frank Wiebe
Have him come talk to me.
00:26:20
Aniz Lavji
Oh, no. but david David, my mechanic, gave him an earful for about 20 minutes.
00:26:21
Feminauto
and me. yeah
00:26:25
Frank Wiebe
Oh, yeah.
00:26:26
Feminauto
Oh no.
00:26:26
Aniz Lavji
And, um yeah, there' it's there's not enough glue on those things.
00:26:30
Frank Wiebe
My...
00:26:32
Frank Wiebe
my My APC rep said the same thing. He says, no one complains about these. other Well, here I am complaining. So he sent me another set of pads. I switched them out. Same freaking thing. But I guess there's like, they have like four different tiers of pad and whatever he sent me was like the second tier.
00:26:42
Aniz Lavji
Yeah.
00:26:48
Frank Wiebe
I'm like, well, maybe you should have gone the highest tier.
00:26:48
Aniz Lavji
Yeah.
00:26:50
Frank Wiebe
I don't know. But regardless, it freaking sucks because now I have to change the pads out again. And I hate working on my own vehicle. So I'm just going to put up a
00:26:59
Aniz Lavji
It's not that. Your better half told you what to do. You didn't listen.
00:27:03
Frank Wiebe
hi
00:27:04
Aniz Lavji
Forget the brake pads, Frank.
00:27:05
Frank Wiebe
Now, now I'm just stubborn.
00:27:05
Aniz Lavji
That's not the problem.
00:27:06
Frank Wiebe
now I'm just going to wear out those damn pads and put up with the school for another 80,000 kilometers.
00:27:11
Feminauto
Well, ironically, i don't normally use CarQuest brakes. I only did it because like they're supposed to be the more premium ones. And yeah, typically i never have a problem with my brakes.
00:27:21
Feminauto
I can't even think of what brand they are, but um I think they're genius rotors. I can't think of the pads though, but they always work great.
00:27:30
Frank Wiebe
From which supplier?
00:27:32
Feminauto
um From APC.
00:27:35
Aniz Lavji
Geotech maybe?
00:27:36
Frank Wiebe
So Geotech pad geotech rotors.
00:27:36
Aniz Lavji
Geotech rotors are fantastic.
00:27:40
Frank Wiebe
Yeah, they're they're good.
00:27:40
Feminauto
yeah i love them those are the genius is the other one
00:27:42
Aniz Lavji
I mainly use those right now.
00:27:42
Frank Wiebe
And then then they used to have that Canadian made pad, whatever that was called.
00:27:49
Aniz Lavji
Ideal.
00:27:50
Frank Wiebe
Ideal, but that that company's bought out now and sold, gone.
00:27:51
Feminauto
one i have a sore spot from ideal they cost me a whole brake caliper they cost me one brake caliper
00:27:56
Aniz Lavji
Yeah.
00:27:57
Frank Wiebe
like Why? Cause that little pin, that little pin pulled you?
00:27:59
Aniz Lavji
Oh, the pin, the Canadian flag pin.
00:28:00
Frank Wiebe
That little pin?
00:28:05
Frank Wiebe
Oh, really?
00:28:06
Feminauto
Yes. um They had the little nib on the brake pad was like maybe three millimeters off and it held the brake pad at like a slight angle and it actually exploded the piston and caliper. It took like about two or three years. Like this was on my boyfriend's car. So, I mean, um the pedal was never completely perfect. Okay. But this is like a car that...
00:28:33
Feminauto
when we bought it, it had a whole bunch of brake issues. So it always had brake issue. So when the new brakes went on, it was kind of like overlooked that the pedal wasn't 100% perfect. It was just like a slight, like a normal person wouldn't have noticed it. But you know, you could just feel something there. And like I said, like two, three years later, boom, done.
00:28:55
Aniz Lavji
Us abnormal people would notice it right away, I think.
00:29:00
Feminauto
Yeah, maybe, but it had other issues that, like, yeah, it's a longer story. But anyways, we didn't have the car for a long time either, so...
00:29:00
Frank Wiebe
I work with like
00:29:09
Aniz Lavji
that that'll drive you a bit nuts. Like I, we were using ideals for a while and then we got burned a few times just like you did. And you get that sour taste in your mouth and you're like, you know what?
00:29:20
Aniz Lavji
As much as I love getting the Canadian pins in every box and I've collected like 300 of them.
00:29:25
Frank Wiebe
it. That was so annoying. They stopped doing that in the last match, eh?
00:29:30
Feminauto
That was in my beginner days too.
00:29:30
Aniz Lavji
you get the and You get the free glove too.
00:29:32
Feminauto
So I just took the word of other people that they were good breaks.
00:29:33
Frank Wiebe
Yep.
00:29:35
Feminauto
You know what i mean? I have my own better judgment now, but yeah, I hear you. But also they don't cover labor.
00:29:40
Aniz Lavji
I'll be...
00:29:43
Feminauto
Like APC does not cover labor. um
00:29:45
Aniz Lavji
Yeah, I know.
00:29:46
Feminauto
CarQuest will like.
00:29:46
Frank Wiebe
you you have to sign up You have to sign up with their program. Yeah, it's...
00:29:51
Feminauto
Oh, they do cover
00:29:53
Aniz Lavji
they Oh, the yeah, they have a program.
00:29:53
Frank Wiebe
you can
00:29:54
Aniz Lavji
That's right.
00:29:55
Feminauto
Okay, because they told me they don't cover labor, like when I tried to deal with this, but i know like...
00:29:55
Frank Wiebe
yeah it's
00:30:01
Frank Wiebe
No, you have to be signed up with their whatever their program is called.
00:30:07
Aniz Lavji
i think you're right. I remember... I think I am signed up with it.
00:30:08
Feminauto
It might be really, it might be really by the book then too.
00:30:08
Frank Wiebe
but
00:30:12
Feminauto
Like I know, for example, like CarQuest, if like there was a customer dealing with an AC compressor and another shop put the wrong one on and it was out of warranty by the time it came to.
00:30:24
Feminauto
And I think that they went extra and like, we'll cover this, you know?
00:30:29
Aniz Lavji
Oh, that's good.
00:30:30
Frank Wiebe
That's what we found with our car quest. they'll They'll very often go above and beyond just to make it happen.
00:30:34
Feminauto
Yeah.
00:30:36
Frank Wiebe
And hence the reason why we buy like 90% of our parts from them. Napa keeps coming in and trying to trying to schmooze us over and like, hmm, we're happy.
00:30:45
Feminauto
They're like the most expensive too, Napa.
00:30:48
Frank Wiebe
They can't, yeah, certain things.
00:30:49
Aniz Lavji
Napa?
00:30:51
Frank Wiebe
They they keep trying to theyre keep trying to get our business and we look at prices like we do a lot of breaks and we look at the breaks and like, you guys are like 20% higher than what we're getting over here. Like, you're going to have to do something here if you want that to work.
00:31:03
Frank Wiebe
But.
00:31:03
Feminauto
You know what it is? I worked at another shop and ah maybe it's different for other people, but they used it because of the kickbacks. Like you are going on trips and like all kinds of stuff all year.
00:31:12
Frank Wiebe
well
00:31:14
Frank Wiebe
Okay. But you can you can get that with all three suppliers.
00:31:18
Feminauto
Anywhere. Yeah. But apparently it's much better there.
00:31:20
Frank Wiebe
Right? so
00:31:22
Feminauto
I don't, I don't know. Cause I don't go on any trips, but.
00:31:23
Aniz Lavji
I have not been offered any trips, so I'll be calling my Napa rep tomorrow morning because I buy a lot from Napa.
00:31:24
Frank Wiebe
It isn't.
00:31:29
Frank Wiebe
Yeah. We're actually going on a trip with CarQuest in February. So, yeah.
00:31:35
Feminauto
Sick.
00:31:37
Frank Wiebe
Yeah. So that's that's our first time doing it. So we'll see. But um as far as the kickback, it they all do it. um Napa's kind of gotten really stupid with theirs because they'll just give you like a prepaid visa gift card or something like that.
00:31:52
Aniz Lavji
Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. We get those.
00:31:53
Feminauto
I just got one of those and I thought it was a scam.
00:31:53
Frank Wiebe
Yeah.
00:31:55
Feminauto
It was like you bought four Monroe stocks and it was like some weird website.
00:31:59
Frank Wiebe
Yeah.
00:32:00
Feminauto
Then I had to like fact check it. But yeah, it was legit.
00:32:03
Frank Wiebe
Oh, it's a pain.
00:32:03
Feminauto
I didn't have to do it. So I was like, because when I used to work service before i had to like, you know, rip the little, ah you had to rip the tabs off of the boxes and keep them all.
00:32:06
Frank Wiebe
Yeah.
00:32:12
Aniz Lavji
Yeah.
00:32:14
Frank Wiebe
Oh, man, that's going way back.
00:32:15
Feminauto
And you're like, go after the mechanics, like quit throwing the boxes out.
00:32:19
Frank Wiebe
Yeah, no that's going way back.
00:32:19
Aniz Lavji
Oh, my God.
00:32:21
Frank Wiebe
um Yeah, with CarQuest now, it's like, Every, every sold off and the rep comes in and he's like, this is how much your refund is going to be, or this is what it's projected to look at.
00:32:34
Frank Wiebe
I'm like, damn, we spent a lot of money, but it's, it's pretty good.
00:32:38
Feminauto
Sadly.
00:32:39
Frank Wiebe
And then it just, oh shit. It's actually, it probably just came. It's usually like mid November. And then they just send you a check or goes into your account and then you,
00:32:51
Frank Wiebe
Oh no, that's our visa that we get mid November. Forgot about that.
00:32:55
Aniz Lavji
I'll to contact my car. I don't have an account with car quest right now. i have an old account when we used to be at our shop like five years ago, but I don't have order anything car quest in years. I'll have to give, give them a call.
00:33:08
Frank Wiebe
Yeah. Like I said, we do primarily, they're really good with their warranty. Um, they're, ah we we just have no problem with parts like when we do suspension parts we do just move we've we've gone tried all of these other products uh actually the the car quest premium and the moog i i think they go hand in hand and it's it's a really good product really good but uh we went we went through the phase of trying the mevo tech and trying the ttx and all that stuff and the ttx is actually
00:33:45
Frank Wiebe
a pretty crap brand. Like they did not stand up for what they said they were going to be. And so we just, we just made a decision nope, we're just putting Moog on. That's it. If anything, suspension parts, if you don't want Moog, go somewhere else. They'll care.
00:34:01
Frank Wiebe
That's just what it is. And even they fail and it is, I mean, what are you going to do? You can't have everything perfect, but yeah.
00:34:09
Aniz Lavji
No, you can't. cant
00:34:12
Feminauto
What do you use for bearings?
00:34:15
Frank Wiebe
ah For bearings, we do primarily um the CarQuest Premium. um Every once in a while, I'll put on a MevoTech wheel bearing.
00:34:28
Frank Wiebe
They've been pretty good and quite a good price point. But we had this one Ford F250. It kept chewing up wheel bearings. like it It would chew up a wheel bearing in probably three or four months.
00:34:44
Frank Wiebe
And I'm like, what this this can't be. So when it was time for the third wheel bearing, I'm like, something is going on here.
00:34:51
Aniz Lavji
Yeah.
00:34:51
Frank Wiebe
So I took the reins on that one. I really looked into it And what had happened is at some point, somebody had done the original wheel bearing and it was so rusted that they had to grind on the hub or on the spindle while they had ground it just a little bit off kilter right so it wasn't straight so every time you bolted a wheel bearing on then it it tweaked no it no it tweaked the whole hub uh the wheel bearing itself and then it just wore out prematurely so i was like okay now we need a whole spindle he wasn't happy but i'm like well i can't warranty this wheel bearing again because it's not the wheel bearings fault it's your truck that's causing it
00:35:06
Aniz Lavji
Oh, boy.
00:35:12
Aniz Lavji
Still has them play.
00:35:13
Feminauto
that
00:35:32
Aniz Lavji
And the work the work that both of you have to do, i could never i could never get into that.
00:35:32
Frank Wiebe
you
00:35:39
Aniz Lavji
So my hat's off to both of you working with your hands.
00:35:40
Frank Wiebe
Fire.
00:35:44
Aniz Lavji
I just sign checks and answer the phones
Working Conditions and Fair Pricing
00:35:48
Frank Wiebe
Make phone calls.
00:35:48
Aniz Lavji
and go on podcast at 9 o'clock, 10 o'clock at night.
00:35:53
Aniz Lavji
Yeah.
00:35:56
Frank Wiebe
Hey, and i and I don't even have it hard yet. I thought I had it hard when it was shitty weather the other day and I was working on something. It was dripping wet, but I seen you. What was that one ah Was it Dakota or something you're doing brake lines on?
00:36:08
Frank Wiebe
Slide the jack underneath it. What is that?
00:36:12
Feminauto
sierra
00:36:13
Frank Wiebe
Sierra sliding underneath there and on the snow. and like I used to like snow when I was like 12 years old.
00:36:17
Aniz Lavji
not
00:36:20
Frank Wiebe
Now, I only like it when I drive in it and my truck can spin back and forth.
00:36:26
Feminauto
Ironically, I hate the cold. I really dress normally.
00:36:29
Aniz Lavji
I hope you're charging a premium for being out in the snow doing this work.
00:36:33
Feminauto
i never mentioned I have a slight emotional bank account.
00:36:39
Frank Wiebe
and more emotional bank account.
00:36:42
Aniz Lavji
What do you mean?
00:36:43
Feminauto
That's where you charge with your heart.
00:36:46
Aniz Lavji
Nope. nope
00:36:46
Frank Wiebe
ah
00:36:47
Feminauto
i I'm getting better.
00:36:47
Aniz Lavji
one
00:36:49
Feminauto
But yeah, I don't know. I worked like as a service advisor for like four years. I should be really good at that job. Like I worked at a performance shop. I'm used to handing out giant bills.
00:37:01
Feminauto
I don't know.
00:37:02
Aniz Lavji
if you emotionally sell, I was, it's so funny because before you came on, Frank and I were just having a conversation and um I was referencing this guy, Rick White. He's a, he's a, he's a trainer, really cool guy.
00:37:17
Aniz Lavji
Have you heard of him before?
00:37:18
Feminauto
No, I haven't.
00:37:19
Aniz Lavji
Okay. So he was saying, you know, if you want to, if you want to do that, the next time what you do is you go to your kid's bank account, take out a couple of hundred bucks,
00:37:32
Aniz Lavji
And then the next time you want to take a couple hundred bucks off the bill, just hand it to him. So here you go My kid doesn't need it, but you do because I want to make your bill cheaper.
00:37:45
Aniz Lavji
And it really makes you think that you're, that's literally what you're doing. i mean, and I don't know if you have ah kids or whatever it is, but you know, for especially your, your outside in the snow,
00:37:59
Aniz Lavji
oh dear God, doing this kind of work?
00:38:01
Frank Wiebe
Oh yeah.
00:38:01
Aniz Lavji
Like you should be charging a premium.
00:38:03
Frank Wiebe
I
00:38:06
Aniz Lavji
Yeah.
00:38:07
Frank Wiebe
I'd be constantly thinking, yeah, I'd be constantly thinking, Oh, this is the price I should charge.
00:38:07
Feminauto
I know, I've been told.
00:38:12
Aniz Lavji
Yeah.
00:38:13
Frank Wiebe
Oh, that's f freaking cold. Oh, that's freaking cold. Oh, that's freaking cold.
00:38:18
Feminauto
hard because I'm also comparing to like what I made before as a tech, which I shouldn't do because I was always like way underpaid. But like, you know, I'm just like trying to do better than that.
00:38:27
Frank Wiebe
Yup.
00:38:30
Feminauto
So it's like, it's not very high bar, but
00:38:31
Frank Wiebe
Yeah, you I could totally see that because me going from, I was i worked at a shop for 14 He always said, oh, I'm paying you well. You're that you're my highest paid mechanic. And, you know, I was getting paid decent, but not good. And then when I finally went on my own, I don't even get a paycheck.
00:38:51
Frank Wiebe
But all of a sudden, it's like I have access to a lot more money than I ever did before. And it's like, Oh yeah, I can see that. I like this, but I'm i'm the same with you. if If I talk to a customer and I have to give them the bill, oh, I feel so bad. I love having David in the office. I'm like, he deals with it. He gives him the quote. he He gives him the bill. He takes the money. I'm like, I'm so thankful I don't have to do that because I would be the same as you. I'd be like, well, it's supposed to be $1,500, but man, $1,200 fine.
00:39:26
Aniz Lavji
No, Frank.
00:39:26
Feminauto
Some customers make it easier than others to hand it over though.
00:39:27
Frank Wiebe
yeah
00:39:27
Aniz Lavji
No, Frank.
00:39:31
Aniz Lavji
what's your What's your labor rate, Lindsay?
00:39:33
Feminauto
ah ah usually like, I try to keep it like 75 an hour or under.
00:39:41
Frank Wiebe
Why?
00:39:43
Feminauto
Why?
00:39:43
Aniz Lavji
Why?
00:39:43
Feminauto
i don't know.
00:39:44
Aniz Lavji
No.
00:39:44
Frank Wiebe
ah you Why aren't you charging 100 an hour?
00:39:47
Aniz Lavji
You should...
00:39:48
Feminauto
I probably should be honestly, like some of the shops here are finally up to like 120 an hour. we used to be kind of a low.
00:39:53
Aniz Lavji
Okay, Lindsay, on Monday, your new labor rate should be 125.
00:39:59
Frank Wiebe
Hey, mine's not even there yet.
00:40:00
Feminauto
I know, like, part of me is also wondering, like, do people come to me because I'm cheaper?
00:40:02
Aniz Lavji
but She's in the snow, Frank.
00:40:04
Frank Wiebe
Oh, yeah.
00:40:05
Feminauto
Or do they come to me, like, what is the number one reason why people choose a mobile service? Other than the obvious, like, convenience.
00:40:16
Feminauto
But I mostly work, like, weekdays, eight to five.
00:40:16
Frank Wiebe
for you
00:40:20
Feminauto
So it's like, another shop would be open.
00:40:21
Frank Wiebe
Yeah.
00:40:23
Feminauto
i mean, they don't have to coordinate their car and stuff, but
00:40:28
Aniz Lavji
They're also paying for your experience and and everything too, right?
00:40:28
Frank Wiebe
So.
00:40:32
Aniz Lavji
i mean, you know you've got x amount of years, you come out, your demeanor, the way you treat your customers, that's worth something.
00:40:40
Frank Wiebe
But here's the question, are you are you booked and are you over, like, say, would you be busy all the time overbooked?
00:40:42
Feminauto
That's true.
00:40:48
Feminauto
Well, um again, like comparing to what I made before is the tech. um Like, I only have to take on one or two jobs a day. Like in the morning, I usually don't get started to like nine or 10 because I've got to like drop my little one off, get coffee, switch cars, like I have two vehicles, blah, blah, blah.
00:41:08
Feminauto
my day has to end kind of early. You know what I mean? Like I don't work too much. Like compared, like I used to work, you know, be there for eight, stay till 5.30, 6, depending on how long they keep you there for.
00:41:13
Frank Wiebe
Yeah.
00:41:17
Frank Wiebe
Eight to five. Yep. Yep.
00:41:23
Feminauto
um and you were Monday to Friday, sometimes they want help on the weekend, you know, it's like, I compared to that, I don't work that hard.
00:41:30
Aniz Lavji
Yeah.
00:41:33
Aniz Lavji
Do you know how many hours a month you're actually building out?
00:41:40
Feminauto
I don't actually.
00:41:44
Aniz Lavji
Do you know you're, are you using a shop management program?
00:41:51
Feminauto
um so I just use like labor rates off Identifix. And then I use QuickBooks for like as far as invoicing and then I just kind of figure out my rate and
00:41:54
Aniz Lavji
Okay.
00:41:59
Frank Wiebe
Yeah.
00:42:03
Aniz Lavji
So I just got.
00:42:03
Frank Wiebe
I think that think a shot management would be pretty tough as a mobile, especially if if you're the only person. I don't know if you'd really need a shot management. I understand what you're saying. We're just finally getting TechMetric going.
00:42:16
Frank Wiebe
Let's see how that works. Yeah, I know. You've been preaching it up, so we'll see how it goes. David's david's learning it. Tomorrow he's going to do the first test run, and then I'm going to – try it on my mobile app and see how out it goes.
00:42:30
Aniz Lavji
You just have to tell David if he gets stuck. call me immediately on video. I will fix everything.
00:42:39
Frank Wiebe
You're an expert by now, are you?
00:42:39
Aniz Lavji
i Everything will be fine. And just make sure you, when you go to the labor rate, you have to delete and hit 125.
00:42:47
Frank Wiebe
Yeah. um the The only thing we're waiting on now is
00:42:50
Feminauto
Starting Monday, name he said
00:42:52
Frank Wiebe
Yeah, starting Monday. Yeah, tomorrow is only Thursday yet.
00:42:53
Aniz Lavji
Monday. Yes.
00:42:55
Frank Wiebe
Actually, I'm off tomorrow.
00:42:56
Aniz Lavji
Well, so now, so what's going to happen is Frank's going to emotionally discount until Monday.
00:42:56
Frank Wiebe
I got
00:43:01
Feminauto
Yeah, there you go.
00:43:01
Aniz Lavji
i think
00:43:03
Frank Wiebe
yep Now, arere we're waiting on ah um the backdoor thing for TechMetric so that it can communicate with QuickBooks.
00:43:04
Aniz Lavji
Yeah.
00:43:14
Frank Wiebe
um I guess we don't have a... I don't know, it's like 22nd or something like that when they're funding and they do the demo and then they can set us up or something weird like that. i don't know. I don't know why they didn't just set it up right away. It's not like not like we need to wait for a demo.
00:43:28
Frank Wiebe
Just do it.
00:43:31
Aniz Lavji
But you're are you able to use it to make receipts yet? or
00:43:35
Frank Wiebe
um I don't know I think we just got all the logins figured out yesterday. So he was he was monkeying with it today a little bit. So like I said, i don't know, I think tomorrow is the first drive around to see if we can actually do something with it. I said, just make a few fake customers before before we get anywhere so we don't have to like ah import over some customers that we already have when we do finally get it working.
00:44:01
Aniz Lavji
they have that that sandbox. Would you use a sandbox login at all?
00:44:08
Frank Wiebe
I don't know. We asked them if there was any kind of trial or something. else They said, oh, we don't really have a trial, but I think they are.
00:44:13
Aniz Lavji
So there is, and I will get you set up with that one way or the other. There's a sandbox login. So basically it's kind of funny how it sounds, but it's like a sandbox, a kid's sandbox.
00:44:24
Aniz Lavji
So you get to play around with it And there's like a demo-ish login.
00:44:25
Frank Wiebe
Okay.
00:44:28
Aniz Lavji
And if you talk to your rep, just tell them, you know, if you can use a sand a sandbox login. As soon as you say that, they're going to know, okay, this guy knows what's what's going on with it. And then just give them my name and then I can yell at them if I have to. But I i would never yell at them. I love TechMetric. But if you use that, your your advisor will be able to actually play around, make receipts. It doesn't do anything, but you'll be able to go in, add parts, and it's so good.
00:44:58
Frank Wiebe
Okay. ah I'm going to write that down because my memory is shit. and
00:45:04
Aniz Lavji
It's okay, Frank. I'm going to text you at six in the morning about it.
00:45:09
Frank Wiebe
Like you did last night. i was I was fully asleep when you texted me yesterday. Actually, i wasn't I wasn't fully asleep.
00:45:13
Aniz Lavji
Well...
00:45:15
Frank Wiebe
I heard it i heard him i heard it the go off and I'm like, that's going to be an ease. I'm asleep.
00:45:22
Aniz Lavji
We're not recording. Nope.
00:45:23
Frank Wiebe
I'm not recording yet. No. No, no.
00:45:27
Aniz Lavji
Oh, man. But um even ah Lindsay, for for what you're doing and everything, it may be something to kind of look into because it may help you with your, and'm I'm not a spokesperson for them by any means. I just believe so much in the software. And like we started in June going from QuickBooks to the software and it changed everything.
00:45:52
Feminauto
Okay. okay
00:45:53
Aniz Lavji
And to the point where I log into QuickBooks to look up my previous customer's information, i don't know where to go. You
00:46:04
Frank Wiebe
You've forgotten by now.
00:46:04
Feminauto
It seems like it changed too. Like I've had it for like 10, 10, 12 years.
00:46:06
Aniz Lavji
did.
00:46:09
Feminauto
Cause I had another business too.
00:46:10
Aniz Lavji
Name.
00:46:11
Feminauto
And it's like, things are missing, which has never happened to me. And like all these little weird things, I called them and they didn't really have an answer. I'm like, did you guys switch ownerships?
00:46:24
Feminauto
What's going on? And they said like, they like pretty much update the platform all the time.
00:46:24
Aniz Lavji
Yeah. Yep.
00:46:30
Feminauto
So something might've changed, but they don't know what.
00:46:30
Aniz Lavji
yeah
00:46:33
Frank Wiebe
Are you on the online version? Like were you just on the website?
00:46:35
Feminauto
Yeah. yeah
00:46:36
Frank Wiebe
So we found out this by accident, i don't know, about three weeks ago, that search bar that's right there, magic tool. like It's so amazing. You type in your customer's name and then let's say you wanted to look up breaks.
00:46:51
Frank Wiebe
You just type in customer's name and breaks and it'll populate that customer and all of the breaks. The worst part we found with with QuickBooks is trying to go back and looking at old invoices for customers.
00:47:02
Frank Wiebe
Use that little search bar. It'll populate it. Boom, boom, boom. You can find it so fast, so easy.
00:47:07
Feminauto
See on my phone, it won't let me go back so far. Like if I want to see something back, I don't know what the like time cap is, but I have to actually go onto the website and log in.
00:47:18
Aniz Lavji
Yeah, I noticed that as well.
00:47:20
Feminauto
Yeah, it's ah like it's a pain that way.
00:47:21
Frank Wiebe
i
00:47:22
Feminauto
Because if I'm out, somebody is like, Oh, when did I have this done?
00:47:22
Frank Wiebe
You don't carry
00:47:26
Feminauto
And I'm like,
00:47:28
Aniz Lavji
The thing that
00:47:30
Frank Wiebe
carry your laptop with you?
00:47:31
Feminauto
No,
00:47:34
Frank Wiebe
That's what I'd be doing, laptop with a...
00:47:35
Feminauto
I don't even bring my scanner unless I know I need that thing because it's too expensive to leave in my cold car.
00:47:42
Frank Wiebe
kind of What kind of scanner do you have?
00:47:44
Feminauto
I have the Solace.
00:47:46
Frank Wiebe
Oh, you need to go to Autel.
00:47:48
Aniz Lavji
yeah
00:47:48
Feminauto
No, I returned. I returned to Nautel. I returned to Topdawn. I was like, I used them both for like maybe two days max and I was like this.
00:47:59
Frank Wiebe
it's It's one thing. If you've grown up on the Snap-on, it's what you know. I cannot navigate that thing for nothing. My buddy comes over, that's all he uses. And I'm like, dude, you're missing out.
00:48:12
Aniz Lavji
All we've had is auto.
00:48:12
Feminauto
Every shop I've worked has been Snap-on for scanners. Like, they always have a backup, like either Autel or Matco, something else. But Snap-on at every shop I've worked at has always been the main. So I'm also like, it's like a denifix to me. It's like second nature, you know?
00:48:29
Frank Wiebe
Yeah.
00:48:30
Aniz Lavji
ah You're comfortable with it and it works for you, right?
00:48:30
Frank Wiebe
Yeah. long
00:48:32
Aniz Lavji
That's what matters.
00:48:34
Feminauto
Yeah. Yeah.
00:48:34
Frank Wiebe
Once you get used to something, then you can figure it out. Like I can't, I can't work my way around. What, what is it? The, the little, he it's the new version of the brick and the snap on, I have one of those.
00:48:44
Frank Wiebe
And I think that is a Solus.
00:48:45
Aniz Lavji
The Zeus is the newest one, I think, right?
00:48:45
Frank Wiebe
I think the one that you have. Yeah. I would never buy a Zeus.
00:48:48
Feminauto
Can you pay like um into the gateway and stuff like for access?
00:48:54
Frank Wiebe
Yeah.
00:48:55
Feminauto
See, I don't pay for anything and it like I find it good enough that I've been able to do everything I want. um The only one thing I'm not sure about yet and they told me I can do it, but I don't know if I need to pay.
00:49:07
Feminauto
But ah like you can even do regens like DPF regens and stuff on it.
00:49:12
Frank Wiebe
Yeah. Yeah. Well, the only time you need to pay for gateway adsset gateway access is if you're working on those newer Chryslers. So far, Volkswagen is coming out as well, but they are like stupid expensive, like 200 bucks a month or something.
00:49:27
Aniz Lavji
Oh,
00:49:27
Frank Wiebe
i like, not working on Volkswagens anymore.
00:49:31
Feminauto
Yeah, like they all have their own too.
00:49:32
Aniz Lavji
wow.
00:49:33
Feminauto
Then you have to pay for the gateway. And I'm like, I just learned all this when I started in January.
00:49:35
Frank Wiebe
Yeah.
00:49:38
Frank Wiebe
Yeah, but AutoAuth is like 50 bucks a year and you can do like five devices on it. So if you ever do run into having to do a Chrysler ah to scan it, yeah, it's it's so cheap that it's well worth it to have it
00:49:54
Feminauto
Tab, which is that?
00:49:56
Frank Wiebe
for AutoAuth so that you can you can access the gateway on those newer Chryslers.
00:50:00
Feminauto
Oh, OK.
00:50:02
Frank Wiebe
yeah But like I say, the only one that I know of, like that I ever work on is a Chrysler that needs that right now. There is more that need it and they're coming up, but yeah, but not not stuff that I ever see or work on because I don't work on new enough stuff.
00:50:08
Feminauto
I've heard they're more of a pain, yeah.
00:50:16
Aniz Lavji
I think that it's actually funny because we had a 2024 Chrysler Dodge Grand Caravan, now that what they whatever they call it now. And I think he had something going on with his brakes and we were just going to service them. And yeah, same thing. We needed to get the access to it. But David figured something out and was able to do it. i don't know what he did,
00:50:42
Frank Wiebe
He probably just zoomed back.
00:50:42
Feminauto
There's like sequins.
00:50:43
Frank Wiebe
to
00:50:43
Feminauto
Like if you, cause technically I think for everything, there has to be a workaround method because they have to make it so anybody can do it. You know what I mean?
00:50:53
Aniz Lavji
Don't you just some power to the caliper and do a ding, ding, ding, and it goes a ding, ding, ding, and it's done?
00:50:56
Frank Wiebe
Yeah.
00:50:58
Feminauto
I've seen that.
00:50:59
Frank Wiebe
Yeah, you can do that.
00:51:00
Feminauto
You know, a lot of them I don't know if I recommend it, but I've definitely done it before.
00:51:00
Frank Wiebe
Yeah.
00:51:04
Feminauto
You can unplug it and then just push it back with a pair of pliers.
00:51:08
Frank Wiebe
i just Yeah, you still have to spin it back.
00:51:08
Feminauto
Ford for sure.
00:51:10
Aniz Lavji
There's a little bit of voltage or so a certain amount of voltage you can put on the electric caliper, can't you?
00:51:16
Frank Wiebe
Like even when you unplug it, Lindsay, you still have to spin a back electronically. Like use your power probe and zing the motor back and then you can just push it back.
00:51:25
Feminauto
Not with a Ford for sure. And I think Subarus are fine to do it. Like I'm not saying, but at the dealership, when I worked at Ford, that's how we put them all into re-service because nobody wanted to like fight for the scanner.
00:51:30
Frank Wiebe
Really?
00:51:38
Feminauto
So we would just unplug the connector, grab a pair of channel locks, squeeze the calipers in and call it a day.
00:51:45
Frank Wiebe
Oh, shit.
00:51:46
Feminauto
Yeah.
00:51:46
Frank Wiebe
ah four Fords are a pain to put into a service mode. They have a
00:51:51
Feminauto
I think it's just like a gas pedal in the key or something.
00:51:55
Frank Wiebe
gas pedal and key and brake and in in and and that little parking brake switch and then turn your head sideways and cough three times.
00:52:02
Feminauto
Oh yeah, the parking brake switch. Yeah, okay.
00:52:04
Frank Wiebe
Yep.
00:52:04
Feminauto
It's starting to come back to me now.
00:52:07
Aniz Lavji
Three times, Frank.
00:52:08
Frank Wiebe
Yeah. There's one video on YouTube that actually explains it right. There's a ton of videos on YouTube and everyone says, oh, just do it such and such a way. It never works. And I think there's one video and I've highlighted it and I commented and shared a heck out of it.
00:52:25
Frank Wiebe
And I think you have to hold the switch, press the brake pedal, and then turn the key on and then it'll do it. It's just it's a pain.
00:52:34
Feminauto
Oh, I think Maw says you can do that. um Like, yeah.
00:52:36
Frank Wiebe
Yeah.
00:52:39
Aniz Lavji
Thank you.
00:52:39
Feminauto
You have to wait till the motor retracts or whatever, and then you can go ahead.
00:52:39
Frank Wiebe
But that that little, i don't know you've seen the videos I did on this little ah King Boland scanner they sent me for, they said, it yeah, try this and do some videos on it.
00:52:54
Frank Wiebe
That thing's crazy. Like I used it on a couple of vehicles to do a parking brake resets like that. It works amazing. Like it just so quick and easy and it it to me it's to me it's really easy to use because i'm an android person anyway and all of those kind of tablets they're all based on android so it's like for me it's just like a walk in the park and uh yeah that thing that thing worked amazing so what did i use it on that one volkswagen was it something or other i forget now i'd have to go back and look but
00:53:29
Aniz Lavji
Yeah, I saw it. The tool looks like it's pretty capable for sure.
00:53:33
Frank Wiebe
it's ah It's a pretty, it is a really good tool for for what it is. And I think it's like 350 bucks on Amazon or something like that.
00:53:41
Aniz Lavji
So
00:53:41
Frank Wiebe
And for something like that, and it's USB-C rechargeable, like that's what you should get. I know you love your Snap-on, but that's what you should have in your, so you could, yeah you will until you're like 50 years old.
00:53:50
Feminauto
I'm still paying for that.
00:53:55
Feminauto
and
00:53:58
Frank Wiebe
No, I can't, I can't justify the price of those Snap-on scan tools because they just,
00:54:01
Feminauto
I tried the other ones, but like, for example, like um to do parking break reset, like I couldn't just go into the menu and do it.
00:54:04
Aniz Lavji
bad.
00:54:11
Feminauto
It was like this whole two page thing of like, you know, do this, do that, do that. And I was just like, sitting in people's like parking lot trying to get the thing into service mode and i'm just like um i know for sure the first one i did was like a chevy equinox or something like it was like a newer like 2018 or something i don't know that was like first started it call it done i got the soul
00:54:26
Aniz Lavji
What kind of vehicle was that?
00:54:36
Aniz Lavji
you need to get an Autel ITS 600 and call it a day. I've got I have three of them. I keep getting all these free tools. because I keep buying TPMS sensors.
00:54:48
Aniz Lavji
I buy 80 to a hundred at a time and I keep getting free tools and I've got three of those. So each one of my guys have one of their own and we've we've never had issues getting ah electronic parking brakes going back ever.
00:54:54
Frank Wiebe
Oh yeah, I got that one.
00:55:05
Feminauto
Well, that's good.
00:55:05
Aniz Lavji
Like ever.
00:55:06
Feminauto
Yeah, because that's a pain, especially me being mobile because
00:55:08
Aniz Lavji
And then I forced Frank to get new one too. So he's got a Nautel.
00:55:12
Frank Wiebe
Yeah, I got that one.
00:55:13
Aniz Lavji
and
00:55:13
Frank Wiebe
And and that one works great. But like said, that's why say this came all in. I was just looking up to my TikTok video of when I did that.
00:55:22
Aniz Lavji
you Do you get a lot of um like TPMS headaches from customers that you need to fix at all or nothing like that?
00:55:24
Frank Wiebe
There, partially.
00:55:31
Feminauto
Me or Frank?
00:55:32
Aniz Lavji
Oh, yeah, no, you, you.
00:55:34
Feminauto
um Not really. Like, I don't have any tire machine or anything, so I can't do too much with it. But i yeah, and like, I've had some weird ones.
00:55:41
Aniz Lavji
Resetting the lights and all that.
00:55:45
Feminauto
Like I had a Nissan where you take and you keep grounding out the connector to the like, anything just grounded out somewhere. And you have to do it like five times and it'll reset the light, like just weird things.
00:55:55
Aniz Lavji
Yeah. Yeah.
00:55:58
Feminauto
Yeah.
00:55:58
Aniz Lavji
yeah
00:55:58
Frank Wiebe
back Back in the old days when the Chrysler, you wanted to read out the code, you had to short out this wire. And then you short it out and then all sudden it would start flashing at you and then you would read the flashes and that was your code.
00:56:12
Aniz Lavji
Oh, my God.
00:56:13
Frank Wiebe
that was That's primitive stuff. like That was way back in the day.
00:56:16
Feminauto
That's like me trying to scan the check engine light on the Camaro.
00:56:16
Frank Wiebe
Anyways,
00:56:19
Feminauto
I'm like in there with a little piece of wire, like counting the flashes.
00:56:24
Frank Wiebe
Yeah.
00:56:25
Feminauto
So medieval.
00:56:25
Aniz Lavji
Oh, man.
00:56:26
Frank Wiebe
Oh, oh, on that I would refuse to work on that kind of stuff. I'd be like, mm-mm.
00:56:30
Feminauto
That was awesome. Are you kidding me? what was And he paid good. Like he always tipped and like never said no. like if, if I need it, just order it. Like I didn't even have to ask And he has like five or six vehicles.
00:56:43
Frank Wiebe
Yeah.
00:56:45
Feminauto
Like I'm there all the time. so it's just like, I just hang out in his heated garage because it's heated too.
00:56:46
Frank Wiebe
Yeah.
00:56:50
Aniz Lavji
Oh, that's nice.
00:56:53
Frank Wiebe
um that's a good thing
00:56:54
Feminauto
Radio's going, like it's not that bad. Honestly, that was one of my favorite ones I did.
00:56:58
Frank Wiebe
yeah uh we had we had one of those cars trans am or firebird or something like that come in and i don't know what engine it is because i i'm not into that kind of stuff but it had the like distributor on the front of the engine that whatever And then the water pump was behind the distributor yet or something stupid like that. Like it was, I'm like, whoever designed this was on crack. Cause this the stupidest design engine ever.
00:57:28
Aniz Lavji
You sound like one of my old mechanics I used to have like 15 years ago.
00:57:28
Frank Wiebe
Anyways.
00:57:31
Aniz Lavji
Every single car that came in, a stupid design.
00:57:32
Frank Wiebe
Oh.
00:57:35
Aniz Lavji
Everything. Stupid design. Every single car, brand new car, you know, come in for tires, 20 kilometers on it. This is a stupid design.
00:57:35
Frank Wiebe
Oh.
00:57:47
Feminauto
that's actually deep down me but i love it at the same time well one thing about working on random stuff is like i get a variety like you never know what i'm going to be working on working on the ballpark yeah
00:57:47
Frank Wiebe
You.
00:57:51
Frank Wiebe
Eventually you learn to hate every single car when you got to work on it every day. You learn to hate every car.
00:58:02
Frank Wiebe
Yeah. Now that's, the that's honestly the best part of the trade.
00:58:04
Aniz Lavji
learning
00:58:06
Feminauto
and oh
00:58:07
Frank Wiebe
It's, it keeps you on your toes. really does.
00:58:10
Aniz Lavji
Definitely.
00:58:10
Feminauto
yeah
00:58:11
Aniz Lavji
did um Have you gone for any a training after school? since Since, like, obviously you've got your three ten ss right?
00:58:22
Feminauto
Mm-hmm. Yeah.
00:58:22
Aniz Lavji
So after that, have you gone to any formal training after that?
00:58:23
Feminauto
yeah
00:58:26
Feminauto
no honestly like i pretty much like begged for training like i wanted to um i wanted to get licensed everybody wanted to like pay for me to get it like make me take the test but i'm like i'm not ready i want to be especially being a female mechanic i'm like i want to be like a confident mechanic i don't want to be like seem like i don't know what i'm doing and then i have this red seal and it's like where'd you get that from you know
00:58:30
Frank Wiebe
Oh.
00:58:53
Feminauto
So it's like, I wanted to be fully ready, be a mechanic, and cross all those at the same time.
00:59:00
Aniz Lavji
I really wish there was more like women mechanics. I think it's awesome.
00:59:05
Feminauto
It's so hard. like They make it so difficult for us. like For me, I know I've worked at probably like six or seven shops and I couldn't get help. like Nobody would let me do any electrical. like After like probably 10 years of wrenching, I had maybe 5% of electrical experience.
00:59:27
Feminauto
So when I left my last job, which was hell, um i was kind of like done with the trade. I was like, you know what? Like, maybe it's me, um whatever, whatever.
00:59:37
Feminauto
And finally, i spent a year of like studying and thinking.
00:59:41
Aniz Lavji
yeah
00:59:43
Feminauto
And that's how I came out with my own business. But honestly, like I struggled in a shop setting. Like if it was like a diagnosis or something like that, like for one, I didn't know what I was doing.
00:59:56
Feminauto
And for two, you have the pressure of somebody like telling you you're on a clock and this and that.
01:00:02
Aniz Lavji
yeah
01:00:02
Feminauto
And after between studying and just losing that, all that stress. um Now, like I go to a diet and it's just like, it feels so easy.
01:00:14
Feminauto
And I don't know, but it's all just making it up and it goes.
01:00:16
Aniz Lavji
The pressure's lower too, right?
01:00:22
Aniz Lavji
Unfortunately, if you're if you're in a shop that has a very bad culture, you can't work in that kind of environment. You can't grow in that environment. And you know when you wake up in the morning and the first thing you think of, which I'm assuming again, in the morning, you're like, oh God, I have to go here.
01:00:40
Aniz Lavji
Let me just get these eight hours over with and just get home.
01:00:42
Feminauto
Mm-hmm.
01:00:44
Aniz Lavji
I mean, when you're in that kind of a situation, you know, there's a reason that toolboxes have wheels.
Women in Mechanics: Challenges and Support
01:00:51
Aniz Lavji
You wheel the sucker out and go somewhere that appreciates you.
01:00:54
Aniz Lavji
Okay.
01:00:55
Frank Wiebe
Yeah, i I felt like that.
01:00:55
Feminauto
I never found that ever. ah Like literally, it's just it. There was one place I worked. I can't say that. And it was very short term because they shut down.
01:01:06
Feminauto
But I was service advisor at this place for four years. And so everybody there already knew me. They already had more confidence in me. Like they knew I knew what I was talking about and stuff.
01:01:16
Feminauto
So
01:01:17
Aniz Lavji
yeah. yeah.
01:01:18
Feminauto
They kind of just let me free reign going to the shop. And at that point I started making more money than I had made before and things were better, but that shop is closed and yeah. So that sucks.
01:01:33
Feminauto
And then it was worse after that because then I was like comparing every place to that. But then I kind of deep down knew that, yeah, like you said, you can find somewhere somewhere.
01:01:37
Frank Wiebe
Mm-hmm.
01:01:43
Feminauto
that will but i was just done with searching for it you know what i mean like i was done trying so hard and watching like other people come in and just have it so easy like i don't know i'm not saying that i don't know how to word what i'm trying to say but it's more difficult being a girl because i think ego if i had to like put it simply
01:01:48
Aniz Lavji
Definitely.
01:02:04
Aniz Lavji
Yeah. Unfortunately, with stigma the stigma and some some men will not be able to get over the fact that the trade is evolving. It's not a man's area. There's women that are more than capable of doing what men can do and probably better than what a lot of them can do.
01:02:28
Aniz Lavji
And unfortunately,
01:02:28
Frank Wiebe
A lot of times better. I've often said that a woman's brain works way better than a man. a woman can at least remember stuff. you you Sometimes like you give a man a job and he's like, what was I supposed to do?
01:02:39
Feminauto
Is your woman behind you? I'm just...
01:02:41
Aniz Lavji
Sorry, Frank, did you say?
01:02:41
Frank Wiebe
level just
01:02:42
Aniz Lavji
I wasn't paying attention.
01:02:44
Frank Wiebe
She's over there doing laundry. No, I have.
01:02:49
Aniz Lavji
ah it's It's unfortunate. Like you shouldn't have to go through that and have to deal with something that's, in the big picture, it's it's not fair and it's not right, i right by you, right? The industry itself should be nurturing someone that wants to fix cars, that wants to be in the industry. And unfortunately you were getting the short end of the stick. And i'm I'm actually, I'm glad that you figured out what you want to do and,
01:03:17
Aniz Lavji
and not let it, you know, get to you to the point where you're like, you know what, screw it. I'm just not going to do it because I don't feel like I belong. So kudos to you. Like it's, it's really great that you were able to build yourself up and you have your own business and you're working on, you know, your time, not someone else's time.
01:03:26
Feminauto
Thanks.
01:03:35
Aniz Lavji
Yeah.
01:03:35
Feminauto
Yeah, and I'd like to be able to some way think of a way to like support women. I've got some ideas, but like because I think, yeah, there's a way to make it better out there. Because like you know what i mean? When you're living that all the time, you just think that that's the way it is. But really, like ah like some women have luckier situations, right? But like in general, there's a way to make it better.
01:04:03
Aniz Lavji
Well, in I didn't get a chance to do this. I was actually going to mention this to you, Frank. ah In the summertime, i wanted to do a women's clinic at the shop and just invite, you know, I've got tons and tons of women clients
01:04:13
Frank Wiebe
Oh yeah, that's cool.
01:04:20
Aniz Lavji
then have them come out and really just show them the the basics of what it would be, for example, to check your oil, or if you have a flat tire, like this is what you need to do. And, and again, a lot of them know how to do this, but some don't know at all. And it might be something that would be really handy and,
01:04:40
Aniz Lavji
there There could all also be someone, maybe their their daughters were like, you know what, I really like working on cars.
01:04:40
Frank Wiebe
Well,
01:04:46
Aniz Lavji
And that might actually stimulate something like that conversation. Like, hey, okay, well then, if you like doing that, then go for it, right?
01:04:54
Frank Wiebe
So we had this past summer, we were invited to our local library. All of a sudden we got an invite and said, Hey, would you be interested in coming out and just doing a presentation to, ah and it was women to, to women to talk about cars and talk about this and and just give them It shows them things.
01:05:13
Aniz Lavji
Yep.
01:05:19
Frank Wiebe
So we like, at first it was like, oh, this kind of weird, but yeah, sure. Why not? And ah so we went and did it. It was really cool. It was ah some elderly ladies that had never opened the hood of their car, had no idea what it meant to open the hood, to check the oil, to check the coolant, to check the washer fluid,
01:05:39
Frank Wiebe
ah look at their tires, just look at tires. So yeah, Margarita and I went and did it. It was a lot of fun. And just just to get them to understand that um when you walk past your car, I mean, just have a look at your tires. And then we gave them a tire gauge and you could check the tires and open the hood. And this is how you check your oil. And this is where your washer fluid is. Don't open that rad cap when it's hot and that kind of stuff. So It was really neat. was it was it was a It was a good experience for sure.
01:06:12
Frank Wiebe
was a good experience for them and for us too.
01:06:14
Aniz Lavji
You never know that information that you gave out. I mean, if that helped even one person or two people, i mean, that's, it was all worth it. Right.
01:06:24
Frank Wiebe
Yeah. Yeah. most of the women there, they actually said, oh, my husband always take care of it. and and the one The one lady there was actually, she was a widow now.
01:06:33
Aniz Lavji
Oh,
01:06:35
Frank Wiebe
And she's like, my husband always took care of it. So I have no idea what to do. like, okay, well, this and this and this, right? So, yeah.
01:06:44
Aniz Lavji
that's cool.
01:06:45
Frank Wiebe
My mom was the same way. Dad dad always did everything. When he passed away, then it was like, now Frank does everything. So I had to take care of it.
01:06:58
Frank Wiebe
She just drives a lot.
01:07:00
Aniz Lavji
Yeah.
01:07:00
Frank Wiebe
I have to take care of it. Good thing it's a Honda, so it goes forever.
01:07:04
Aniz Lavji
Yeah.
Industry Networking and Expo Insights
01:07:05
Aniz Lavji
um Lindsay, I was mentioning earlier about training um this past September, actually, I'm wearing the shirt, went to the ASTA Expo out in North Carolina.
01:07:15
Feminauto
Oh, sweet.
01:07:16
Aniz Lavji
That is something, and I'm going to be forcing Frank to go anyways, but that's another conversation.
01:07:20
Feminauto
yeah
01:07:21
Frank Wiebe
I was this close to going. If I would have found out like a month earlier, I would have been able to make it work, but I just couldn't.
01:07:25
Aniz Lavji
I don't know.
01:07:27
Aniz Lavji
But that literally, along with signing up with Tech Magic, changed the whole course of my business. And the training I got there, you can't put a price on it.
01:07:40
Aniz Lavji
And especially for you, being a tech... And Frank, you being a tech, you have to go anyways. But but it's it's something that would really, really help in the big picture with different diagnostics. Like they've got people that are there that are like the huge heavy hitters in the US that you probably see on TikTok and Instagram that are there teaching classes.
01:08:07
Aniz Lavji
and like diagnostics and power probe. And again, I don't know how to use that at all, but I'm saying the people that are there using this equipment, I mean, just being in the same room with them after the classes and you're able to pick their brain and then there's social gatherings afterwards. There's ah um a room that they booked out at the Marriott where everyone's just hanging out, drinking and chatting.
01:08:34
Aniz Lavji
I mean, those, those conversations and the experience you can, the little nuggets of information you get from people, you can't put a price on it.
01:08:42
Feminauto
Oh yeah.
01:08:44
Aniz Lavji
It's, it's incredible.
01:08:46
Feminauto
And then also your connections too.
01:08:50
Aniz Lavji
Yeah.
01:08:51
Frank Wiebe
Yeah, that's, that's one, that's one thing I found.
01:08:51
Aniz Lavji
Yeah.
01:08:54
Frank Wiebe
I always worked, I worked at the shop for 14 years and I never connected with anybody outside. i was like, I went to work eight to five. I didn't, I didn't even know the mechanics in my own town.
01:09:06
Frank Wiebe
And I'm like, this is ridiculous.
01:09:06
Aniz Lavji
Yeah.
01:09:08
Frank Wiebe
So when I started my own shop, I'm like, i I want to be able to connect with more people. And so I'm trying to build a little bit of a social network with other shop owners, technicians, hence why why a we we are actually chatting right now because Anise actually found me on TikTok, reached out and says, basically reached out and said, hey, we should be friends.
01:09:29
Frank Wiebe
And so here we are.
01:09:30
Aniz Lavji
Pretty much. Yeah. I was like, Oh, you're in Canada. Cool.
01:09:34
Frank Wiebe
yeah Yeah, so.
01:09:36
Feminauto
And you're in what, Waterloo?
01:09:38
Aniz Lavji
I'm in Waterloo, yeah. So I actually heard Frank. He was on the Jada Mechanic podcast. Have you heard of that before?
01:09:44
Feminauto
Oh yeah!
01:09:45
Aniz Lavji
Yeah, so he was on Jeff's podcast.
01:09:45
Frank Wiebe
Yep.
01:09:47
Aniz Lavji
And then I ended up looking up Frank and sent him a message. And yeah, we've been talking for a while, hanging out.
01:09:55
Feminauto
right on.
01:09:55
Frank Wiebe
Yep.
01:09:55
Aniz Lavji
He bought my shop and everything a while ago.
01:09:58
Frank Wiebe
Mm-hmm.
01:09:58
Feminauto
Sick.
01:09:58
Frank Wiebe
Now you yeah you just got to come up my way yet. It's not that far.
01:10:02
Feminauto
Yeah.
01:10:02
Aniz Lavji
Well, I need to because I'm going to come up there and I'm going to set up your tech metric for you one of these days.
01:10:06
Feminauto
ha
01:10:06
Frank Wiebe
Sounds good. Yep.
Shop Management Software: TechMetric vs Competitors
01:10:08
Feminauto
So what is TechMetric?
01:10:08
Frank Wiebe
Yep.
01:10:09
Feminauto
Is it like ah a software for like organizing or
01:10:10
Aniz Lavji
i
01:10:13
Aniz Lavji
it is meaning
01:10:13
Frank Wiebe
Yeah, shop management software.
01:10:15
Aniz Lavji
It is the Messiah of shop management software.
01:10:16
Feminauto
a
01:10:21
Feminauto
You described it wrong, Frank.
01:10:24
Aniz Lavji
Okay. It will take and will'll take you from here to, oh you're off my screen.
01:10:25
Frank Wiebe
I'm not as exuberant as Anise's.
01:10:31
Frank Wiebe
ah but
01:10:32
Aniz Lavji
Up there. And it's in all like all jokes aside, like it really helps you stay organized and you can order all your parts from the software, Lindsay.
01:10:43
Feminauto
Oh yeah. Oh,
01:10:44
Aniz Lavji
Like you can log your car quest is linked in there through next part. You got Napa linked in APCs linked in. So if you're working on 2016 CRV,
01:10:57
Aniz Lavji
with one click, you can have a canned job for like front pads and rotors. You can quote that job in 20 seconds.
01:11:06
Feminauto
that's handy.
01:11:07
Aniz Lavji
Literally in 40 seconds, you could have sent the job, the estimate to the customer for approval.
01:11:15
Frank Wiebe
Yeah, instead of being on the phone for 30 minutes while they're... What color was the car Mitchell had a very similar program.
01:11:19
Feminauto
Yeah.
01:11:21
Aniz Lavji
And then as soon as they approve it, you'll get an email saying it's approved. And then one more click, it'll order the parts and you're done.
01:11:30
Feminauto
OK, that's handy. Yeah. So it's kind of like, um is it Mitchell?
01:11:31
Aniz Lavji
And you do not need to.
01:11:35
Feminauto
Mitchell Prodemont?
01:11:38
Frank Wiebe
We used it in a shop that I was at for a while.
01:11:38
Aniz Lavji
Yeah.
01:11:42
Frank Wiebe
And from what I'm gathering, it's it's it's kind of the same process, only this is like way here and Mitchell's is like way down here.
01:11:50
Feminauto
Oh, it's better than Mitchell.
01:11:51
Frank Wiebe
Like significantly. yeah From what little I've seen of it, it's significantly better. Yeah.
01:11:57
Aniz Lavji
When showing Frank when he came over to my shop, like we got everything on there. It'll even, it gives you some labor times as well. It's not going to be as accurate as Mitchell or pro demand, in my opinion, at the moment.
01:12:11
Aniz Lavji
BMWs, doesn't matter if it's tech metric or pro demand. There's like no information for, because I actually called Frank a few days ago to find out labor time on an alternator.
01:12:22
Aniz Lavji
And there's like nothing on a BMW X1.
01:12:24
Frank Wiebe
No, there's nothing.
01:12:27
Aniz Lavji
So we just charge my day.
01:12:28
Frank Wiebe
We have both ProDemaine and Identifix and couldn't find out on any of it.
01:12:29
Aniz Lavji
Okay.
01:12:33
Aniz Lavji
But it's, it's, it's, it's interesting.
01:12:33
Feminauto
Flat rate.
01:12:34
Frank Wiebe
So, yeah.
01:12:34
Feminauto
OK.
01:12:36
Aniz Lavji
Like you can, you can really elevate your, your business on there.
01:12:42
Feminauto
a
Conclusion and Encouragement
01:12:43
Aniz Lavji
So something to look into, but what time is it now? Oh, it's getting a bit late. um I'm so glad that you're able to come on to the podcast. Thanks Frank for hooking everything up here.
01:12:54
Feminauto
Thanks for having me.
01:12:57
Frank Wiebe
Yeah, it's a bit hectic, but we made it work and I'm glad we were able to.
01:12:58
Aniz Lavji
We definitely... Yeah. if And definitely like you know keep in touch. And if you have any questions about that software, you know reach out to me and and Frank.
01:13:12
Aniz Lavji
And um i'm I'm rooting for you. i hope that you do marvelous things.
01:13:16
Feminauto
Thank you.
01:13:20
Aniz Lavji
And anyone that tells you that, oh, you know women should not be in this trade, there's a few choice words I'd like you to tell them. I won't repeat them, but you tell them.
01:13:30
Frank Wiebe
Definitely.
01:13:33
Aniz Lavji
loudly. And I'm also excited that you're raising your labor rate on Monday. That's a great choice.
01:13:39
Frank Wiebe
yeah
01:13:41
Feminauto
Congratulations.
01:13:42
Frank Wiebe
Congratulations.
01:13:42
Aniz Lavji
Congratulations.
01:13:43
Frank Wiebe
You gave yourself a raise.
01:13:43
Aniz Lavji
You're going up 25 bucks an hour. You heard it on the podcast. Every centimeter of snow that falls from a now until the end of the season, just keep adding it on because you
01:13:55
Feminauto
She goes have another five bucks every
01:13:57
Aniz Lavji
Because my gosh, you're you're out in the snow doing this work.
01:13:58
Frank Wiebe
Yeah.
01:14:01
Aniz Lavji
Not easy. So hats off to you.
01:14:04
Feminauto
time. Thank you. Appreciate it.
01:14:06
Aniz Lavji
No problem. So think we'll sign off here. Just ah hang on for a second.