Service Bay photo on Yahoo

[Scott Anderson CLC#26068]

I happened across this photo associated with an article on Yahoo and thought others may enjoy it.

3 of the 4 are Cadillacs so seemed appropriate to upload.

Link to article which is not at all directly related to anything Cadillac listed here only to give copyright credit where appropriate:
http://autos.yahoo.com/blogs/motoramic/fight-repairs-car-warranty-ends-150806354.html;_ylt=AiovKthHKN7BZ2FvQ2v0s1pQ0.d_;_ylu=X3oDMTRlY3FzaDBpBG1pdANNb3JlIG9uIFlhaG9vIEF1dG9zIDAyBHBrZwM4YzU0OWEwOS0xNDA5LTM4NzgtYjhmZi0xYjY1ZjZkNmZmOTAEcG9zAzIEc2VjA01lZGlhQkNhcm91c2VsTWl4ZWRMUENBBHZlcgNlYzgxNTUxMS1iY2E5LTExZTItYjNkZi01YzQ0MTBjOWM3ODE-;_ylg=X3oDMTM5MG1tZnJ0BGludGwDdXMEbGFuZwNlbi11cwRwc3RhaWQDYzcxZTBhZDItNjBkNy0zMWFkLTlkZWUtMjA0YmIzN2ZmYWRhBHBzdGNhdANuZXdzLXJldmlld3N8bW90b3JhbWljBHB0A3N0b3J5cGFnZQ--;_ylv=3

[Louis Smith]

Most noticeable is the lack of electronic diagnostic equipment.  I guess at best all they had to work with was a dwell meter, not to mention their expertise and knowledge.

[Davidinhartford]

[Glen]

It’s kind of hard to see what is lined up against the wall in front of the cars, but I’m sure they had ignition scopes and exhaust gas analyzers at that time. 

I still have the Heathkit ignition scope and the Sears exhaust gas analyzer my father bought in the late 70s.  The pros would also have these tools.   

[Louis Smith]

It’s kind of hard to see what is lined up against the wall in front of the cars, but I’m sure they had ignition scopes and exhaust gas analyzers at that time. 

I still have the Heathkit ignition scope and the Sears exhaust gas analyzer my father bought in the late 70s.  The pros would also have these tools.

To be sure, many if not all dealerships, and bigger repair shops had some sort of ignition scope, (oscilloscope).  My point was that they really didn't need the expensive electronic analyzer, that are so necessary today, and are responsible for forcing most repair shops out of business. 

[cadillactim]

A true mechanic is a dying breed.  Many are just parts changers.  Seems they do just what the computer tells them, they can't seem to think the problem out in their head.  Computers can only do so much. The computer is only a help, as the person operating it needs to understand what the computer is telling them.

I turned wrenches for many years, been a service advisor, and still just shake my head at times with the incompetence of many "technicians" today, escpecially at dealerships.  I know there are good technicians out there, but not like years past.

Tim

[Louis Smith]

A true mechanic is a dying breed.  Many are just parts changers.  Seems they do just what the computer tells them, they can't seem to think the problem out in their head.  Computers can only do so much. The computer is only a help, as the person operating it needs to understand what the computer is telling them.

I turned wrenches for many years, been a service advisor, and still just shake my head at times with the incompetence of many "technicians" today, escpecially at dealerships.  I know there are good technicians out there, but not like years past.

Tim

What he said.  The days of the mechanic diagnostician are a thing of the past.  To be fair many repairs of today's cars, its cheaper and more cost effective to just replace the part rather then repair it.  With this said, its most important to have a diagnostician that has a great knowledge of engines, and is able to replace the part on the first attempt.  Many times they keep replacing parts until the repair is made.

[Glen]

It is my experience as a home mechanic that the bigger problem is the lack of information about how the system works.  The shop manuals are very thick and are detailed in many ways, (the shop manual for my 2012 Colorado is in 4 volumes and when stacked stand about 8 inches high) but there is no information about how it works, what it the sequence of events that lead up to a certain action.  For example my 2003 S10 had a problem with the evap monitor not running.  If it had found a problem it would have turned on the check engine light, but it did not even run.  I did a lot of research as to what conditions are needed to initiate the evap test, but never found anything. 

The problem turned out to be a bad battery.  At times when I tried to restart a hot engine the battery voltage would drop to about 4 volts.  The result was the ECU lost all data that was stored in memory and would have to re run all test.  The evap test was last and before it could run the battery would malfunction again. 

Without a description of how it works it becomes very difficult to trouble shoot.  The result is “Easter egging”; changing out parts until it is fixed. 

[wrench]

It's not just the computers onboard the cars, it is the computers dominance in the classroom. Schools replaced Industrial Arts with Computer Labs. If a kid nowadays can't push a button and make things happen, they are at a loss. It is all part of a slow downward spiral.

[gary griffin]

Dumbing down of America!! In the early 1960's Ray Crock expanded McDonald's to the Seattle area. The kid taking your order wrote it down on a tablet and totaled it manually.  Ray had access to machines to do this of course but he was afraid that kids would forget their basic math skills. He saw the tip of the iceberg and did his best to stop the mental decline in our youth.

On the other hand cars have become so complex that complex equipment is needed to sort out the problems. I was a pretty decent mechanic back then but not any more. I guess that is why I like older cars because I understand them. At my age I don't need to and will not waste any effort in learning about them.