Episode Description

In this week’s episode of Beyond the Wrench, we are joined by Matt Fanslow, Diagnostic Technician/Shop Manager, Riverside Automotive, and Pedro De La Torre, Technician, Logic Auto. Matt and Pedro discuss what motivates them in the automotive industry, changes in the industry, and a class Pedro is teaching about his discovery with Subaru.

Watch the Full Episode

What Motivates Technicians

  • A lot of motivation comes from pure curiosity and the satisfaction of completing a job that is difficult for other people.
  • It’s important to teach yourself new skills. Buy books, do research online, read modules, and continue trying different things.
  • Young techs are interested in this field because of the high-level technology.
  • It can be difficult doing a task without understanding why you’re performing it. Always ask, “Why?”, so you can get a better understanding of the task itself.

Pedro’s Subaru Discovery

  • Over time, the CAM timing changes due to timing chains, or the tensioners start failing. Subaru does CAM learned values, and they adjust for this problem until it can be fixed. These CAM learned values do not reset, and you can’t return them to factory default settings. Pedro has figured out how to fix this without replacing the PCM.
  • Pedro did a lot of research and finally found a successful way to manipulate the data without completely wiping out all the learned data. Pedro does this by extracting the data from the memory device, looking at the data, finding where it’s stored, and addressing the data to reset it. He modifies the hex data and writes it back into the computer. Once it’s written, the computer is ready to be plugged back into the car.

Changes in the Industry

  • We’re at the beginning of the golden age of this industry. The tech shortage is real and is giving power to the technicians and driving up compensation.
  • As time goes by, we’re seeing more and more technology in this industry. Anybody in the industry is going through that transition right now.
  • We’re fortunate to live in an era where information is abundant. We need to take advantage of it and grow our knowledge.
  • Information is readily available for technicians if they’re willing to put in the work.

Show Notes

Resources:

Register for Pedro’s Class

Listen to Matt’s Podcast: Diagnosing the Aftermarket A to Z

Learn more about WrenchWay Top Shops

Download the free WrenchWay app in the App Store or on Google Play:

About Our Host:

Jay Goninen
Co-Founder & President, WrenchWay
jayg@wrenchway.com | 608.716.2122

About Our Guests:

Matt Fanslow
Diagnostic Technician/Shop Manager, Riverside Automotive
adtmatt@yahoo.com

Pedro De La Torre
Technician, Logic Auto
pedro@logicautollc.com

Sponsor:

RepairPal connects consumers with certified trustworthy repair shops. RepairPal’s network of over 2,700 shops nationwide undergo a rigorous certification process to ensure they are high quality. If you are interested in working, or getting your car serviced at a trusted shop in RepairPal’s certified shop network, check out their directory of auto shops at repairpal.com.

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