It's a MACHINE...

It's a machine!

Certainly, a machine we often take for granted. Nevertheless, it is perhaps one of the most complicated machines we interact with on a daily basis.

It is a truly dynamic 'organism' with its own cardio-vascular system, skeletal structure, neuro-muscular movement and feedback capability, and intelligence - albeit, artificial.

Like fingerprints and snowflakes, no two vehicles are alike. Even if they were, the fact that every driver is unique to the vehicle and driving conditions can vary as much as they do from place to place and driver to driver, makes it impossible to generalize.

Nevertheless, there are at least a few assumptions we can make. First, just about every organism on the planet consumes at least a minimal amount of energy to exist. Energy implies fuel and regardless of how efficient an organism might be it is unlikely if not impossible that it will be 100% efficient. In other words, there will be 'exhaust:' unused or partially consumed 'fuel,' as well as other waste materials and contaminants.

We can also assume that use will ultimately result in both stress and wear. That means there is a need for the organism to repair or replenish itself. It also means that something is likely to wear out or break inevitably. This is as much an irrefutable truth for machines as it is for you and me.

Productive Maintenance for your vehicle is nothing more or less than paying attention to that restorative process: the process of repair and/or restoring the machine to as close to like-new condition as possible.

Everything we do - 'we' being the automotive service professionals you entrust your vehicles to - should be focused on that single purpose.  

If you are concerned that safety is not mentioned above, don't be. If the vehicle was designed properly and manufactured with enough care - and, if it is in as close to like-new condition as it can be maintained - it will be as safe as it was designed to be which hopefully is safe enough!

From that point forward it is a simple matter of 'regular checkups' and caring for  the unforeseen and unavoidable 'illnesses' that are bound to occur.

The regular checkups, if designed properly, seek to ensure roadworthiness through regularly scheduled and structured inspection of critical systems in much the same way your doctor looks into your eyes, checks your weight, height, glands, temperature and blood pressure (and, more depending upon the nature of your visit).

We drain and refill the oil and replace the filter, look at the level and condition of critical fluids and vehicle systems, check brakes, tires and suspension and then road test the vehicle to ensure ‘little problems’ don't have the opportunity to grow into ‘big, ugly problems’ as a result of lack of care or awareness.

The next few posts will be focused on specific systems and their respective maintenance requirements. For now, however, I'd like to finish up with this.

Just like you need to exercise and watch your diet to ensure the benefits of a long and productive life, so too will you need to take care of your vehicles if you want to experience the longest service life delivered at the lowest possible service cost. 

Perhaps more important, it is the only way people who do what I do can be certain we’ve done everything we can to eliminate if not avoid the possibility of being stuck or stranded and the unplanned and unbudgeted expense that generally accompanies finding yourself stuck somewhere.

Until next time, stay well and take care…

Preventive? No, Productive...

When a large part of your life has been spent sewing words together, words that form the palette you use to paint the images of the stories you tell... you pay a lot of attention to those words. You have to, especially when those words can have a profound impact on the world in which you operate every day. 

Words tell stories and because they are often charged with powerful, yet sometimes subliminal meaning that can move people to or from: toward or away, they should and must be chosen carefully. 

A great example of words that fit our current vehicle maintenance-focused dialogue here in Counter-Intuitive, words that have not been chosen carefully - at least, not in my opinion - is the word preventive used in conjunction with the word maintenance to describe the services that must be performed on your car or truck to ensure the longest possible service life at the lowest possible cost.

While the term "Preventive Maintenance" makes perfect sense when you understand and appreciate its meaning: the two words used together are almost counter-intuitive themselves: antithetical, if you don't!

It almost sounds as if someone is trying to prevent maintenance, rather than prevent the lack of maintenance that is the natural enemy of any machine. Properly defined, “preventive maintenance” is maintenance – scheduled and prescribed service – designed to help maintain the machine and prevent it from failing in service: prevent it from breaking down.

It would be safe to say that unless or until that is explained, the very folks who need to understand this message most, understand it least. And, yet, those of us in the repair community who bear the responsibility of communicating the importance of maintenance – use the term “preventive maintenance” all the time without giving a second thought or the slightest consideration to whether or not the very folks to whom this message is directed ‘get it’ or not.

Perhaps, a better term for this kind of service would be “Productive Maintenance.” At least, both words have positive connotations.

It makes more sense, doesn’t it?

We’re going to do something on your vehicle designed to produce the high expectation of a positive result – a dependable and well-maintained vehicle that lasts longer, costs less and doesn’t leave you stranded.

When you understand that you understand everything! You understand why it’s productive (in your best interest) to maintain (make something continue) your vehicle and you understand why some services are and can be more productive than others.

Words are the pigments we use to paint a picture of the world around us. They are the tools we use to frame that world: to make some kind of sense out of it.

Words and expressions that demand constant clarification, words and expressions that require constant explanation, are not representative of our best choices. They can’t paint the picture we want to paint. They can’t paint the picture we need everyone to see. The colors are wrong.

We need a new and different image and for that we’re going to need new and different colors: new and different words. Words that paint a better picture, tell a better story, like “Productive Maintenance” in place of “Preventive Maintenance.

Living Inside My Own Head...

I spend a lot of time thinking and writing about our industry. I've been doing it a long time. Long enough so I can't remember not doing it.

For years, it was just one column flowing from the office and the shop floor. Then, it was a second column written to distribution and manufacturing. Now, it's two columns, this blog, the bi-monthly webcasts I've been presenting for the past year and a monthly newsletter produced for our customers and clients.

That's a lot of time lost in thought, analyzing what shop owners like me go through every day: a lot of time spent trying to capture the most important elements of our experience well enough to share them in a host of different venues. Something has to drive the kind of extreme commitment that draws you to your home office every night and every weekend for hours at a time. There has to be a pretty powerful "Why?" 

Well, if it's true that beliefs influence purpose… and, purpose drives behavior… here are mine.

I believe the motoring public deserves the finest quality parts and the best possible service available... provided they are willing to make the investment that kind of service and those kinds of parts require.

I believe members of the repair community deserve more... provided we make the necessary commitment and are willing to invest in our profession, our industry and ourselves.

I believe just as strongly that unless we can differentiate ourselves: our ability and the quality of our service from those in our industry who are not willing to do as much or go as far, we will never achieve the respect or reap the rewards we have worked so hard for.

I believe we do this through explanation, education and our actions and interactions with the vehicle owner.

Those beliefs have given my life purpose and that purpose fuels virtually everything I write: everything I do.

One of the things that bothers me most about our current reality is the fact the technology repair professionals deal with every day has all but escaped the vehicle owner in virtually every aspect of the vehicle's operation.

The automobile once acted as a kind of "technological bridge" between the average man or woman and the world in which they lived. You could move the throttle and watch fuel squirt into the venturi. That technology was not only visible, it was almost understandable. It was easy to understand how points worked: you could see them open and close and you didn't need an Owner's Manual to tell you when to change the oil: engines were less efficient and you could almost see the contaminants turn the oil black while you watched.

Today, that bridge is down. The vehicle has infinitely more computing power than anyone could purchase and put on their desktop. The vehicle's on-board computer is exponentially faster and more powerful: period!

They don't understand computerized engine management, active suspensions, modern lube requirements, extended service intervals, controlled vehicle comfort systems, anti-lock braking systems or in-vehicle entertainment any more than they could tell you how their home thermostat, refrigerator, entertainment center or Wi-Fi works. They don't know - or, care - what makes their 3-D, 60" LCD Flat Screen function. They just want it to work.

They want their vehicles to "work" also. The only problem is the vehicle is maintenance intensive and justifying that maintenance demands explanation and understanding.

I've started writing about these maintenance-related issues and more  more for you - our customers, and the general public, in the hope it will help tell our side of the maintenance story.

It's my hope that by sharing what’s inside my head we’ll be a little closer to getting to where we need to go: a place we will never see unless or until you both know and understand what your automotive service professional is doing and why he or she is doing it… what you need to do and why it's in your best interest to do it.

Till then, stay well, take care, make money, have fun and don’t do business with anyone you don’t like. That's the same advice I've been giving shop owners for years. There’s probably a good reason you don’t like that person whoever they might be and there’s no need to find out what that reason is!

Mitch

Normal? Not, Really...

There are people in the world who are only too willing to stop and explain how to build an atomic clock when all you really want to know is the time. All things being equal, I'd rather not be counted among them!

My goal is to help you make some sense out of vehicle maintenance so you can make intelligent choices and manage your decisions wisely. Contrary to popular belief, most of us - repair professionals, like me - would much rather deal with an educated consumer. It's just plain easier when you not only know what we're doing, but understand why we feel compelled the service we're suggesting - whatever it may be - is so important to the safe and economical operation of the vehicle.

In the previous blog post we talked about the Owner's Manual and all the services that can be found there. I suggested that any service that appears in the "book" as a Scheduled Maintenance item can and should be considered Required. The rationale is simple - if you agree that whoever built that vehicle wants you to believe it is the most intelligent purchasing decision you've ever made: that it will be the longest lasting, best running, most powerful and most cost-effective vehicle you've ever owned - it is only reasonable to assume there is nothing they would put there that isn't absolutely necessary.

If it has a cost associated with it and wasn't absolutely necessary it just plain wouldn't be there!

So, if the manual is telling you that "normal service" dictates that you rotate your tires, check more than a dozen systems for wear, condition and performance, replace your air filter, cabin filter, oil and oil filter at 30,000 miles, 60,000, and then again at 90,00 miles - with a timing belt - and, then again every 30,000 miles thereafter, there is a reason: there are reasons. The same reasons that suggest the oil and filter should be changed every 7,500 if you are operating that vehicle under "normal conditions,"and therein lies another problem.

We all think our driving conditions are normal because our driving habits and conditions are normal for us!

However, forty-six years of experience has taught me that almost no one actually reads the manual and no one's driving conditions are normal, at least not here in Southern California! And, if they do read the Owner's Manual, they almost never seem to reach the section that talks about the difference between Normal and Severe Driving Conditions: the paragraph the differences are defined and explained. If they did, they would realize almost instantly that, by definition, virtually all driving in Southern California is severe... And, that severe driving conditions demand a more comprehensive and aggressive service schedule, both with regard to the services necessary and/or their frequency.

What exactly defines "Severe" Service?

Some conditons are obvious, like driving on less than ideal surfaces: off-road, on dirt or gravel surfaces, or under severe weather conditions: extreme heat or extreme cold, temperature swings of more than thirty degrees in a twenty-four hour period - think about last night, yesterday afternoon and this morning, etc. But, others are a little less than obvious.

We take traffic for granted in Sounthern California. It's a fact of life: a 'given.' Creeping along in traffic for extended intervals, twice a day, every day, five-days a week, may define normal driving conditions for you, but it isn't exactly normal for the vehicle. Having purchased your vehicle with a 'towing package' doesn't necessarily mean towing is normal either. It isn't, and consequently requires a different level of care.

And, while we're on the subject of Normal versus Severe, you should know that while the Severe Service Schedule may have additional services listed and/or more aggresive intervals, there might be services listed in the Normal Service Schedule that are equally as important but do not appear in the Severe Service Schedule and should still be performed regularly, like tire rotations, etc.

The bottom line is simple. The more proactive and aggressive you are with maintenance, the less you will be spending on costly and unscheduled break-downs. More than that, maintenance can be scheduled. Break-downs by definition are not!

They tell the story of a very religious fellow who was stranded at sea after his boat sank. He prayed, and prayed fervently for God to save him. A ship passed by, but he refused to hail it knowing God would intervene.

Another ship came close, and another, but he did nothing. Finally, the sea took him and he drowned. When he arrived in Heaven he went straight to the Almighty and demanded to know why his prayers had not been answered. God looked at him, shook His head and smiled, then quietly said, "You know, I sent three ships... You ignored each one of them. You should have made the effort to meet me halfway!"

So the best advice anyone can give you is make the effort when it comes to maintenance! You may not be saved, but you will be rewarded!

Thanks for dropping by...

The next few blogs will address a number of different services: what's being done and why it's important.

Till then, stay well and take care.

** photo credit: Mark Trayhurn: http://www.news.com.au/national/revealed-the-amazing-pictures-lost-at-sea-capture-divers-miracle-survival/story-e6frfkvr-1225946372866

The Battle Between Suggested & Required

They say that information is power and I'm not sure it would be prudent to disagree.

The more you know the less likely it is for anyone to take advantage of what you don't know. That's one of the reasons professionals in the repair community work so hard to ensure you understand not only what needs to be done when they are making a service recommendation, but why it's important to do it... and, why doing it now makes sense: not only for them, but for you as well. 

The benefit of "doing it now" when you're talking about any 'for pay' service on your vehicle is fairly obvious from the service facility's point of view. The critical issue is and will always be, does it make any sense to you.

Because the benefit is so obvious to the service provider the question of motivation is almost certain to raise its ugly head. 

Is the guy behind the service counter trying to 'sell' me some superfluous or unnecessary service to round out a 'good' week or is this something I really should consider doing?

Before I answer that question I'd like to reinforce whatever it is you know about automotive service or maintenance with a bit of information - remember, information is power! I hope you will find useful. It is the difference between Suggested and Required and how these two fundamental principles are almost certain to impact you. 

The first element of automotive service or maintenance to consider whenever it's time for you to bring your vehicle in is Required. It's also the easiest to explain. If the service recommendation can be found in the Owner's Manual and its performance is necessary in order to keep the vehicle in warranty - it's Required.

Sure, you can argue that some of the services are superfluous: but, realistically your argument isn't likely to hold up. The vehicle manufacturer wants desperately for you to believe that the purchase and subsequent ownership of that vehicle was among the best and most intelligent decisions you've ever made because they desperately want you to buy another one when this one is 'used up!' They recognize that in order for that to happen you must feel that ownership is cost effective over the life of the vehicle. 

You can translate that into not spending a penny more than you have to in order to keep that vehicle on the road. Consequently,  it is reasonable to assume there is no service called out in the manual - regardless of what that service may be - that is unnecessary or superfluous.

In other words, if it's in the book it's there for a reason.

Things aren't quite so 'Black & White' when it comes to Suggested. These are services that do not appear in the Owner's Manual, but are recommended by the dealership service department or responsible independent service professionals for a number of different reasons, not the least of which is personal experience. There are services that many of us have come to realize can and will both lower overall cost of ownership while extending the service life of the vehicle. 

As counter-intuitive as it may seem, there are times when spending more will actually cost you less in the long run!

Over the next few weeks I'll be talking about some of the Suggested services most commonly recommended: how and why they make sense...

Until then, stay well and take care... And, remember, if there is something specific you'd like ask or a burning automotive service question you'd like answered, let me know. I promise to do my best to get you an answer that makes sense to you.  

Counter Intuitive...

I've decided to forge out in a new direction as I focus a series of blogs on consumer education. I feel a new direction should be christened with a new title, "Counter Intuitive."

Both the name and the idea came to me while trying to help someone at the service "Counter" - that's where the "Counter" came from - understand the "what" and "why" of their particular vehicle failure despite their lack of knowledge. Many times, that lack of knowledge can be surmounted by education and understanding as the majority of vehicle failures are mechanical in nature; caused by lack of maintenance, poor design or abuse. As a result, most are fairly logical and not all that difficult to understand if you understand what makes the vehicle start, stop and go down the road.

If you understand what it takes for the vehicle to go down the road, understanding why it won't isn't that much of a stretch. Understanding is where the "Intuitive" comes from.

There is another reason I've chosen to call the content shared here "Counter Intuitive" and its explanation will serve as the first of what I hope will be many such conversations.

Vehicle maintenance... or, lack there of, is one of the major causes of vehicle failure and/or poor performance and yet a week doesn't go by without a story focused on unnecessarily aggressive service intervals appearing somewhere in the media. Virtually every major 'player' in the industry, including the Automobile Club, has voiced an opinion of what an appropriate service interval should be. Many of those opinions defer to what the individual vehicle manufacturers suggest is appropriate in the Owner's Manual, which in some cases can exceed 10,000 or 15,000 miles between changes.

Contrary to what you may think, even though I'm an independent repair shop owner and have a vested interested  in seeing you and your vehicles regularly and often, I don't have a problem with those who insist the old maintenance model of bringing the vehicle in every 3,000 or 4,000 miles or every three or four months is no longer necessary. But, just because I don't have a problem with it doesn't mean I agree.

What they are saying makes sense. It is intuitive - that other word again.

The quality of lubricants available today is superior to anything available in the past. Computerized Engine Management and Fuel Delivery Systems have passenger cars and trucks running cleaner and more efficiently than ever before. Consequently, there are fewer contaminants that need to be removed more often. But, there is something happening in the background, something "Counter Intuitive:" something that despite the logic goes against what you may believe and makes no practical sense.

While the vehicle manufacturers, and everyone else for that matter, insist that it is perfectly alright for you to go 10,000 miles without servicing your vehicle: without changing your oil, they will also tell you that it's perfectly alright - normal, in fact - for your new, fuel efficient, high-tech vehicle to burn a quart of oil every 850 miles to 1,200 miles.

You won't necessarily find this in your Owner's Manual, but you almost certainly will find it in the manufacturer's technical literature in the form of a Technical Service Bulletin designed to help you understand that it's OK for your new car to consume infinitely more oil than your old car consumed.

And, here is where logic and intuition can become both costly and dangerous. In an age of self-service fueling stations, hoods are rarely raised and oil is rarely checked. If you drive your vehicle for 10,000 miles you could conceivably 'burn' between eight-and-a-half to more than eleven quarts of oil.

There is only one problem. Few vehicles have more than a five or six quart crankcase capacity which would leave most vehicles dangerously low on lubricant unless or until a warning lamp alerted them to the problem!

Longer service intervals (with no one inspecting the vehicle) are good. High oil consumption is both normal and acceptable. Counter-Intuitive...

Here is a pretty dramatic example of exactly what we're talking about here... All the oil drained from two different vehicles, both of which have crankcase capacities that exceed five quarts. Just so you know, these are empty, one-quart Gatorade containers and both vehicles came in with severe driveability symptoms (rough running/poor performance) and both left with the oil changed, crankcase full and running normally!

There is a response to this conundrum that makes sense and that is embracing a new paradigm: a paradigm that suggests longer service intervals - bringing the vehicle in very 7,500 to 10,000 miles for oil service, but scheduling one or two appointments with your dealer or independent service provider purely to ensure every major system on the vehicle is operating within normal operating parameters. That way, someone, a trained professional, is looking at the vehicle to keep little problems from becoming big, ugly, expensive problems!

That's what I think... What's on your mind? If you have any questions you've always wanted to ask your automotive service professional, but were afraid - or, reluctant - to ask, this would be the ideal, non-threatening environment to share your questions and concerns!

Small Wonders....

I thought this morning's sunrise was spectacular: spectacular enough to try and capture it'd... Spectacular enough to fail.

It was still worth the try even if only to slow me down enough to really appreciate its beauty and  contemplate the realization that each new day brings with it a universe of endless possibilities. As someone already commented, a clean slate upon which each of us may write whatever we choose. 

I think that is something worthy of a little contemplation. But, as much as I enjoyed this morning's sunrise, I was completely blown away by this evening's sunset! 

It was worth a deep breath and a walk outside. It was worth taking a break even though it was clear the few minutes I spent staring at the sky would have to be made up someplace else... somehow. 

Nevertheless, I think it was worth it.

Why? Because, if the sunrise is all about new beginnings the day's end should be all about reflections: reflections on what went right and what we have to be thankful for, reflections on what didn't go so well. Those things, given a second chance: a second chance we are likely to get, we could use to   do things differently or to use to do different things. 

I think we need to be reminded of that every once in a while. I know I  do. 

You see I'm the poster child for moving too fast, working too hard. I was the guy everyone talks about when they talk about the guy who was moving too fast and working too hard to smell the roses: the roses in his own back yard! 

I'm starting to think that this morning's sunrise and this evening's sunset were both an integral part of that proverbial wake up call everyone is always talking about. In a way, I kind of hope so because this particular wake up call - If in fact, that's what it was - wasn't the result of a catastrophic illness or some other profound personal tragedy. I'm OK. My wife and kids are OK. Their significant others are OK. All of our friends and associates appear to be OK, and that's a lot better than just OK as far as I'm concerned!

And, I guess that's the message if there is one. Stop! Take moment... Take a breath... Take a minute to stare at the heavens or at those roses I just mentioned. We were put here for more than just work and sometimes we need to be reminded of that. We were put here to take care of ourselves and of each other. We were put here to finish the work of creation, something we cannot do if we are struggling or working all the time because there is no alternative.

So the next time you see something that makes you want to stop and say, Wow! Do it! 

Marvel at small wonders. It is the sure path to  greater wonders. And, tonight, before you turn the lights out, take a moment to think about a few of those small wonders: the sunrises and sunsets, someome's reassuring touch, the memory of a kind gesture, the care and concern of a good friend, and tell me that doesn't feel at least a little better.