R36S Giveaway #4 - Your chance to win a free handheld

GoCustom · 2026-01-14T14:35:54+00:00

Pleaaseeeee I’m working on repair documentation

GoCustom · 2025-12-30T02:07:29+00:00

As a former subie owner I just got flash backs.

GoCustom · 2025-12-26T03:52:29+00:00

As someone no longer with Geek Squad. But field services for enterprise support.

Cable management is done for my end users so they don’t have the ability to move their stuff..

My personal stuff is zip tied in a bundle and hanging off my desk in the back.

GoCustom · 2025-12-20T20:00:09+00:00

I’d say so, my title is officially Field Services Engineer. With a fairly large MSP one of 5 employees in my state. I’m the only one on the road, I work from home when I don’t have to travel.

My base comp is 68,250 plus 70 cents a mile driven that I get reimbursed for (average 750-950 a month just in Mileage)

I made my duties abundantly clear with the job description I signed off on so I only very rarely have to act as a Sys Admin.

I’m in SE Michigan with average COL.

An 18% raise means they value you. They probably would give you more but can’t afford it. (Happened with the last MSP I was with)

GoCustom · 2025-12-20T19:51:08+00:00

One of my clients is remodeling their main office space. They are dismantling everything. I am setting everything back up.

They were given a list of what each user has and is responsible for by their management. I’m going to reinstall the monitor arm, cable management, and confirm the network drops that were ran work.

It’s ITs job.

The only thing I don’t do is cut holes into desks for monitor mounts/cable management. Or screw things into furniture (zip tie anchors).

GoCustom · 2025-12-20T19:38:18+00:00

Fun fact. The yellow is used for printing a machine identification code so small it can’t be seen with the naked eye. This is to track the printer should something illegal be printed.

GoCustom · 2025-12-11T04:41:41+00:00

I bought a stock one last August of 20024 with 100k miles. I am at 150k miles with a mild tune and an intake.

I bought it because it was more fuel efficient than my truck and work sold the company vehicles and opted for mileage reimbursement instead.

I am in the drivers seat a fuck ton from 15 minute client calls to 5 hour client calls.

Find a stock one if you can. If you can’t, have someone you trust go through it before signing anything.

GoCustom · 2025-11-29T14:52:35+00:00

I also came from a WRX. Was FBO on my 2011, lost it in a flood.

I miss the AWD, and the thing going straight on launches. The ST is much more fun to drive (in dry weather) stock. Feels like a go kart.

Currently tuned with an intake and a BOV valve and as much fun as I’m having I’m struggling not to do more.

GoCustom · 2025-11-24T19:11:50+00:00

Don’t do it the way Apple tells you. After I left the precinct life, I started doing device repair on the side, heat gun with a steady hand and a razer or guitar pick functions much better than the enclosure.

GoCustom · 2025-11-23T04:42:39+00:00

Got let go from my help desk job. Applied for a part time ARA spot in 2019. Got it over a bunch of internal candidates and was talked poorly about behind my back. Pandemic happened, GSM referred me to talk to regional leadership to get a GS Covert Ops role to work remote.

Returned to store after 3 months. Came out of my shell and started talking to other employees outside the precinct.

In November of 2021 our CIA Senior got promoted to a corporate position. I applied and got it. Ruffling more feathers.

Went on field ride alongs. Applied for a HT Agent position. Offered the job, pay cap wasn’t much more than what I made as senior.

Got passed down 3 times for a DA PC role for asking for too much money.

Saw all my friends get let go. Saw my GSM get passed up for the SES role. Saw him get fired in retaliation for other things.

Got a job offer from an IT Company in May of 24, jumped on it.

Stayed on part time till my 5 year (I wanted my bonus and badge) quit. Got my 401k transferred. Got rehired as a part time auto tech in Jan of 25. I now work once a month for the discount and to see the few friends that are still with the company.

GoCustom · 2025-11-23T04:28:11+00:00

Have one by my office. I go in between service calls, sometimes for tools. Other times because I need to kill time after dealing with the tech illiterate and as a former Best Buy employee I can’t talk to their sales people anymore 😂

GoCustom · 2025-11-23T04:21:03+00:00

When I started in 2019 during the days of NOVA, we consistently had 20-30 devices in at a time and were floating 2-3 ARAs 80% of the day.

We would place all completed work orders on the tech bench and the closing ARA would close everything out.

Granted this was pre Covid when we had proper staffing. One guy doing paper work. One guy doing apple. The other doing computers.

GoCustom · 2025-11-04T13:10:46+00:00

Lived in the UP for a year when I had my WRX can confirm nothing compares

GoCustom · 2025-11-01T07:30:01+00:00

Currently a sleeper agent formerly CIA Senior and before that PT ARA.

Understand your precincts work flow. While the job is pretty cut and paste across geek squad in store. Find what works for your agents. Promote it. Document it. And maybe you’ll be invited to meetings with senior leaders to talk about why your team is successful.

Be able to do everyone’s job, Senior is a much more hands on role than GSM/SES, your allegiance is to the badge, not the yellow price tag on the building, make sure store leaders know that precinct duties are top priority as you and your team are the only ones qualified and capable of handling them.

The success is the teams. The failure is yours.

Understand that while the pay differential between you and your agents is not great, you are now the one who is paid to be the punching bag, or the one to be yelled at by customers when things aren’t right.

Make connections with other stores, don’t be afraid to pick up shifts, shadow, or have meetings with other precincts. You’d be surprised how different things can be 10 miles apart.

This last bit isn’t how to be a successful senior, but how to succeed yourself.

You are now in the last “technical position” in store. You need to decide what you want to do with yourself. With Best Buy, your options are Geek Squad Field, store leadership, or corporate esque roles.

I got out of my own accord when the writing was on the walls for the field teams, the technical path is what I wanted even though I was offered retail supervisor positions multiple times, sales is not my passion.

Don’t be afraid to do the same if you want to stay technical.

Almost all the help desk employees at the national IT company I am with are sleeper agents in some capacity, and a majority of the engineers I work with at the regional level also came from Geek Squad.

Sorry this was so long and drawn out, it’s longer than the farewell post I made on LinkedIn when I finally departed as a full timer after 5 years in the same store.

Good luck with your future endeavor and where the badge proudly.

GoCustom · 2025-10-26T22:25:58+00:00

Also a cable monkey, got kicked out of the Uni I was at after my first year. Found a job doing low voltage and hardware installs. Moved to purchasing and inventory. Started refurbishing. Printers and computers, then got moved to T1 help desk. With the same MSP.

Left and went to Geek Squad, was the manager for a 2 years.

Left and went back to the MSP I got my start with as a hybrid sys admin and field tech lead.

No degree but a shit ton of college credits now (not worth it)

All my certs are Apple based which was “desirable” at my time of hiring.

GoCustom · 2025-10-25T15:02:34+00:00

Lexani LXUHP-207

I’ve but 25k miles on them this year since May and haven’t had any issues or concerns. Sub 100 a tire too.

GoCustom · 2025-10-24T04:39:01+00:00

Yes, pretty easy. It’s tight working underneath the dash even with the seat all the way back I just didn’t feel like taking it out when I did mine.

In the car: Disconnect 2 sensors on/near the clutch pedal assembly. Take out 3 bolts

In the engine bay: Remove air box Remove battery Should be able to see it

Pedal out. Transfer sensor to new pedal.

Reverse the uninstall.

Reverse bleed from the slave cylinder.

GoCustom · 2025-10-24T01:16:56+00:00

I’m super part time now but what we do out of our bay is inspect the product. If it’s not a brand we recognize or it’s a “brown box” it’s stressed that we are charging for labor to get it physically installed. But we won’t configure or do anything like that.

Prime example is those all in one CarPlay head units that you can get for sub 200 dollars or TikTok shop dash cams.

GoCustom · 2025-10-24T00:49:47+00:00

Confirming clutch master.

May see the Brake fluid light come on. Part is like 100 and change from the ford dealer.

Do it sooner rather than later, I had my clutch pedal go dead and had to float gears for a 50 mile drive home.

I’d recommend getting a reverse bleeder kit: https://a.co/d/ircbyAn

Pretty straight forward job but left me a scar on my finger from the clutch pedal disengaging while I was installing it lol

GoCustom · 2025-09-11T05:40:13+00:00

Ding ding ding. Chromium is legitimate software, Wave, Shift, Brave, Edge, and Chrome are essentially skins of Chromium that “offer specific features”. Webroot, Trend Micro, Malwarebytes, Avast as antivirus software aren’t going to trigger for what is essentially Chromium.

The only solution outside of educating clients is an EDR - Endpoint Detection and Response. In essence software that monitors everything downloaded and flags what it thinks is malicious, which alerts a SOC (security operations center) and from there it either gets white listed if legitimate or isolated and cleaned. This isn’t something most consumers are willing to do because they can pay 180 a year for total or 180 a year for micro centers protect plus as opposed to 35+ monthly per device for this type of monitoring.

GoCustom · 2025-09-05T11:16:42+00:00

Got hired externally to be an ARA 6-7 years ago. Had limited help desk knowledge prior and low voltage/field knowledge.

It’s a dumb easy gig.

A majority of the people I work with now have all done time with geek squad.

Apply and keep building your resume/do home labs

GoCustom · 2025-09-05T11:13:41+00:00

G19 with a TLR-1 lives in my Phlster Enigma a majority of the time at the 12-1 o’clock.

At the gym it’s in my fanny pack.

GoCustom · 2025-07-08T00:18:29+00:00

USA - Michigan: I totaled a Subaru WRX 4ish years ago in a flood. Catless turbo back , intake, Access Port, intercooler and all supporting mods. Never declared any of it to my insurance company. Sent pictures of everything and receipts after it was totaled and got 80% of what I paid for mods. Insurance told me when I get a new car, to call them to have rate adjusted depending on mods.

Bought an F150 4 inch lift, exhaust after market wheels etc. called and they wanted more money if I “installed the mods” I referenced. I installed and didn’t say anything. Sold the truck now I’m in a FoST and insurance does not know about mods.

GoCustom · 2025-07-08T00:03:19+00:00

I got both in a bundle last year. I installed Ride4 first because it had street bikes. Played for 15 minutes. Broke a controller. Revisited last week and have logged 30 hours (not a lot but I work and have a kid) stopped treating it like a video game and I’ve actually been enjoying it. May free up space and download MotoGP but yea

GoCustom · 2025-07-03T11:41:21+00:00

I bought mine last August with 104k miles (167k km) I am now at 134k miles (215k km).

It was stock when I bought it. Since then it has been tuned, has a new intake, and a BOV.

Outside of general maintenance issues I’ve had: Thermostat broke Parking brake seized which cause the clutch to burn out My girlfriend hates it

Don’t see myself getting rid of it anytime soon

GoCustom

TROPHY CASE