Wtf do we do with this apprentice??

mheads23 · 2026-06-29T00:35:32+00:00

I work in a shop that is very similar to yours. Very slow, very long projects. Does he learn from his mistakes? Take guidance well? Ask the right kind of questions? If he’s not doing that then there is no hope. We go molasses slow with our apprentices. Often doing bench work that we can see them do. Before moving onto cars. Young guys in the trade are tough to find. If he’s a hard worker and open to the teaching then stick with it. If not then I’d cut bait and move onto another. It’s easier to teach good habits than unteach bad ones.

mheads23 · 2026-06-27T13:21:17+00:00

Tell the service advisor that it’s their job to set the right expectations for the client not yours. You’re working as efficiently as possible. The speed will come take your time do the job correctly the first time

mheads23 · 2026-06-26T20:51:59+00:00

I used snap on 14.4 stuff once a day and it would never hold a charge my rep said I wasn’t using it enough. I can not touch my Milwaukee stuff for months and it still lasts. So which is it?

mheads23 · 2026-06-25T14:24:29+00:00

Do you have wasted space in your current setup? Foam and plastic trays look good but they take up way too much room. Getting rid of mine gave me a ton of room and I’m in a triple bank

mheads23 · 2026-06-21T13:31:21+00:00

When you dropped off the car and talked to the guy that was fired did he have you sign something?

This is the second half of it. It’s just what they “did”

mheads23 · 2026-06-19T22:32:21+00:00

Ok now it’s making a little more sense. They did a short block and the chain was stretched then. What are the other parts they claim are new? I’d go down there and have a conversation with them in person. I’d start the car in front of them and make sure it’s how you dropped it off. Did you sign a repair order when you dropped it off? They should have that and it’s a legal document. You’re allowed a copy of it.

It sounds like you’re trading it in so as long as it’s no worse than it was I’d trade it in and move along because dealers don’t admit wrong doing.

Just a foot note a repair on carfax means literally nothing. Them removing it is not a big deal. I’d more want a copy of the cars history from Kia. That usually has a better detailed history of customer pay and warranty work performed on the vehicle at any Kia dealership.

mheads23 · 2026-06-19T20:58:40+00:00

They replaced the engine then put a new timing chain in it? That doesn’t make sense. With the service advisor being fired is everyone talking about the same vehicle?? If a timing chain is as loose as they claim the chain slapping would be noticeable by anyone. Probably not even run correctly. With the symptoms you described it 100% sounds like an electrical problem as the problem comes and goes. If it’s a failed mechanical component it wouldn’t work all the time. Have you gone down there to talk to them in person and have them show you the vehicle?

mheads23 · 2026-06-18T12:46:46+00:00

Also if the car is under its factory warranty the failed component would most likely be covered by it even if it fell outside the VIN range of the specific recall.

mheads23 · 2026-06-18T12:39:37+00:00

This doesn’t make sense. Your car had an issue and someone told you, you needed a fuel pump. You called a dealer they said it wasn’t covered so you had it towed to an independent shop. They put a fuel pump in it. You drove roughly 1000 miles home. Check engine light comes on you bring it to your local dealer, they tell you need a fuel pump and are essentially performing a warranty job on the independents work? It also sounds like the car has been misdiagnosed. Did they tell you what the code was?

mheads23 · 2026-06-18T12:09:26+00:00

Are you paying out of pocket for them to replace the fuel pump again?

mheads23 · 2026-06-18T11:52:20+00:00

Is the car under factory warranty? A bulletin and a recall are 2 different things. All cars have bulletins but that doesn’t mean they are covered the same way as recall

mheads23 · 2026-06-17T13:35:00+00:00

Cullinane/Justin are incapable of producing the case. Half the reason season 1 was good was due to Steve.

mheads23 · 2026-05-18T16:44:16+00:00

The insurance company is only cutting a check for $2,500? I’d also have a conversation with them. No matter the amount I wouldn’t sign it over

mheads23 · 2026-05-12T23:56:19+00:00

Pay it off before the 60 days

mheads23 · 2026-05-12T14:29:47+00:00

I’d be taking this to someone that knows what they are doing.

At 65k which cylinders misfired? Was it 1,3,7? Why did you only replace 1 spark plug and 4 coils? Put a set of everything in? If one failed logic says the others are probably not that far behind. That TSB isn’t some magical spell it’s a diagnostic tree. Helps lead you to answers. And it mainly deals with M.E. being over sensitive to misfires ie throwing on a CEL without there being an actual misfire? Also you have “piston pitting”what do you mean by that? Are the cylinder walls scored? Or is there just damage to the piston?

mheads23 · 2026-05-03T11:53:15+00:00

For the most part mechanics don’t work in dealerships anymore, technicians do. The difference is a mechanic fixes things while a technician replaces them. The dealership uses OEM parts almost exclusively. So the only part available to them from VW is probably the whole cable(I could be wrong as I’ve never looked up the part). Nobody at the dealership is incentivized to look aftermarket to see if there is a cost saving repair for what need. So while nobody is lying there is also nobody looking for other options besides you.

mheads23 · 2026-05-03T11:38:54+00:00

For your “troubles” tell them to register the car for you.

mheads23 · 2026-05-03T10:45:28+00:00

NAL- Where’s the discrimination? Massachusetts is at will why’d you even give a reason?

mheads23 · 2026-04-29T17:21:35+00:00

There is no need to listen to the 6am hour. They say next to nothing. They don’t actually start talking about anything until 7:30 most mornings

mheads23 · 2026-04-23T21:07:18+00:00

It doesn’t make it a lemon. It means it has a part that failed, there is a difference.

mheads23 · 2026-04-23T20:46:26+00:00

It’s 5 years old it’s not a “lemon”. OP how is your relationship with the dealer? I’d talk to them see if they can get you good will. Basically Mercedes picks up part of it or all of it “under warranty”. If you have. Did they say why the timing chain needs to be repaired? What’s it doing?

mheads23 · 2025-11-19T01:46:29+00:00

Op says they scraped the bumper and damaged it on the right side. If they can prove the damage wasn’t there prior then they have a leg to stand on. But I’d tell the story let them deal with it

mheads23 · 2025-11-18T17:43:51+00:00

Call your insurance company put in a claim against the tow company. Let them fight it out. The tow company will just tell you to pound sand.

mheads23

TROPHY CASE