Has the small engine line of work hit rock bottom?

A

Auto Doc's

Lawn Addict
Hello Forum,

Has our repair industry hit rock bottom?

Most of the good independent shops have closed up around my area and the dealers just want to install a new engine instead of repairing one with a blown head gasket. Even worse they often give a customer an insane repair estimate and then try to sell them the newest model in stock.

The dealer level techs are basically new equipment setup guys with no actual diagnostic or repair experience. At best they watch a couple of "training films" so the dealership can satisfy the manufacturers "certification program" requirements.

Most of my area schools have eliminated and minimized industrial arts and agronomic classes, so there is no formal introductory training anymore.

What is to become of any repair capabilities in the future?
 
I don't think we have hit rock bottom yet. Things are not critical right now, but slowly approaching that level. Part of the issue was they always pushed college in school, and the trades were frowned on. But now with so many college grads with no marketable skills, some high schools are leaning more into the trades again. So there could be a future rebound, but that could be 20-30 years in the future. And it has taken that many years to get to were we are now.

But I think even with the push on the trades, I think it will still be a slow death since all the good talents has either left the trade, or passed on. So there is nobody left to mentor young people to get them proficient which causes the people that show a strong interest in mechanics or other trades to burn out.
 
And most are too interest in playing with their smart phones to really learn anything. Look at our Auto industry where there are more parts changers than real mechanics. They are just guessing the solution to a problem.

I get so irritated when I know more than my tech support does especially when I need to send warranty repair to a dealer. I remember one time that a customer had a Stihl hedger under warranty that needed repairs. I was the middle man in the deal. The dealer kept the hedger for a month and then return it saying they found nothing wrong. So I take it out to verify that issue wasn't repaired. So sure enough they didn't resolved the issue. It took me to find out all that was wrong was a bad spark plug. It bad when they can't even find a bad spark plug. Yet this dealer charges $120 /hr for repairs.

IL you know AI can fix anything....
 
Hello Star Tech,

I went through industrial arts and technical trades school, and we actually had hands-on lessons back in the 70's and 80's. As the 90's rolled around many of the schools stopped supporting the trades and focused more on "grooming" kids for college or scholastic sports. Now we have a glutton of "dead-end kids" who have no desire to work.

Don't forget You Tube and yes, the mighty smart phone. Just the press of a button and anyone can be a DIY mechanic.

I will not knock the good folks that actually know their stuff, it's the "hacks" that irritate me. Sorry, there are no temporary repairs or safety circuit bypasses to get a person by until the next time.

Here lately I have been working more on ATV's and side by sides than mowers because the dealer techs are simply not techs. The dealer charges $120.00- $150.00 and hr. to confirm that the machine doesn't work but can't tell the customer why.

What I do is tell a customer up front that they first need to pay for a factory repair manual CD and 1 hour of my time. Once I get an estimate put together, they have to pay for parts before I proceed, and I strictly work by the clock hour to conduct the repairs. I quit financing customer parts and "spit balling" my repair times because it was not fair to me.

Many of the underlying causes I see for techs getting out of the industry include customer abuse, toxic work environments and poor shop management. The techs know what the shop "door rate" is and are only paid pennies on the dollar to do the work. The industry has become an "animal that eats its young".
 
Dollars and cents. I recently remanufactured the 190cc Briggs and Stratton engine on a 2006 Toro super recycler I bought new in 2006. Also replaced worn out wheels, put in a new blade, belt and just serviced the axles since they were just rebuilt 3 years ago. Cleaned it up and made it like new. The overall cost was within $50 the cost of a new mower, but we are in a state where one cannot buy new gasoline mowers, and it was too far to travel out of state to buy a mower and bring it back. If labor had been a factor, then rebuilding it would have become impossible.

As Robert Kennedy Jr said during his campaign, Wall Street has been strip mining the consumer. When I go into any of the larger local mower shops a couple things have changed vs 30 years ago. Today, I am the only consumer in there. Ten people in line and they are all commercial gardeners. The shop no longer carries much towards rebuilds other than gaskets, or consumables. Ask for valves, rings, heads, etc.. on common models - nope, they have to order them at the same price I can buy them online at and have they shipped to my door. Takes as long too. They do tuneups, sell chains, filters, oils, fuel, blades, tools, and new units. There was a pile 10' high x 10' wide of discarded orange and gray leaf mower backpacks behind the shop. When they die, the gardeners either buy an EV back pack to comply with some of the nearby city ordinances, or a new gasoline backpack. Not worth paying the labor to fix them. And, it would be illegal here to fix them in masse and market them. Sale of small engines under 25 hp is not allowed. Supposed to be some exceptions but no one wants to be the guinea pig for the AG who is running for governor.

So, you are competing with a factory offshore where the little labor that is not automated can be paid a heck of a lot less than you. If people don't start adapting, it is only going to get worse. Every time the present admin tries to force an industry back here, the people who say they are the protectors of the masses file a lawsuit to interfere in preserving American jobs. When I was 30 we wondered how foreign countries could ever pay us back for all the money we lent them. Today at 76 I must wonder how we will pay back our debts to those same nations. Yours isn't the only industry kneecapped by Wall Street. And, in some places like here, younger couples can't afford a home, let alone one with acreage, so who needs a mower etc..
 
I retired in 2007 and that year we only had 4 semester classes of beginning level courses, plus one advanced level course. Three years later only one basic class, due to the reasons stated. Even though I’m totally retired from working in a shop I get at least one call a week from friends who need my help. If I feel I don’t want to crawl around on the floor, I send them to my former employer. Even he calls me when his guys get stumped on any electrical issue. He’s got three good techs and one trainee but most time wait time is 2 weeks, unless you’re one of the commercial guys. One of the dealerships in the area closed down because he couldn’t find a good techs at the end of July. If my health was better I could make $500 a week, working only the hours I want.
 
Auto Doc's said:
I will not knock the good folks that actually know their stuff, it's the "hacks" that irritate me. Sorry, there are no temporary repairs or safety circuit bypasses to get a person by until the next time.
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I find there is 3 kinds of customers. The ones that know nothing and will let you do what needs to be done. The ones that are probably as fluent in repairs on some of the techs. and 3rd the ones that think they know what they are doing, but know just enough to be dangerous. The 3rd group is the ones that you have to worry about.
 
You guys are absolutely right about the public schools. They have been pushing college for too long. When I was in public schools we had shop classes in junior highschool and full blown vocational highschool classes. In highschool, I took home electrical wiring, heating and air conditioning, and major appliances. There were many other choices. I still use the skills that I learned there. However, the public schools DID NOT emphasize continuing in the vocational education after highschool. It was all about preparatory for college.
 
Back in 78 when I was signing up for two year of Electronics in tech school all three of the teachers tried to get me reconsider my decision. I proved them wrong as the last semester I was teaching the first year students while the teacher was grading the second year tests including mine. I started out working on office and graduated to the rest of the equipment. I did that for 8 yrs then industry started changing so I move on the forms handling and financial equipment but company folded after 8 yrs. The next 8+ yrs I did scrape metal processing until the financial crisis hit and every Tom, Dick, and Harry got into it and was wanting to start fist fights over a piece of metal. Then I took up my current line of work and been at it ever since.

At first I tried to get a job working the other man but no one trusted me when I could do the work. I even had a manager to say he was afraid I take his job. Two year they asked to come and work for them, I said sorry I am now part of your competition.
 
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