I've been turning wrenches professionally for 32 years in Maine so I get the whole "rust is a pain in the hoohoo".... Having a pissy pants day from time to time is necessary to exist in this industry, Eric. Thank you for your videos because I've learned a lot from you plus your humor\ sarcasm is priceless, my GUY !!!
Eric, thank you for showing your frustrated side , and sharing your experiences good and bad. I work at a chicken plant in the garage. It seems like the equipment operators have contests to see how bad they can mess things up. That sends me off the deep end, because I really do try to take good care of the equipment. Be tough, we're the few the proud and the strong. Maybe a little crazy too. Thanks again Eric O I've learned alot from your videos.
Hang in there Eric! I absolutely hear your frustration and don't blame you at all but just know, you have a ton of people that religiously follow you on YT (and don't phone you!) who have tremendous respect for how you do your job and frankly have zero desire to criticize how you connect wires, etc.
Everyone's last option? You would be my first option. At least you know you will always be in business as others can't seem to fix the elusive jobs. We appreciate you Eric.
As an electrician for over 40 years I can say, Trust me, it ain't just on cars!! I ask folks everyday, Why didn't you call me first before it got all screwed up and it would've been better for everybody!" They don't listen in Tenn any better than in NY!!! Really enjoy your videos!!
Thanks for your tenacity and getting videos cranked out for us even when you're swamped and frustrated with real work and real cars. We all appreciate it!
I learned a long time ago that perseverance is a key trait to have if you want to be really great as a technician. And every time you learn something that helps you in the future. I know it gets old, frustrating, and sometimes monotonous, but Eric, there is a drive within you to not be like everyone else. A perfectionist to a point but not OCD about it. My love was always being able to fix what others couldn't. I'm not overly crazy about cars, only been to a drag race twice in my life, but I made my career automotive, graduated from SIU and had a 30 year career with Ford Motor Company mostly in the technical side of the business. I have a twin post lift in my garage and I still love to work on cars and I'm 69 years old. I love your videos and can't wait for the next one. Thank you.
Whenever you get frustrated, stop, walk away, and take a few minutes to consider everything that you have accomplished. You will realize that on the upward achievement trajectory you are on things will only get better. You are one of the best problem solvers I know.
@@SouthMainAuto Sorry Eric but you forgot the WD-40 and the Brake clean . unless you used it off camera to get rid of the mouse nest wd 40 the mouse so he could be sucked up the vac tube and carb clean for fresh air to cover the smell of mouse pea .. I have worked on lawn mowers since I was about 9 years old ,, late 70's , I have removed a lot of nest ,, they can over heat a mower engine that is air cooled . but they make a mess of coil wires and the wire harness of a mower .. great video thumbs up
Weed hopper.... your conscienchousness is a most beautiful thing to observe. Never stop persuing perfection in all that you do. You may not always feel appreciated, but you are. May your eyes stay sharp and your hands stay nimble. Thanks my friend
Back in my youth, one of my brothers took apart his entire Corvair engine trying to fix a massive oil leak. Needless to say he had no idea on how to fix it and put it back together. He asked me to "help" him reassemble the motor. Reluctantly I agreed and he showed me several large boxes of parts just thrown together. Bolts thrown in with parts that were totally unrelated. After a couple of hours he grabbed his surfboard and "went to check the surf". Never saw him until the motor was running again. I drove the car for a few weeks before I let him have it back.
Working at the dealership, I know EXACTLY how you feel. People assume we're the most expensive option (spoiler alert; we aren't) and therefore only bring their cars in once 1-3 shops have had a go at replacing parts and when the problem persists, they recommend going to the dealership because "they have a machine they will plug in and it will tell them exactly which part to replace" - most frustrating thing in the world.
Mr. O, no criticism from me. You are a true Professional, and didn’t let your frustrations blind you to what needed to be done. There are a lot of people who would have walked away, but even though you were frustrated, you realized that there was one more thing to check, found the problem and fixed it. My hat is off you, and your Customer is probably glad that you took the time and effort to complete a difficult job. Well done, Sir!
In the HVAC trade for 35 YRS. Retired. A friend of a friend who had a second cousin , ask me if I would give him a 4th opinion on replacing his whole A/C system. Since he was a friend to a friend. I went to his house. Condensing unit in good condition. Air handler in basement mechanical room in good condition. 2 companies and one individual told him he needed a new system. I checked it out. Just needed a 35/5 MFD Capacitor. And a Freon check. Also found low on refrigerant. Found small leak on capillary tube rubbing against coil door panel. Repaired, evacuated, recharged, and test. All o.k.. Ask how much he needed to pay me. Told him. 20 bucks for solder,gas,and oxygen. 30 bucks for refrigerant and that's it. His other quotes ranged from 7 grand to 10 grand. He gave me an envelope with 500 bucks.
He paid you 5-7% of what the other quotes were. You saved him. Finding good people is hard. We had an issue with my sisters car where it just quit and then ran poorly. Codes said fuel pump voltage issue. Tow it to him, he started the car fine. Cleared the codes for a fresh freeze frame and it never did it again. He drove it home and back, around the block and multiple times ever hour or so. Never could get it to die again. He could have just said it needed a pump and module and $1K later… but he didn’t. He couldn’t find the issue and didn’t even charge for that time he had in it for diag. Cars still driving fine now and it’s been 1-2 weeks. Some freak thing. There’s a reason we take all our cars to him. Cheaper then the dealer and better work.
I see this all the time. A lot of competitors to me don't even carry R22 on their trucks anymore. If the system is low, they just tell the customer it needs to be replaced. They don't even bother trying to fix the leak. Easy money for my company.
@@416Burrito are you still in the trade. I retired 7 yrs ago when I was able to draw my pention. Haven't they made an R 22 direct drop in. Just curious. Haven't researched it. Since I don't do any work of any kind anymore.
@@mikeglasgow9618 MO99 (R438A) is the drop in replacement. Same story though. Most don't carry it, even though it's inexpensive. A lot of hack companies out there. Which sucks for the customer. But my company has been around for 40 years and we carry a good reputation, so we stay quite busy.
Mr. O, criticize you? Are you crazy? I watch all your videos for two reasons, one is your quick wit, love the way you tell it. Two, your ability to fix issues, like this one. One small wire hiding behind everything and BAM, you find and fix it. Keep up the great videos and never stop being you.
wow! something like 6 years of videos and you finally have a grouchy day? Man, I want my money back. Oh, right. You've been putting this out here for free and you're a human being. Seriously, I've always wondered how you can have such a good attitude. I'm 10x as salty for way less aggravation, so you let it out and we'll be here.
Glad you didn't "walk away." I understand how frustrating it is to work on electrical problems when dealing with a bunch of aftermarket add-ons. I purchased a used Ford Excursion that had a Viper alarm and remote start installed by one of the previous owners. I never got the Viper fob with the vehicle. After 12 years of no problems, the Viper decided to arm itself. Since I didn't have the fob, there was no way I could disarm it. I had to remove the battery just to keep it from going off every 3 minuets. My only choice was to remove it from way up under the dash. The thing was integrated into just about every system on the truck, door locks, head lights, dome light, ignition, starter, anti-theft RFID key. After disconnecting it, nothing worked anymore. I had to spend 3 days rewiring the truck to get everything working again. What a nightmare.
How about adding a little really thick dish soap(Dawn, ect)to the wires,and then maybe , just maybe the critters will chew, thusly make him barf out the soap and wont want to chew the wires anymore, ( i know that it will make animals barf(ask my dog when she tasted the dish soap she found on the floor), just a thought!
Any mechanic in any field of work, Aviation, Automotive, Marine, Locomotive, etc. has a pissy pants day from time to time. It’s what makes us who we are. Without those days, there wouldn’t be balance to what we do. Good job as always, Eric O!
I think we've all had pissy pants days. And you are absolutely right about needing to walk away sometimes. I've forced myself to continue and just made things worse. No shame in taking time to clear your head.
I admire you for overcoming your pissy mood and fixing the problem. I know what you are talking about. I ran a tune up shop back in the early 80s. We had a gas station on the opposite corner that was mad because he claimed we were stealing his business. So he would run "tune up specials" that undercut our price. Only problem was he didn't replace all the parts that we did. Nor did he make sure there wasn't something else wrong with the vehicle before he did his tune up. I had a guy come into my shop that wanted me to straighten out what the other guy did and charge the other guy for it. I told him that any issue he had was between him and the guy that did the original work. If he wanted me to fix the problem I would do that but he was going to pay me, then it was up to him to get his money back form the other guy. Needless to say he wasn't happy but such is life.
I’m the only tech at my shop even vaguely competent at electrical diagnostics and it’s all thanks to SMA. This week I repaired two rodent damaged transmission harnesses and everyone looked at me like I’m a genius. No way I’m telling someone to spend thousands on a trans job without checking the wires first. The heat has been taking a toll on my mood too. Hang in there!
No apology or reason needed Eric. You run a business, not a charity. You have to warranty your work, and that makes it hard when others have "tampered" with what you are working on. You are one of the best mechanics I watch on RU-vid!
I am proud of you. I don't think anyone would have faulted you for walking away. You came back and prevented the customer from getting another patch job instead of a proper repair. You are a great mechanic.
Sometimes it's amazing and I can see myself doing the very same thing. And they call a person a doctor for delivering a baby. What do they call a person that does the impossible? A mechanic! Never doubt and never give up. Mechanic!
Hell, I have been repairing automobiles since the 1960's, my most recent experience having been owning a shop for twenty years. In that time, I have invented/coined hundreds of new NSFW words, with most of them being unintelligible to those who are not in the know. As with the Masons, some things are best when not revealed.
Good fix Mr. O.. I was a Maintenance Manager for many years and had 12 mechanics reporting to me. Trust me when I tell you, I know what those pissy attitude days are like!! We have all been there and feel your pain!! Keep up the good work!!
You deserve a lot of credit for coming back and fixing the problem. I personally would never fault you for not wanting to deal with that amount of "sin"
After watching you (and the lovely Mrs. O....let's be honest) for many years now, the difference is you know how to troubleshoot and (at least on video) you do the job right! That is all we as consumers ask. We don't know better than a mechanic but we do know there are very few mechanics that have a skill set like yours. And that is frustrating because repairs are expensive. Keep it going Dr. O - you give us hope!
Sorry, what you call your being "in a mood" is sunshine, rainbows, and fuzzy kittens compared to my "normal." Your calmness never ceases to amaze me; I have never seen you throw even one tool.
It never ceases to amaze me the level of diagnostic’s you do to find problems. This isn’t taught in modern day schools unless you have an old school teacher.
Your experience of recalling past problems in the area lead you to looking and finding the cause. This kind of skill is earned and cannot be taught. Well Done!!! When the shet gets too deep, take a drive, get some ice cream. Your sanity is worth more than anything ....period. Regards, thanks for sharing your work.
I am not in the trades anymore, but a strategic lunch break was always my best friend when I was fighting something and getting frustrated. Usually came back with a new plan that worked well
Thanks for all you teach us Eric. I'm a DIY guy. I watch all your videos because I always learn something. So my ABS light came on on my F-250. It's a 2001 4x4 with the big 7.3. A few weeks ago I had bought an Autel MS906BT scanner. So from what I learned from watching you, I hooked up the scanner, ran diagnostics. I got some ABS codes related to the front left wheel speed sensor. I went to live data and graphed it. Zoomed it and went for a drive. The right sensor was tracking along with the rear but no left. So, I went and bought a sensor and replaced the front left. Bam.... ABS light was now off. Cleared all the codes and rescanned.... no codes. Thanks Eric, By golly, I can do it! YOU ARE A GREAT TEACHER.
Mr. O. You are a fine auto tech and a nice person. I enjoy your vids and seeing your trouble shooting skills. I stopped by your shop, unannounced around lunch time a few years ago and you took a few minutes to say hello and chat. You show everyone your good days and the bad. Such is life.
Eric, between you and Ivan, you are the best auto techs out there, you percivere and diagnose problems without costing the client a ton of wasted money, thanks for the videos.
Anyone who has dealt with the public, no matter what field your in, hears you loud and clear Eric! You absolutely should not feel any remorse for walking away in situations where you are not comfortable dealing with all their poor maintenance choices! Thanks for being honest with us and always posting the good, the bad and the ugly! (Clint's music in the background)
You do alot of electrical diagnostic, mostly sensors and some wire repair. It just amazing how fast you find the broken wire. I myself hate electrical shorts, cause to me their impossible to find. But your patience on electrical problems is amazing. Thanks for sharing.....
Don't worry about Mr. O, just wrapped up a GM wiring nightmare that took over 2 months, I get it and understand, your videos give us knowledge, which is all that matters, keep up the hard work Mr. O! The growth of your channel tells you your value
Sounds like you have those bad days figured out! Everybody has them, step back, rub the cat, talk to Mrs O, get a cold drink and come back. Life’s too short to let insignificant STUFF bring you down. Your videos have taught me a lot about auto fixes. And your time videoing is very appreciated! Thanks E!
I’d be pissy too, everything is shoehorned up under the hood of that car…I’m sure that mouse thought it was too tight in there as well! Great job as always Eric, keep up the great videos.
I love to see a worker with so much determination like yourself. Wish there were more workers like you today. People these days just give up to easy. Thanks for the encouraging videos.
Dude you are an awesome mechanic, I've said it before and I'll say it again....I love your approach to the repairs. I definitely tip my hat to you. Cheers!!
Fixing cars for a living can be infinitely frustrating. I appreciate you showing the diagnosing part of the work. I tend to get the call when the parts cannon has already been fired.
I think you did a more than fair repair on this car for the money. There are many people that say they can repair cars. You are the real deal and your determination in getting it fixed says volumes. You are the ace in the hole, the clutch hitter.
If I was 23 hours closer South Main would be my first choice for repairs. As it is you are my first choice for auto repair videos. Thanks for the vids!
Yes, by the time you decided to pass on this repair due to "previous hands being here and there", you were already into it and only had a few minutes left to conclude your suspicions about the red wire at the right kick panel. Best part is, the customer approved whatever your quoted them to keep going and you found the prize sooner than you likely expected to. That was a positive plus once there, it was all downhill for you plus you knew all of the birds nest wiring wouldn't be a problem after you tested the circuit with a jumper wire. Not only that but, you got the trophy for fixing it while who knows how many or how much time was previously spent to get zero results. You likely now have a customer who is going to call your shop first vs. last resort with their future service needs. It's truly the only way to fly in the PRNY. You never know how much trouble the owner had prior to their visit to SMA but my guess is, they had a better experience with auto repairs than ever before the SMA visit.
Like none of us have ever had a bad day. I understand and appreciate that you continued on and did a good job. Shows what type of man you are if we didn't pay attention to previous videos. In many years I have never known a mechanic to hop in their vehicle and go to the junk yard to get a part for a customer's vehicle repair. Hoping for you to have better days and thank you for your efforts, many times more than what I would do for viewers. Many other vloggers show the problem and don't worry if we can't see every single detail. I have spent a number of hours hanging around garages and have an imagination. Learned a lot from you, thanks.
I thought for an awful moment you were going to snip through your new repair wire when you went to trim off the zip ties. Then you repositioned the cutters and I was able to breathe again! Logical and effective as ever. Thank you
Good on ya for plugging away on this, in spite of thinking it’s in the ‘too hard’ category meaning it’s a $ losing proposition. But ‘good’ customers appreciate your efforts and won’t winch when presented with the bill.
The last section of your video rings too true. Always the last one to look at it. I had a old 1996 Volvo Olympian B10b yesterday, cutting out. The wiring to the fuel pump had been "repaired". The repair was cack, Blue connectors joined to 3 core & two lots of twin core in a engine bay with a bit of tape smeared round it. I done exactly the same as you held my nose & just put new heat shrink joints in & taped it up. Keep up the good work & videos
Eric - like a fine wine, the customers coming to you are saving the best for last!!! Only if they new to come to you first!! Keep up the honorable and fantastic work you perform for all of us!!!
Guys like you are a rare find, actually solving the problem long after others give up . Guys like you also teach their kids a good work ethic and make people say “ those kids have parents who raised them right” . Keep the course and keep showing everyone that someone still cares.
Great job as always. Its all good, every one has bad days, and it has been hot as hell. I know I'm a heavy equipment field mechanic in South Jersey, and its been CRAZY HOT OUTSIDE 🔥.
Eric, those arthritic hands were working very well on this one. I don't know if mine would be able to handle this job. Excellent video as always. Thanks for Sharing!
Great work getting the customer back on the road. I can’t believe Ford just sent that thing from the factory with that entire harness exposed before god and everybody like that.
I think the audio was fine with the fans running in the background. I don’t watch for movie level quality, I like the humor and wisdom of a shop owner who has some of the same struggles we do and appreciate the time and effort you take while trying to run a shop, support all kinds of crazy customers and everything else that’s involved.
The thing that we like about you Eric is that you treat your customers like you want to be treated, you've always got that one but majority of the people respect you I know that we do thank you for your hard work
I understand your frustration and I agree with you. Sometimes it is better to take a little time out and regroup with a fresh head and attitude. Love your channel and I get a lot from your teachings at auto mechanics as well as life in general. This recent heatwave gives a whole new meaning to hot headed. Hang in there. Winter is just a couple of months away then we can complain about how much colder than a mother lover it is. We sincerely appreciate what you do and always look forward to your next video. Keep up the good work. Thanks for all you do. Shout out from Texas.
headlights are so overrated! amazing diagnostics and repair you are the only guy to give me confidence to do repairs and servicing on my vehicle. Thank you Mr & Mrs O
Having repaired equipment for many years I feel your pain. We used to call them buddy bugs. It shows that when you are great at your job people know. Great video!
Thanks for the video Eric. I appreciate your frustration, having been the one who has to come in and clear other people's mess myself. All you can do is what's right for everyone involved.
It's been hot down here where I live. Humidity is my biggest problem. The city is along side of a river. So the humidity is bad here. It's supposed to be 94 today here. I have asthma real bad. I can't take the heat. In winter I can't take the extreme cold either. Thanks for the video you have given me ideas.
Eric, I really appreciate you being human in these videos. There is no way to get those jobs constantly and not get frustrated now and again! Good job walking away before you broke something, and excellent job coming back and finishing the job. I know you still get bothered constantly by freeloaders calling in even though you ask them to stop. We really appreciate you still making the videos. They are very educational, and we feel like part of the family.
