What a great shop, it's nice to see that level of integrity and respect for the customer. Looks like an awesome place to learn. Nice tire flip technique, those certainly look heavy!
Ellie, so proud of you! Love the trick of putting the rotor on backwards to clean the back side. I also love this shop honest while earning a living, imagine that, LOL. I would definitely go to them for service.
I’ve been following you since you started and I gotta say, you’ve turned out to be quite a young woman. I know your parents are proud of you and probably tell you that, but really, to see how you’ve matured and how responsible you’ve become. I really can’t wait to see what the next chapter brings to Ellie.
Hit the wheel from the inside, so you won't hit the body. Looks like an honest shop, kind of rare. Been doing this for going on 24 years, and I'd say your are doing great and learning the correct, honest way. Looking forward to more videos to come. Great job!
@@ElliesGarage I wouldn't even hit it unless its last resort. I run my own shop and seen waaaay too many wheels get damaged even with rubber mallets (and i tell my workers the same thing). Personally usually start with the wheels just off the ground (save your back if you're lifting wheels and don't have a wheel lift, drop wheel straight on the ground, and if you lower the hoist so wheels would be just off the ground, 10x easier to just sit down, legs either side and use your legs/hips to lift heavy wheels up that little bit and slip it on, save your back!) If they don't fall off, or come off with a good backwards kick (ie back to car, kick back like a horse), then just wind a wheel nut or two on a couple turns, then drop the hoist till the tyre just hits the ground. 9/10 times it'll come loose, atleast enough that a kick will pop it completely loose. End of the day, it could take a tiny bit longer but it takes you out of that situation of potentially damaging a rim or something, which is really what a lot of the job entails, avoid or minimize situations where damage can occur, even if it might be "the long way" of doing things Anyway, great job, keep it up! I love having people like you through the shop!
OK, I've got a lot to say here..... First, Brad, Thank you for bringing Ellie in under your wing and teaching her to be a mechanic. I know running a business is tough these days, but you still took the time to bring in a trainee. Good on you Sir. Totally awesome! Second, Ellie, you stepped up to the uncomfortable side and listened, learned, and conquered the fears, and became a professional mechanic! SO COOL!!! GOOD FOR YOU!!! Watching this video your Dad took, I can just see the confidence you've gained in having to make a decision on a customer's, filter's dirtiness, brake pad thickness, etc. I'm sure it was tough, but you dug in and paid attention and now you're doing it. As a Dad and Grandpa, I'm so proud of you.... and I don't even know you. LOL. Keep on being you. Don't worry, You'll do alright in life. Love the videos. Be safe!
1:39 When wheels get stuck like that, I’ll loosen the lug nuts about a 16th of an inch or less but do not take them off, then lower the vehicle back down so the wheels/vehicle is back on the ground so the lift is not holding the vehicle. Then grab hold of the corner of the vehicle and start shaking it left to right using the weight of the vehicle and then they’ll break loose pretty easy. It’s also easier to take the wheels off when the vehicle is close to the ground so you don’t have to lift them off when they’re 4 feet off the ground, same one putting them back on. Let the lift work for you
I am elated that all the hard work both of you put into car can literally pay off...in a possible future career. Yes...for now, there's school first, but... Just look at all you can do! I'm proud of you. Aloha. ♥
Great job Ellie. I'm passing along some safety info I got from my high school auto shop instructor back in 1969 that I still fallow today when working on car's. To be safe remove all jewelry and watch. Just my 2 cents keep up the good work
I stopped to watch this, because it looked interesting....and it was! I am also a car enthusiast, and a DIYer. I've been fooling with cars for a long time (senior citizen). I'm very impressed with your knowledge and ability, at such a young age. Whether you make your living in the automotive field or not, you are WAY AHEAD of most of today's young folks. Way to go, Ellie....and way to go, Ellie's Mom and Dad !!!!! Oh yeah....I subscribed, the minute that I finished watching.
marshallgibson8872 And we all know what BFH stands for . Big Ford Hammer. I know that all to well I have several Fords at my house and they all have seen the hammer more than once.
Awesome job Ellie. As a certified Auto Service Tech and Heavy Duty Mechanic for over 45 years it's awesome to see more ladies breaking into the trades. Point of note though, please wear latex or nitrile gloves when working or especially while working with chemicals. Way to many mechanics have suffered the consensus of cancer from exposing themselves unnecessarily to them while working in the shop.
Awesome vid. Very nice of that shop owner to bring in under his wing. I did the same for a married couple back in the day. You are our future TECH....MOPAR 4 EVER.
Outstanding Ellie. Takes me back. Been in the Automotive Industry all my life. The BIG takeaway is Honesty. Cars break, Components fail and Parts wear out. No urgency to engage in the efforts to sell people things (repairs) they don't need.
I agree with you...If you find something you are really interested in, you tend to learn fast. The shop owner really needs a big boost here. He let you in and took a chance and let your dad come in for some video. Looks like you served him very well. Great job and interesting video.
I'm a 260 LB dude with a wheel and tire combo like that F150. She made that look easy. They are HEAVY!! I can barely put them on by myself. Glad to see you and Brad work together to recruit the next generation of technicians, too!
I see a auto tech in the making great job . That shop seems very respectful in customer service I've never seen any shop in my area that would take pictures and send them to a customer , very cool .
1:50 I would be careful there you could easily miss and put a massive dent in the truck. Personally I would loosen the lug nuts a little and hit it from the inside. That way the wheel wont go flying off when you hit it and the risk of damaging the threads is lower.
Good point on hitting it from the inside. No chance of the wheel going flying--I always put one lug nut back on before I hit it, but that is a good point about hitting inside. Sounds much safer. Thanks!
Elle in Beast mode with that wheel!!! Missed Carl in this video, but so excited to see how far you've come! Keep up the great work, and shout-out to a great shop that cares about the customers and cars, not the cash!
Brad is a great guy to give you this chance and teach you while getting paid. You're lucky you live in Virginia. I'm from Ohio and the wheels are 10 times harder to get off and the amount of rust makes every job more difficult.
Congrats on the job. Are you thinking about working as a mechanic professionally? It is a good experience even if you don't make it your profession. When I was a kid, I learned about engine repair from adult friends and neighbors. I had high school friends who took auto shop classes in school and also had parents who were mechanics. In the summer, after I graduated from high school, we rebuilt the engine of my Falcon. After that, I did most of the repairs and maintenance on all my cars. When I went to the shop it was because I wasn't equipped for the job.
Not professionally, but I could see it being my summer job while I'm in school. But I think I'll always have a project car. It's just so fun and I love it.
I definitely recommend wearing hearing protection when using an impact wrench or a hammer. I didn't during my apprentice years and my hearing is not as good as it should be now
Thanks! I just tried to listen and learn a lot, and I was never scared to ask a question. The whole team there was great and they were always willing to help and answer questions. I learned SO MUCH and gained a lot of confidence along the way.
That's awesome and so cool to see the passion for cars being passed on and pursued. You've already learned one of the most valuable lessons.... giving a few whacks of persuasion from a Tonya Harding will make most jobs easier 😂 Keep up the great work.
Thank you again for the amazing donation. Please send us an email at ellie@elliesgarage.com. We'd like to send you some merch and invite you to our next Patreon livestream at the end of the month. Thanks again. - Matt (Ellie's dad)
Very nice work. A few things I would add, lube the backing plate on the brake pad where it rides on the hardware. The metal to metal contact can cause a squeal during braking. Another thing, when you're inspecting toyotas especially 4 cylinder models, check all around the valve cover. Toyotas are notorious for leaking at the valve cover especially the back side. All in all though, great job. Good job on the shop too for their honesty and how they operate. I would work there. Another tip, try using an air hammer on the hat of the rotor to knock them off. It's loud but so much easier and faster than hitting it with a hammer. That's a trick I picked up watching South main auto. You should check him out
i have an old 1963 Series IIa Landrover i have as a daily drive and has been for the past 19 years now. many people dont like old stuff as daily drives as they lack the modern creature comforts mine is ranked among the worst for creature comforts, not only do i not have boosted brakes, neither do i have power steering and also neither do i have air-con but not only that i aint got any fans or heater or anything fitted, and i daily drive it. but its good to see you daily drive an old car it takes guts, and yes the Land rover is my first car too i have never owned any other vehicles.
Right?! I struggled picking up big wheels, but then they showed me how to pick up big wheels like that and I couldn't believe how much easier it was. Dad was so surprised!
You also put the lugs on with an impact wrench. It should be snugged but not put on with an impact... only with a torque wrench. Well most places do this wrong, but it is a shame they didn't do a better job telling you these things. 😢
I realized i only commented on things that need improving... i cringed when i saw you swinging the sledge too... i noticed someone else gave you the better way if hitting from under the car... at least hit from the bottom of the wheel to aovod costly damage to the vehicle. There are lots of shops that do damage then act like they didn't do it. Another thing was the car on the lift with it running and in gear.. that can be so dangerous. Stopping those wheels is also tricky, if you hit the breaks fast can ne bad but much better than putting it in park with the wheels turning. All chringe worthy. I do think this is a great shop. Looks like they are teaching you pretty well.
Do they really tell you to put the stop squeak on the front of the pad in contact with the rotor? I am shocked. That is not what causes the squeak, it is also really bad for stopping. The pads themselves should not be squeaking. I have always been told the stop squeak is for the back of the pad where metal hits metal.
You're not wrong. There are some products that go on the backing plate, but this one is specifically for the pad surface. www.bgprod.com/catalog/brakes/bg-stop-squeal/#Usage
Ellie's 2nd professional mechanic lesson (which she probably knew from all her other videos) - don't work in front of dudes. They will always tell you how you're doing it wrong. ;)
