since you now have to pay for the brake clean i recommend buying it in gallon jugs. then just use those refillable sprayers you charge with compressed air. its WAY WAY cheaper. they got like a tire stem at the bottom so you can just fit a airsupply to the table for easy charging.
I 100% agree with your decision. I heard a story where 1 person was caught with weed in their van and everyone was effected. Everyone who rode in that van got grouped with the 1 person who had weed. What scares me is that I rode with that person once. This was after a work night through a temp agency at a convenience store.
@@Egon1982 I understand work ethics, dedication to one's customers, and to go one step further pgoing on Vacation isn't for everyone. There are many variables that makes each one of our lives unique. However, there are lives that go by and time passed can never be retrieved or made up for. I know people who have been so dedicated to their work/careers that their families have been deprived and/or suffered from neglect as a result of it. To some, work is another form of coping or escapism. I'm not saying this is the case for the OP, I'm just giving insight of what I've experienced in life.
@@549BR My brain registered a few different meanings from the way that the last part of your sentence was worded. All of them were humourous. Thank you for those. 😁
The comment Ray made about the turn and burn mentality at his last employment got me, just that alone must have been a big weight off his shoulders that he isn’t having to rush jobs because we all know were rushing gets us,,, we lose the 10mm socket 😂. I just love the way he works he’s just a natural mechanic.
You know if you ever decide to stop turning a wrench, you could be a fantastic automotive instructor! You have the patience AND you're great at explaining things in a simple, easy to understand way. I'm dead serious. Professor Rainman Ray.
Something must be wrong with me. I'm a 25 year recertified Master Tech and have owned my own shop for 19 years and I can't stop watching your videos on my down time. Great job bud. Doing your own thing is not for everyone. But when it works, it works. Oh, you have me calling my wife of 30 years my "Wife Unit".
Ray, I knew a guy who worked for an A/C company that promised a response in less than an hour. It worked like this: when a call came in, the dispatcher looked up which technician was nearest the new call. The tech would tell the existing customer that they needed a part - and charge them extra for a trip charge. Then they would go to the new call, assess the situation, tell them they needed a part and charge them extra, also. Then return to the original customer. My buddy quit for obvious ethical reasons. He said some of the techs would laugh at how they would charge a customer 3 or 4 trip charges for no reason. Sad. congrats on your venture.
When I was an HVAC tech. I would remain on the job until the full hour the customer paid for was up. Never overcharged them but if I was on a planned service call or a simple repair I would inspect the whole system in the remaining time. You pay for a hr you get the entire hour in my book
@@biffmalibu3733 Here in Finland , hours start, when you leave "office" and stops when back, only kilometers are charged extra, for costs of vehicle, if really close (some 10 km ) not even that. And if some parts are missing, you still pay only total hours only, + parts ofcourse. Once one 1-2 man company owner came to install my ac/heating pump, and did not have that refedrigant? with him, and was so hurry, he just informed me to ask someone else, and left, no bill tho, and I was happy, even it was already cold outside, so needed that system working, took over a month to find some ho had time
It blew your mind and the kid blew his too. If it is a habit you have you forget where you are sometimes. Like a guy pulling out a stogie at a funeral service. Almost lit it too. The look on his face was the best.
I agree with you totally. When I took ownership of my shop, we switched from flat rate to straight time. This makes it easier to focus on providing the customer with quality repair at a reasonable price without the technicians being driven by money to do the wrong thing.
Getting fired was by far the best thing that ever happened to you. You sound obscenely happier now that you can do things your way and focus on doing a good job
@@rjcolombe I would say that Ray's attitude of get the job done at minimum customer cost and maximum customer satisfaction was at odds with his firms philosophy of make the most money
As a retired ASE Master Mechanic and former Service Manager you get an A+ for your work. Absolutely perfect job! You did all the little things that really matter like lubing the brake pins and performing the correct after-repair road test. Outstanding! Guess all that is left is paper floor mats and plastic seat covers...
An SA that is a REAL mechanic is an anomaly. The best SA's I've known could sell ice cubes to Eskimos, but often knew less about wrenching than the weekend warrior DIY customers. 454
@@roberta4989 Thanks for the thought, but no chance. Neighbours and locals have me challenged in my 16M x 8M shed with its car hoist, 3.5 tonne 4M long lathe, milling machines, welders and all the other equipment I have. If you have time, drop into Sydney and I will take up some up some of the "free" time you have. On the other side, these folk who keep me busy are also the first here when I need some help. We have an excellent community. We also have a good laugh or two, often at my expense. They get upset when I say it is hard for me to soar like an eagle when I am surrounded by all these turkeys. Strange - they seem to think that I am the turkey but that is definitely not the case - in my eyes anyway. Take care.
YOU WERE RIGHT ABOUT THE POT THING, IN MORE WAYS THAN ONE ! THAT GUYS NAME WASN'T RICKY HARRINGTON WAS IT ??? 😊 AND BY THE WAY THAT STUFF IS A DRUG !!! THATS WHY THAT PERSON DIDN'T HAVE ENOUGH COMMON SENSE NOT TO LITE THAT STUFF UP WHILE ON THE JOB !!!! JUST BECAUSE USERS DO STUFF DOESN'T MEAN THAT THE WHOLE WORLD CONDONES IT !!! THAT GUY WAS AN AIR HEAD !!!! YOU DID YOURSELF A FAVOR!!!!! 😊
What a coincidence....currently I'm struggling with a workshop that literally left messy work after an oil and brake fluid change....the mechanics here would only work like you....I'm very happy to pay very good ones Work..
Congrats to you on your new venture. Quality, not quantity is the basis of the same move I made over thirty years ago. After being aggravated over business owners I worked for who neglected quality, I started my own business. Years later, I have retained 96% of my customers and have never been happier, or more financially stable. Good luck to a long and profitable business!
"....I can focus more on quality than quantity..." Right there, that is a microcosm of why your customers should benefit and anyone near you who needs vehicle repairs would be remiss to not seek your services. Good luck!
Yep double charging for labor no longer needed being your own shop owner you can also help people out and give cheaper cost if you choose as well @Rainman Ray's Repairs
Ray, you just sound so much happier and far less frustrated than you were before. So glad you are living your own life. You deserve it. I was sure i saw the stock value of brake cleaner drop by over 80% when you left the shop!
@@RainmanRaysRepairs Been on a near 30 year Honeymoon period with my lovely partner Ray so ignore the negatives. I know you will anyway my friend. Don't understand why some people have to inject their misery in everything. BTW loving the old 95 4.0 Jeep posts Ray. Take care from across the pond.
I have been a mechanic for 46 years and Master ASE auto and Master Truck Certified. Have owned a me shop for about 20 years but now semi retired. A word of advice is, "Do Not Let The Business Own You. You own it. My daughter actually owns a Quick Lube Business and a Towing business.
It's always a pleasure to see a conscientious mechanic and an honest one to boot. I am 70 and I have never seen a mechanic actually use a torque wrench on mounting tires. They always use an impact gun to tighten bolts, not an electric one but an air-driven one.
As an aside, I teach people how to service their car in Land Down Under (I am a licensed but retired mechanic). After together lifting car on hoist and checking/servicing everything, most of them are concerned when we get to putting the wheels back on and they see me with my impact wrench. I then show them what is, and how to use a torque wrench and how to set it at the correct setting (after they look it up). Then I tighten the wheels on my rattle gun and get them to check the torque with their torque wrench. They are surprised that if anything they can tighten nuts maybe 5 - 10NM. I would dare to say that all mechanics know their impact wrenches - they use them all day long and it does not take long before you can judge fairly accurately what torque you have applied. Problem is many don't care. Another thing I get person I am teaching to do is for them to get the wheel removal tool out of the boot (trunk). Then get them to use that tool to undo the wheel nuts (lugs) as though they were on the side of the road with a flat tyre. Sure it takes a reasonable shove to loosen the nuts but it can be done without undue strain on the body. So in all, it is not the impact wrench that creates the problem - it is the non-caring operator.
I always had old crappy compressors. Now have a spinal issue and cant judge weights or force. Been using a torque wrench for lug nuts since i was 16. From too loose to a broken stud at 15. I learned that one early 😁.
You mentioned the importance of lubing the pins. The people who assembled my last car, a 2005 Monte Carlo, didn't realize that, and the right front caliper ran the inboard pad out far faster than it should have, and I got in an accident because I couldn't stop in time. The damage wasn't bad, but still troublesome. You can imagine my annoyance when I discovered how the pins weren't lubed when I went to change the pads. So, yeah, lubing the pins is quite important.
Two weeks ago I did break some of my car I saw Ray glue the pins I actually pulled the wheels back off in the calipers back out and made sure to lube the pins it was a little extra but I like Ray and I also believe in doing things right thank you Ray have a good day
although, I've heard that you shouldn't grease the tip of the pin as it can stop it moving all the way in (not even sure it needs to do that) as the grease will sit at the end like an incrompressable blockage. However since I'm a keyboard jockey I've no idea about the real world so someone else needs to lurn me a few tings ...... Ray ?
Using the right lube is also part of the equation. My dealer used "brake grease" on those slide pins but the grease was for installing brake seals and piston and NOT the sliding pins. That was fun taking apart..
Yes it's very important to have those sliding pins moving, so it puts equal pressure on each brake pad, and sometimes when doing a brake job their seized in there and can be a real stinker loosening them up
@@DeepakKumar-lv4te Depends on the construction. On my Monte Carlo, the end of the pins screwed into the bracket and held the calipers on, so they needed grease on the whole shaft except the threads on the end. The problem I had was just on the front right. The other three were lubed properly, so I had examples of such.
Rust belt tech here...I hate you :) You remove 4 bolts and hub falls out. Whilst I remove 4 rusted bolts and grab a 20lb sledge and pray to God I'm able to save a corroded mess of a knuckle. In any case I've been wanting to drop you a quick note and wish you the best of luck in your new endeavors. Keep up the good work! You are truly an inspiration! Don't forget to charge for what you are worth, but never lose yourself to greed.
best thing about working for yourself is you deal with the customer directly, one on one, find out their vehicle issues and problems first hand in their words. and quote on what actually needs to be repaired and any other issued you may find in the process, or what you need to do too diagnose the problem, and when you finish they pay you, its your money
Only thing I would say Ray is sometimes customers need their vehicle. Having your car in the shop for 3 days is not an option. Any potential additional labor charges would be eaten up by a car rental. Just another way of looking at it. Choice for the customer is always good.
I agree and would add that it's not good look for the car to be there an extra day because Ray "forgot" about the bearing needed replaced, also as a shop owner you want to get the cars off your property as soon as possible for liability purposes.
So you go by foot, drive your bike or take the bus for a day or two. Have someone pick you up, drive you around, take your second car. Hitchhike and get abducted... make new friends! Next you're going to tell me people need their car to drive to their mailbox... 😅
@@frederikjacobs552 Your attempts at humor and alternative modes of transportation are lame and miss the point, a business owner must be of service to the customer and keeping their car longer than what's reasonable will lose you that customer just as fast as a bad repair or grossly overcharging them.
@@indianaslim4971 it's good that you watch videos like this as you have yet to learn. You can have fast service with poor results, you can have slow service with great results. You cannot have fast service with great results because of the difficulties this type of work can present, even to the most skilled workers. If there's 12 hours work to do and parts have to be ordered in, what're you gonna do? Take your car back and try to get the same quality work done in half the time? What if you've wrecked your engine because you can't even check a dipstick, you're definitely not getting that back in 24 hours. People like you, with this grandiose sense of entitlement have no fkn idea . Give the people you rely on a break, or get off your high horse and learn to do it yourself.
Customers keep coming back when they see you do a quality job (repair). A quality job tells the customer that you care about them and the work you do. An old mechanic told me one time: "Give your customers a little extra at no charge and you'll have loyal customers for life."
Hi Ray, it’s great to see that you have settled into being self-employed so quickly. Just wondered how "Wife Unit" reacted to not having the certainty of a regular wage coming in compared to the vagrancies of running your own repair shop. From the video's she seems to in there in full support (so she deserves a 'well done' alsol).
I guarantee the wife unit is Happy simply because Ray's not coming home burned out plus the extra travel time I think everybody the whole family is happy and they deserve it and I'm happy to for all of them have a great day
Find out, how much he made with yt-videos. Wife unit will never ever again be concerned about money! Great! I will do my own channel, very small, with different content, to make 500 extra a month.
Ray, since you probably has a previous customer base of many years. It has followed you. I know as I did not miss a beat when I built and opened my shop. Just be prepared as there that one customer or customer vehicle that will drive you insane.
I always like the details. They make the difference between a man who can put together things and a technician. A technician is always checking the details. I can tell, perfectly done. Thank you for all these lessons you give us.
I'm a 30 year mechanic... I thank you Ray Erik and Ivan for helping me out of jambs I didn't think I could... y'all taught an old dog new tricks.... the three of you are dare I say it God's in the mechanics world.... and you are getting new people into fixing cars hats off to you
I think you are right that most people dont really want to go/use retal repair. The issue is its hard to find that awesome small shop. Thats one huge bonus you have is people can see your work to have that safety to know you will do the right thing.
My father-in-law is a mechanic and has helped me do the brakes on my caravan. He taught me to take a wire brush to the channels that the clips ride in and even a file when necessary. He thought it was very important to keep those channels clean and square.
Going into business for myself was the best move we ever made. The first few years were a bliss, then it became the hardest most painful thing ever. We endured and prospered. So glad we it it. Best of luck young man, you’ll do fine.
I had no doubt that you would succeed. Your standards and integrity are key to your success in your business endeavours. Your sense of humour and sharing your valuable knowledge on UA-cam, being honest and a decent human being, as well! I am not car savvy, in any way, shape or form but I understand when you explain things!😊🇨🇦
Highlight of the day .... Brake Cleaner !!!!!!! ..... made my whole day (if not week) worthwhile .... my wife thinks I'm crazy but she doesn't know what she's missing.
👍I like your attitude about putting the customer first. It's refreshing to see your attitude, if I was in your part of the country I'd be searching you out for my service. Keep it up and I'm convinced that you'll never be lacking for work.
Hey Ray, you are the best. I started my career with Fiat right out of high school in 1975 and have specialized in electrical, drivability, and computer control/automotive networks. Being on your own is the best, having had my own shop, (high end foreign) were really good times. Now that I retired, I still do side jobs at my mini shop in NC. A couple a few suggestions, Loctite on the bearing carrier bolts, spray some penetrant on the piston dust seal, it will allow the piston to turn easier, you can also run a pick around the piston and seal to pull it away and allow the penetrant to sink in, it really is amazing what a difference how this helps especially on older cars. Finally, Science is a killer, if we ignore it, we end up paying a price. So I would suggest an aqueous brake cleaner rather than "brake cleaner", basically a sucker hose blower combination stuck in a gallon of simple green and water, WHY??? I am now 65 and was diagnosed with neuropathy in my feet, not diabetes but chemical induced, exposure to Nitro Methane, Non Chlorinated Brake cleaner, gasoline damaged the nerves, so please be cautious, the detergent works well enough and no side effects. The Ever Wishing You Success BlueMule
Makes perfect sense, saving labor costs by taking care of several things while apart saves the customer money and gives the more of a resin to come back.
Hi Ray, it tickled me when you said Eric O. If you're referring to Eric at South Main Auto. If I'm not watching, you I'm watching Eric. You're both Top shelf mechanics.
Hey Ray similar story, My dad had a small asphalt paving company and this is before drug testing was a thing, My dad had 3 dump trucks and he came home one day during the day when I was a kid to get his checkbook, and my mom could tell that he was pissed. so she asked him what was going on. He had hired a family members friend who had a commercial drivers license but couldn't seem to keep a job. Well "Rusty" had been working for him for a couple of weeks and seemed to be doing a good job every day until after lunch when he would not come back to work on time, the truck would sometimes sit there for an hour or hour and a half after the lunch break. Anyway, This day my dad was coming back to the plant and he sees Rusty's El Camino parked behind the shop, so I goes over thinking that Rusty has been sneaking off to take a nap. When he pulls up to the truck, he sees Rusty laying in the back of the truck smoking a joint. My dad's a pretty cool guy, But when he asked Rusty what the hell he is doing getting high at lunch Rusty looks my dad in the eyes and says "Lunch is My Time" and keeps smoking. My dad told him to stay there till he got back and took the keys to the 40,000 lb dump truck that the guy was going to get into after "His time" . LOL. Dad came home got the checkbook and payed Rusty for what he had worked the first part of the week and sent him home and told him "It's all your time now man". Rusty said, you can't fire me for something I did off the clock.. Anyway, he didn't understand that he was still under the influence long after he smoked it.
What this moron failed to understand was that it was Ray that was going to be hauled away in handcuffs when the cop found someone smoking a class 1 product within a thousand feet of a school zone. Digging ditches for lawn sprinklers was probably the only thing he was qualified for.
Long after is a bit generous to the plant. Usually it's at most an hour if smoked. Long after would be edibles and such. Not disagreeing with his decision or anything, just adding some info
@@matth4069 What? Here in the real world if you don't get drug tested on a site,there is something wrong. I have seen people fired who had smoked a few days before being tested in the mistaken belief that once they they "thought" they were straight were very much mistaken. If THC is your system it stays there for days in your flesh. Stoners are a danger to their fellow workers and have no place around others on a work site or in charge of heavy machinery. There is even a mandatory drug test when applying for a job interview .
If you start to employ mechanics / techs i hope you drill home how important the small details are for the business' reputation, no bodge it or short cuts, this is YOUR reputation and business model. They may have to spend the extra minutes and or work an hour a day longer to keep your high standards Ray, best of luck in this exciting part of your life.
Very good point! With my truck which I have uuummmm! commented here. The blanket on my truck seat was Clean when it went in!!!!!! Came back to me with a lot of dirty/ oil on it, so needed Mr Clean to clean it ( $14.00) with the cold temps I have not been able to finish reinstalling it!!!!!! Maybe to day. When I go out to work on my truck in the bush I take work cloths, 5L of hot water to wash with . The kid who did the one inspection on it Chipped the paint on the door. got his big dirty boots on the 4 plastic floor panels and 3 carpets. When I built that cab part I would go in clean in the morning then to put my slippers on do the work then finish. If I don't make a mess I don't have to Clean it up. what a novel thought The WIF water in fuel censor was on the exhaust manifold, that will burn! They tightened up the front cab mounts with their impact gun. They did re-torque them indicating to me that (it was NOT Done) I did loosen them 90* RHS 30* LHS. Back to where it was before they started it. Rant. thanks
In my opinion Ray won't ever need to hire a mechanic, his u-tube channel will continue being his main income with the work being more profitable as content than as the actual profit from the job, about all he needs is someone to clean the shop, run parts, shuttle customers to and from the shop to their jobs/home and back when their car is finished.
I wonder if Ray would have the time and inclination to train new staff from pretty much scratch, to do things the right way. It could be very difficult if he gets experienced technicians in who may have been working in an environment when taking shortcuts ('finding efficiencies' or whatever PHBs may try and pass it of as) is encouraged/incentivised, who could then end up costing him in reputation. Not that I am just looking to smear anyone, it's just a case of what they believe to be acceptable not being compatible with what Ray is trying to achieve.
Ray, the huge problem is that far too few people in your industry are honest. They've all been taught to turn and burn, and that's what they know. I can't blame the guys who work for the shop, it's usually the service writers who are under direction from mgmt.
THANK YOU FOR HOLDING THE LABEL OF THE SPRAY CAN IN FRONT OF THE CAMERA. This adds to the D-I-Y value of your videos - so we amateurs can emulate your expert knowledge and techniques. A friend has cross-indexdd all your videos by subject or model number or technique. His home library of home is so useful for pre-repair review. And that bloody phone is GONE!
Hey Ray, Chris here Good for you man! I started with my own landscape company out of highschool as well, then went into carpentry. Ten yrs later started my own Building and remodeling company. I as well focused on quality in fact that was my motto, "Quality building and remodeling " and I would tell the may sayers "At least I can put my head on my pillow at night knowing I did the right thing" Keep on keepin on man, it's the right thing.
Started my repair business fifty years ago this last summer.Working by myself on my own property.With nearly no operating expenses,I can afford to waste a lot of my time for the benefit of the customers that deserve my generosity. Good for you, appreciated.
You always sounded happy enough when you were at the last shop but there's an extra spring in your voice now that you're working for yourself. The work is rolling in nicely so good cash flow, you're well on your way.
Ray, your comment about double labor is correct and the reason I don't go to places like Pep Boys, etc. unless I absolutely have to. I find independently owned shops better. For example, I went to get a quote on how much it would cost to replace some seals on my 07 Monte LT. Places like Pep Boys wanted a little more and they talked about how they was going to move the engine over to get to the rear main seal ... an independent shop that I went to get a quote from, gave me a quote for the seals I requested, but said that since he'll be pulling the engine out, it'd be a good time to replace all of the seals at once since he'd have access to them ... and the price difference was only a couple hundred more (if I recall right) and he'd do it over 3 days. So yes, the commercially owned repair shops wanted to get me in and out a.s.a.p. where the independently owned shop would take a little longer and suggested more work, but that work would potentially save me in the long run ... the only problem using him is that it's just the father and son working right now and they're booked until around the New Year (if I'm not mistaken) ... and he's always working on a car and has quite a few in his lot waiting for repairs. I may send you an email to get a quote from you, even though you're roughly 2 hours from me.
It's so refreshing seeing you work out from under the influence of those retail overlords. Well done Ray! Wish I had the time and money to carry my vehicles down there, I'd be thrilled to have you fix a few annoying things that a previous mechanic didn't get quite right.
You should lube your shims before installing. Any time you have metal to metal on a surface that could work it's self to move like side to side like the shims.
So gratifying watching you grow. Remarkable how you went from employee to business owner. And now you can take your time and use your own judgment with these repairs and maintenance. And you are doing the same work for much money . And the content for UA-cam while others learn from you. Win win
I appreciate your honesty to your customers and the overall respect you have for your craft, I also strongly believe in quality over quantity, which I believe will be more beneficial to your business, best of luck to you and your business, keep doing what you're doing!
Honesty and quality always going to be your edge. And you can charge more because you provide a better job. If someone doesnt like it, there are churn and burn places they may go to
The business model of quality over quantity starts with thinkers like yourself. As long as you are honest and do quality work, you will always have customers that will bring their needs to you.
I hope you meant "quality over quantity", otherwise it may sound a bit opposite to what Ray's philosophy is. Never mind, I will take the chance that that is what you meant.
There's not a lot of mechanics taking a car for a testdrive in my country. You take your time to do it. That says enough. Brilliant and honest mechanic.
18:20 Perfect job Ray. Every time I had new tires installed, when I went to remove a wheel it was over torqued with an impact wrench to about 250-300 ft/lbs and wouldn’t come off without having to go back to the shop and have them use their impact wrench. I think you’re the only honest mechanic in the world who torques the wheels to spec. 🙏🏼
I'm not saying an impact isn't lazy and dangerous, but a good mechanic can get it in the ballpark with his own impact gun. Some people have the touch and some are cowboys. The cowboys get it so tight they deform the wheel and the nut, assuming you can even get it loose to see.
One tip that I learned from racing is when you're cooling your brakes after getting heat in them, try not to sit anywhere (at a light for example) with the brakes on. Try to get to your destination and then let them cool the rest of the way. It can cause pad material to stick to the rotors. It can also cause issues with the rotors cracking. I would've temporarily put the car in neutral at the light. Actually, what I do is go our at night with no traffic, but that's not convenient for someone running a business.
bro what are you on about lol. dude isnt making a le mans prototype braking at the end of the mulsanne straight, he is a mechanic with a garage working in a street car on the street!
@@byloyuripka9624 It applies to bedding in street pads as well. Imagine getting new pads smoking hot and then just sitting with the new pads against the new rotors. The pad material could transfer to that one spot on the rotor and cause runout.
That shot bearing hub, popped right out. How lucky you were on that one... A great mechanic has learned how to manipulate matter at a distance. You absolutely have this talent, its also known as entanglement in the quantum world. Your stamina is a freak of nature, I have no idea how you can work so hard and long in 90 ish degree weather, and simply not drop dead... Mind over matter... You are a superman...
Working for yourself does have its benefits. Like you, I enjoyed having the time to do the job right, like it was my daughter's car and being the quality control of my own work product. Also, I could buy the parts that I knew I could stand behind and the vendors that I bought them from would also stand behind them. The largest enjoyment was being able to actually get to know the owners of the vehicles, know their driving habits for the most part and what they were really expecting from me and their vehicle. You sound like you are actually enjoying coming to work, which is the most important thing.
Nice video Ray. Watching from Australia on my 2 week annual leave.( no exhaust work in my town this week ) . I hope some newer guys got some tips from this. Especially with customers perceived smoke issues when a decent " bed in" test drive eliminates most of that. Cheers, Tim.
I went out "on my own" in the plumbing trade 12 yrs ago. It took a lot of praying and trusting God, but I haven't regretted it. Taxes are crazy. But that goes with it.
Cool story bro. Did god pick up any late night jobs or miracle some money into your bank account for you? Or did you do all the hard work yourself and make it happen on your own? Give yourself the credit you deserve man. You did this. Not some magic man you whispered sweet nothins to. Take the credit for your hard work. Don't give it away!
The day I left retail and started working for myself was the second best day of my life. Now I specialize in AC in classic cars. I take only the jobs I want. My customers can always contact me. I waited far too long to do it. Enjoy your new life. I'll keep watching.
Ray, best of luck at the new shop. Definitely think it was the right move for you. Just a word of caution - UA-cam is terrible for copywrite strikes, and it might eventually pick up the music you are playing in the background. I've heard them doing worse with less.
yep, I got my buddy introuble a few times with the copyright detection system while he was streaming just for humming the A team theme while we're in mobile armor in battlefield multiplayer. Their detection system takes no prisoners.
I run a part time sole proprietorship shop and the freedom of picking and choosing what you work on and when is amazing. Having the option of just taking a day off from the shop if I'm just not feeling it is great. I have a very loyal customer base that understand that I'm part time and for the most part don't have an issue if it takes me a little extra time to get them in and out. My full time job pays the bills, mostly, I basically just turned my hobby into a legit small business.
Why don't you qyit you full time job, and turn your "hobby business" into your full time job? It makes ZERO sense to work full time making money for someone else, and then work part time making money directly for yourself... 😕
@@davelowets Because my full time job comes with good benefits and I'm only 4 1/2 years from retirement. And having to depend on wrenching to make a living would take a lot of the enjoyment out of it. If it was my sole income I'd probably have to take jobs that I'd rather not just to make sure the bills got paid.
So nice to see that your business is taking of so well, not that I ever doubted it wouldn't. You will most likely have a long waiting line of customers very soon. There is one thing I am missing though, the doodely doos....
It starts like this, innocently enough, but it soon mushrooms. Next step: hiring another mechanic because the workload justifies it. Then the other businesses complain to the landlord because Ray's customers are taking up all of the available parking spaces. Now Ray has a difficult decision to make...limit the number of cars he can work on, which leads to lost business, or expansion.
It pays to be thorough/precise, do it right 1st time & not have a customer return with the same issue. Customer satisfaction equates to return business & word of mouth advertisement/referals. Congrats , glad to see you're happy & stress free.
(Hey youtube, Ray is doing a good job.) Good videos, Ray, this one included. I'm enjoying your mannerisms, ethics, and principles. Glad to see you in your own space. The background is relaxing in these newer videos. As a former retail mechanic, your older videos always caused a little tension for me personally-- and it was just the retail shop backdrop and the expectation of some stress or annoyance. Wishing you good luck and skill in working for yourself (and your customers).
I can tell you’re very happy with your venture , glad you made the move, not much honest people like you around anymore , keep up the great job young man
What is changing the business model is, ethical people like you,who are using UA-cam to educate the consumer. Your skills are not the only things on point in your video. I’m not a mechanic, so I learn every time I watch your channel. It helps me be a better vehicle owner / operator /consumer. I’m learning for what to look out, and when to seek the help of a professional. Also, I’m learning when to be wary, and not just agree to everything the mechanic tells me. By the way, I would’ve fired the kid too. He lacks situational awareness. When you have a job in which you use machinery, that is a deadly combination. Not to mention, he put everyone in that car at risk, especially in a school zone. Penalties are so much greater. Plus if the school is a drug free zone, you’re screwed. That REQUIRES Florida Law Enforcement to enforce with ZERO tolerance. Thanks for producing this channel, and these videos. I would definitely trust my vehicles (and my family) to you and your skills.
I always enjoyed working for myself. Even when a customer has put 17K miles on the last oil change and tried to blame me for a tic in the engine. 😂😂😂 I was in the habit of dating and writing the milage on the filter before I installed it.
And you never get rid of receipts. I've read horror stories about people being denied warranty repairs because the dealership "lost" their records suing and winning because they kept all of the receipts.
The six month reassessment is a more a YMMV moment where many small business start-ups feel the pinch during a slow period and the small business owner will be more likely to question the change between corporate grunt and self-employed boss. Six months is the default choice of timeframe as it covers a season and a half and possibly covering a slow period. The truth is that I didn't have that reassessment question until more than 18 months after starting my self-employment. And more than 30 years later after dealing with a rash of entitled customers, I even went so far as to question my calling and wondered if selling macramé plant holders on a corner would've been a better choice. 😊
It’s amazing how less efficient it is when you have your own shop and are a one man show. I struggle with it everyday. Profits are much less but your pay is much more. It works out but is very wasteful. You get a worldpac account yet?
Ray..Been watching your channel since day one. My brother in law is also a mechanic for a corporate chain and very well respected. The one thing I have noticed about your mind set is the need to understand why something has failed thus giving you the ability to fix the real problem. One thing you could do...ever thought about the amount of scrap metal you will generate at your shop, you could take to a scrap yard occasionally for money to buy new equipment.
Ray, I didn't care for you when I first started watching you, however, after some time, I have grown to appreciate you and your hard work and the honest way you conduct yourself and your business. Best of wishes to you and yours!
The story of the fired employee is at 24:32
Homeboy was shumber than dit, eh?
Bro. This kid got me feelin good about myself. When I start working for someone I won’t even talk lmao let alone light up a joint while working 😭
@@Crisp_Crow lol ya right you'll do both of those things
since you now have to pay for the brake clean i recommend buying it in gallon jugs.
then just use those refillable sprayers you charge with compressed air.
its WAY WAY cheaper.
they got like a tire stem at the bottom so you can just fit a airsupply to the table for easy charging.
I 100% agree with your decision. I heard a story where 1 person was caught with weed in their van and everyone was effected. Everyone who rode in that van got grouped with the 1 person who had weed. What scares me is that I rode with that person once. This was after a work night through a temp agency at a convenience store.
Ran my own shop for 25 years, totally worth it as long as you don't let it become your whole life. Once I went 11 years without a vacation.
I'm envious of your entrepreneurial achievements Sir.
Why did you not take a vacation for those 11years?
@@glenj.taylor2938 because hes dedicated to his work and dont want to let down anyone - my guess as he seemd to be nice guy
When you really like what you're doing, there's little need need to vacate.
@@Egon1982
I understand work ethics, dedication to one's customers, and to go one step further pgoing on Vacation isn't for everyone.
There are many variables that makes each one of our lives unique.
However, there are lives that go by and time passed can never be retrieved or made up for. I know people who have been so dedicated to their work/careers that their families have been deprived and/or suffered from neglect as a result of it.
To some, work is another form of coping or escapism.
I'm not saying this is the case for the OP, I'm just giving insight of what I've experienced in life.
@@549BR
My brain registered a few different meanings from the way that the last part of your sentence was worded.
All of them were humourous.
Thank you for those. 😁
Is it me, or does Ray seem soo much happier since he's started working for himself now.
He’s having a ball 👍 I knew it was exactly what he needed..
The comment Ray made about the turn and burn mentality at his last employment got me, just that alone must have been a big weight off his shoulders that he isn’t having to rush jobs because we all know were rushing gets us,,, we lose the 10mm socket 😂. I just love the way he works he’s just a natural mechanic.
All we need is to correct the telephone's ring to be "Do-do-dee-do" like the old workplace phone.
@@KiwiCatherineJemma That's one silly little thing that I do miss about his older videos!
One of the things I like most about you having your own shop is that the background music is so much better now
You mean it’s in your head, in your head?
You know if you ever decide to stop turning a wrench, you could be a fantastic automotive instructor! You have the patience AND you're great at explaining things in a simple, easy to understand way. I'm dead serious. Professor Rainman Ray.
good instructors keep turning wrenches, at least for demonstration purposes.
Something must be wrong with me. I'm a 25 year recertified Master Tech and have owned my own shop for 19 years and I can't stop watching your videos on my down time. Great job bud. Doing your own thing is not for everyone. But when it works, it works. Oh, you have me calling my wife of 30 years my "Wife Unit".
I've caught myself powering down my car in the mornings with my own noises.
I am always finding myself saying click whenever I am tightening anything!
@@Skydiver69UK me too
Ray, I knew a guy who worked for an A/C company that promised a response in less than an hour. It worked like this: when a call came in, the dispatcher looked up which technician was nearest the new call. The tech would tell the existing customer that they needed a part - and charge them extra for a trip charge. Then they would go to the new call, assess the situation, tell them they needed a part and charge them extra, also. Then return to the original customer. My buddy quit for obvious ethical reasons. He said some of the techs would laugh at how they would charge a customer 3 or 4 trip charges for no reason. Sad. congrats on your venture.
If that is Dial One Hour they are fired before I even call them.
Good info. Thank You.
In the past I have also quit bored in a couple of jobs for the same and that's unethical business practices have a good day
When I was an HVAC tech. I would remain on the job until the full hour the customer paid for was up. Never overcharged them but if I was on a planned service call or a simple repair I would inspect the whole system in the remaining time. You pay for a hr you get the entire hour in my book
Gotta respect the hustle to run a cheesy sitcom cliche as a full fledged scam
@@biffmalibu3733 Here in Finland , hours start, when you leave "office" and stops when back, only kilometers are charged extra, for costs of vehicle, if really close (some 10 km ) not even that. And if some parts are missing, you still pay only total hours only, + parts ofcourse. Once one 1-2 man company owner came to install my ac/heating pump, and did not have that refedrigant? with him, and was so hurry, he just informed me to ask someone else, and left, no bill tho, and I was happy, even it was already cold outside, so needed that system working, took over a month to find some ho had time
You sound more relaxed and happier now Ray, business looks good
It blew your mind and the kid blew his too. If it is a habit you have you forget where you are sometimes. Like a guy pulling out a stogie at a funeral service. Almost lit it too. The look on his face was the best.
I agree with you totally. When I took ownership of my shop, we switched from flat rate to straight time. This makes it easier to focus on providing the customer with quality repair at a reasonable price without the technicians being driven by money to do the wrong thing.
Getting fired was by far the best thing that ever happened to you. You sound obscenely happier now that you can do things your way and focus on doing a good job
Not that it's any of our business, but one day I'd be really curious to know what Ray got fired for.
@@rjcolombe probably for not screwing over a few customers.
@@rjcolombe Job gravity.
@@rjcolombe I would say that Ray's attitude of get the job done at minimum customer cost and maximum customer satisfaction was at odds with his firms philosophy of make the most money
@@rjcolombe he did a video on that. Basically they disagreed on business models.
My dad used to compress the piston with the old break pad and a C-clamp.
I never saw a hub bearing come out that easy before!
As a retired ASE Master Mechanic and former Service Manager you get an A+ for your work. Absolutely perfect job! You did all the little things that really matter like lubing the brake pins and performing the correct after-repair road test. Outstanding! Guess all that is left is paper floor mats and plastic seat covers...
Yes. Work is 1st class. Also I miss the upside down floor mats. I am also sure he is baiting us. Retired mechanic from Land Down Under.
@@bobhudson6659 Hope you are enjoying retirement as much as me. I often forget what day of the week it is and don't actually care. Cheers!
An SA that is a REAL mechanic is an anomaly. The best SA's I've known could sell ice cubes to Eskimos, but often knew less about wrenching than the weekend warrior DIY customers. 454
@@roberta4989 Thanks for the thought, but no chance. Neighbours and locals have me challenged in my 16M x 8M shed with its car hoist, 3.5 tonne 4M long lathe, milling machines, welders and all the other equipment I have. If you have time, drop into Sydney and I will take up some up some of the "free" time you have. On the other side, these folk who keep me busy are also the first here when I need some help. We have an excellent community. We also have a good laugh or two, often at my expense. They get upset when I say it is hard for me to soar like an eagle when I am surrounded by all these turkeys. Strange - they seem to think that I am the turkey but that is definitely not the case - in my eyes anyway. Take care.
If you don't do those things here the brake job won't last a year. It might be special there....
YOU WERE RIGHT ABOUT THE POT THING, IN MORE WAYS THAN ONE ! THAT GUYS NAME WASN'T RICKY HARRINGTON WAS IT ??? 😊 AND BY THE WAY THAT STUFF IS A DRUG !!! THATS WHY THAT PERSON DIDN'T HAVE ENOUGH COMMON SENSE NOT TO LITE THAT STUFF UP WHILE ON THE JOB !!!! JUST BECAUSE USERS DO STUFF DOESN'T MEAN THAT THE WHOLE WORLD CONDONES IT !!! THAT GUY WAS AN AIR HEAD !!!! YOU DID YOURSELF A FAVOR!!!!! 😊
What a coincidence....currently I'm struggling with a workshop that literally left messy work after an oil and brake fluid change....the mechanics here would only work like you....I'm very happy to pay very good ones Work..
Keep up the good work, integrity is in shot supply in this world.
Congrats to you on your new venture. Quality, not quantity is the basis of the same move I made
over thirty years ago. After being aggravated over business owners I worked for who neglected quality, I started my own business. Years later, I have retained 96% of my customers and have never been happier, or more financially stable. Good luck to a long and profitable business!
I'm already focused on quality. Glad to see your doing it to
"....I can focus more on quality than quantity..." Right there, that is a microcosm of why your customers should benefit and anyone near you who needs vehicle repairs would be remiss to not seek your services. Good luck!
You need to pre-rust all the bolts an fittings just to even out the pain with the guys up north.
Yep double charging for labor no longer needed being your own shop owner you can also help people out and give cheaper cost if you choose as well @Rainman Ray's Repairs
Ray, you just sound so much happier and far less frustrated than you were before. So glad you are living your own life. You deserve it. I was sure i saw the stock value of brake cleaner drop by over 80% when you left the shop!
he is happy at what he does the best, he makes me happy too, and i've been following him too. (:
Called the honeymoon period.
@@Cheepchipsable maybe so, but I’m enjoying it so far 😁💯
@@RainmanRaysRepairs Been on a near 30 year Honeymoon period with my lovely partner Ray so ignore the negatives. I know you will anyway my friend. Don't understand why some people have to inject their misery in everything. BTW loving the old 95 4.0 Jeep posts Ray. Take care from across the pond.
I have been a mechanic for 46 years and Master ASE auto and Master Truck Certified. Have owned a me shop for about 20 years but now semi retired. A word of advice is, "Do Not Let The Business Own You. You own it. My daughter actually owns a Quick Lube Business and a Towing business.
Props to Eric O! For paying close attention to Ray.
You and I share work ethic. Sometimes it's tough to live and work in a world that doesn't.
Thanks for being you 👍
It's always a pleasure to see a conscientious mechanic and an honest one to boot. I am 70 and I have never seen a mechanic actually use a torque wrench on mounting tires. They always use an impact gun to tighten bolts, not an electric one but an air-driven one.
As an aside, I teach people how to service their car in Land Down Under (I am a licensed but retired mechanic). After together lifting car on hoist and checking/servicing everything, most of them are concerned when we get to putting the wheels back on and they see me with my impact wrench. I then show them what is, and how to use a torque wrench and how to set it at the correct setting (after they look it up). Then I tighten the wheels on my rattle gun and get them to check the torque with their torque wrench. They are surprised that if anything they can tighten nuts maybe 5 - 10NM. I would dare to say that all mechanics know their impact wrenches - they use them all day long and it does not take long before you can judge fairly accurately what torque you have applied. Problem is many don't care. Another thing I get person I am teaching to do is for them to get the wheel removal tool out of the boot (trunk). Then get them to use that tool to undo the wheel nuts (lugs) as though they were on the side of the road with a flat tyre. Sure it takes a reasonable shove to loosen the nuts but it can be done without undue strain on the body. So in all, it is not the impact wrench that creates the problem - it is the non-caring operator.
I always had old crappy compressors. Now have a spinal issue and cant judge weights or force. Been using a torque wrench for lug nuts since i was 16. From too loose to a broken stud at 15. I learned that one early 😁.
You mentioned the importance of lubing the pins. The people who assembled my last car, a 2005 Monte Carlo, didn't realize that, and the right front caliper ran the inboard pad out far faster than it should have, and I got in an accident because I couldn't stop in time. The damage wasn't bad, but still troublesome. You can imagine my annoyance when I discovered how the pins weren't lubed when I went to change the pads. So, yeah, lubing the pins is quite important.
Two weeks ago I did break some of my car I saw Ray glue the pins I actually pulled the wheels back off in the calipers back out and made sure to lube the pins it was a little extra but I like Ray and I also believe in doing things right thank you Ray have a good day
although, I've heard that you shouldn't grease the tip of the pin as it can stop it moving all the way in (not even sure it needs to do that) as the grease will sit at the end like an incrompressable blockage.
However since I'm a keyboard jockey I've no idea about the real world so someone else needs to lurn me a few tings ...... Ray ?
Using the right lube is also part of the equation. My dealer used "brake grease" on those slide pins but the grease was for installing brake seals and piston and NOT the sliding pins. That was fun taking apart..
Yes it's very important to have those sliding pins moving, so it puts equal pressure on each brake pad, and sometimes when doing a brake job their seized in there and can be a real stinker loosening them up
@@DeepakKumar-lv4te Depends on the construction. On my Monte Carlo, the end of the pins screwed into the bracket and held the calipers on, so they needed grease on the whole shaft except the threads on the end. The problem I had was just on the front right. The other three were lubed properly, so I had examples of such.
Rust belt tech here...I hate you :) You remove 4 bolts and hub falls out. Whilst I remove 4 rusted bolts and grab a 20lb sledge and pray to God I'm able to save a corroded mess of a knuckle. In any case I've been wanting to drop you a quick note and wish you the best of luck in your new endeavors. Keep up the good work! You are truly an inspiration! Don't forget to charge for what you are worth, but never lose yourself to greed.
best thing about working for yourself is you deal with the customer directly, one on one, find out their vehicle issues and problems first hand in their words. and quote on what actually needs to be repaired and any other issued you may find in the process, or what you need to do too diagnose the problem, and when you finish they pay you, its your money
Only thing I would say Ray is sometimes customers need their vehicle. Having your car in the shop for 3 days is not an option. Any potential additional labor charges would be eaten up by a car rental. Just another way of looking at it. Choice for the customer is always good.
I agree and would add that it's not good look for the car to be there an extra day because Ray "forgot" about the bearing needed replaced, also as a shop owner you want to get the cars off your property as soon as possible for liability purposes.
So you go by foot, drive your bike or take the bus for a day or two. Have someone pick you up, drive you around, take your second car. Hitchhike and get abducted... make new friends!
Next you're going to tell me people need their car to drive to their mailbox... 😅
@@frederikjacobs552 Your attempts at humor and alternative modes of transportation are lame and miss the point, a business owner must be of service to the customer and keeping their car longer than what's reasonable will lose you that customer just as fast as a bad repair or grossly overcharging them.
@@indianaslim4971 it's good that you watch videos like this as you have yet to learn. You can have fast service with poor results, you can have slow service with great results. You cannot have fast service with great results because of the difficulties this type of work can present, even to the most skilled workers.
If there's 12 hours work to do and parts have to be ordered in, what're you gonna do? Take your car back and try to get the same quality work done in half the time? What if you've wrecked your engine because you can't even check a dipstick, you're definitely not getting that back in 24 hours.
People like you, with this grandiose sense of entitlement have no fkn idea .
Give the people you rely on a break, or get off your high horse and learn to do it yourself.
@@frederikjacobs552 Paying customers want their cars back. Crazy thought
That is the best thing you ever said. About the overlapping charge. I'd sooner wait a day then have to pay twice
I wished all mechanics were like you. I wouldn't mind waiting a couple extra days knowing my car will be taken care of thoroughly.
I have done enough repair work and had enough repair done to say you are EXCELLENT!
Stay true and stay honest and you will do well.
Customers keep coming back when they see you do a quality job (repair). A quality job tells the customer that you care about them and the work you do.
An old mechanic told me one time: "Give your customers a little extra at no charge and you'll have loyal customers for life."
Hi Ray, it’s great to see that you have settled into being self-employed so quickly. Just wondered how "Wife Unit" reacted to not having the certainty of a regular wage coming in compared to the vagrancies of running your own repair shop. From the video's she seems to in there in full support (so she deserves a 'well done' alsol).
I guarantee the wife unit is Happy simply because Ray's not coming home burned out plus the extra travel time I think everybody the whole family is happy and they deserve it and I'm happy to for all of them have a great day
The "wife unit" probably calls him "Beldar"("we're from France")😆
Find out, how much he made with yt-videos. Wife unit will never ever again be concerned about money!
Great! I will do my own channel, very small, with different content, to make 500 extra a month.
I like the idea of a vagrant repair shop. 😁
@@brucemadden1626 Lol co-parental unit.
Ray, since you probably has a previous customer base of many years. It has followed you. I know as I did not miss a beat when I built and opened my shop. Just be prepared as there that one customer or customer vehicle that will drive you insane.
Correct.
I always like the details. They make the difference between a man who can put together things and a technician. A technician is always checking the details. I can tell, perfectly done. Thank you for all these lessons you give us.
I'm a 30 year mechanic... I thank you Ray Erik and Ivan for helping me out of jambs I didn't think I could... y'all taught an old dog new tricks.... the three of you are dare I say it God's in the mechanics world.... and you are getting new people into fixing cars hats off to you
Riding by buildings or walls with windows down gives the best reverberation sounds of any tire or brake noises
Makes my heart happy to know there are still people who understand quality in this world, Congrats on the shop and self emplyment !
I think you are right that most people dont really want to go/use retal repair. The issue is its hard to find that awesome small shop. Thats one huge bonus you have is people can see your work to have that safety to know you will do the right thing.
Do appreciate your intetrity. Also appreciate seeing you and your family interacting, Thanks for what you do.
I used to work for Wagner Brake, so this video brought back memories. Thank you.
My father-in-law is a mechanic and has helped me do the brakes on my caravan. He taught me to take a wire brush to the channels that the clips ride in and even a file when necessary. He thought it was very important to keep those channels clean and square.
Going into business for myself was the best move we ever made. The first few years were a bliss, then it became the hardest most painful thing ever. We endured and prospered. So glad we it it. Best of luck young man, you’ll do fine.
I had no doubt that you would succeed. Your standards and integrity are key to your success in your business endeavours. Your sense of humour and sharing your valuable knowledge on UA-cam, being honest and a decent human being, as well! I am not car savvy, in any way, shape or form but I understand when you explain things!😊🇨🇦
If you treat your customer right and they believe they are getting value for there money they will always come back to you
Highlight of the day .... Brake Cleaner !!!!!!! ..... made my whole day (if not week) worthwhile .... my wife thinks I'm crazy but she doesn't know what she's missing.
I appreciate your attention to details, thank you.
👍I like your attitude about putting the customer first. It's refreshing to see your attitude, if I was in your part of the country I'd be searching you out for my service. Keep it up and I'm convinced that you'll never be lacking for work.
Ray, I was wrong about you, I taught that once you had to pay for your own brake cleaning cans it was going to stop
Brake clean vs UA-cam $
Hey Ray, you are the best. I started my career with Fiat right out of high school in 1975 and have specialized in electrical, drivability, and computer control/automotive networks. Being on your own is the best, having had my own shop, (high end foreign) were really good times. Now that I retired, I still do side jobs at my mini shop in NC. A couple a few suggestions, Loctite on the bearing carrier bolts, spray some penetrant on the piston dust seal, it will allow the piston to turn easier, you can also run a pick around the piston and seal to pull it away and allow the penetrant to sink in, it really is amazing what a difference how this helps especially on older cars. Finally, Science is a killer, if we ignore it, we end up paying a price. So I would suggest an aqueous brake cleaner rather than "brake cleaner", basically a sucker hose blower combination stuck in a gallon of simple green and water, WHY??? I am now 65 and was diagnosed with neuropathy in my feet, not diabetes but chemical induced, exposure to Nitro Methane, Non Chlorinated Brake cleaner, gasoline damaged the nerves, so please be cautious, the detergent works well enough and no side effects.
The Ever Wishing You Success
BlueMule
UTG is fantastic especially if you are rebuilding an engine.
@@DocZoidberg549 well, I have adjusted my view on Tony, nice guy but ..........
Blue Mule
Makes perfect sense, saving labor costs by taking care of several things while apart saves the customer money and gives the more of a resin to come back.
Hi Ray, it tickled me when you said Eric O. If you're referring to Eric at South Main Auto. If I'm not watching, you I'm watching Eric. You're both Top shelf mechanics.
Hey Ray similar story, My dad had a small asphalt paving company and this is before drug testing was a thing, My dad had 3 dump trucks and he came home one day during the day when I was a kid to get his checkbook, and my mom could tell that he was pissed. so she asked him what was going on. He had hired a family members friend who had a commercial drivers license but couldn't seem to keep a job. Well "Rusty" had been working for him for a couple of weeks and seemed to be doing a good job every day until after lunch when he would not come back to work on time, the truck would sometimes sit there for an hour or hour and a half after the lunch break. Anyway, This day my dad was coming back to the plant and he sees Rusty's El Camino parked behind the shop, so I goes over thinking that Rusty has been sneaking off to take a nap. When he pulls up to the truck, he sees Rusty laying in the back of the truck smoking a joint. My dad's a pretty cool guy, But when he asked Rusty what the hell he is doing getting high at lunch Rusty looks my dad in the eyes and says "Lunch is My Time" and keeps smoking. My dad told him to stay there till he got back and took the keys to the 40,000 lb dump truck that the guy was going to get into after "His time" . LOL. Dad came home got the checkbook and payed Rusty for what he had worked the first part of the week and sent him home and told him "It's all your time now man". Rusty said, you can't fire me for something I did off the clock.. Anyway, he didn't understand that he was still under the influence long after he smoked it.
What this moron failed to understand was that it was Ray that was going to be hauled away in handcuffs when the cop found someone smoking a class 1 product within a thousand feet of a school zone. Digging ditches for lawn sprinklers was probably the only thing he was qualified for.
Long after is a bit generous to the plant. Usually it's at most an hour if smoked. Long after would be edibles and such. Not disagreeing with his decision or anything, just adding some info
@@matth4069 I would posit that an hour IS a long time for a truck driver. Its all relative to the situation.
@@matth4069 What? Here in the real world if you don't get drug tested on a site,there is something wrong. I have seen people fired who had smoked a few days before being tested in the mistaken belief that once they they "thought" they were straight were very much mistaken. If THC is your system it stays there for days in your flesh. Stoners are a danger to their fellow workers and have no place around others on a work site or in charge of heavy machinery. There is even a mandatory drug test when applying for a job interview .
If you start to employ mechanics / techs i hope you drill home how important the small details are for the business' reputation, no bodge it or short cuts, this is YOUR reputation and business model. They may have to spend the extra minutes and or work an hour a day longer to keep your high standards Ray, best of luck in this exciting part of your life.
This is probably the most satisfying part of it.
Very good point!
With my truck which I have uuummmm! commented here.
The blanket on my truck seat was Clean when it went in!!!!!!
Came back to me with a lot of dirty/ oil on it, so needed Mr Clean to clean it ( $14.00) with the cold temps I have not been able to finish reinstalling it!!!!!! Maybe to day.
When I go out to work on my truck in the bush I take work cloths, 5L of hot water to wash with .
The kid who did the one inspection on it
Chipped the paint on the door.
got his big dirty boots on the 4 plastic floor panels and 3 carpets.
When I built that cab part I would go in clean in the morning then to put my slippers on do the work then finish.
If I don't make a mess I don't have to Clean it up. what a novel thought
The WIF water in fuel censor was on the exhaust manifold, that will burn!
They tightened up the front cab mounts with their impact gun.
They did re-torque them indicating to me that (it was NOT Done) I did loosen them 90* RHS 30* LHS. Back to where it was before they started it.
Rant. thanks
In my opinion Ray won't ever need to hire a mechanic, his u-tube channel will continue being his main income with the work being more profitable as content than as the actual profit from the job, about all he needs is someone to clean the shop, run parts, shuttle customers to and from the shop to their jobs/home and back when their car is finished.
I wonder if Ray would have the time and inclination to train new staff from pretty much scratch, to do things the right way. It could be very difficult if he gets experienced technicians in who may have been working in an environment when taking shortcuts ('finding efficiencies' or whatever PHBs may try and pass it of as) is encouraged/incentivised, who could then end up costing him in reputation. Not that I am just looking to smear anyone, it's just a case of what they believe to be acceptable not being compatible with what Ray is trying to achieve.
Ray, the huge problem is that far too few people in your industry are honest. They've all been taught to turn and burn, and that's what they know. I can't blame the guys who work for the shop, it's usually the service writers who are under direction from mgmt.
THANK YOU FOR HOLDING THE LABEL OF THE SPRAY CAN IN FRONT OF THE CAMERA.
This adds to the D-I-Y value of your videos - so we amateurs can emulate your expert knowledge and techniques. A friend has cross-indexdd all your videos by subject or model number or technique. His home library of home is so useful for pre-repair review.
And that bloody phone is GONE!
The fact that you use a torque wrench on the lug nuts makes me feel good inside. Thank you for taking the extra minute or so to do that!
Hey Ray, Chris here
Good for you man! I started with my own landscape company out of highschool as well, then went into carpentry. Ten yrs later started my own Building and remodeling company. I as well focused on quality in fact that was my motto, "Quality building and remodeling " and I would tell the may sayers "At least I can put my head on my pillow at night knowing I did the right thing" Keep on keepin on man, it's the right thing.
That's why I fix my own cars , went to Kia dealer and they tried replacing a cabin filter that I changed a few months ago.
Loving your new videos man. You can hear the difference in your voice when you're working.. far less stress 😁👍
Started my repair business fifty years ago this last summer.Working by myself on my own property.With nearly no operating expenses,I can afford to waste a lot of my time for the benefit of the customers that deserve my generosity.
Good for you, appreciated.
You always sounded happy enough when you were at the last shop but there's an extra spring in your voice now that you're working for yourself. The work is rolling in nicely so good cash flow, you're well on your way.
Ray, your comment about double labor is correct and the reason I don't go to places like Pep Boys, etc. unless I absolutely have to. I find independently owned shops better. For example, I went to get a quote on how much it would cost to replace some seals on my 07 Monte LT. Places like Pep Boys wanted a little more and they talked about how they was going to move the engine over to get to the rear main seal ... an independent shop that I went to get a quote from, gave me a quote for the seals I requested, but said that since he'll be pulling the engine out, it'd be a good time to replace all of the seals at once since he'd have access to them ... and the price difference was only a couple hundred more (if I recall right) and he'd do it over 3 days.
So yes, the commercially owned repair shops wanted to get me in and out a.s.a.p. where the independently owned shop would take a little longer and suggested more work, but that work would potentially save me in the long run ... the only problem using him is that it's just the father and son working right now and they're booked until around the New Year (if I'm not mistaken) ... and he's always working on a car and has quite a few in his lot waiting for repairs.
I may send you an email to get a quote from you, even though you're roughly 2 hours from me.
Yeah peppie "BOYs"
It's so refreshing seeing you work out from under the influence of those retail overlords. Well done Ray! Wish I had the time and money to carry my vehicles down there, I'd be thrilled to have you fix a few annoying things that a previous mechanic didn't get quite right.
You are going to do just fine Ray, being honest goes a long way to customers.. Great job Sir!
You should lube your shims before installing. Any time you have metal to metal on a surface that could work it's self to move like side to side like the shims.
It's nice to see you bedding the brakes! Most shops just put them on and out the door it goes. Great job and attention to detail.
So gratifying watching you grow. Remarkable how you went from employee to business owner. And now you can take your time and use your own judgment with these repairs and maintenance. And you are doing the same work for much money . And the content for UA-cam while others learn from you. Win win
Thats for darn sure (:
I appreciate your honesty to your customers and the overall respect you have for your craft, I also strongly believe in quality over quantity, which I believe will be more beneficial to your business, best of luck to you and your business, keep doing what you're doing!
Honesty and quality always going to be your edge. And you can charge more because you provide a better job. If someone doesnt like it, there are churn and burn places they may go to
The business model of quality over quantity starts with thinkers like yourself. As long as you are honest and do quality work, you will always have customers that will bring their needs to you.
I hope you meant "quality over quantity", otherwise it may sound a bit opposite to what Ray's philosophy is. Never mind, I will take the chance that that is what you meant.
@@TrondBørgeKrokli time to edit, thanks.
There's not a lot of mechanics taking a car for a testdrive in my country. You take your time to do it. That says enough. Brilliant and honest mechanic.
Glad you made the move. I did it 45 years ago and never regretted it. I am 76 still helping people part time keep up the good work. Jim
18:20 Perfect job Ray. Every time I had new tires installed, when I went to remove a wheel it was over torqued with an impact wrench to about 250-300 ft/lbs and wouldn’t come off without having to go back to the shop and have them use their impact wrench. I think you’re the only honest mechanic in the world who torques the wheels to spec. 🙏🏼
impact is the lazy way 100% and dangerous
I'm not saying an impact isn't lazy and dangerous, but a good mechanic can get it in the ballpark with his own impact gun. Some people have the touch and some are cowboys.
The cowboys get it so tight they deform the wheel and the nut, assuming you can even get it loose to see.
Never go to Mavis Tire 🛞 They will never use a torque wrench and always over tighten lug nuts and over inflate tire pressure.
'the joys of no rust. jealous how easy stuff moves over there Ray. Good job on the new shop. Loving the content
One tip that I learned from racing is when you're cooling your brakes after getting heat in them, try not to sit anywhere (at a light for example) with the brakes on. Try to get to your destination and then let them cool the rest of the way. It can cause pad material to stick to the rotors. It can also cause issues with the rotors cracking. I would've temporarily put the car in neutral at the light. Actually, what I do is go our at night with no traffic, but that's not convenient for someone running a business.
bro what are you on about lol. dude isnt making a le mans prototype braking at the end of the mulsanne straight, he is a mechanic with a garage working in a street car on the street!
@@byloyuripka9624 It applies to bedding in street pads as well. Imagine getting new pads smoking hot and then just sitting with the new pads against the new rotors. The pad material could transfer to that one spot on the rotor and cause runout.
That shot bearing hub, popped right out. How lucky you were on that one... A great mechanic has learned how to manipulate matter at a distance. You absolutely have this talent, its also known as entanglement in the quantum world. Your stamina is a freak of nature, I have no idea how you can work so hard and long in 90 ish degree weather, and simply not drop dead... Mind over matter...
You are a superman...
Working for yourself does have its benefits. Like you, I enjoyed having the time to do the job right, like it was my daughter's car and being the quality control of my own work product. Also, I could buy the parts that I knew I could stand behind and the vendors that I bought them from would also stand behind them. The largest enjoyment was being able to actually get to know the owners of the vehicles, know their driving habits for the most part and what they were really expecting from me and their vehicle. You sound like you are actually enjoying coming to work, which is the most important thing.
Nothing but Timken bearings on my vehicles.
Nice video Ray. Watching from Australia on my 2 week annual leave.( no exhaust work in my town this week ) . I hope some newer guys got some tips from this. Especially with customers perceived smoke issues when a decent " bed in" test drive eliminates most of that. Cheers, Tim.
I went out "on my own" in the plumbing trade 12 yrs ago. It took a lot of praying and trusting God, but I haven't regretted it. Taxes are crazy. But that goes with it.
Cool story bro. Did god pick up any late night jobs or miracle some money into your bank account for you?
Or did you do all the hard work yourself and make it happen on your own? Give yourself the credit you deserve man. You did this. Not some magic man you whispered sweet nothins to. Take the credit for your hard work. Don't give it away!
This man's work ethic is impressive. I've seen mechanics who get paid by the hour take their sweet time diagnosing and repairing various issues.
The day I left retail and started working for myself was the second best day of my life. Now I specialize in AC in classic cars. I take only the jobs I want. My customers can always contact me. I waited far too long to do it. Enjoy your new life. I'll keep watching.
Ray, best of luck at the new shop. Definitely think it was the right move for you. Just a word of caution - UA-cam is terrible for copywrite strikes, and it might eventually pick up the music you are playing in the background. I've heard them doing worse with less.
He could instead listen to that sweet sweet royalty free UA-cam music. Lol.
yep, I got my buddy introuble a few times with the copyright detection system while he was streaming just for humming the A team theme while we're in mobile armor in battlefield multiplayer. Their detection system takes no prisoners.
People don't like free advertising I guess
I run a part time sole proprietorship shop and the freedom of picking and choosing what you work on and when is amazing. Having the option of just taking a day off from the shop if I'm just not feeling it is great. I have a very loyal customer base that understand that I'm part time and for the most part don't have an issue if it takes me a little extra time to get them in and out. My full time job pays the bills, mostly, I basically just turned my hobby into a legit small business.
Why don't you qyit you full time job, and turn your "hobby business" into your full time job? It makes ZERO sense to work full time making money for someone else, and then work part time making money directly for yourself... 😕
@@davelowets Because my full time job comes with good benefits and I'm only 4 1/2 years from retirement. And having to depend on wrenching to make a living would take a lot of the enjoyment out of it. If it was my sole income I'd probably have to take jobs that I'd rather not just to make sure the bills got paid.
Delve468 good answer
So nice to see that your business is taking of so well, not that I ever doubted it wouldn't. You will most likely have a long waiting line of customers very soon.
There is one thing I am missing though, the doodely doos....
It starts like this, innocently enough, but it soon mushrooms.
Next step: hiring another mechanic because the workload justifies it. Then the other businesses complain to the landlord because Ray's customers are taking up all of the available parking spaces. Now Ray has a difficult decision to make...limit the number of cars he can work on, which leads to lost business, or expansion.
It pays to be thorough/precise, do it right 1st time & not have a customer return with the same issue.
Customer satisfaction equates to return business & word of mouth advertisement/referals.
Congrats , glad to see you're happy & stress free.
Another honest, competent independent mechanic. Winning the war against the bad reputation auto mechanic industry. Thank God for that.
(Hey youtube, Ray is doing a good job.)
Good videos, Ray, this one included. I'm enjoying your mannerisms, ethics, and principles.
Glad to see you in your own space. The background is relaxing in these newer videos. As a former retail mechanic, your older videos always caused a little tension for me personally-- and it was just the retail shop backdrop and the expectation of some stress or annoyance. Wishing you good luck and skill in working for yourself (and your customers).
I can tell you’re very happy with your venture , glad you made the move, not much honest people like you around anymore , keep up the great job young man
I wish mechanics like your would exist in Montréal, Canada 😔 keep up the good work!
It is so refreshing to see mechanic who think customer too .Keep doing that Ray and you will concord the world
What is changing the business model is, ethical people like you,who are using UA-cam to educate the consumer. Your skills are not the only things on point in your video. I’m not a mechanic, so I learn every time I watch your channel. It helps me be a better vehicle owner / operator /consumer. I’m learning for what to look out, and when to seek the help of a professional. Also, I’m learning when to be wary, and not just agree to everything the mechanic tells me.
By the way, I would’ve fired the kid too. He lacks situational awareness. When you have a job in which you use machinery, that is a deadly combination. Not to mention, he put everyone in that car at risk, especially in a school zone. Penalties are so much greater. Plus if the school is a drug free zone, you’re screwed. That REQUIRES Florida Law Enforcement to enforce with ZERO tolerance.
Thanks for producing this channel, and these videos. I would definitely trust my vehicles (and my family) to you and your skills.
I always enjoyed working for myself. Even when a customer has put 17K miles on the last oil change and tried to blame me for a tic in the engine. 😂😂😂 I was in the habit of dating and writing the milage on the filter before I installed it.
And you never get rid of receipts. I've read horror stories about people being denied warranty repairs because the dealership "lost" their records suing and winning because they kept all of the receipts.
The six month reassessment is a more a YMMV moment where many small business start-ups feel the pinch during a slow period and the small business owner will be more likely to question the change between corporate grunt and self-employed boss. Six months is the default choice of timeframe as it covers a season and a half and possibly covering a slow period.
The truth is that I didn't have that reassessment question until more than 18 months after starting my self-employment. And more than 30 years later after dealing with a rash of entitled customers, I even went so far as to question my calling and wondered if selling macramé plant holders on a corner would've been a better choice. 😊
We all hit that spot about 30 years too late.
It’s amazing how less efficient it is when you have your own shop and are a one man show. I struggle with it everyday. Profits are much less but your pay is much more. It works out but is very wasteful. You get a worldpac account yet?
Ray..Been watching your channel since day one. My brother in law is also a mechanic for a corporate chain and very well respected. The one thing I have noticed about your mind set is the need to understand why something has failed thus giving you the ability to fix the real problem. One thing you could do...ever thought about the amount of scrap metal you will generate at your shop, you could take to a scrap yard occasionally for money to buy new equipment.
Ray, I didn't care for you when I first started watching you, however, after some time, I have grown to appreciate you and your hard work and the honest way you conduct yourself and your business. Best of wishes to you and yours!