Technology has changed my job quite a bit and in my opinion for the better.
That’s not to say everything is perfect. DEF systems spring to mind straight away. But if you zoom out and look at the bigger picture, the positives far outweigh the negatives.
Now I can plug into a car and read live data from a system to get clues in the form of codes on a screen that gives me direction to fix the fault.
Technology can’t tell me exactly what to fix or how to fix it, you still need to have skills and think about issues.
Also getting information and data necessary to repair cars is much easier now, it’s on the Internet. Yes you have to pay subscriptions for it, but it’s still a huge improvement over how it used to be. I remember having filing cabinets full of data books, constantly going out of date.
Even going to get parts has been made better by technology. Now you go into the parts store with a registration or VIN number and they can look up any part you need. I remember having to get multiples of the same part because it was impossible to figure out which was the correct one.
It was inefficient, frustrating, and completely normal at the time.
So while there are downsides to modern vehicle technology, overall it’s made the job faster, more accurate, and in many ways more interesting.
To go with the 10 mm sockets I bought at Harbor Freight I bought an ICON 3/8 drive ratchet that was on special.
First impressions are good. It looks the part and feels good on the hand.
I’ve a few jobs to do over the next while and I plan on putting them to use and see if they live up to the hype.
This is not the G2 ratchet that’s all over social media this is the low profile head 90 tooth ratchet with a 4° arc swing. It also comes with soft handle but I prefer the full metal chrome design.
Will report back soon on the performance of all items.
I have a real problem saying no. I rarely do it, and it gets me in a bind sometimes.
But going forward as soon as I’m set up again I will be saying no more often. There’ll be a strategy to it but it’s something I have to do for my sake and for the sake of my clients.
The difference between successful people and really successful people is that really successful people say no to almost everything.
I just got my first ICON socket as a free gift from Harbor Freight. If you spend $34.99 or more you had a choice of one of three free gifts. I chose the 10 mm socket set, a deep and a standard in both 1/4 and 3/8 drive.
The 10 mm socket pack is a play on the old mechanic story of always losing or finding a 10 mm socket
My sockets are mostly Snap-On so I was curious to see an ICON because of all the hype around this Harbor Freight brand. If you watch any YouTube car repair stuff you’ve definitely seen some of the creators use these tools and say they are equal quality to the high-end brands.
To put it in perspective this set is normally $9.99 and that’s for four pieces. I don’t think you’d get the 3/8 drive deep Snap-On on its own for that. At the time of writing this it’s just over $30.
First impressions are that this socket is an exact copy of the Snap-On. It feels the same, has extremely similar markings and its size is the same in every way – such as wall thickness etc obviously the size of being 10 mm is the same – it really feels like they went out of their way to make this a copy.
At this stage I’ve used it a couple of times but it’ll take a lot more use to say if the quality of the known brand is there.
Considering my oldest Snap-On 10 mm socket is almost 30 years old and still works well it won’t be a like-for-like comparison but I’ll see in a year or so if it’s still doing the daily grind.
I feel I give more compliments than I receive. That’s not a cry for attention or an invitation for them. I just feel some people will give them and others won’t; I do it without thinking about it if the situation warrants.
Especially in business if I find someone who I’m drawn to because I feel they’re like minded I will always comment on their work or brand.
As I said I do so without thinking, it’s not a tactic – It’s just me.
Because I tend to give compliments on quality workmanship the best compliments I’ve received have always been to do with my work and the services I provide.
Even if the distance is in Plane or Train territory I’m still choosing the car. I know it’s possibly the unpopular choice for many reasons but it’s in my control.
Writing posts on the web brings negativity on a regular basis. It’s hard to deal with sometimes. But you have to remember that negativity is not necessarily aimed at you. It’s the person who’s writing it and their frustration at themselves.
I imagine them being in a worse place than me because I have an outlet for my thoughts but they’re scared to show themselves and it’s pent up anger releasing. And what better way to release it than to take it out on a stranger in an anonymous way over the internet.
So the best stratagey? Just let it go, keep busy and hope they find the peace you have. Sounds easy but it takes work to get in that mindset.
I don’t binge new Nextflix or Amazon – or whatever other services are out there now – shows, I’m not up to the minute with all the new content that exists, but I do watch old shows or at least have them on in the background. I know them off by heart. I fall asleep to them. They are just there to kill silence when needed. Is that even rewatching?
