Planning for the Future: The Changing Face of Auto Repair

Robert Crespo

Change is afoot in the auto industry, and you don’t have to look very hard to find it. Stellantis is on rocky ground. Honda and Nissan are in talks to merge. And the seemingly on-again-off-again shift to EV propulsion dominates the headlines on a daily basis. That’s all to do with new cars, of course, but the field of auto repair is going through its own changes. Today’s cars require a different skill set than yesterday’s cars did, and tomorrow’s cars will advance requirements further.

Auto Repair Shop
Robert Crespo

I’ve worked as an automotive technician since I was 19 years old. In 2010, I finished my own automotive training at Skyline Community College in San Bruno, California. The curriculum in my last two semesters took a deep dive into the world of engine diagnostics and covered everything from the lowly feedback carburetors from the mid-1980s to early batch-fired fuel-injection systems to the then-new direct injection, as well as everything associated with onboard diagnostics. But 14 years is a long time in the car business. So how are modern technicians trained?

Recently, I paid a visit to a busy automotive program. As I happen to work at a community college that houses a well-funded training facility, it required little more than walking across campus one day on my lunch break to gather some facts.

Auto Repair Shop
Robert Crespo

I noticed something interesting as I approached the two looming brutalist-style buildings that house the program—a fleet of vehicles mostly made up of Toyota’s most popular models: Camrys, 4Runners, Corollas, Priuses, and Tundras packed into every corner. A few other Japanese and Korean imports were sprinkled sparsely around the Toyotas, and all of these cars, trucks, and crossovers were no more than five years old.

Auto Repair Shop
Robert Crespo

The walls within the building were adorned with Snap-on and MAC banners, but also with simple acronyms like T-TEN and MAST, which are the manufacturer’s sponsored training programs: “Toyota Technical Education Network” and “Mazda Automotive Student Training.” Mazda is new to the game—MAST kicked off in 2019—but Toyota has been building its network of T-TEN programs since 1986. They work with 38 different community colleges across the country. Honda, not one to be left out, also has a network of 28 schools that host its Professional Automotive Career Training (PACT.) 

My friend and coworker, Louis Krebs, is the shop coordinator for the program. He handles the logistics that keep everything running and manages the Toyotas the students use to learn. He gave me the inside scoop on where things stand.

Auto Repair Shop
Robert Crespo

“They (Toyota) have deemed our fleet of 38 vehicles should be no more than 3 years old. Toyota will send us an overabundance of Camrys, Corollas, Tacomas, and 4Runners because those are the most popular things they sell. They want technicians to be very familiar with the popular models. I don’t even have anything anymore that’s got a carburetor or distributor or anything with plug wires.”

The majority of the Toyota fleet Krebs teaches on had been damaged in transit or were victims of some mistake in production that made them impossible to sell. So rather than send them to get scrapped, Toyota divides them between the schools they’ve partnered with. Students are then trained on those vehicles and more than likely go to work for one of the many Toyota dealerships across the country. And even those students who choose to work for independent shops or even another car company will be well prepared for whatever comes their way because they’ve been trained on machines made by the world’s best-selling automaker.

Auto Repair Shop books
Robert Crespo

OK, but if everyone learns with new vehicles, how will anyone know how to fix all the classic cars still kicking around? Well, the good news is, despite carburetors and distributors being outdated, they are still taught in theory, pulled from a shelf and from time to time used to explain what the the world used to look like—and if you happen to run into one, here’s how to deal with it. Drum brakes, too, still get attention, as they’ve only recently been phased out.

But if you consider the average age of vehicles on the road today, right around 12 years old, it’s hard to justify the space required to store vehicles that aren’t prevalent in modern society. Here’s the thing, though, a technician with a solid foundation in diagnostics shouldn’t have any issues dealing with older vehicles. And that’s exactly what these programs provide: a solid foundation to become a quality technician. It’s more than just learning to take things apart and put them back together. Students are taught how to think critically so when they’re faced with something they might not be too familiar with, they’ll have little trouble making a solid diagnosis and repair. 

Of course, there is more to this story than just how techs are trained. The humble independent auto repair shops are constantly faced with new challenges to overcome. Not only are they in competition with corporate-owned dealerships, but they’re also up against franchised quick lubes and tire shops, to the extent that many small shops have stopped taking on jobs they used to do, like oil changes or mounting and balancing tires. Not to worry, though, independent shops aren’t going away anytime soon; their business model just has to evolve with the rest of the industry. 

Beyond the realm of community college training programs and how they are preparing tomorrow’s techs, I got in touch with shop owners who have some valuable first-hand knowledge of the current industry.

Auto Repair Shop
Robert Crespo

Alex Troche is a friend and the owner-operator of Rob Baker’s Garage in Millbrae, California, a modest two-bay shop attached to a gas station that has stood at the corner of Meadow Glen Ave. and El Camino Real since 1968. Troche, a millennial, took over the shop in 2016, and if his Instagram tells us anything, it’s that he’s still willing to work on vehicles as old as the shop itself, a fact he confirmed in our conversation. 

“I do work on some carbureted vehicles,” Troche told me. “Carburetor-specific work is done on vehicles older than 1976. But I do service and maintain smog-era carbureted vehicles. Just don’t have some of the diagnostic equipment used in tuning them. But the rest of the vehicle still needs service and repairs that can be done without issue or limitations.” 

Beyond the fact he’s worked on machines built so long ago they could collect a pension, Troche had some useful insight into other areas of the auto repair field. According to him, one of the biggest issues that everyone will face is a consistent supply of quality parts. Recall that automakers aren’t required to keep parts supplied for vehicles once they’re no longer in production. This means the vast majority of older vehicles are left at the mercy of the aftermarket once the OEM stock dries up. But even still, Troche has continued to service everything that comes through his door. Especially vehicles from the ’90s and early aughts, which make up 80–90 percent of his business.

Auto Repair Shop
Robert Crespo

“It’s difficult seeing parts suppliers cut back on what used to be regularly stocked components,” Troche said. “Having your ’90s and early 2000s brake rotors or ignition parts being stocked at outlying warehouses instead of your local ones can be a shock. Selling a job while it’s on the rack and starting teardown immediately isn’t as knee-jerk of a process as it once was. You have to take a little more time to ensure the parts are going to come within a reasonable amount of time or else you are pulling that one out and another in to fill the time between order and delivery.” 

One of the worst experiences for a shop is a comeback, especially if it’s due to a new part that has failed prematurely. The last thing any business needs is a damaged reputation and for customers to lose faith in their abilities, especially if it’s due to a decline in the availability of quality parts. It’s an issue that has reverberated across the industry and left a lot of people to wonder what the best course of action is.

Z Car Garage motorsports nissan
Alvin Gogineni

Rob Fuller, Datsun virtuoso and owner of Z Car Garage in San Jose, California, has simply quit working on certain cars. Nissans and Datsuns made from 1979 to 1989 are now turned away because quality parts just don’t exist, and Rob has refused to put his name on something he doesn’t believe in. And in cases where something did fail, he has kept track of it and made sure to avoid those products next time around. His trick to having reliable parts for his classic Datsun work isn’t really a trick, it’s a humungous supply of NOS parts for 1970–78 Z cars. And his advice to anyone looking to take on servicing less popular classics is to start stockpiling parts now before the good stuff is all gone. 

But parts sourcing is just part of the problem Fuller is dealing with. Like the rest of the industry, he is having trouble finding technicians to help handle the mammoth amount of work he has scheduled. But the issue isn’t just getting someone on the payroll, it’s finding someone who shares his same dedication and passion for the work. Someone who is willing to put in the 10,000 hours it takes to perfect the work.

Z Car Garage motorsports nissan
Alvin Gogineni

Despite training programs’ focus on building a solid foundation for techs, Fuller has had his share of bad luck finding good help. “Striving to be really good at understanding and problem-solving isn’t something I’m seeing in the labor force,” he said. “I’ll have people work for me two years, teach them a lot of rad stuff, and then they leave. And two years later they’re doing something completely different with their lives. Since our world is so automated and our world is so convenient, sometimes the things that are hard to do aren’t really getting done.” 

You can tell from even the most brief conversation with Rob Fuller that Z Car Garage is way more than just a way to pay the bills. There’s a piece of his soul in the business and everything that goes along with it. And with a two-year waitlist for classic Datsun work and the normal services they handle on modern Nissans, he has no plans to close up shop. His plan is simple: No matter what the future throws his way, keep learning and moving forward. The same thing he’s done for the past 30 years. 

“I’m not an old timer who’s stuck in the past,” he said. “I’m an old timer who wants to learn from the past, present, and future.”

The sentiment echoed across the board, though, was that the industry isn’t going anywhere. The passionate people who run quality shops aren’t just going to close up their businesses one day and abandon everything they’ve worked toward. They are going to move forward and find ways to adapt to a changing environment. This could mean more owners going to an appointment-only style business, which would give the shop more time to source hard-to-find parts. Rather than have a vehicle sitting around, everything could be ready to go as soon as it rolls through the door. And with the never-ending popularity of Radwood-era vehicles, we could see more specialty shops that handle the ’80s and ’90s stuff, especially as a broader swath of that era’s cars become collectible. 

These are difficult times for making predictions for the auto industry—both the business of making cars and the business of fixing them. Both will go on, of course, and with respect to the repair side, it will require embracing community, continuing to pass on knowledge, and focusing on learning. And maybe the people who were only briefly involved in the industry will rediscover that spark later on, dust off their tools, and get back to fixing rad stuff.

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Comments

    New cars today have been made so safe that few people can afford to buy them. And they have become so complicated that after 10 years, the third owners who need transportation to their jobs at Walmart will be unable to afford their upkeep. Less affluent people used to be able to repair their older cars. Mark these words……….we are heading for major problems with these fragile and complex cars.

    Finding skilled auto techs will be another major problem because dealerships often don’t pay their mechanics well. I’ve spoken with more than one auto tech who has complained that after attending school, they struggle to make minimum wage. If the auto repair industry wants to assure its credibility into the future, it must hire intelligent auto techs and pay them enough to stay in the field.

    I’m what is commonly called an old timer. Changed the battery in my 63 Porsche and the car would not start. Started to chase a perceived electrical problem, with help from my young son-in-law, a ASE certified mechanic for ten days and finally had it trucked to the local Porsche dealership. Had absolutely no faith in them. Worried over everything. Do they even know that its a 6 volt system? After working on it when they had time I was told they got it running and it was a clogged fuel line. My attitude towards the young tech immediately changed. I would never have thought of a bad fuel line. He had no OBD to help him, just simple spark, gas, compression to figure this out. Oh, he also did not have any preconceived ideas as a starting point. I have no idea if Porsche techs are taught the old stuff. Whatever they are taught, it worked.

    Clicking through the photo gallery and there it is my favorite car ever, the Nissan GTPZX-Turbo. I have the windshield from one of these cars and it is signed by Geoff Brabham. One of my prized possessions.

    An article on how the collision repair industry has had to evolve to stay up with the new technology would also be an interesting read. Everything from estimating to refinishing with water based paint materials has changed.

    I spent 10 years working as a service tech as well as a smog tech in California what was the beginning of the end of my time was the stupid tests to get a smog license. High schools put an emphisis on going to college and so do parents they say get a degree in under water basket weaving and to pay for college take out excessive loans.

    It is encouraging to see that the leaders of the trade comeback are found in small communities. Rural school districts have been sounding the alarm and investing in trade education over the past decade. I have witnessed this first hand in TN, AR and TX. My nephew recently graduated from high school focused on automotive tech. He then went on to an automotive school in Austin for a year and graduated top of his class. Great thing is he went back home and looked for work. A local Ford dealer grabbed him up, put him to work, and after realizing his skill and work ethic, paid off his student debt. The best part, he eats dinner with his parents most nights, all while investing in his hometown.

    Early trade education is key to a revival of self-sufficiency across many of our communities. I only wish he lived closer to me so he could work on my stuff!

    Good to hear a success story, Neil. Being recently retired from the repair industry, I have a very dim view of it’s future. I was lucky enough to spend the last 15 years of it managing/working on a fleet of 80-some registered vehicles and equipment for a large community College. The first 30 I was a dealership technician, which was great the first 20, but really deteriorated the last 10.

    I have a 1966 Thunderbird that needed rear drum brakes rebuilt. I had trouble finding a shop to do the work. When I did they said they have an opening in 3 weeks and it would be a minimum of $1500! So I decided to buy all the parts and do it with young, traveling Craigslist mechanic in my front driveway. I need to say that I have done many drum brake jobs though the years but being older I just dont like it now. He had tool skills but not much drum brake knowledge so I needed to help in that respect. We got it done and it was rewarding for both of use. The reality is the shops have opportunity costs and tying up rack space cost the shop another job and they need to be a business first. I get it but I love my old cars and as I am getting older it is harder to work on them or find someone that can make a living working on them.

    Some good comments about “hard to find good help” and overly complex automobiles. Opinions are ONE thing, reality is ANOTHER THING. I own old cars and work on them. Over the decades folks would say “Why don’t you start your own repair business?” My answer is simple “It is tough work and does NOT PAY well!” When young I started out repairing small business machines, then electronics came in and I learned that, then cost of new equipment dropped and nobody wanted to spend money on “repairs”. So I went back to college and joined an aerospace company. Great pay, good benefits, good work environment – dry, clean, and comfortable. I drive my NEW cars about 10 years and replace them. Maybe some warranty work, but mostly just oil changes and tires. I had one vehicle I thought about keeping longer. I went to the dealer for a MAJOR tune up estimate at 60,000 and the quote was $3,000.00. Reasonable considering the work required, but I traded it in!! The reality is vehicles are appliances for most of us and it comes down to the cost to keep it running vs cost to replace. If you want to make money in the vehicle repair business, then work on old Corvettes, Ferraris, etc. were you can charge an adequate fee and pay your technicians well.

    if the shops went back to a 50 50 split like it was in the 80s not 125 to 20 maybe they could keep help also warrenty times are cut back you lose money on every job 3 tens to get order keys bring in shop but the dealer charges 140.00

    Quality parts is a big issue! I have been recommending switching from points to a Pertronix Ignitor II setup in 60s Ramblers for years — mainly because it’s hard to get quality points even though AMC used Delco or Autolite points ignition systems. They didn’t buy everything from others, they just bought some parts when it was more cost effective than spending limited R&D funds to develop their own. There, had to stomp that bug! Now back to the Pertronix… Over the last couple years it’s been reported that Pertronix has moved their production (to overseas somewhere? not sure where they were making them) and the quality has dropped significantly — enough that a big AMC resto shop in Arizona no longer recommends them due to a high failure rate. The shop does a lot of high performance cars, so they may still be okay for a more normal driver, but maybe not. This was a BIG hit for us old car guys! Most points just don’t last long. For someone with a hobby car that they only drive to shows and such it’s not too bad — they usually get by with changing them once a year since they rarely put over 2000 miles on them. They used to last 10-15K miles at least, with proper maintenance. I suspect a lot of the short duration is as much lack of maintenance as quality as far as points go, but many I know who DO maintain their cars and know how to properly maintain points say the same thing — about 5,000 miles is the average for run of the mill replacement points today.

    Being a known AMC/Rambler guy I get questions about parts all the time, especially first timers. There are a few AMC specialty suppliers, but even they can’t get certain parts. Unless it’s a popular old car like a Mustang or Camaro you’re not going to pick up a couple catalogs and find just about everything you need. I just recently developed a Honda Accord disc brake bracket set. Rotors for anything but the last AMC factory setup (79-83 2WD cars) are hard to find and a bit pricey when you do, with some being down right expensive. Calipers were used by others (Kelsey-Hayes are a bit tough to find, but Bendix and Delco are still plentiful) and not as tough to find. Restoring an orphaned make is just not for the feint of heart or someone who doesn’t like a challenge!

    The parts problem is one I face. You wouldn’t think that an airxcooled VW Beetle would be unsupported, but the fuel-injected Supers of the lare 1970s are orphans.

    California won’t permit any smog equipment to be modified, and since much of the VW hobby is there, cars with smog control equipment (fuel injection, vapor recovery, cat converter, etc) are left out. Nobody in the country, as far as I can tell, has a start injector available.

    The most important things for tech’s these days are diagnostic and memory. Unfortunately most don’t have these skills. I am a parts advisor. Most important skills are memory and understanding how a vehicle works. I have these. Can’t say most people in my job have these skills. Nobody cares these days and are lazy like most of the workforce!,

    been a auto mechanic for 50 years, if i can’t fix a car with only a screwdriver ,a set of pliers and i hammer, i say screw it and then sell it to a dealer

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