Just When Things Were Getting Better

snooloui wrote:

Yes, it would be stupid to quit without another job lined up already.

I totally agree. I wouldnt pay them a cent though.

All moot points as I am once again unemployed. Today in the middle of an oil change, I was called into manager Jeff's office, he told me the final amount I owed, $1500 (over $100 I was charged for the customers rental car). I tried to plead with them but Jeff the manager told me that was the best they could do. Pissed off I went to finish the oil change and started talking to a co-worker who informed me from a contact of his that Firestone was hiring and he gave me some other job leads. In this process I forgot to put oil in the car and put the oil cap back on. This was considered the last straw and I was later told they were letting me go. They have a three strikes policy and I thought I only had two (the engine blowing up and the latest one) but apparently unbeknownst to me, I had one before all that. One time (before the customer was given the car back BTW), I forgot to put the drain plug in and went back to clean it up and correct the mistake and they counted that as the first instance.

I am glad to be rid of that place, but now I worry how long it will take me to get another automotive job now that I've been fired from two in less than six months. Looks like I'll have another CD sale soon.

Maybe the automotive industry isn't for you.

I really have no other options. Ive put too much into this and I have no other job skills that can make me a living. I could go back to working two retail jobs but I want to have a life outside of work.

DallasBlack wrote:

I really have no other options. Ive put too much into this and I have no other job skills that can make me a living. I could go back to working two retail jobs but I want to have a life outside of work.

Well, then I guess—and I imagine you know this—you have to do a better job. If you get another job, make the same mistakes, then you're probably not cut out for automotive work.

Dude, I think you just need to learn how to focus better.

When you're working on a job, concentrate on what you are doing. Forget listening to music, any relationship issues, etc; focus on the job at hand. I have no doubt you can do the automotive jobs you're working on, the issue seems to be a lack of focus IMO. Finish the job before you listen to tunes or start discussing other employment.

Just my opinion but I've been there and one thing I needed to learn was how to separate my personal life and preferences from jobs I was being asked to do.

I wish you nothing but the best DB.

Good luck with your new job search.

tohostudios wrote:

Dude, I think you just need to learn how to focus better.

When you're working on a job, concentrate on what you are doing. Forget listening to music, any relationship issues, etc; focus on the job at hand. I have no doubt you can do the automotive jobs you're working on, the issue seems to be a lack of focus IMO. Finish the job before you listen to tunes or start discussing other employment.

You're right, however, the manager needed to pick a better time to tell me what I owed. In the middle of a job is not the right time to give bad news to someone. Of all the mistakes I've made in oil changes, putting oil in a car is not one of them, the timing was not right and he should have waited til later in the day when we weren't busy. I accept the majority of the blame but I can't help but think of how things could have been different had he used better judgement.

Yea Toho is write DB. Just focus on your work. Talk and do whatever on your breaks. You can't blame anyone else for your mistakes. It sucks your manager called you in when he did but he didn't put some mind trick on you to forget. You should always double check your work before you decide that your done. I make mistakes once in a while and I have to back track and fix my mistake. Luckily my mistakes don't cost money or do damage, but yours have and you really have to be careful with your work and double check everything you do from now on. Even if you know you did everything just check over it and get into the habit.

I hope your able to get another job doing this but it might be hard now with your record. Your next job might not give you 3 tries and your out.

I don't blame anyone but myself, so I guess should have worded this differently:

Quote :

I accept the majority of the blame

I accept the blame because it was my mistake, but I know for sure that I wouldn't have made it had the manager showed better judgement on when to give me the news. I will be honest and man up to my mistakes in any automotive job interview I have and hopefully that will convince someone to give me one more chance. If I get that chance and I blow it one more time then I will go in another direction. But I still hold on to some hope that I will have one more shot at this. God willing, third time will be a charm.

Funny tidbit, while applying for jobs on the internet I came accross the job posting for my replacement.

Here's an idea ! Get a piece of paper and write down the procedure step by step for an oil change. As you complete each one cross it off. That way if you get side tracked you jhave some refrence point. Try it with other job duties assigned to you.

James B. wrote:

Here's an idea ! Get a piece of paper and write down the procedure step by step for an oil change. As you complete each one cross it off. That way if you get side tracked you jhave some refrence point. Try it with other job duties assigned to you.

Good idea! Another thing I'm doing with my job searches is taking a backwards step in my automotive career. Below a quick lube tech is a porter (the person that drives the cars to and from the garage) so I have applied to a few of those positions as well, temporarily of course. I'm also looking for a parts counter jobs as well. Those as I said are a step back but they could temporarily give me employment while at the same time adding to my automotive experience.

James B. wrote:

Here's an idea ! Get a piece of paper and write down the procedure step by step for an oil change. As you complete each one cross it off. That way if you get side tracked you jhave some refrence point. Try it with other job duties assigned to you.

I would be just a liitle worried if i left my car with a mechanic who had to read a manual to change oil....

Olafsto wrote:

James B. wrote:

Here's an idea ! Get a piece of paper and write down the procedure step by step for an oil change. As you complete each one cross it off. That way if you get side tracked you jhave some refrence point. Try it with other job duties assigned to you.

I would be just a liitle worried if i left my car with a mechanic who had to read a manual to change oil....

Big difference between a book and a folded up piece of notebook paper. He has the knowledge, just needs help with procedura issues. Some foks handles "stress" different than others, as well as find "stress" in areas that others coast right on through.

James B. wrote:

Olafsto wrote:

James B. wrote:

Here's an idea ! Get a piece of paper and write down the procedure step by step for an oil change. As you complete each one cross it off. That way if you get side tracked you jhave some refrence point. Try it with other job duties assigned to you.

I would be just a liitle worried if i left my car with a mechanic who had to read a manual to change oil....

Big difference between a book and a folded up piece of notebook paper. He has the knowledge, just needs help with procedura issues. Some foks handles "stress" different than others, as well as find "stress" in areas that others coast right on through.

yep. I agree - sometimes it just takes getting into a routine to get the work down.

DallasBlack wrote:

James B. wrote:

Here's an idea ! Get a piece of paper and write down the procedure step by step for an oil change. As you complete each one cross it off. That way if you get side tracked you jhave some refrence point. Try it with other job duties assigned to you.

Good idea! Another thing I'm doing with my job searches is taking a backwards step in my automotive career. Below a quick lube tech is a porter (the person that drives the cars to and from the garage) so I have applied to a few of those positions as well, temporarily of course. I'm also looking for a parts counter jobs as well. Those as I said are a step back but they could temporarily give me employment while at the same time adding to my automotive experience.

Being a Parts guy myself,I dont agree with you that that is a step down from oil change tech.It takes alot of skill and memory to look up parts and retain information on numbers and vehicles.

Anyway,whatever you decide to do,good luck to ya.

I'll agree with Thrasher on that one. Not to mention dealing with A-hole techs & front counter morons. Most of our parts guys are bringing home fat money!!

DB, have you ever been tested for Attention Deficit Disorder?

Hamer12 wrote:

I'll agree with Thrasher on that one. Not to mention dealing with A-hole techs & front counter morons. Most of our parts guys are bringing home fat money!!

You were right on until you mentioned the bringing home fat money part

We did 1.5 million in parts last month. Some of them were even able to fill up gas tanks!!

Hamer12 wrote:

We did 1.5 million in parts last month. Some of them were even able to fill up gas tanks!!

Wow,you must work at a Huge Dealership. We only do around 100k

Thrasher73 wrote:

DallasBlack wrote:

James B. wrote:

Here's an idea ! Get a piece of paper and write down the procedure step by step for an oil change. As you complete each one cross it off. That way if you get side tracked you jhave some refrence point. Try it with other job duties assigned to you.

Good idea! Another thing I'm doing with my job searches is taking a backwards step in my automotive career. Below a quick lube tech is a porter (the person that drives the cars to and from the garage) so I have applied to a few of those positions as well, temporarily of course. I'm also looking for a parts counter jobs as well. Those as I said are a step back but they could temporarily give me employment while at the same time adding to my automotive experience.

Being a Parts guy myself,I dont agree with you that that is a step down from oil change tech.It takes alot of skill and memory to look up parts and retain information on numbers and vehicles.

I meant no offence, parts guys (and porters as well) are very important to the automotive field and there is no shame in doing either job. I meant a step back in the way that I will not be working on vehicles and my tools will just sit around in my dad's garage for about a year. Even if I won't be hired anytime soon for a Lube Tech job if I get another job in the automotive field and actually last more than three months, I will have a better chance of getting a third chance to work on cars again in the future.

I was highly depressed the last few days but I feel much better now and I'm ready to tackle on the job search. The only problem I still have is telling my dad about my dismissal. He was worried enough when I told him I would owe Honda almost $4K, I could imagine how he'd react when he hears I was canned again. I will tell him by week's end, because a. I need to borrow his pick-up to get my tool box and the rest of my tools from Honda and b. when he comes home in a few weeks, I don't think I could dissapear for 10 hours a day to keep up the charade.

DallasBlack wrote:

I don't think I could dissapear for 10 hours a day to keep up the charade.

its not that hard - its what i do everyday at work...

exact33 wrote:

DallasBlack wrote:

I don't think I could dissapear for 10 hours a day to keep up the charade.

its not that hard - its what i do everyday at work...

Dallas, I'm sorry to hear of this. But I can't help but to agree with a few of the others who voiced a possible concern that maybe you aren't gifted for the automotive field.

You are a great guy and I've always liked you and thought you were cool. I know you have a gifting and that you will bring it to bear at the right time in your life when you are ready to face who you really are. Sometimes that takes years of discovery though. I know I'm just now discovering who I really am now (not that I'm a lot older than you), and I am realizing how differently I am going to do things. I might even be going back to school sometime soon.

But anyway ... back to you. Have you considered possibly going back to school for something different? I know there are programs out there geared to help people who want to go back. Just a thought. And I hope all works out for you.

I can make it in the automotive field, I know it. I just need one more chance. Unfortunatly, I may not be given that second chance. It has only been four days but I have put in over 15 applications to auto jobs, parts jobs, and porter jobs. I've only had one reply from the porter job and it was a rejection letter. The porter is the bottom of the ladder in the automotive field. All they do is drive cars to and from the shop and prep the cars for the mechanics to drive the vehicle and for the customer to get them back. Now there is a small chance they thought I was overqualified for that job but there is the nagging doubt that my dissmissal is a factor.