Explore every episode of the podcast Wrench Turners Podcast

Everyone complains about paperwork.

The best technicians, advisors, and managers understand something different: documentation isn't paperwork... It's profit.

In this episode of the Wrench Turners Podcast, Justin Gonzalez shares his journey from Apple and Lexus to leading warranty support for a growing RV manufacturer. Along the way, he learned that documenting repairs, telling better stories, and proving your value doesn't just improve warranty approvals. It can change your entire career.

We discuss:

• Why documentation is one of the highest ROI skills in the industry

• How selling service starts with understanding the product

• The mistakes shops make with onboarding

• Lessons from rebuilding a struggling Jaguar Land Rover service department during COVID

• How to present your value when asking for a raise

• The realities of warranty administration across 24 dealerships

• Why taking a moment to reset can make you a better technician and teammate

Whether you're a technician, service advisor, foreman, warranty administrator, or service manager, this episode will change how you think about the notes you write every day.

Negative Pushes.

Positive Pulls.

God Bless.

j.

Follow Justin

https://www.linkedin.com/in/justinremotevans/

⚠️ Disclaimer:

I’m a licensed mechanic. That doesn’t mean I know what I’m doing, whether it’s fixing things or filming things. Do your own due diligence.

Listen to The Wrench Turners Podcast:

Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/show/1ScwRP0DFMtDsp83JxPhPK?si=26aeb4be65da45eb

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/mrjoshuataylor/

LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/mrjtaylor/

Chapters:

00:00 Introduction

01:14 Why Automotive?

05:51 Learning The Product

11:28 Onboarding Matters

16:28 Warranty Career Journey

27:50 Documentation Creates Value

38:06 Warranty Mistakes

48:13 Mental Health Matters

53:48 Final Thoughts

What’s the biggest expense inside a dealership?

According to CFO Pete Fisher, it’s people. Not because people are the problem, but because payroll, compensation, benefits, and personnel costs make up one of the largest pieces of the dealership P&L.

In this episode of Wrench Turners Podcast, Pete breaks down dealership finances in a way service managers, fixed ops directors, advisors, and technicians can actually use. We talk about month-end pressure, open ROs, payroll, comp plans, forecasts, gross profit, expenses, and why service advisors need to understand that their job is sales, not order-taking.

The biggest takeaway is simple: if expenses are too high, you only have two real options. Cut, or sell more. And in a service department, selling more starts with increasing hours per RO, growing gross profit, and building a team that understands how the business actually works.

This is a tactical conversation for anyone in fixed ops who wants to understand the numbers behind the store.

The Wrench Turners Podcast is about improving the life, well-being, and productivity of mechanics everywhere.

Negative Pushes

Positive Pulls

God Bless

j.

Follow Pete

https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamie-robinson-1b216b370/

⚠️ Disclaimer:

I’m a licensed mechanic. That doesn’t mean I know what I’m doing, whether it’s fixing things or filming things. Do your own due diligence.

Listen to The Wrench Turners Podcast:

Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/show/1ScwRP0DFMtDsp83JxPhPK?si=26aeb4be65da45eb

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/mrjoshuataylor/

LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/mrjtaylor/

Chapters

00:00 Intro

01:47 Getting Into Automotive

03:43 Accounting Office Reality

07:15 Month-End Pressure

09:16 Tracking Open ROs

15:47 Payroll Problems

19:12 Do Hard Things

22:18 People Matter Most

29:51 Comp Plans Explained

35:06 Reading The P&L

What happens when a dealership develops an exceptional technician but gives them nowhere to go next?

Nicholas Martin began his automotive career pushing a broom, cleaning tools, and learning from every technician in the workshop. He eventually became a Mercedes-Benz Certified Diagnostic Technician before moving into OEM technical support and dealer advisory, helping dealerships solve difficult technical and business problems across Australia.

In this episode, Nicholas explains why dealerships often lose their best technicians and what leaders can do to keep them. The answer isn’t always more money. Experienced technicians need meaningful progression, greater responsibility, continued development, and opportunities to use their knowledge beyond producing hours in a service bay.

Joshua and Nicholas also discuss apprenticeship, mentorship, advanced diagnostics, technical documentation, customer trust, OEM support cases, and the value of using a whiteboard to work through complicated vehicle problems. Nicholas closes with an important reminder for every technician: nobody will advocate for your career more strongly than you will.

This conversation is for technicians, shop foremen, service managers, fixed operations leaders, dealer principals, and anyone responsible for developing and retaining automotive talent.

Subscribe to the Wrench Turners Podcast for more conversations designed to help technicians live happier, healthier, and more productive lives.

Follow Nicholas

https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicholas-martin-3779b4249/

⚠️ Disclaimer:

I’m a licensed mechanic. That doesn’t mean I know what I’m doing, whether it’s fixing things or filming things. Do your own due diligence.

Listen to The Wrench Turners Podcast:

Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/show/1ScwRP0DFMtDsp83JxPhPK?si=26aeb4be65da45eb

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/mrjoshuataylor/

LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/mrjtaylor/

Chapters

00:00 From Apprentice to Advisor

02:31 Falling in Love With Cars

07:38 Learning the Workshop

11:48 Becoming a Diagnostic Technician

16:10 Physics Behind Better Diagnostics

22:48 Why Top Technicians Leave

27:55 Communicating With Technical Support

32:21 Technical Decisions, Business Consequences

42:41 Whiteboarding Difficult Diagnoses

46:58 Advocate for Your Career

Jamie Robinson almost left the trade in his first year. He hated it. He felt like he wasn’t good enough. He wanted out.

Then everything changed.

Jamie found the right people. He asked for help. He chased the hard jobs. He learned diagnostics. He got better one day at a time. Years later, he won the UK skills contest and went to Seoul to compete for Hyundai on the world stage. He finished second in the world.

This episode is about what happens when a young tech is almost pushed out of the trade, but keeps going anyway.

We talk about bad first years, shop culture, mentors, foremen, apprentices, diagnostics, and why the best techs slow down before they speed up.

Jamie's best advice is simple: Don't be too proud to seek guidance.

The Wrench Turners Podcast is about improving the life, well-being, and productivity of mechanics everywhere.

Negative Pushes

Positive Pulls

God Bless

j.

Follow Jamie

https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamie-robinson-1b216b370/

⚠️ Disclaimer:

I’m a licensed mechanic. That doesn’t mean I know what I’m doing, whether it’s fixing things or filming things. Do your own due diligence.

Listen to The Wrench Turners Podcast:

Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/show/1ScwRP0DFMtDsp83JxPhPK?si=26aeb4be65da45eb

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/mrjoshuataylor/

LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/mrjtaylor/

Chapters

00:00 Meet Jamie Robinson

00:53 First Year Was Brutal

03:39 Building Or Bullying

04:42 Protecting Young Apprentices

09:33 From Tires To World #2

15:30 Slow Down To Win

18:28 Diagnose Before Touching Cars

23:21 Notes Get Techs Paid

28:29 Using Pain As Fuel

37:12 Seek Guidance

What separates a great shop from everybody else?

Patty Ruggia has spent years seeing dealerships from the recruiting side. Jade Price sees the industry from inside the workshop. Their answers point back to the same things: leadership, recognition, communication, customer experience, and the culture created inside the shop.

We also get into why constantly correcting people can destroy trust, why great shops make customers feel like part of the community, and how the attitude of one leader can spread through an entire team.

What did the best shop you’ve ever worked in do differently?

Drop it in the comments.

Negative Pushes.

Positive Pulls.

God Bless.

j.

Featuring:

Patty Ruggia

https://www.linkedin.com/in/patty-ruggia-07913863/

https://www.linkedin.com/company/autocanada

Jade Price

https://www.linkedin.com/in/jade-price-4675016b/

https://www.instagram.com/theautomotivecapture/

https://www.tiktok.com/@theautomotivecapture

Hosted by Joshua Taylor

Listen to The Wrench Turners Podcast:

Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/show/1ScwRP0DFMtDsp83JxPhPK?si=26aeb4be65da45eb

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/mrjoshuataylor/

LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/mrjtaylor/

⚠️ Disclaimer:

I’m a licensed mechanic. That doesn’t mean I know what I’m doing, whether it’s fixing things or filming things. Do your own due diligence.

Chapters

00:00 Season 4 Finale

01:05 What Great Shops Do

02:08 Leadership Starts at Top

03:42 Praise Before Criticism

06:49 Make Customers Feel Welcome

08:49 Your Shop Has a Vibe

09:57 Leadership That Spreads

11:47 Negative Culture Costs

12:27 The Biggest Change

13:28 Closing Season 4

We spend a lot of time talking about what’s wrong with the automotive industry.

So Jade Price asked a different question:

What’s actually gotten better?

Patty Ruggia talks about the growth of dealership support teams and the increased respect being given to technician education.

Jade shares what she’s seen from more women entering the trade and how social media has created a much bigger community of technicians willing to help, share knowledge, and support each other.

And the conversation eventually comes back to something simple:

Maybe we need to spend a little more time recognizing what’s improving.

What’s the biggest positive change YOU’VE seen in automotive?

Drop it in the comments.

Negative Pushes.

Positive Pulls.

God Bless.

j.

Featuring:

Patty Ruggia

https://www.linkedin.com/in/patty-ruggia-07913863/

https://www.linkedin.com/company/autocanada

Jade Price

https://www.linkedin.com/in/jade-price-4675016b/

https://www.instagram.com/theautomotivecapture/

https://www.tiktok.com/@theautomotivecapture

Hosted by Joshua Taylor

Listen to The Wrench Turners Podcast:

Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/show/1ScwRP0DFMtDsp83JxPhPK?si=26aeb4be65da45eb

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/mrjoshuataylor/

LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/mrjtaylor/

⚠️ Disclaimer:

I’m a licensed mechanic. That doesn’t mean I know what I’m doing, whether it’s fixing things or filming things. Do your own due diligence.

Chapters

00:00 Welcome to Earned Influence

00:50 What’s Getting Better?

01:29 Better Dealership Support

03:36 Supporting Technician Education

06:25 More Women in Automotive

07:26 Mechanics Helping Mechanics

08:40 Looking for the Positive

11:14 Change Your Mindset

11:53 Final Thoughts

Being the best technician in the shop doesn't automatically make someone ready to lead it. But across the "we fix things" industries, that's often exactly how shop foremen are chosen.

They're great diagnosticians. They're productive. They're experienced. They know the vehicles. Then one day they're responsible for leading people.

In this episode of Earned Influence, Patty Ruggia, Jade Price, and Joshua Taylor dig into what actually separates a technically capable shop foreman from an effective leader.

We talk about why communication matters just as much as diagnostic ability, why empathy should be treated as an operational tool, how trust is earned through action, the importance of one-on-one conversations, and why the difference between saying “my team” and “our team” might matter more than you think.

Jade also shares a personal example of what happened when a leader took the time to listen, understand what she was dealing with, and create an environment where the rest of the shop supported her too.

The question isn't whether your shop foreman can fix the hardest car in the building.

It's whether anyone ever taught them how to lead the people fixing them.

This is Earned Influence on The Wrench Turners Podcast.

Send this episode to a service manager, shop foremen, advisor, technician, or fixed-operations leader who wants their departments to work better together.

Negative pushes.

Positive pulls.

God Bless

j.

Featuring:

Patty Ruggia

https://www.linkedin.com/in/patty-ruggia-07913863/

https://www.linkedin.com/company/autocanada

Jade Price

https://www.linkedin.com/in/jade-price-4675016b/

https://www.instagram.com/theautomotivecapture/

https://www.tiktok.com/@theautomotivecapture

Hosted by Joshua Taylor

Listen to The Wrench Turners Podcast:

Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/show/1ScwRP0DFMtDsp83JxPhPK?si=26aeb4be65da45eb

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/mrjoshuataylor/

LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/mrjtaylor/

⚠️ Disclaimer:

I’m a licensed mechanic. That doesn’t mean I know what I’m doing, whether it’s fixing things or filming things. Do your own due diligence.

Chapters

00:00 Earned Influence

01:11 Are Soft Skills Operational Tools?

03:49 You Can't Checklist Leadership

06:55 Trust Is Earned Through Action

09:12 Leaders Have to Listen

12:43 Why Foremen Get Promoted

16:20 Communication Reveals Priorities

19:04 “My Team” vs “Our Team”

21:06 The Words Leaders Use

23:31 Humans Are Complicated

24:41 Teaching Foremen to Lead

26:15 Are We Training Leaders?

Dealerships have added BDCs, technician videos, digital inspections, AI, warranty processes, new software, and more administrative responsibilities.

So why does the customer experience often feel the same—or even worse?

In this Ten Mil Mastery conversation, Marshall, Josh Arnold, Brent Osmond, and Joshua Taylor compare automotive and heavy-duty service departments, examine how the service advisor role has changed, and discuss the administrative work increasingly being pushed onto technicians.

The problem may not be the technology itself.

The problem is adding tools without delivering the training, expectations, leadership, and measurement required to use them successfully.

The practical takeaway for dealers is straightforward:

Map every task your advisors and technicians perform.

Separate customer relationship work from purely administrative work.

Train each process clearly.

Measure whether the process improves communication, productivity, customer satisfaction, and profitability.

Every new tool should make it easier for your people to care for the customer. It shouldn’t simply become another task they’re expected to manage.

What’s one process in your store that has become more complicated than it needs to be?

Leave it in the comments and join the conversation.

Subscribe for more conversations about technicians, leadership, fixed operations, and the people responsible for keeping the world moving.

Negative Pushes

Positive Pulls

God Bless

j.

Follow Brent Osmond:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/brent-osmond-7b8302149/

Dynamic Diesel Solutions

https://www.linkedin.com/company/dynamic-diesel-solutions-canada/posts/?feedView=all

Follow Marshall Sheldon

https://www.linkedin.com/in/marshall-sheldon-981349176/

Briggs Industrial Solutions

https://www.linkedin.com/company/briggs-industrial-solutions/

Follow Josh Arnold

https://www.linkedin.com/in/josh-arnold-%F0%9F%A7%B0-aa249b349/

Continental Automotive Group

https://www.linkedin.com/company/continentalautomotivegroup

⚠️ Disclaimer:

I’m a licensed mechanic. That doesn’t mean I know what I’m doing, whether it’s fixing things or filming things. Do your own due diligence.

Listen to The Wrench Turners Podcast:

Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/show/1ScwRP0DFMtDsp83JxPhPK?si=26aeb4be65da45eb

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/mrjoshuataylor/

LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/mrjtaylor/

Chapters

0:00 The advisor role changes

3:34 Should administration be separated?

5:22 More tools, worse results

6:23 Has service gone backwards?

6:55 Automotive versus heavy duty

7:37 The service mindset

8:58 Why customer trust matters

10:21 How dealers can improve

Attilio Guidetti has gone from automotive school and race-team work in Bologna to leading Ducati service operations across 15 Asia-Pacific markets. Along the way, he’s worked as a technician, service advisor, international trainer, business owner, and aftersales leader.

In this episode, we discuss why skilled technicians can still struggle inside poorly managed shops, why customer experience and profitability must work together, and why service improvement has to begin with ownership, leadership, clear expectations, and meaningful KPIs.

Attilio also shares how he learned English in three months to earn an international training opportunity, why technicians should begin developing for their next role before they feel ready, and what it actually takes to move from the workshop into management.

This conversation is for technicians, foremen, service advisors, service managers, fixed operations leaders, and shop owners who want to build stronger careers, teams, and businesses.

Subscribe to the Wrench Turners Podcast for conversations designed to help technicians live happier, healthier, more productive lives.

Negative Pushes.

Positive Pulls.

God Bless.

j.

Follow Attilio

https://www.linkedin.com/in/service-manager/

⚠️ Disclaimer:

I’m a licensed mechanic. That doesn’t mean I know what I’m doing, whether it’s fixing things or filming things. Do your own due diligence.

Listen to The Wrench Turners Podcast:

Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/show/1ScwRP0DFMtDsp83JxPhPK?si=26aeb4be65da45eb

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/mrjoshuataylor/

LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/mrjtaylor/

Chapters

00:00 Introduction

00:35 The Crash That Started Everything

09:41 Racing Teams And Service

14:44 Learning English In Three Months

22:47 Building Businesses Worldwide

24:35 Joining Ducati Across Asia

33:45 Customer Satisfaction Is A Tool

38:42 Leadership Starts At The Top

47:59 Begin Before You Are Ready

52:48 Final Thoughts

Your customer doesn’t experience your dealership as service, parts, sales, and BDC.They experience one dealership.When an appointment is mishandled, a call isn’t returned, a part update never arrives, or departments blame one another, the customer doesn’t care which team caused the problem. They only know the dealership failed to solve it.In the season finale of Earned Influence Season 3, Mindy Williams, Kaylee Felio, Wendy Reeves, and Joshua Taylor discuss how service, parts, and the BDC can stop working in silos and start winning together.Wendy explains why dealerships are underusing their BDC teams. Beyond setting appointments, the BDC can support advisor overflow, missed calls, special-order parts updates, recall communication, customer retention, and relationship building.Kaylee discusses the importance of understanding the person behind the department. The parts employee who appears difficult may be managing technicians, advisors, warranty claims, inventory, and customer requests simultaneously. Sometimes the most useful question is simply, “Are you okay, and how can I help?”Mindy brings the conversation together with one clear message:“Just seeing each other as a whole rather than breaking it up into departments.”This episode covers departmental silos, internal communication, BDC utilization, employee workload, customer follow-up, cross-department relationships, and why every dealership must organize around the customer instead of its org chart.Send this episode to a service manager, parts manager, BDC manager, advisor, technician, or fixed-operations leader who wants their departments to work better together.Negative pushes. Positive pulls.God Blessj.Featuring:Wendy Reeves of BDC Angelshttps://www.linkedin.com/in/wendy-reeves/https://www.linkedin.com/company/bdcangels/Mindy Williams of Carter Myers Automotivehttps://www.linkedin.com/in/mindy-williams-700b791b7/https://www.linkedin.com/company/carter-myers-automotive/Kaylee Felio of PartsEdgehttps://www.linkedin.com/in/kayleefelio/https://www.linkedin.com/company/partsedge-inc-/Hosted by Joshua TaylorListen to The Wrench Turners Podcast:Spotify:https://open.spotify.com/show/1ScwRP0DFMtDsp83JxPhPK?si=26aeb4be65da45ebInstagram:https://www.instagram.com/mrjoshuataylor/LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/mrjtaylor/⚠️ Disclaimer:I’m a licensed mechanic. That doesn’t mean I know what I’m doing, whether it’s fixing things or filming things. Do your own due diligence.Chapters00:00 Why Departments Become Silos02:18 BDC as the Glue03:14 Parts Communication Gaps03:56 Service Call Overflow05:11 Help Us Help You06:54 Helping Departments Win07:21 See the Human09:18 The Cost of Silos

Who loses if you don’t win?

That question changed how Mindy Williams thinks about leadership, responsibility, and every decision she makes. Because when a leader isn’t performing at the level their people need, the consequences rarely stop with the leader.

Employees can lose. Customers can lose. Families can lose. The business can lose. In this episode of Earned Influence Season 3, Mindy, Wendy Reeves, Kaylee Felio, and Joshua Taylor discuss the questions that changed how they lead.

Wendy explains why giving instructions isn’t enough. Leaders must verify that people actually understand what was communicated, give them opportunities to apply it, and avoid overwhelming them with information they can’t yet use.

Kaylee discusses the courage required to lead up, clearly communicate what needs to change, and move leadership conversations beyond repeatedly discussing the same problems.

The conversation also explores why leaders must see the person behind the employee, why generic questions create generic answers, and how specific follow-up questions prove that you were actually paying attention.

Good leaders don’t just provide answers.

They ask questions that create understanding, uncover what their people need, and turn conversation into action.

So, before your next important leadership decision, ask yourself:

Who loses if you don’t win?

Subscribe to The Wrench Turners Podcast and share this episode with someone responsible for leading people, whether leadership appears in their job title or not.

Negative pushes.

Positive pulls.

God Bless

j.

Featuring:

Wendy Reeves of BDC Angels

https://www.linkedin.com/in/wendy-reeves/

https://www.linkedin.com/company/bdcangels/

Mindy Williams of Carter Myers Automotive

https://www.linkedin.com/in/mindy-williams-700b791b7/

https://www.linkedin.com/company/carter-myers-automotive/

Kaylee Felio of PartsEdge

https://www.linkedin.com/in/kayleefelio/

https://www.linkedin.com/company/partsedge-inc-/

Hosted by Joshua Taylor

Listen to The Wrench Turners Podcast:

Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/show/1ScwRP0DFMtDsp83JxPhPK?si=26aeb4be65da45eb

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/mrjoshuataylor/

LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/mrjtaylor/

⚠️ Disclaimer:

I’m a licensed mechanic. That doesn’t mean I know what I’m doing, whether it’s fixing things or filming things. Do your own due diligence.

Chapters

00:00 Earned Influence Returns

00:36 A Leadership Question

00:56 Verify Understanding

04:06 Listening Isn’t Enough

05:48 Learning to Lead Up

07:17 Turn Talk Into Action

11:07 Who Loses?

13:11 See Your People

14:18 Ask Specific Questions

15:27 Questions Build Trust

Parts can make or break the rhythm of a service department.

In this episode of The Wrench Turners Podcast, Shawn Parrett joins me to talk about the real life of the parts counter, how parts leaders support technicians, and why communication between parts, advisors, and the shop matters more than most dealerships admit.

Shawn has nearly 30 years in automotive parts, from wholesale parts to parts manager, and he brings a direct message for technicians, advisors, parts people, and fixed ops leaders:

Always have an answer.

We talk about obsolescence, lost sales, inventory decisions, technician trust, service advisor communication, leadership, humility, consistency, and why the best parts departments remove friction instead of creating it.

This episode is for anyone in dealership fixed operations who wants the shop, parts counter, and service drive to work better together. Shawn explains how a strong parts department helps technicians stay moving, helps advisors sell with confidence, and helps the dealership win.

Negative Pushes

Positive Pulls

God Bless

j.

Follow Shawn

https://www.linkedin.com/in/shawn-parrett-48390b79/

⚠️ Disclaimer:

I’m a licensed mechanic. That doesn’t mean I know what I’m doing, whether it’s fixing things or filming things. Do your own due diligence.

Listen to The Wrench Turners Podcast:

Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/show/1ScwRP0DFMtDsp83JxPhPK?si=26aeb4be65da45eb

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/mrjoshuataylor/

LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/mrjtaylor/

Chapters

0:00 Meet Shawn Parrett

1:52 Getting Started in Automotive Parts

7:00 Humility, Drive, and Consistency

11:38 Learning Through the 2008 Recession

21:11 What Technicians Need to Know About Parts

27:46 How Parts Managers Think About Inventory

32:17 Training Green Parts People the Right Way

37:28 The Best Parts People Always Have an Answer

40:59 How Parts Helps Service Sell More Work

42:26 Shawn’s Advice for Technicians

AI can improve your writing, organize your thoughts, analyze reports, and remove hours of repetitive work.

But what happens when everyone starts sounding the same?

In Season 3, Episode 1 of Earned Influence, Wendy Reeves, Mindy Williams, Kaylee Felio, and Joshua Taylor discuss how leaders can use AI without losing their authenticity, judgment, privacy, or connection with the people they serve.

Kaylee explains why she stepped away from social media after AI-assisted content started feeling too polished and predictable. Mindy shares how she uses AI for training, reporting, KPIs, and customer follow-up while making sure the final message still sounds like her. Wendy breaks down practical dealership applications, including BDC coaching, performance reporting, data analysis, and the risks of employees entering dealership or customer information into unsecured tools.

The conversation also explores how AI can reduce administrative work, summarize overloaded inboxes, improve leadership preparation, and help technicians turn frustrating processes into prototypes that management and engineering can understand.

AI should eliminate repetition, not responsibility.

It should help organize your thoughts, not manufacture your beliefs.

And it should make you more capable without slowly teaching you to sound like everyone else.

Negative pushes.

Positive pulls.

God Bless

j.

Featuring:

Wendy Reeves of BDC Angels

https://www.linkedin.com/in/wendy-reeves/

https://www.linkedin.com/company/bdcangels/

Mindy Williams of Carter Myers Automotive

https://www.linkedin.com/in/mindy-williams-700b791b7/

https://www.linkedin.com/company/carter-myers-automotive/

Kaylee Felio of PartsEdge

https://www.linkedin.com/in/kayleefelio/

https://www.linkedin.com/company/partsedge-inc-/

Hosted by Joshua Taylor

Listen to The Wrench Turners Podcast:

Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/show/1ScwRP0DFMtDsp83JxPhPK?si=26aeb4be65da45eb

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/mrjoshuataylor/

LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/mrjtaylor/

⚠️ Disclaimer:

I’m a licensed mechanic. That doesn’t mean I know what I’m doing, whether it’s fixing things or filming things. Do your own due diligence.

Chapters

00:00 Earned Influence Returns

00:53 Why Kaylee Stopped Posting

02:41 Using AI Authentically

03:36 AI Inside the Shop

05:11 Humanity Builds Trust

06:47 Wendy’s AI Workflow

09:30 Dealership AI Integration

11:51 Writing With Less

13:55 Automating Daily Work

15:26 AI Creates Opportunity

The parts department is expected to identify the right components, manage inventory, prevent obsolescence, handle warranty returns, navigate supply chains, source emergency parts, and keep technicians productive.

Yet in many dealerships, parts people are still treated like an afterthought.

Marshall, Brent Osmond, and Josh Arnold discuss what changes when parts becomes a recognized skilled trade rather than a position people are expected to learn through trial and error.

Brent explains how Canada’s Parts Technician apprenticeship can include component identification, engines, transmissions, hydraulic systems, inventory control, logistics, customs documentation, customer communication, and Red Seal certification.

The conversation then moves into the larger dealership problem: inconsistent training, limited mentorship, low professional recognition, and compensation that may not attract or retain highly capable people.

A great parts person can understand what a technician is asking for, recognize related service information, anticipate required bolts and consumables, reduce mistakes, and prevent unnecessary downtime.

The question is not whether parts people affect the repair process. They clearly do.

The question is whether dealerships are willing to train and treat them accordingly.

Subscribe for more conversations about technicians, dealership operations, leadership, training, and the people responsible for keeping the industry moving.

Negative Pushes

Positive Pulls

God Bless

j.

Follow Brent Osmond:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/brent-osmond-7b8302149/

Dynamic Diesel Solutions

https://www.linkedin.com/company/dynamic-diesel-solutions-canada/posts/?feedView=all

Follow Marshall Sheldon

https://www.linkedin.com/in/marshall-sheldon-981349176/

Briggs Industrial Solutions

https://www.linkedin.com/company/briggs-industrial-solutions/

Follow Josh Arnold

https://www.linkedin.com/in/josh-arnold-%F0%9F%A7%B0-aa249b349/

Continental Automotive Group

https://www.linkedin.com/company/continentalautomotivegroup

⚠️ Disclaimer:

I’m a licensed mechanic. That doesn’t mean I know what I’m doing, whether it’s fixing things or filming things. Do your own due diligence.

Listen to The Wrench Turners Podcast:

Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/show/1ScwRP0DFMtDsp83JxPhPK?si=26aeb4be65da45eb

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/mrjoshuataylor/

LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/mrjtaylor/

Chapters

00:00 The Parts Credentialing Debate

02:18 Inside Red Seal Training

03:44 Inventory and Obsolescence

04:30 Emergency Parts Logistics

05:58 Great Parts People

08:36 Certification, Talent, and Pay

11:11 The Missing Apprenticeship

13:03 Parts Pay Versus Technicians

In this special panel episode of Wrench Turners Podcast, we sit down with Dale Pettigrew and Nicholas Martin, two former technicians who moved into OEM technical support, to talk about what actually makes a support case easier or harder to solve.

This conversation gets into the stuff technicians deal with every day: vague repair orders, skipped diagnostic steps, intermittent concerns, “no fault found” visits, missing values, customer descriptions, communication gaps, and the pressure to fix complex problems quickly.

Dale and Nicholas explain why “all good” isn’t good enough, why exact numbers matter, why documentation can protect you years later, and why tech support isn’t there to fix the car for you. They’re there to help you build the process, ask better questions, and become stronger at diagnosing the hard stuff.

This one is for technicians, advisors, shop foremen, service managers, warranty admins, and anyone who wants to understand how to get better answers from technical support.

Negative Pushes.

Positive Pulls.

God Bless

j.

Featuring:

Dale Pettigrew

https://www.linkedin.com/in/dale-pettigrew-1532165a/

Nicholas Martin

https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicholas-martin-3779b4249/

⚠️ Disclaimer:

I’m a licensed mechanic. That doesn’t mean I know what I’m doing, whether it’s fixing things or filming things. Do your own due diligence.

Listen to The Wrench Turners Podcast:

Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/show/1ScwRP0DFMtDsp83JxPhPK?si=26aeb4be65da45eb

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/mrjoshuataylor/

LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/mrjtaylor/

What if you’re not stuck because you lack talent, ambition, or discipline?

What if you’re surrounded by people who cannot help you become the person you’re trying to become?

In the final episode of Earned Influence Season 2, Kathleen Long, Kelli Verdi, and Kaylee Felio share the hurdles that forced them to rethink their careers, environments, health, relationships, and definitions of success.

Kathleen explains how an outside coach and a new peer group helped her understand what she needed to change to move from the VP level into the C-suite.

Kelli discusses the importance of finding leadership that recognizes the value of having several connected skills instead of forcing someone into a narrowly defined role.

Kaylee shares why achieving her professional goals still left her questioning what came next, and how focusing on her health, children, family, and personal development became part of reaching the next level.

Joshua also shares how losing his clients and career direction during the beginning of COVID humbled him, brought him back to his faith, and helped him build a life centred around purpose, family, friendship, and service.

Sometimes you don't need to work harder.

Sometimes you need a different perspective, a healthier environment, and people who will challenge, support, and trust you.

That's Earned Influence.

Earned Influence is a roundtable series featuring women leaders in service who have earned trust the hard way through their character, actions, relationships, and results.

Subscribe for more conversations about leadership, trust, service, communication, and the people working inside the automotive industry and skilled trades.

Negative pushes.

Positive pulls.

God Bless.

j.

Featuring:

Kelli Verdi of Team MXS

https://www.linkedin.com/in/kelliverdi/

https://www.linkedin.com/company/team-mxs

Kathleen Long of RepairPal//Yelp

https://www.linkedin.com/in/longkathleen/

https://www.linkedin.com/company/yelp-com/

Kaylee Felio of PartsEdge

https://www.linkedin.com/in/kayleefelio/

https://www.linkedin.com/company/partsedge-inc-/

Hosted by Joshua Taylor

Listen to The Wrench Turners Podcast:

Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/show/1ScwRP0DFMtDsp83JxPhPK?si=26aeb4be65da45eb

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/mrjoshuataylor/

LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/mrjtaylor/

⚠️ Disclaimer:

I’m a licensed mechanic. That doesn’t mean I know what I’m doing, whether it’s fixing things or filming things. Do your own due diligence.

Chapters

00:00 Perspective Changes Everything

01:22 Reaching the C-Suite

04:07 Finding the Right Environment

07:45 Kaylee’s Current Hurdle

10:18 Boring Things Create Results

11:48 The People Around You

12:18 Humbled by COVID

14:23 What Earned Influence Means

What happens when showing up online begins taking more from you than it gives back?

In Episode 3 of Earned Influence Season 2, Kaylee Felio opens an honest conversation about social media burnout. After years of consistently sharing her career, podcast, and life online, she’s reached a point where she has to ask: What am I doing, and do I still want to do it?

Kathleen Long and Kelli Verdi join Kaylee and Joshua Taylor for a candid discussion about the pressure to remain consistent, the hidden workload behind content creation, and the fear of building something you may eventually want to leave.

The conversation also explores why taking care of yourself is an act of generosity, how curiosity can restore creativity, and why your work doesn’t have to become your entire identity.

Then the discussion turns practical: capturing the conversations you’re already having, creating content without constantly manufacturing topics, and showing people what actually happens inside your business.

Because people don’t build trust by seeing only what you want them to see.

They build trust by seeing what you live.

Earned Influence is a Wrench Turners Podcast series featuring honest conversations with leaders who have earned the trust required to influence what happens next.

Subscribe for more conversations about leadership, trust, service, communication, and the people working inside the automotive industry and skilled trades.

Negative pushes.

Positive pulls.

God Bless.

j.

Featuring:

Kelli Verdi of Team MXS

https://www.linkedin.com/in/kelliverdi/

https://www.linkedin.com/company/team-mxs

Kathleen Long of RepairPal//Yelp

https://www.linkedin.com/in/longkathleen/

https://www.linkedin.com/company/yelp-com/

Kaylee Felio of PartsEdge

https://www.linkedin.com/in/kayleefelio/

https://www.linkedin.com/company/partsedge-inc-/

Hosted by Joshua Taylor

Listen to The Wrench Turners Podcast:

Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/show/1ScwRP0DFMtDsp83JxPhPK?si=26aeb4be65da45eb

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/mrjoshuataylor/

LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/mrjtaylor/

⚠️ Disclaimer:

I’m a licensed mechanic. That doesn’t mean I know what I’m doing, whether it’s fixing things or filming things. Do your own due diligence.

0:00 Social Media Burnout

0:57 What Matters Most

2:35 Consistency Becomes Pressure

5:03 The Hidden Content Workload

8:16 Give Back To Yourself

11:49 Create From Real Life

18:37 Marketing Without Constant Selling

20:48 Raw Content Builds Trust

Tanner Neal didn’t grow up dreaming about a career in automotive.In fact, cars weren’t really on his radar.His path started with necessity. From damage appraisals across West Texas to becoming a service advisor with $3.5 million in gross sales and a top-rated CSI, to now leading fixed operations at a luxury store, Tanner’s story is a reminder that automotive can become a career path for people who are willing to work, listen, communicate, and keep growing.In this episode of The Wrench Turners Podcast, Tanner Neal shares what he learned moving from the appraisal side of the business into the service drive, why communication is the real skill behind great advising, how advisors can build trust without over-talking, and what technicians can do to protect their body, mind, money, and career longevity.We also get into the relationship between advisors and technicians, how poor communication creates chaos in the shop, why service advisors need to listen more than they speak, and why the best fixed ops leaders understand both the customer and the technician experience.This episode is for technicians, service advisors, shop foremen, service managers, and fixed ops leaders who care about getting better at the people side of the business.Negative pushes.Positive pulls.Always clean your toys before you put them away.j.Find Tanner:LinkedInhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/tannerneal1⚠️ Disclaimer:I’m a licensed mechanic. That doesn’t mean I know what I’m doing, whether it’s fixing things or filming things. Do your own due diligence.Listen to The Wrench Turners Podcast:Spotify:https://open.spotify.com/show/1ScwRP0DFMtDsp83JxPhPK?si=26aeb4be65da45ebInstagram:https://www.instagram.com/mrjoshuataylor/LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/mrjtaylor/Chapters00:00 Damage appraisals to fixed ops01:23 Getting into automotive04:54 Baptism by fire07:01 The skill that made Tanner a $3.5M advisor10:08 Promoting a shop foreman14:02 Why service advisors need to stop over-explaining16:15 Service advising is mostly listening21:03 Fixing communication breakdowns26:45 How technicians can train advisors29:50 Tanner’s advice for technicians34:43 Why solving upset customers can be rewarding36:03 Final thoughts and closing quote

What makes someone trust you?

In Season 2, Episode 2 of Earned Influence, Kathleen Long brings that question to Kelli Verdi, Kaylee Felio, and Joshua Taylor.

The conversation explores how trust is built through curiosity, honest communication, vulnerability, generosity, consistency, and the willingness to admit that you don’t have every answer.

Kaylee explains how providing useful resources helped her earn credibility in an industry she didn’t originally come from. Kelli shares why fast, direct, and honest communication matters more than delivering a perfectly crafted response. Joshua discusses how leaders can build trust by asking their teams for help. Kathleen explains why curiosity has been one of the biggest career unlocks she has experienced.

The group also examines why people choose to work with certain leaders, companies, and solutions when there are countless alternatives available.

Sometimes trust isn’t built by knowing more. It’s built by asking better questions, listening carefully, giving without expectation, and doing what you said you would do.

Earned Influence is a Wrench Turners Podcast series featuring honest conversations with leaders who have earned the trust required to influence what happens next.

Subscribe for more conversations about leadership, trust, service, communication, and the people working inside the automotive industry and skilled trades.

Negative pushes.

Positive pulls.

God Bless.

j.

Featuring:

Kelli Verdi of Team MXS

https://www.linkedin.com/in/kelliverdi/

https://www.linkedin.com/company/team-mxs

Kathleen Long of RepairPal//Yelp

https://www.linkedin.com/in/longkathleen/

https://www.linkedin.com/company/yelp-com/

Kaylee Felio of PartsEdge

https://www.linkedin.com/in/kayleefelio/

https://www.linkedin.com/company/partsedge-inc-/

Hosted by Joshua Taylor

Listen to The Wrench Turners Podcast:

Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/show/1ScwRP0DFMtDsp83JxPhPK?si=26aeb4be65da45eb

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/mrjoshuataylor/

LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/mrjtaylor/

⚠️ Disclaimer:

I’m a licensed mechanic. That doesn’t mean I know what I’m doing, whether it’s fixing things or filming things. Do your own due diligence.

Chapters

00:00 What Makes Someone Trust You?

00:28 Kathleen’s Trust Question

01:38 Trust Through Useful Resources

03:40 Leaders Build Trust Through Vulnerability

05:04 Honest Communication Builds Trust

09:21 Ask Questions, Then Listen

10:08 Curiosity, Generosity, and Trust

What happens when a business becomes so focused on growth that it stops listening to the people it serves?

In Season 2, Episode 1 of Earned Influence, Kelli Verdi asks how businesses can scale without sacrificing customer service, culture, or trust.

Kathleen Long shares why leaders sometimes need the courage to walk away from profitable ideas when customers say no. Kaylee Felio explains how PartsEdge uses direct feedback from parts managers to improve its technology. Kelli explores why every customer interaction should help guide leadership, product development, and the decisions being made behind the scenes.

The conversation reveals one of the greatest risks facing growing companies:

The further that leadership gets from the customer, the riskier every decision becomes.

Featuring:

Kelli Verdi of Team MXS

https://www.linkedin.com/in/kelliverdi/

https://www.linkedin.com/company/team-mxs

Kathleen Long of RepairPal//Yelp

https://www.linkedin.com/in/longkathleen/

https://www.linkedin.com/company/yelp-com/

Kaylee Felio of PartsEdge

https://www.linkedin.com/in/kayleefelio/

https://www.linkedin.com/company/partsedge-inc-/

Hosted by Joshua Taylor

Subscribe for the remaining episodes of Earned Influence Season 2.

Negative Pushes.

Positive Pulls.

God Bless.

j.

Chapters

00:00 Earning Influence

02:24 Growth Without Losing Service

03:59 Customer-Led Growth

07:49 Building From Feedback

10:38 Leadership Must Stay Close

⚠️ Disclaimer:

I’m a licensed mechanic. That doesn’t mean I know what I’m doing, whether it’s fixing things or filming things. Do your own due diligence.

Listen to The Wrench Turners Podcast:

Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/show/1ScwRP0DFMtDsp83JxPhPK?si=26aeb4be65da45eb

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/mrjoshuataylor/

LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/mrjtaylor/

Mindy Williams had just come back from having her second baby. One month postpartum, with two kids at home and every reason to wait, she still put her name in for the service manager role.

In this conversation, Mindy shares how mentorship, trust, accountability, and one leader’s belief helped her move from receptionist to advisor to service manager at CMA’s Colonial Subaru. Her mentor Ron didn’t just encourage her. He challenged her, taught her, trusted her, called her out when needed, and gave her the confidence to step into leadership before she felt fully ready.

This episode is for every woman in automotive who’s ever wondered if the timing was wrong, if the responsibility was too much, or if she was allowed to want more while carrying everything else too. Mindy’s story is proof that leadership isn’t always built in perfect conditions. Sometimes it’s built when life is already full, messy, and demanding.

Her line says it best: she may not have had the confidence to do it without someone pouring into her the way her mentor did.

Negative Pushes

Positive Pulls

God Bless

j.

Follow Mindy

https://www.linkedin.com/in/mindy-williams-700b791b7/

⚠️ Disclaimer:

I’m a licensed mechanic. That doesn’t mean I know what I’m doing, whether it’s fixing things or filming things. Do your own due diligence.

Listen to The Wrench Turners Podcast:

Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/show/1ScwRP0DFMtDsp83JxPhPK?si=26aeb4be65da45eb

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/mrjoshuataylor/

LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/mrjtaylor/

Chapters

00:00 The Missed Conversation

00:42 Meet Mindy Williams

03:12 One Month Postpartum

06:31 Reception To Advisor

09:52 Real Mentorship

13:11 Accountability That Works

18:14 Trust Builds Leaders

20:15 Permission To Decide

23:00 Final Takeaway

Kelli Verdi joins The Wrench Turners Podcast for a conversation about faith, family, automotive, customer trust, dealership culture, and why care is never just a soft skill.Kelli’s story starts long before her career in automotive marketing. Her grandfather owned an automotive repair shop in Tampa, and without realizing it at the time, she was learning some of the most important lessons in the industry: how to treat people, how to earn trust, and how much the smallest details matter.That idea became one of the biggest lines from this episode:“Care levels become culture levels.”We talk about how that applies inside dealerships, service departments, websites, customer experiences, technician leadership, and even vendor relationships. From Google Analytics and dealership websites to service scheduling, reviews, AI search, OEM programs, and real conversations with people on the ground, Kelli brings a rare mix of marketing intelligence, automotive experience, and genuine human care.This episode also goes deeper than business. We talk about faith, burnout, leadership, personal loss, and the importance of taking care of yourself before you try to keep pouring into everyone else.In this episode, we cover:Kelli’s early connection to automotive through her grandfather’s repair shopWhy trust is built through tiny detailsHow care levels become culture levelsWhat dealership websites get wrong about customer experienceWhy service departments need better contentHow technicians and service leaders can help build trust before the customer arrivesWhy AI search and website content matter more than everHow Team MXS is approaching automotive website visibilityWhy taking care of yourself matters in this industryThe role faith has played in Kelli’s storyThis is a conversation for technicians, advisors, service managers, fixed ops leaders, vendors, marketers, and anyone who still believes this industry is about people first.Follow Kelli:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kelliverdi/Team MXSLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/team-mxs/postsWebsite: https://www.teammxs.comPhone: 1-866-665-4669Subscribe to The Wrench Turners Podcast for real conversations with technicians, shop foremen, service leaders, trainers, and automotive professionals who are working to make this trade healthier, happier, and more productive.Negative pushes.Positive pulls.God Blessj.⚠️ Disclaimer:I’m a licensed mechanic. That doesn’t mean I know what I’m doing, whether it’s fixing things or filming things. Do your own due diligence.Listen to The Wrench Turners Podcast:Spotify:https://open.spotify.com/show/1ScwRP0DFMtDsp83JxPhPK?si=26aeb4be65da45ebInstagram:https://www.instagram.com/mrjoshuataylor/LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/mrjtaylor/Chapters0:00 Prayer before the episode1:38 Kelli’s unexpected path into automotive7:38 Care levels become culture levels11:11 How customers feel the little details19:09 Kelli’s first year fully in automotive marketing24:25 CDP, SRP, and VDP explained for service leaders28:11 From analytics and events to Team MXS38:03 Why service leaders need to understand vendors44:12 OEM approvals, AI search, and website visibility1:00:12 Kelli’s advice: take care of yourself

Technicians often say service advisors are one of the biggest problems in the shop. But is the problem really the advisor?

Or is the problem that advisors are not being taught how to ask better questions?

In the final episode of Season 1 of Earned Influence, Joshua Taylor, Jami Alexander, and Racheal Bright talk about the service lane, the service counter, phone calls, customer communication, and the relationship between technicians and advisors.

Some shops have a physical service lane.

Some do not.

Some advisors see the customer face-to-face.

Some build the entire relationship over the phone.

But the core issue stays the same: better questions create better communication, and thus better communication builds more trust with the customer. Better information helps technicians diagnose faster, fix more efficiently, and avoid wasted time.

This episode looks at the difference between automotive service, independent repair, and material handling, where the advisor’s role can change depending on whether the technician is working in the shop or being sent out into the field.

The big takeaway is simple:

The lane matters less than the questions.

Earned Influence is a Wrench Turners Podcast panel series built around real conversations from women in automotive, fixed ops, service, leadership, and the trades.

Featuring:

Jami Alexander

https://www.linkedin.com/in/jami-a-4075a9271/

Mindy Williams

https://www.linkedin.com/in/mindy-williams-700b791b7/

Racheal Bright

https://www.linkedin.com/in/racheal-bright-08281262/

⚠️ Disclaimer:

I’m a licensed mechanic. That doesn’t mean I know what I’m doing, whether it’s fixing things or filming things. Do your own due diligence.

Listen to The Wrench Turners Podcast:

Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/show/1ScwRP0DFMtDsp83JxPhPK?si=26aeb4be65da45eb

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/mrjoshuataylor/

LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/mrjtaylor/

Mentorship can change a career. Sometimes, it can change the reason someone stays in the industry at all.

In Season 1, Episode 3 of Earned Influence, Racheal Bright asks a simple question with a much deeper answer:

How important has mentorship been in your career, and how are you paying it forward today?

Jami Alexander shares a personal story about a mentor who showed up for her during one of the hardest seasons of her life. Not with a speech. Not with a performance review. Not with a KPI.

With presence.

With care.

With the kind of people-first leadership that stays with someone forever.

Racheal also opens up about the other side of mentorship. The part where you’re no longer just looking for guidance, but starting to become the person others look to for it.

This episode is about the leaders, foremen, managers, advisors, and technicians who may never fully know the impact they’ve had on the people around them.

Because one mentor can change everything.

Earned Influence is a Wrench Turners Podcast panel series built around real conversations from women in automotive, fixed ops, service, leadership, and the trades.

Featuring:

Jami Alexander

https://www.linkedin.com/in/jami-a-4075a9271/

Racheal Bright

https://www.linkedin.com/in/racheal-bright-08281262/

⚠️ Disclaimer:

I’m a licensed mechanic. That doesn’t mean I know what I’m doing, whether it’s fixing things or filming things. Do your own due diligence.

Listen to The Wrench Turners Podcast:

Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/show/1ScwRP0DFMtDsp83JxPhPK?si=26aeb4be65da45eb

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/mrjoshuataylor/

LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/mrjtaylor/

Senior technicians are often built for the big stuff.

Transmissions. Heavy line. Diagnostics. Complex repairs. The jobs that take skill, patience, and experience. But what happens when the shop needs those same technicians to take on more general service?

Oil changes. Inspections. Same-day work. Smaller jobs. Gravy work.

In Episode 2 of Earned Influence, Jami Alexander brings a real shop leadership question to the panel:

How do you get senior specialized technicians to buy into gravy work when they’re used to heavier, more complex repair?

Mindy Williams, Racheal Bright, and Joshua Taylor talk through the real issue.

It’s not about forcing techs to do the work.

It’s about helping them understand why the work matters.

It’s about customer expectations.

It’s about shop flow.

It’s about using apprentices properly.

It’s about showing experienced technicians that smaller work can still create value for the customer, the technician, and the business.

And maybe most importantly, it’s about reminding senior technicians that the way they handle the simple work teaches the next generation how to care for customers when they’re gone.

Earned Influence is a panel series built around real conversations with women in automotive, fixed ops, service, leadership, and the trades.

Featuring:

Jami Alexander

https://www.linkedin.com/in/jami-a-4075a9271/

Mindy Williams

https://www.linkedin.com/in/mindy-williams-700b791b7/

Racheal Bright

https://www.linkedin.com/in/racheal-bright-08281262/

⚠️ Disclaimer:

I’m a licensed mechanic. That doesn’t mean I know what I’m doing, whether it’s fixing things or filming things. Do your own due diligence.

Listen to The Wrench Turners Podcast:

Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/show/1ScwRP0DFMtDsp83JxPhPK?si=26aeb4be65da45eb

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/mrjoshuataylor/

LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/mrjtaylor/

What does a dealership service department need to stop doing right now if it wants to keep more customers?

In the first episode of Earned Influence, Joshua Taylor sits down with Jami Alexander, Mindy Williams, and Racheal Bright to talk about customer retention, communication, accountability, and what happens when service teams forget there is a real person behind every repair order.

Jami brings nearly 29 years of experience across parts, fleet, big trucks, and repair.

Mindy shares her perspective as a dealership service manager who started in the industry at 19.

Racheal brings her background from material handling, where proactive communication and strong processes are just as important as they are in automotive.

This conversation gets into one of the biggest problems in fixed operations:

Too many service departments act like the job is only to fix the vehicle.

But the real job is to take care of the person who owns it.

Earned Influence is a 4 part panel series from the Wrench Turners Podcast, built around honest conversations, different perspectives, and the kind of leadership that is earned through action.

Featuring:

Jami Alexander

https://www.linkedin.com/in/jami-a-4075a9271/

Mindy Williams

https://www.linkedin.com/in/mindy-williams-700b791b7/

Racheal Bright

https://www.linkedin.com/in/racheal-bright-08281262/

⚠️ Disclaimer:

I’m a licensed mechanic. That doesn’t mean I know what I’m doing, whether it’s fixing things or filming things. Do your own due diligence.

Listen to The Wrench Turners Podcast:

Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/show/1ScwRP0DFMtDsp83JxPhPK?si=26aeb4be65da45eb

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/mrjoshuataylor/

LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/mrjtaylor/

What actually happens when a great technician becomes a shop foreman?

In this episode of The Wrench Turners Podcast, I sit down with Mike Ramirez and Aaron Marion, two experienced shop foremen, to talk about the real work of leading technicians on the shop floor.

This conversation goes far beyond diagnostics, flat rate, and fixing cars.

Mike talks about going from a producing technician to a shop multiplier, helping other techs remove bottlenecks, make more hours, and work better as a team. Aaron shares what it’s like leading inside a high-end Porsche environment, why mentorship still matters years into the trade, and why no technician should ever believe they’ve learned everything.

The episode digs into:

How mentors build technicians without doing the work for them

Why shop foremen need to document their processes

How team chemistry changes the entire shop

Why reputation matters more than most technicians realize

How ego can limit growth in the automotive industry

Why personal finances affect technician happiness and performance

What real shop leadership looks like when the car, the customer, or the team is struggling

This is a conversation for technicians, shop foremen, service managers, fixed operations directors, and anyone who cares about building better leaders inside automotive service departments.

Because the best tool in the shop is still a good leader.

Negative Pushes

Positive Pulls

God Bless

j.

Find Mike:

LinkedIn

https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-ramirez-1782152a/

Find Aaron:

LinkedIn

https://www.linkedin.com/in/aaron-marion-257b18231/

⚠️ Disclaimer:

I’m a licensed mechanic. That doesn’t mean I know what I’m doing, whether it’s fixing things or filming things. Do your own due diligence.

Listen to The Wrench Turners Podcast:

Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/show/1ScwRP0DFMtDsp83JxPhPK?si=26aeb4be65da45eb

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/mrjoshuataylor/

LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/mrjtaylor/

Chapters

00:00 Intro

01:56 Express bay to shop foreman

05:20 Aaron Marion’s early mentors

08:01 High-end stores and better shops

09:48 Why some shops can’t afford to miss

15:12 How Aaron handles problem cars

18:23 Mike’s Prologue diagnostic nightmare

20:34 Stumbling gracefully

23:17 The middle years of a technician’s career

25:32 What a dream shop feels like

26:23 Learning from everyone in the shop

32:39 Aaron’s advice for apprentices

33:44 Mike on reputation, trust, and leadership

37:15 Why technicians need to manage personal finances

41:44 Why technicians shouldn’t box themselves in

44:50 Closing quote and final thoughts

Is there really a technician shortage or is the industry losing good people because shops are ignoring the real problem?

In this episode, Marshall, John Baranski, Brent Osmond, and Richard Mueller break down the uncomfortable truth behind technician recruiting, retention, flat rate pay, shop reputation, apprentice turnover, and why automotive technicians are moving into heavy-duty, mining, material handling, and hourly positions.

The conversation gets real about what shops say they need, what technicians actually talk about, and why every dealership’s reputation travels faster than most leaders want to admit.

Because technicians know.

They know what your shop pays.

They know what your benefits cost.

They know how your bonus structure actually works.

They know which shops develop people and which shops chew them up.

This episode is for technicians, shop foremen, service managers, fixed ops directors, dealership leaders, and anyone trying to understand why attracting and keeping good technicians has become one of the biggest challenges in the trade.

Topics include technician shortage myths, apprentice retention, flat rate frustration, heavy-duty recruiting, employee experience, shop culture, technician career paths, and why great technicians don’t automatically become great leaders.

The strongest line from the episode says it all:

“If you think that the technicians around your area don’t know what your techs are getting paid, you’re dead wrong.”

Negative Pushes

Positive Pulls

God Bless

j.

Follow Brent Osmond:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/brent-osmond-7b8302149/

Dynamic Diesel Solutions

https://www.linkedin.com/company/dynamic-diesel-solutions-canada/posts/?feedView=all

Follow Marshall Sheldon

https://www.linkedin.com/in/marshall-sheldon-981349176/

Briggs Industrial Solutions

https://www.linkedin.com/company/briggs-industrial-solutions/

Follow Richard Mueller

https://www.linkedin.com/in/richard-mueller-024155150/

Wolfe Automotive Group

https://www.linkedin.com/company/wolfecalgary/

Follow John Baranski

https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-baranski-335021270/

Miami Car Cartel

https://www.instagram.com/miamicarcartel/

⚠️ Disclaimer:

I’m a licensed mechanic. That doesn’t mean I know what I’m doing, whether it’s fixing things or filming things. Do your own due diligence.

Listen to The Wrench Turners Podcast:

Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/show/1ScwRP0DFMtDsp83JxPhPK?si=26aeb4be65da45eb

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/mrjoshuataylor/

LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/mrjtaylor/

00:00 Technicians know what everyone is getting paid

00:52 Is there really a technician shortage?

01:45 Trade schools are still producing apprentices

03:47 Shortage or bad working conditions?

07:00 Shops complain about shortage but ignore retention

10:26 The real cost of training a new technician

12:42 What an empty bay actually costs the business

15:32 Shops have reputations whether leaders admit it or not

22:57 Why apprentices leave in the first year

29:52 Flat rate resentment and why techs are leaving automotive

34:24 Automotive techs moving into heavy duty and material handling

40:48 Different types of high performing technicians

43:58 Why good technicians don’t always become good leaders

48:21 What’s coming next: career paths technicians care about

So the 10 Mill lads took over.In this episode of 10 Mill Mastery, Marshall Sheldon, Richard Mueller, John Baranski, and the mysterious camera off Josh Arnold sit down for a real technician panel about what’s actually happening inside shops right now.This one goes everywhere.Passwords that change constantly.Scan tools that need updates before you can even work.Videos and photos are becoming part of every repair.Warranty documentation.Hot shops.Young techs are hitting the six-hour wall.Energy drinks, bad lunches, mental fatigue, and the difference between being lazy and learning how to work.Then the conversation turns into something bigger.How do you lead apprentices without crushing them?How do you coach a tech who’s stuck in diagnostic circles?How do you build shop culture without turning “roasting” into damage?How much direction does an owner actually need to give their leaders?And when does a job stop being worth the money?Marshall keeps the conversation moving from the field service side.Richard brings the structured dealership leadership perspective.John brings the boat world, the faith, the chaos, and the big picture questions.Josh Arnold stays hidden like a mystery dude in witness protection, but still drops the kind of quiet Subaru tech wisdom that makes everyone stop and listen.No polished keynote.No corporate script.No Joshua steering the ship.Just four technicians talking through passwords, videos, heat, pressure, leadership, money, values, and the modern weight of fixing things for a living.This is 10 Mill Mastery, without me.Negative PushesPositive PullsGod Blessj.⚠️ Disclaimer:I’m a licensed mechanic. That doesn’t mean I know what I’m doing, whether it’s fixing things or filming things. Do your own due diligence.Listen to The Wrench Turners Podcast:Spotify:https://open.spotify.com/show/1ScwRP0DFMtDsp83JxPhPK?si=26aeb4be65da45ebInstagram:https://www.instagram.com/mrjoshuataylor/LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/mrjtaylor/00:00 Opening Prayer00:24 Passwords, Logins, and Technician Tech Overload02:24 Boat Diagnostics and OEM Platforms05:12 GM Techline, Updates, and Bricked Modules10:02 DMS Logins, Video Inspections, and Warranty Photos14:32 VPNs, Hotspots, and Mobile Programming Problems20:14 The Six Hour Wall for Young Technicians25:49 Midday Check Ins and Technician Productivity27:31 Helping Young Techs Learn How to Work32:25 Diagnostic Frustration and Knowing When to Step Away35:08 Shop Roasting, Mistakes, and Mentorship38:15 Watches, Fitness, and Side Conversations41:35 Alberta, Weather, Taxes, and Moving South44:44 Owner Vision, Guardrails, and Shop Direction47:51 Making Money Is Not a Clear Business Plan53:41 Pay, Risk, and Knowing Your Hard Line1:00:46 Jobs, Core Values, and When to Leave1:12:28 Closing Reflection

Chris Biediger, better known online as Texas Tool Guy, has lived a technician's story that doesn’t fit into a clean little box.

He broke his back at 17. Lost hearing in one ear. Left college. Worked the lube rack. Got humbled by an electrical diagnosis. Left the dealership world. Went back to school. Bartended. Fixed cars in his driveway. Got pulled back into the trade. Built a social media following by accident. Then helped launch a Toyota and Lexus specialty shop in Texas.

But this episode isn’t just about tools, certifications, or dealership drama.

It’s about what it actually takes to survive and grow in this trade.

Chris talks about learning the hard way, asking for more money, getting certified, reading service information, flat rate pressure, dealership politics, mentorship, content creation, Toyota and Lexus work, ADAS, and why technicians have to take their physical and mental health seriously.

Because if your body goes, your career goes with it.

And if your head isn’t clear, your diagnosis won’t be either.

This is a real technician conversation about grit, growth, money, mentorship, family, and building a better life with a wrench in your hand.

Follow Chris:

Texas Tool Guy

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/txtoolguy

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@txtoolguy

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/ ⁨@TxToolGuy⁩

Hill Country Yoda Works

Toyota and Lexus Specialists in New Braunfels, Texas

Subscribe to The Wrench Turners Podcast for real conversations with technicians, shop foremen, service leaders, trainers, and automotive professionals who are working to make this trade healthier, happier, and more productive.

Negative pushes.

Positive pulls.

j.

⚠️ Disclaimer:

I’m a licensed mechanic. That doesn’t mean I know what I’m doing, whether it’s fixing things or filming things. Do your own due diligence.

Listen to The Wrench Turners Podcast:

Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/show/1ScwRP0DFMtDsp83JxPhPK?si=26aeb4be65da45eb

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/mrjoshuataylor/

LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/mrjtaylor/

Chapters

00:00 Chris Biediger, TxToolGuy

04:07 Breaking his back...

08:41 Leaving college for the dealership

10:26 Getting humbled

15:17 The mentor who taught him

20:16 Certifications, flat rate, and pay

28:26 COVID, side work, and the auto pull

38:22 Ford, heavy line, and learning value

51:06 Leaving Toyota to build something

55:59 Starting Texas Tool Guy

Most people don’t plan to lead technicians.

Racheal Bright didn’t either.

She walked into the industry knowing four words… and now leads teams responsible for keeping mission-critical equipment running where downtime costs thousands per minute.

In this episode of The Wrench Turners Podcast, we break down what leadership actually looks like in the real world, not theory, not management books, but on the ground, in the shop, and in the field.

We get into:

👉 How she accidentally got into the industry

👉 What the first year really felt like (confusion, pressure, learning fast)

👉 The reality of leading technicians under constant urgency

👉 Why preventative maintenance isn’t boring… It’s everything

👉 The difference between shop work vs field work pressure

👉 How trust is built (and lost) with customers

👉 What separates average techs from high-value leaders

This isn’t just about material handling or forklifts.

This is about leadership in any shop, any trade, anywhere.

If you’re a technician, advisor, or service manager trying to get better… this one matters.

🎙️ About The Wrench Turners Podcast

Real conversations with real people in the trades.

No fluff. No scripts. Just the truth about what it takes to build a career, lead people, and stay in the game.

📢 Want to be on the show?

If you’re a mechanic, technician, or leader who started on the tools and has a story to tell, reach out.

Auto. Heavy-duty. Motorcycle. Marine. RV.

If it moves… We’ll talk about it.

Negative Pushes

Positive Pulls

j.

⚠️ Disclaimer:

I’m a licensed mechanic. That doesn’t mean I know what I’m doing, whether it’s fixing things or filming things. Do your own due diligence.

Listen to The Wrench Turners Podcast:

Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/show/1ScwRP0DFMtDsp83JxPhPK?si=26aeb4be65da45eb

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/mrjoshuataylor/

LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/mrjtaylor/

Find Racheal Bright:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/racheal-bright-08281262/

Check out Gregory Poole Equipment Company

https://www.linkedin.com/company/gregory-poole-equipment-company/

Chapters:

00:00 Intro & Setting the Stage

04:00 Meet Racheal Bright

05:50 How She Got Into the Industry

08:10 “I Only Knew 4 Words”

10:05 The First Year

12:30 When It All Finally Clicked

14:45 What Is Material Handling

17:00 The Hidden Cost of Downtime

19:30 Shop vs Field Technicians

22:00 Pressure in the Field

24:30 Leadership Lessons

27:00 Why Most Shops Struggle

29:30 Simple Systems

32:00 The Problem With Disorganized Workflows

34:30 Preventative Maintenance Is Everything

36:45 Why PMs Build Trust

39:00 What Separates Great Technicians

41:30 The Reality of Leading

43:30 Advice for Anyone

45:00 Outro & Final Thoughts

Brandon Roy grew up in the collision industry. His grandfather was a blacksmith. His father ran body shops and taught collision repair. By the time Brandon was a teenager, he was already sanding panels and painting vehicles inside the family shop.

What started in a paint booth eventually turned into a career that spans more than two decades across collision repair, estimating, operations, coaching, paid speaking, and national training.

Today, Brandon travels across North America as an instructor with NCM Associates, helping shops develop leaders, improve performance, and build stronger teams in the collision repair industry.

In this episode, we talk about:

👉 What it takes to become a world-class refinish technician

👉 The difference between paint “applicators” and real painters

👉 Why mentorship is the most overlooked advantage in the trades

👉 How leadership and culture shape successful collision centers

👉 Why attitude and problem-solving determine long-term success

If you work in collision repair, mechanical service, or dealership operations, this conversation will challenge how you think about growth in the trades.

🎧 Listen to more episodes of The Wrench Turners Podcast

👉 https://www.youtube.com/@wrenchturners

📌 Like, comment, and subscribe to support the channel

Subscribe for episodes on:

👉 Service advisor training

👉 Technician productivity

👉 Service Leadership

👉 Mechanic Mental Health

👉 Repair order accuracy

👉 Dealership leadership and culture

👉 Fixed Ops coaching and management

👉 Automotive Content Creation

👉 Event Media and Publication

👉 Event Filmography

Listen to The Wrench Turners Podcast:

Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/show/1ScwRP0DFMtDsp83JxPhPK?si=26aeb4be65da45eb

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/mrjoshuataylor/

LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/mrjtaylor/

Find Brandon Roy:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/brandon-roy-697b5356/

Chapters

01:05 Introducing Brandon Roy

02:30 Growing Up in Collision

04:30 What a Refinish Tech Does

07:00 The Truth About Paint

10:30 Painters vs “Applicators”

14:00 Family Influence

18:00 Mentorship Matters

22:00 Commitment vs the Modern Career

26:00 Hiring the Right People

30:00 Becoming a Paid Speaker

33:30 Advice for Technicians

35:30 Final Thoughts

John Baranski started as an automotive technician in the middle of the 2008 recession, when shops were closing and layoffs were constant. Instead of quitting, he learned everything no one else wanted to do. Water leaks. Convertible tops. Hybrids. That grit carried him from fixing cars to fixing boats… and eventually, into leadership.

Today, John is a shop foreman in the marine industry, managing a team that repairs some of the most advanced wake and performance boats in the world.

In this episode, we talk about:

👉 How to survive shop closures and layoffs

👉 Turning hard jobs into career opportunities

👉 Building accountability and trust on the shop floor

👉 The difference between working hard and leading hard

👉 What it takes to move from wrenching to leadership

If you’re a mechanic, technician, or service professional who wants to level up, this conversation will hit home.

🎧 Listen to more episodes of The Wrench Turners Podcast

👉 https://www.youtube.com/@WrenchTurners

📌 Like, comment, and subscribe to support the channel

Subscribe for episodes on:

Service advisor training

Technician productivity

Repair order accuracy

Dealership leadership and culture

Fixed Ops coaching and management

Automotive Content Creation

Event Media and Publication

Event Filmography

Listen to The Wrench Turners Podcast

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1ScwRP0DFMtDsp83JxPhPK?si=26aeb4be65da45eb

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mrjoshuataylor/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mrjtaylor/

FixedOPS Marketing — Service marketing tools for dealerships

https://www.fixedopsmarketing.com

https://www.youtube.com/@fixedopsmarketing

https://www.linkedin.com/company/fixed-ops-marketing

Chapters:

00:00 – Opening Prayer

01:00 – Who is John Baranski?

03:00 – Discovering a Passion

05:00 – Getting Recruited

07:00 – Surviving the 2008 Crash

09:00 – Learning Work Ethic

12:00 – Accountability, Trust

15:00 – The Power of Great Leadership

18:00 – Finding Culture and Coaching

20:00 – Moving to Florida:

23:00 – Becoming a Master Tech

26:00 – Reaching the Top

29:00 – The Hardest Jobs in the Dealership

31:00 – Transition from Cars to Boats

34:00 – Entering the Marine Industry

36:00 – Learning Boats from Scratch

38:00 – Mentorship, Mindset, and Learning

42:00 – Universal Skills All Mechanics Share

44:00 – Advice for Technicians

47:00 – “Do the Jobs Nobody Wants to Do”

49:00 – The Wildest Customer Stories

51:00 – The Coolest Thing That Ever Happened at Work

52:00 – Final Thoughts and Closing Quote

Technician recruiting is broken, and Sheila Pogue has seen it from both sides.In this episode of The Wrench Turners Podcast, Sheila shares how she went from a parts counter rookie to leading teams across service, warranty, marketing, and now talent acquisition in RV, Marine, Power Sports, and Automotive.She’s placed techs, she’s hired techs, she’s BEEN the tech’s backup when things went sideways. Now, she’s sounding the alarm: if your dealership can’t recruit techs, it’s not a shortage, it’s a systems problem.In this episode:✅ Why most techs don’t even have a resume✅ What top technicians actually want (and what they don’t)✅ How LinkedIn is “word of mouth on wide open throttle” for hiring✅ What shops should be doing right now✅ Why RV, Marine might just be the next big hiring poolWhether you're a GM, Fixed Ops Director, or recruiter trying to fill your bays, or a tech thinking about your next move, this episode will change the way you think about hiring and getting hired.📌 Like, comment, and subscribe to support smarter recruiting and better technician careers.🔧 Follow Sheila Pogue on LinkedInhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/sheilapogue713/🔔 Subscribe to the Wrench Turners Podcast for more in-depth conversations with industry innovators.#morethancarsSubscribe for episodes on:Service advisor trainingTechnician productivityRepair order accuracyDealership leadership and cultureFixed Ops coaching and managementAutomotive Content CreationEvent Media and PublicationEvent FilmographyListen to The Wrench Turners PodcastSpotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1ScwRP0DFMtDsp83JxPhPK?si=26aeb4be65da45ebInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/mrjoshuataylor/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mrjtaylor/FixedOPS Marketing — Service marketing tools for dealershipshttps://www.fixedopsmarketing.comhttps://www.youtube.com/@fixedopsmarketinghttps://www.linkedin.com/company/fixed-ops-marketing

Mindy Williams is the definition of a powerhouse. A five-time Subaru Stars winner, Sparkplug Award champion, and the top service advisor at CMA’s Myers team, Mindy knows what it takes to rise from part-time receptionist to full-blown service manager.

In this episode of the Wrench Turners Podcast, Mindy shares her journey into automotive, what it means to lead a team while raising two kids, and the exact customer service mindset that’s built her a loyal customer base.

She talks real talk about selling with heart, parenting while managing a busy shop, and how care—not—commission, is what keeps customers coming back.

🔧 What You’ll Learn:

– Why selling the appointment matters more than selling the repair

– How to build unforgettable customer experiences

– What every manager should learn from CliftonStrengths

– How parenting teaches you to be a better leader and vice versa

– Why trust and laughter are the real metrics of success

💬 Mindy also drops this 🔥 question for the next guest:

"How do you handle negative feedback?"

🔔 Subscribe to the Wrench Turners Podcast for more in-depth conversations with industry innovators.

#morethancars

If this helped, comment with your next video idea or tag someone who needs to press record. Better yet, go make something. I would love to see it.

Subscribe for episodes on:

Service advisor training

Technician productivity

Repair order accuracy

Dealership leadership and culture

Fixed Ops coaching and management

Automotive Content Creation

Event Media and Publication

Event Filmography

Listen to The Wrench Turners Podcast

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1ScwRP0DFMtDsp83JxPhPK?si=26aeb4be65da45eb

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mrjoshuataylor/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mrjtaylor/

FixedOPS Marketing — Service marketing tools for dealerships

https://www.fixedopsmarketing.com

https://www.youtube.com/@fixedopsmarketing

https://www.linkedin.com/company/fixed-ops-marketing

ASOTU - More than Cars - Where Innovative Ideas In Auto Are Born

https://www.asotu.com/

https://www.youtube.com/@asotu/

https://www.linkedin.com/company/asotu

Toma - "We care about our customers."

https://www.toma.com

https://www.linkedin.com/company/tomavoice/

Chapters

00:00 Intro to Mindy Williams

01:39 Falling into automotive by accident

03:47 What appointment setting teaches you

05:46 Handling objections like a pro

07:39 Why Mindy loves selling

10:00 Relationship-based selling

12:30 Using a calendar to build loyalty

14:34 Customer care beyond the bay

17:33 What parenting taught her about leadership

19:30 What makes CMA different

21:50 How to make your team feel appreciated

23:13 How to find joy in your job

25:41 Advice to technicians: speak up

27:46 Mindy’s take on work-life balance

On this episode of the Wrench Turners Podcast, I sit down with Canadian technician David Rodrigues. For nearly 20 years, David has been mastering his craft on Hondas and Acuras. This is not just a career recap. It’s a deep dive into legacy, leadership, and the reality of working flat-rate.

David shares how he started through co-op, landed a rare apprenticeship, and became the go-to diagnostic tech. But then he left. Why? Leadership that didn’t fight for his time. And when he returned, everything changed.

In this episode, we cover:

🙋‍♂️ Why being the best technician in the shop can feel like a curse

🙋‍♂️ How he diagnosed a TLX that only failed in the rain

🙋‍♂️What real support from a service manager looks like

🙋‍♂️How a good shop foreman can make or break a dealership

🙋‍♂️Why boring jobs make the best money

This is for the tech who wants more. More respect. More growth. More meaning in the work. Don't miss this conversation if you’re leading techs or trying to become one worth following.

Chapters:

0:00 The technician’s legacy

3:00 Hot Wheels to Hondas

10:00 Earned Apprenticeship

17:00 Dealership promised everything, delivered nothing

26:00 Diagnosing the impossible TLX

33:00 Shop foremen make or break it

42:00 The boring jobs pay the best

45:00 Best advice for every tech

49:00 Work-life balance isn’t one-size-fits-all

If you're a fixed ops director, service manager, Technician, BDC trainer, SaaS Founder, Service Advisor, or automotive professional looking to understand the future of dealership operations, this discussion offers valuable insights.

🔔 Subscribe to the Wrench Turners Podcast for more in-depth conversations with industry innovators.

#morethancars

If this helped, comment with your next video idea or tag someone who needs to press record. Better yet, go make something. I would love to see it.

Subscribe for episodes on:

Service advisor training

Technician productivity

Repair order accuracy

Dealership leadership and culture

Fixed Ops coaching and management

Automotive Content Creation

Event Media and Publication

Event Filmography

Listen to The Wrench Turners Podcast

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1ScwRP0DFMtDsp83JxPhPK?si=26aeb4be65da45eb

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mrjoshuataylor/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mrjtaylor/

Sponsored by The Bearded Brotherhood

Premium beard care products built for technicians.

Use code WRENCH15 at checkout: https://thebeardedbrotherhood.co

https://www.youtube.com/@TheBeardedBrotherhood

https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-bearded-brotherhood

Powered by:

FixedOPS Marketing — Service marketing tools for dealerships

https://www.fixedopsmarketing.com

https://www.youtube.com/@fixedopsmarketing

https://www.linkedin.com/company/fixed-ops-marketing

The Lion Partnership — Consulting for service department performance

https://www.lionpartnership.com

https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-lion-partnership

DCS - Digital Communication Solutions — Digital Sales and Service Tags

https://www.dicoso.us

https://www.linkedin.com/company/digital-communication-solutions/

ASOTU - More than Cars - Where Innovative Ideas In Auto Are Born

https://www.asotu.com/

https://www.youtube.com/@asotu/

https://www.linkedin.com/company/asotu

Toma - "We care about our customers."

https://www.toma.com

https://www.linkedin.com/company/tomavoice/

This isn’t another how-to-fix-a-car video.

This is how to fix yourself in the trade before the trade breaks you.

In this Wrench Turner's Podcast compilation, five technicians and leaders drop hard-earned wisdom, not about tools, not about pay plans, but about mindset, ownership, growth, and survival in the bay.

💬 "No one’s coming to save you."

That’s the wake-up call running through every clip in this episode.

You’ll hear real stories and raw advice from:

Technicians who've fought burnout

Leaders who've turned mistakes into mentorship

Wrench turners who chose growth over gossip

If you’ve ever felt stuck, pissed off, or like you’re the only one who cares, this one’s for you.

j.

Subscribe for weekly episodes on:

Service advisor training

Technician productivity

Repair order accuracy

Dealership leadership and culture

Fixed Ops coaching and management

Automotive Content Creation

Listen to The Wrench Turners Podcast

Spotify: https://wrenchturnerspodcast.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mrjoshuataylor/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mrjtaylor/

Sponsored by The Bearded Brotherhood

Premium beard care products built for technicians.

Use code WRENCH15 at checkout: https://thebeardedbrotherhood.co

Powered by:

FixedOPS Marketing — Service marketing tools for dealerships

https://www.fixedopsmarketing.com

The Lion Partnership — Consulting for service department performance

https://www.lionpartnership.com

DCS - Digital Communication Solutions — Tools for service and BDC teams

https://www.dicoso.us

Chapters

00:00 Introduction

03:16 Dealing with Bad Days (Derek Scherer)

06:30 Understand Before You Diagnose (Daniel Lee)

09:14 Take Ownership of Your Training (Clinton Cruz)

11:48 Positivity is a Survival Tool (Brooklynne Morse)

13:22 Invest in Your Growth (Jeremy Stephens)

16:46 Final Message

From Parts Ninja to Shop Coach and Service Director of Multiple stores | Robert Migliaccio | Wrench Turners Podcast

Today’s guest didn’t just work his way up; he built his way up. Robert Migliaccio started as a teenage car detailer, dropped out of high school, and never looked back. With decades in the trenches of fixed ops, Robert’s story is the kind you don’t hear often, and the kind you don’t forget.

He’s run parts counters like a silent assassin, coached technicians with empathy and clarity, and now oversees multi-store service operations across states. And he does it all while mentoring new techs, giving back to local schools, and living what it means to be a leader in the service lane.

💥 Topics we cover:

👉 How Robert found opportunity after dropping out of high school

👉 What it really takes to run a winning parts department

👉 The question every tech should ask during an interview

👉 Why the best leaders treat their stall like a franchise

👉 How to bring entrepreneurship into a dealership

👉 The myth of the “dead-end” parts job

👉 Leading a shop while raising a family on one income

👉 What basketball taught him about leadership and peace

If you’re in fixed ops, this is one of the most well-rounded voices you’ll hear. And if you’ve ever felt stuck in your role, this episode might be the spark you need to keep going.

📌 Don’t forget to:

👍 Like

💬 Comment with your biggest takeaway

🔔 Subscribe for more real, raw conversations from the world of automotive

👍 Work with me:

Want to be on the show, be a sponsor of any show that I host or produce? Do you need a content creator for your business or automotive event filmography? Reach out: joshua@justworkhard.com

🎙️ Listen to The Wrench Turners Podcast

🌍 More episodes and resources:

https://wrenchturnerspodcast.com

https://wrenchturners.online

📸 Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/mrjoshuataylor/

💼 Connect with Joshua Taylor on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mrjtaylor/

🧔‍♂️ Sponsored by The Bearded Brotherhood

Premium beard oils, balms, and waxes made for the blue-collar man.

Use code WRENCH15 at https://thebeardedbrotherhood.co for 15% off.

💻 Powered by:

FixedOPS Marketing — Service Department Marketing https://www.fixedopsmarketing.com

The Lion Partnership — Strategic Dealership Consulting https://www.lionpartnership.com

DCS - Digital Communication Solutions for Dealerships

https://www.dicoso.us

Connect Convert Close - Sales and BDC Workshop

May 22, 2025

https://www.connectconvertclose.us

Writing accurate, detailed repair orders isn't just paperwork—it's how shops get paid, protect themselves from chargebacks, and deliver exceptional customer service.

In this episode of The Wrench Turners Podcast, host Joshua Taylor is joined by Alec Ruffini, a Navy vet turned Fixed Ops leader, and Clemente Dominguez, a fast-rising shop foreman. Together, they break down why most service departments struggle with RO documentation and how to fix it, starting today.

Whether you're a technician frustrated by bad write-ups or a service advisor getting frustrated with poor "stories" from the shop floor, this episode shows you how to bridge the gap.

In this episode, we cover:

👉 Why a clear customer concern, cause, and correction (3C) matters

👉 How bad RO stories cause warranty claim denials and chargebacks

👉 Why do missing details like location, duplication steps, and verification notes ruin the work

👉 The technician's side of the story and how to fix the "I hate typing" problem

👉 Tools and processes to improve RO writing without slowing down the shop

👉 Real-world examples of bad and better ROs

👉 How to drive better communication between advisors and techs

👉 Voice-to-text workflows to streamline documentation

👉 What a 1% improvement in RO stories means to your bottom line

If you manage, write, or work on repair orders, this is your blueprint for better documentation, fewer comebacks, and higher approvals.

Subscribe for weekly episodes on:

Service advisor training

Technician productivity

Repair order accuracy

Dealership leadership and culture

Fixed Ops coaching and management

Listen to The Wrench Turners Podcast

Spotify: https://wrenchturnerspodcast.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mrjoshuataylor/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mrjtaylor/

Sponsored by The Bearded Brotherhood

Premium beard care products built for technicians.

Use code WRENCH15 at checkout: https://thebeardedbrotherhood.co

Powered by:

FixedOPS Marketing — Service marketing tools for dealerships

https://www.fixedopsmarketing.com

The Lion Partnership — Consulting for service department performance

https://www.lionpartnership.com

DCS - Digital Communication Solutions — Tools for service and BDC teams

https://www.dicoso.us

Chapters:

00:00 Why repair order writing matters

01:07 RO example: “Customer is here for the recall”

03:33 RO example: “Vehicle is making a whooping noise”

13:07 RO example: "Rough idle and no check engine light"

16:48 What’s missing from most repair orders

17:41 Enforcing better RO habits

23:49 Voice-to-text tips for faster, better documentation

From Navy Veteran to Coaching Service Teams | Alec Ruffini & Clemente Dominguez | Wrench Turners Podcast

Today’s guests didn’t stumble into leadership; they forged their way there. Alec Ruffini, a Navy veteran turned automotive coach, and Clemente Dominguez, a rising shop foreman, join host Joshua Taylor to talk about what it really takes to run a high-performing dealership service department.

From ethical sales and technician development to team dynamics and trust-building, this episode is packed with hard-earned wisdom. Alec shares lessons from decades of turning around underperforming shops, while Clemente offers a fresh perspective from someone who went from independent repair to managing a 25-person dealership team.

💥 Topics we cover:

👉 Alec’s unexpected career path

👉 Why integrity matters

👉 What Clemente learned

👉 How to build technician trust

👉 What it actually means to be a steward

👉 Communication shapes team performance

👉 The one mindset every technician needs

👉 Managing stress

If you're in Fixed Ops, an aspiring leader, or a technician wondering how to level up, this is your playbook. This is how leaders get built.

📌 Don’t forget to:

👍 Like

💬 Comment with your biggest takeaway

🔔 Subscribe for more real, raw conversations from the world of automotive

🎙️ Listen to The Wrench Turners Podcast

🌍 More episodes and resources: https://wrenchturnerspodcast.com

📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mrjoshuataylor/

💼 Connect with Joshua Taylor on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mrjtaylor/

🧔‍♂️ Sponsored by The Bearded Brotherhood

Premium beard oils, balms, and waxes are made for the blue-collar man.

Use code WRENCH15 at https://thebeardedbrotherhood.co for 15% off.

💻 Powered by:

FixedOPS Marketing — Revolutionizing dealership service marketing. https://www.fixedopsmarketing.com

The Lion Partnership — Strategic Dealership Consulting https://www.lionpartnership.com

DCS - Digital Communication Solutions

https://www.dicoso.us

Chapters:

00:00 Leadership that changes Fixed Ops

01:55 Navy to service director

03:45 Clemente’s path

07:26 The big transition: smol vs large

10:10 Coaching culture: “More or better”

12:04 Alec’s leadership test

17:03 Mentorship wins

21:29 How great leaders build trust

27:13 Clemente’s “shop equality”

32:30 Advice for techs

35:46 How Alec and Clemente manage anxiety

The Hard Truth Every Mechanic Needs to Hear in 2025

Feeling stuck in the shop? This video will change how you think about your career.

Auto technician pay is flat. Tariffs are rising. Leadership feels clueless. And you are still expected to fix cars, deal with customers, hit your hours, and somehow stay sane.

In this unfiltered message from the cold seat of his motorcycle, Joshua Taylor breaks down exactly what every automotive technician, service advisor, and tradesperson needs to hear right now.

You will learn:

✅ Why your mindset is the most valuable tool in your toolbox

✅ How to start earning what you are actually worth

✅ What to do when management ignores your value

✅ Why training apprentices is still your responsibility

Whether you are a new tech, a shop foreman, or a veteran mechanic, this video is your call to stop blaming the economy, stop waiting on permission, and start leveling up.

WATCH THIS IF YOU:

Are not making enough money as a mechanic

Feel stuck in your technician career

Want to learn how to communicate better in the shop

Need real talk about pay, training, and leadership

Believe in personal responsibility and growth

Mechanics are the backbone of society. You fix what breaks. But you cannot fix your paycheck, your stress, or your future by complaining. You fix it by getting better. Starting today.

👀 Want to improve but not sure where to start? Drop a comment. I will reply.

💬 Like what you heard? Share this with your team or someone who needs to hear it.

Subscribe for regular episodes on:

Shop Floor Mental Health

Service advisor training

Technician productivity

Repair order accuracy

Dealership leadership and culture

Fixed Ops coaching and management

Listen to The Wrench Turners Podcast

Spotify: https://wrenchturnerspodcast.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mrjoshuataylor/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mrjtaylor/

Sponsored by The Bearded Brotherhood

Premium beard care products built for technicians.

Use code WRENCH15 at checkout: https://thebeardedbrotherhood.co

Powered by:

FixedOPS Marketing — Service marketing tools for dealerships

https://www.fixedopsmarketing.com

The Lion Partnership — Consulting for Dealerships and Independants, Automotive, Powersports, Motorcycle, Marine, and more. Sales and Service department performance improvements.

https://www.lionpartnership.com

DCS - Digital Communication Solutions — Tools for service and BDC teams

https://www.dicoso.us

Today's guest, Louise Azzopardi, didn’t just fall into the automotive world. She ran toward it, with confidence and clarity most of us didn’t have at 15. From her earliest days wrenching in rail yards and truck shops to standing on the world stage as the first woman to compete (and win gold) at Australia’s WorldSkills nationals, Louise has never followed the conventional path. She didn’t just want to work in the trades; she wanted to change them.

After enduring bullying, sexism, and mental health challenges, Louise stepped into something more powerful than technical mastery; coaching, mentoring, and equipping tradespeople with the emotional tools they were never taught. Now the host of Anxious Tradeswoman (Building Confidence), a life coach, and a global speaker, Louise is on a mission to make the trades a place where everyone, regardless of gender, background, or body size, can thrive.

In this episode, we cover:

👉 Farm girl to award-winning heavy diesel tech

👉 The emotional and physical toll of “toughing it out”

👉 What she means by “There is no tiger”

👉 Boundaries, not bravado, create lasting leadership

👉 Practical tools leaders use to support teams

Louise offers real-world advice for tradespeople who feel like they’re constantly on edge, overwhelmed, or doubting themselves. Her message is simple but powerful: You don’t have to “stay strong” just to survive. You deserve to exist, grow, and feel safe where you work.

🎙️ Listen to Anxious Tradeswoman wherever you get your podcasts

Follow Louise on

https://www.instagram.com/louiseazzopardicoaching

https://www.youtube.com/@louiseazzopardi9275

A Special Thank You

The Wrench Turners Podcast is made possible thanks to our sponsors and partners who believe in supporting the people behind the wrenches.

FixedOPS Marketing

https://www.fixedopsmarketing.com

Changing the game in dealership service marketing.

The Lion Partnership

https://www.lionpartnership.com/

Your go-to for industry connections that matter.

Digital Communication Solutions GmbH

https://www.dicoso.us

Simplifying sales and service communication.

The Bearded Brotherhood

https://thebeardedbrotherhood.co/wrench15

Premium beard oils, balms, and mustache waxes for the Blue Collar Man. Use code WRENCH15 for 15% off. I do get financial compensation when this happens, I appreciate it when it does.

We appreciate these partnerships for helping push the industry forward.

— j.

Chapters

00:00 Intro to Louise Azzopardi

01:21 Starting at 15

03:33 Mechanic rejection and finding HD

06:36 Meeting Sarah; a pivotal mentor

10:34 Gender bias and physical limitations

13:52 Culture, ego, and asking for help

16:07 First-year apprenticeship in a dealership

17:49 Working on diesel trucks and rail

21:02 How Australian apprenticeships are structured

25:37 Trade stacking and EV education

30:37 EV, infrastructure, and future of fuel

33:09 Sexual harassment, bullying, and mental health

35:16 Winning WorldSkills; first woman to do it

36:56 “I’m tired of being strong”

40:28 Coaching tradespeople in mental resilience

42:27 Boundaries and how to communicate discomfort

45:13 Emotional intelligence and leadership

48:51 You are 50% of every relationship

50:18 Louise’s advice: “There is no tiger”

51:36 Question from Josh Arnold: “How will you change the industry?”

52:08 Louise’s answer: “By giving people the tools to change their world.”

52:47 Louise’s question for the next guest: “What do you do to calm anxiety?”

53:01 Where to find Louise & upcoming appearances

🎧 Listen on Spotify:

🔗 Follow Joshua Taylor on LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/mrjtaylor/

💬 Like, comment, subscribe, and share to support this mission of turning mechanics into leaders.

🌍 Wrench Turners Podcast Socials:

https://wrenchturners.online

https://wrenchturnerspodcast.com

https://www.instagram.com/mrjoshuataylor/

Today's guest, Josh Arnold, never planned to be a mechanic. He picked it off a college list like a random raffle number. On day one, his future mentor told him to quit. And honestly, he probably should have. But he didn't.Instead, he worked six days a week at a flat rate, with no shortcuts. Fast-forward, and he is now a Toyota and Subaru Master Tech, a trainer in the shop, and the MyKarma Grand Prix Champion for his top-tier Video MPI skills.In this episode, we cover:Clueless apprentice to award-winning Master TechThe power of doing the jobs nobody wants to doWhy Video MPIs are a game changer How techs can build their careers, increase their pay, and change the industryJosh offers real-world advice for technicians looking to level up. His message is clear: Do things differently, do the work others will not, and watch your career grow.Like, comment, and subscribe to help spread this message and support technicians everywhere.Always looking for guests, please reach out by email to be on the show: joshua@justworkhard.com A Special Thank You

The Wrench Turners Podcast is made possible thanks to the support of our Partners, Sponsors, and Affiliates.

FixedOPS Marketing

• https://www.fixedopsmarketing.com
• Changing the game in dealership service marketing.

The Lion Partnership

• https://www.lionpartnership.com/
• Your go-to for industry connections that matter.

Digital Communication Solutions GmbH

• https://www.dicoso.us
• Simplifying sales and service communication.

The Bearded Brotherhood

• https://thebeardedbrotherhood.co/wrench15
• Premium beard oils, balms, and mustache waxes for the Blue Collar Man.

We appreciate these partnerships in pushing the industry forward!j.

Chapters00:00 Intro to Josh Arnold

01:21 Josh’s Unexpected Career Start

02:14 Why He Chose Auto Tech

06:05 Toyota T10 Program Entry

09:01 Learning Through Used Cars

13:27 Flat Rate Work Strategy

16:20 Becoming a Master Tech

21:12 Winning My Karma Grand Prix

25:32 Video MPI Importance

27:23 Getting Paid for VMPI

30:49 Continuous Improvement Mindset

33:24 Advice for Technicians

36:03 Service Quality Specialist Role

38:45 Work-Life Balance & Family

41:23 Future Goals in Auto Tech

42:47 How to Change Industry

43:07 Closing Thoughts & OutroListen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1ScwRP0DFMtDsp83JxPhPK?si=9305ecd058f84eb4

Follow us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mrjtaylor/If you found the following insightful, please consider commenting, liking, subscribing, and sharing it as we develop Mechanics into Leaders. Wrench Turners Podcast with over 160 Episodes helps Mechanics become happier, healthier, and more productive.Wrench Turners Podcast Socialshttps://wrenchturners.onlinehttps://wrenchturnerspodcast.comhttps://www.instagram.com/mrjoshuataylor/

Welcome to the FIRST episode of the 10 Mill Mastery Debrief series where we debrief the week's Service Drive Live Topic.

In this episode, I sit down with Marshall Sheldon and Josh Arnold to debrief on Service Drive Live and dig into one of the biggest struggles for technicians: comebacks.

We cover:

✔️ Why technicians do not get paid for comebacks and why that needs to change

✔️ How flat rate and hourly pay affect comeback handling

✔️ The role of service advisors in preventing comebacks

✔️ How to reduce comebacks and improve shop efficiency

If you are a technician, service manager, or dealer principal: this episode is for you

Drop a comment and let me know how your shop handles comebacks. Should technicians get paid for them?

CHAPTERS

00:00 Welcome to the first debrief

00:52 Why comebacks are a big issue

01:50 How flat rate techs lose money

04:10 Why some techs avoid comeback issues

05:30 How managers handle comebacks poorly

07:00 Guilty until proven innocent in automotive

09:25 The real problem with pay plans

11:26 What happens after a comeback

15:48 Why foreman roles really matter

18:24 How senior techs can prevent mistakes

19:25 What advisors can do to help

22:17 The best way to write up jobs

23:39 Why advisors need more training

25:18 Simple ways to improve the process

29:06 Final thoughts on fixing comebacks

💈 SPONSOR: THE BEARDED BROTHERHOOD

🔥 Get 15 percent off on high-quality beard care products for technicians who take pride in their facial hair

🔗The Bearded Brotherhood "WRENCH15"

👉 Follow me for real talk about technician struggles and solutions

If you found the following insightful, please consider commenting, liking, subscribing, and sharing it as we develop Mechanics into Leaders. With over 160 Episodes, the Wrench Turners Podcast helps Mechanics become happier, healthier, and more productive.

Business Inquiries:

Email to sponsor, guest, or request custom content

Affiliates, Sponsors, and Partnerships

FixedOPS Marketing: Revolutionizing dealership service marketing with innovative solutions.

The Lion Partnership: Your trusted partner for automotive industry connections.

QB Business Solutions: Helping dealerships grow with cutting-edge strategies.

Digital Communication Solutions: Simplifying Sales and Service Location.

Car Biz Done Better: Helping dealerships optimize variable marketing and drive growth.

Wrench Turners Podcast Socialshttps://wrenchturnerspodcast.comhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/mrjtaylor/https://www.tiktok.com/@mrjoshuataylorhttps://www.instagram.com/mrjoshuataylor/

SpotifyWrench Turners Podcast on Spotify

YouTube

Wrench Turners Podcast on YouTube

Operating Partner, Fixed Operations Director, Coach - David Sparks

Join us as we explore the career journey of David Sparks, a leader whose path in the automotive industry started with detailing, rustproofing, and window tinting and evolved into a deep-rooted passion for technical excellence, leadership, and mentorship.

David’s story is one of continuous learning and adaptation. He transitioned from technician to service advisor, warranty administrator, dispatcher, and ultimately, service manager and fixed-ops director. His experience spans CDJR, Toyota, independent shops, and now Bar Automotive, where he coaches and trains service professionals nationwide.

In this episode, David explains what it takes to thrive in automotive leadership, from technician success to fixed-ops strategy.

He shares practical wisdom on:

👉 Proactive learning is essential: technicians must be responsible for their training and career growth.

👉 Respect and trust fuel operational excellence: leaders who personalize their communication get the best results.

👉 Conflict resolution is a leadership skill: handling technician and advisor challenges effectively builds a stronger team.

This conversation isn’t just about David’s professional journey; it’s a blueprint for automotive professionals looking to turn everyday workplace challenges into opportunities for growth and leadership.

For technicians, mechanics, service advisors, service managers, and fixed ops leaders aiming to increase their impact, develop leadership skills, and improve shop culture, this episode delivers insightful, actionable advice you won’t want to miss.

Let’s get into it.

PS: Always looking for guests and sponsors!

Reach out by email: joshua@justworkhard.com

j.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction

01:30 David Sparks’ Career Journey

05:10 Owning Your Technician Training

08:50 Attitude vs. Aptitude in Growth

12:40 Climbing the Fixed Ops Ladder

17:30 Leadership Through Communication

23:15 Managing Change in the Shop

26:50 Trust and Personal Leadership

29:10 Self-Reflection for Technicians

33:50 90-Day Rule for Career Growth

38:00 Defining Strong Leadership

41:30 Career Planning for Techs

43:10 Final Takeaways and Wrap-Up

David Sparks

https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-sparks-b6031119/

Michael Barich

https://www.fixedopsdoc.com/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-barich-75210648/

All Things Fixed Ops Clubhouse - Wednesdays 9 am EST

https://www.clubhouse.com/house/all-things-fixed-operations

If you found the following insightful, please consider commenting, liking, subscribing, and sharing it as we develop Mechanics into Leaders. Wrench Turners Podcast with over 160 Episodes helps Mechanics become happier, healthier, and more productive.

Wrench Turners Podcast Socials

https://wrenchturners.online

https://wrenchturnerspodcast.com

https://www.linkedin.com/in/mrjtaylor/

https://www.tiktok.com/@mrjoshuataylor

https://www.instagram.com/mrjoshuataylor/

Wrench Turners Podcast on Spotify

https://open.spotify.com/show/1ScwRP0DFMtDsp83JxPhPK?si=9305ecd058f84eb4

General Manager, Fixed Operations Director, Coach - T.C. Coleman

Join us as we delve into the compelling career journey of T.C. Coleman, a seasoned leader whose roots in automotive passion were planted in childhood, nurtured by his father's engineering role at Nissan. T.C.'s early exposure to the mechanics of car maintenance and the automotive industry's inner workings ignited a lifelong passion, steering him away from his initial interest in sports to a dynamic path in automotive leadership.

With over two decades of experience, T.C. reflects on his evolution from an enthusiastic car enthusiast to a revered leader in the automotive sector. His career, marked by significant stints with prominent brands, showcases his adeptness in mentoring, team-building, and strategic leadership.

In this episode, T.C. unravels the layers of effective leadership within the high-stakes environment of automotive dealerships. He shares practical wisdom on:

Takeaways:

👉 Cultivate a culture of proactive learning

👉 Respectful communication achieves operational excellence

👉 Learn conflict resolution to harness individual strengths

This conversation is not just an exploration of T.C.'s professional milestones but also an instructional guide on transforming everyday workplace challenges into opportunities for growth and leadership.

For automotive service professionals aiming to elevate their career trajectory or anyone interested in the nuances of impactful leadership, this episode offers a wealth of insights and actionable advice.

Let's get into it.

PS. Always looking for guests to be on the show. Reach out by email, link in bio!

j.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction

03:00 Gearhead to Automotive Leader

08:30 Listening to and Respecting Technicians

14:10 Effective Communication

20:00 Strategies for Building Team Unity

27:00 Insights on Balancing Career

36:20 Empowering Technicians to Speak Up

If you found the following insightful, please consider commenting, liking, subscribing, and sharing it as we develop Mechanics into Leaders. Wrench Turners Podcast with over 160 Episodes helps Mechanics become happier, healthier, and more productive.

Wrench Turners Podcast Socials

https://wrenchturners.online

https://www.linkedin.com/in/mrjtaylor/

https://www.tiktok.com/@mrjoshuataylor

https://www.instagram.com/mrjoshuataylor/

Wrench Turners Podcast on Spotify

https://open.spotify.com/show/1ScwRP0DFMtDsp83JxPhPK?si=9305ecd058f84eb4

"Success Leaves Clues"

General Manager,

BMW of West Houston

https://www.bmwwest.com/

Charles Cannon III

In this inspiring conversation with Charles, we explore a career journey that started with a desire to become a veterinarian but took a turn into the automotive world: a move that would shape Charles' life in unexpected ways.

From his humble beginnings in sales to leading both Lexus and BMW dealerships, Charles' story is a testament to the power of adaptability, discipline, and mentorship.

As Charles recounts:

"Success leaves clues. Watch who you hang out with, because you’ll become like them. If you surround yourself with high performers and show you're serious, they’ll help you grow."

He shares insights on how technicians, advisors, and managers can take ownership of their success. From developing structured game plans to fostering genuine relationships, Charles provides actionable steps to level up in any automotive role.

One standout lesson:

"Close mouths don’t get fed. Speak up about your goals, your challenges, and even your solutions. Leaders can’t help if they don’t know what you need."

If you’re looking to climb the ranks or simply be happier and more productive in your current role, this episode is a goldmine of advice and motivation.

Let’s get into it.

j.

If you're interested in being on the show or would like to sponsor an episode, please reach out to me Joshua Taylor by DM or email joshua@justworkhard.com

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to Charles

03:00 From Veterinary Dreams to Automotive Success

08:30 Learning Through Mentorship

14:10 The Value of Discipline and Game Plans

20:00 Becoming a High Performer

27:00 Leading by Example in Dealerships

36:20 Advice for Technicians: Speak Up

If you found the following insightful, please consider commenting, liking, subscribing, and sharing it as we develop Mechanics into Leaders. Wrench Turners Podcast with over 150 Episodes helps Mechanics become happier, healthier, and more productive.

Wrench Turners Podcast Socials

https://wrenchturners.online

https://www.linkedin.com/in/mrjtaylor/

https://www.tiktok.com/@mrjoshuataylor

https://www.instagram.com/mrjoshuataylor/

Wrench Turners Podcast on Spotify

https://open.spotify.com/show/1ScwRP0DFMtDsp83JxPhPK?si=9305ecd058f84eb4

Main: Deggy

2024 Triumph Street Triple 765R

Crappy Amazon mirrors

Crappy Amazon Rear Paddock stand Knobs

Make-shift trailer plate bracket

Project: (I need a name, help please)

1999 Suzuki SV650S

Still working on the Details

"Training isn't a cost; it's an investment that pays dividends in skills, loyalty, and productivity."

This week on Wrench Turners Podcast

Automotive Trainer & Technician

Toyota Of Puyallup Inc

Wayne Bridges

In this episode, I sat down with Wayne Bridges, a 50-year veteran of the automotive industry who’s worn many hats—technician, service advisor, service manager, instructor, and now dealership trainer. Wayne shares his incredible journey, from falling in love with cars as a kid to shaping the next generation of technicians at a dealership that’s committed to investing in its people.

Wayne doesn’t shy away from tough topics, like why training is often undervalued in the industry and how mentorship programs can reduce comebacks and increase productivity. If you’ve ever wondered what it takes to create a thriving culture of learning and growth in a dealership, Wayne’s insights are gold.

Watch now and find out why building a training-focused dealership might be the best way to attract and retain top talent.

Let’s get into it.

j.

If you're interested in being on the show or would like to sponsor an episode, please reach out to me Joshua Taylor by DM or email joshua@justworkhard.com

Chapters

00:00 Introduction

02:54 Wayne's Early Passion

06:11 The Importance of Early Experiences

09:04 Lessons from the Lube Rack

11:57 The Evolution of Automotive

14:54 The Shift to Electric Vehicles

18:07 The Role of Training

20:56 The Importance of Continuous Learning

23:50 The Future of Automotive Training

34:02 The Importance of Training

38:13 In-House Training Programs

42:39 Creating a Culture of Learning

49:12 Competing for Talent

54:52 Finding Passion

01:00:13 The Role of Mentorship

Takeaways

👉 The first year on the job is crucial

👉 Learning to overcome complacency is a key to growth

👉 Automotive is currently experiencing rapid advancements.

👉 Training is essential for technicians to stay relevant

👉 Employers should view training as an investment

👉 Mentorship can reignite passions

👉 Technicians should take initiative

If you found the following insightful, please consider commenting, liking, subscribing, and sharing it as we develop Mechanics into Leaders. Wrench Turners Podcast with over 150 Episodes helps Mechanics become happier, healthier, and more productive.

Wrench Turners Podcast Socials

https://wrenchturners.online

https://www.linkedin.com/in/mrjtaylor/

https://www.tiktok.com/@mrjoshuataylor

https://www.instagram.com/mrjoshuataylor/

Wrench Turners Podcast on Spotify

https://open.spotify.com/show/1ScwRP0DFMtDsp83JxPhPK?si=9305ecd058f84eb4

Main: Deggy

2024 Triumph Street Triple 765R

Crappy Amazon mirrors

Crappy Amazon Rear Paddock stand Knobs

Make-shift trailer plate bracket

Project: (I need a name, help please)

1999 Suzuki SV650S

Still working on the Details

"You are not a leader until you've created a leader who can create another leader."

This week on Wrench Turners Podcast,

Mechanic, Enthusiast, and Entrepreneur

Travis Caldwell

In this episode, I sat down with a mechanic who knows firsthand that persistence, a positive culture, and respect are key to success in the shop.

Travis shared how his journey taught him the importance of mentorship and finding a place where you’re valued. We discussed how listening to every team member—and helping them grow—can make a stronger, more successful crew.

His biggest takeaway? Don't let work control your life; invest in mentors who truly support you. It reminds everyone in this industry to keep growing, respect the journey, and lead with purpose.

Let’s get into it.

j.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction

00:59 Travis Caldwell's Journey

06:17 The Importance of Mentorship

12:30 First Year Experiences

16:21 The Role of Leadership

21:17 Favorite Porsche Models

24:07 Lessons Learned from Troubleshooting

26:12 The Challenges of Achievement

29:11 The Importance of Leadership

31:41 Navigating Career Transitions

35:50 The Dynamics of Customer Service

50:05 Balancing Work and Life

56:57 Conclusion

Takeaways

👉 Gratitude is essential in life.

👉 Life experiences shape our growth.

👉 Learning from mistakes is crucial.

👉 Navigating relationships requires effort.

👉 Passion drives our work.

👉 Community service enriches our lives.

👉 Advice from others can guide us.

👉 Reflection helps us understand our journey.

👉 Personal growth is a continuous process.

👉 Embracing challenges leads to wisdom.

----

If you found the following insightful, please consider commenting, liking, subscribing, and sharing it as we develop Mechanics into Leaders. Wrench Turners Podcast with over 150 Episodes helps Mechanics become happier, healthier, and more productive.

Wrench Turners Podcast Socials

https://www.linkedin.com/in/mrjtaylor/

https://www.tiktok.com/@mrjoshuataylor

https://www.instagram.com/mrjoshuataylor/

Wrench Turners Podcast on Spotify

https://open.spotify.com/show/1ScwRP0DFMtDsp83JxPhPK?si=9305ecd058f84eb4

Main: Deggy

2024 Triumph Street Triple 765R

Crappy Amazon mirrors

Crappy Amazon Rear Paddock stand Knobs

Make-shift trailer plate bracket

Project: (I need a name, help please)

1999 Suzuki SV650S

Still working on the Details

"Once trust is broken, it's hard to recover."

10 Mill Mastery - Wrench Turners Podcast

Series 9, Episode 7

Leading up

The Lads:

Marshall Sheldon

Stephan Dos Santos

Richard Mueller

Russell Wickham

Summary

In this conversation, the speakers delve into the complexities of building and maintaining trust within management and leadership roles. They discuss the challenges technicians face in establishing trust with upper management, the importance of transparency, and the necessity of personal accountability.

The dialogue emphasizes that trust is foundational for effective communication and career growth, highlighting the need for technicians to add value to themselves and their teams. The speakers share personal experiences and strategies for fostering trust, ultimately concluding that trust is the core element in successful professional relationships.

Takeaways

👉 Building trust requires transparency and open communication.

👉 Personal accountability is crucial in establishing trust.

👉 Once trust is broken, it is challenging to regain.

👉 Technicians should focus on adding value

👉 Understand the interests of management

👉 Sharing personal information can be a double-edged sword.

👉 Develop a tight-knit group of trusted colleagues

👉 Training and personal development enhance trust

👉 Trust is foundational for effective leadership

👉 Navigating trust requires careful consideration

Chapters

00:00 Building Trust and Morale

00:29 Earning Trust from Management

05:02 Conflicting Interests and Trust

10:26 Being Brutally Honest

16:15 Adding Value and Gaining Influence

21:52 Transparency and Personal Boundaries

26:49 Trust and Communication with Management

32:31 Building Trust and Fostering Growth

36:38 Trust as the Core Element

Remember:

Negative Pushes,

Positive Pulls,

and always clean your toys

before you put them away.

Let's get into it.

j.

—

Want to be a guest, or sponsor the show?

Email me at joshua@justworkhard.com

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Fun Content

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Main: Deggy

2024 Triumph Street Triple 765R

Crappy Amazon mirrors

Crappy Amazon Rear Paddock stand Knobs

Make-shift trailer plate bracket

https://grip-puppy.com/

Project: (I need a name, help please)

1999 Suzuki SV650S

Still working on the Details