Safe is safe

Ok, we all know I’m a licensed auto tech. I’m very proud of what I’ve accomplished in my trade. I’m also a stickler about the intricacies of my profession.

I have never and will never be one of the mechanics who sign the ‘hundred dollar safety’. I find the concept repulsive. I have been asked to turn a blind eye towards defects which customers found objectionable and have been both insulted and disgusted.

I read in a trade journal this past week, a mechanic has been charged with criminal negligence causing death related to a safety inspection he performed a month prior to a fatal accident. Ministry of Transport Safety Standards Inspections are governed by the province. A vehicle must meet, and I quote, ‘minimum standards at the time of inspection’. These standards are set forth in a nice brown binder referred to as ‘the Act’.

The people I’ve worked with have always erred on the side of caution when it comes to interpretation of ‘the Act’. I’ve always thought this prudent. There is no way I want to be responsible for an injury due to my oversight.

What I find most distasteful, to say the least, are the people who ask for us to turn a blind eye. It’s a ‘Safety’ inspection, for Heaven’s sake. The very name of the inspection should conjure profound images. Yet, people ask us to bend the rules. To do only ‘what’s necessary’. It seems people are more comfortable thinking of honest techs as crooks.

Would these people ask their surgeon to take short cuts? Ask their electrician to work outside the code? Ask the plumber to look at only the least that’ll get them by?

No, of course not. But, people are more than willing to ask mechanics to overlook the laws of the trade. The laws of the Province of Ontario. We don’t have the choice about the defects we condemn as a result of a safety check. Reputable and ethical techs stick to the rules.

This issue also touches on the professional image of our trade. If we as mechanics wish to be treated as professionals, we need to act as professionals. We need to demand more rigid enforcement of the Safety Standards Act. We need to drum out the ‘hundred dollar safety’ guys.

If we want to be taken seriously, we need to deserve it.

Memories

So, memories. We all have them. Some good, some bad and some just plain indifferent. Memories are important to most people. Memories remind us of who we were, what was important and where we were in life.

I’ve never paid much attention to memories. I never really took a lot of photographs, either. I had the mindset I was experiencing the event and needed no real record.

I was wrong.

Last summer I spent some time under medical care. I underwent a number of Electro-Convulsive Therapy (E.C.T.) treatments. That’s ‘shock therapy’ to you & me. The reason for the treatment is not fodder for this forum. The consequences are.

I was made aware of the potential side-effects, memory loss being one of them. I weighed the potential benefits versus the risks and opted for the treatment. What I didn’t count on was the continual loss of memory.

I can be in the midst of a conversation and forget the point I wanted to make. I constantly ask my lady if I’ve met people previously. And now, now I’m being reminded of experiences I’ve had in the past.

Sometimes when a ‘blank’ experience is recalled to me I smile and nod knowingly. Or, I say “Sure, I believe you” or something equally trite. While I just ‘blow off’ the moment, my mind races for the answer. My subconscious screams I should know what is being discussed.

And I never let on.

My lady knows when it happens and ever so delicately helps me. She’ll make a second or third introduction for me. She’ll go into greater detail about an experience we had in university. And, my lady will indulge me as I recount the same story the third time in a week.

Without sounding cliche, I truly feel as if I’m losing part of myself. I cannot explain what it’s like to continually forget things that once were so important. Thankfully, it’s not the work stuff. Ohm’s law is still firmly entrenched and I am still able to put stuff back together after it’s been apart for a weekend.

It’s the real memories. The life experiences, good or bad. It’s the rationalizing actions I cannot remember. It’s the lost conversations. Mostly, it’s the truly brilliant conclusion to this post I cannot currently recall.

Take the photographs, participate in the video (no matter how absurd) and live your experiences to the fullest. Most of all, cherish your memories.

I wish I had.

Frustration

As a professional, licensed auto tech I see many scary “repairs” during my work week. No disrespect to competent do-it-yourselfers, but most of what I see has been done by someone in their lane and without adequate knowledge or training.

I used the word ‘scary’ because many of the repairs (and I use that term quite loosely) involve the steering or braking systems of the automobile. Inexperienced people, in my opinion, have no business involving themselves with these systems.

I am required to have a license in order to perform Ministry of Transportation Safety Inspections and to oversee the repairs performed by my apprentice. I am required to have an Ozone Depletion license in order to handle air conditioning refrigerant. The College of Trades is endeavouring to mandate that any person working in a repair centre must be registered with the Ministry. All steps to ensure accountability.

I require a ticket to purchase refrigerant, but anyone can buy brake, steering and suspension parts. I realize there are competent ‘DIY’ers out there, but I see the other side much more often. Brake jobs done without proper lubrication, steering components installed but not tightened adequately. Hell, even wheels not tightened. All mistakes that do not routinely occur in a professional shop.

Don’t get me wrong, if anybody feels the desire to change a water pump, replace an alternator or tug their spark plugs in the lane at home, all the best. My concern is the safety related systems. If an outer tierod breaks because it wasn’t tightened to the spindle properly, an accident will occur. People may be hurt. That is not acceptable.

A major Canadian tire and parts retailer ran a television advert depicting a gent replacing the front brakes on his car. At one point, his mate tells him something like ‘and if you have trouble the instructions are in the box’. I damn near fainted first time I saw the spot. I kept thinking how irresponsible the retailer was to infer anyone who could buy their parts could install them correctly just by reading a pamphlet. Frustration was the least of my emotions that day.

As I get older I find myself less willing to educate clients as to the details of the repairs their vehicle requires. I am glad to show them the condition, demonstrate the failure in the component and answer any question they may have. What I do not do anymore is describe in detail the steps of the repair. I no longer wish to counsel people who wish to try the repair at home.

The advent of the Internet has caused anyone who can use a search engine to think they can repair an internal combustion engine. Many of the things I am asked or I have seen are incredibly entertaining. Some are just terrifying. Just because someone has googled ‘caliper replacement’ doesn’t mean they should attempt it.

I hope I’ve not insulted anyone, but my feelings are very strong. If you have even the slightest doubt or question, leave the safety related repairs to a professional, competent technician. The life you save may be yours….. And mine.

Friends

How many friends do you have? Spouses, children and parents don’t count. And, no, pets aren’t involved.

I figure I have about 3 at best. Three friends I have stayed in reasonable contact with. People I could call if I was well and truly screwed.

I have had the privilege of being the step-brother to one of the finest men I’ve ever known. I count him because we’re not officially related, his dad married my mom, thus, the relation rule doesn’t count! I could call him in the midst of any crisis and be certain.  He is the true measure of generosity and help.

I apprenticed under my second friend. We had more fun when we worked together than I can express and yet, when push came to shove he was right there when I was losing my home, my apartment and job. The man was there all along beside someone who didn’t quite appreciate real friendship. Hell, he even got me a job with his brother.

I waterskiied with my third friend. The man took me under his wing when my father left for another family. He taught me the finer points of repairing Corvettes, and just about anything else that moved. He also taught me to be the youngest barefooter in London (forward and backward). He is the kind of guy who is there no matter what.

I know I have let those chaps down any number of ways, I have not been the friend they deserved, and yet, they have allowed me to be theirs.

As I’ve gotten better, sought help for my “issues” and become a better example of a man, I have regained these friendships. I have tried to redeem myself.

Along this journey something else has happened. I’ve gained a new friend. Someone I don’t really know all that well, but someone I can contact in good times or bad. A generous soul who, when hearing I was rejoining the auto trade, offered me the use of a tool box, no questions asked. I have a friend who will share of himself when I prosper and commiserate when I fail.

I’ve also had the opportunity to rekindle a friendship from high school. Decades ago you wouldn’t have found my friend without me and vice versa. Inseparable during high school, life drifted us apart and drew us together again. I’m lucky to have met him again.

It turns out I am a more blessed man than I knew. We all have acquaintances, lost friends and school chums we don’t see anymore. I am at a loss to believe I now have 5 true friends, not only I may call upon but can also call upon me once again.

It’s funny how life works. Once I had destroyed all I could, my God rebuilt it all for me.

And tossed in a couple more friends.