So why is it so difficult to persuade garages to train staff?
Why do technicians not want to advance their learning?
Most garages are aware of the skills gap they face, but they opt for the ostrich approach and ignore the problem. A common mistake is buying diagnostic tools and not taking advantage of the training that is provided. Instead the technician muddles on, doing what he always did. Getting what he always got.
I had a set of tyres fitted recently and I watched the tyre fitter closely.
He didn't remove the wheel weights before balancing the wheel, this resulted in a large number of weights being fitted without achieving dynamic balance.
He used an air gun to tighten the wheel nuts, then checked the torque using a wrench which clicked immediately meaning the wheel nuts were already over tightened.
When paying the bill, I asked the manager (his badge said he was anyhow) about the short comings in the procedures used by his staff. His reply was they needed training.
Great news, so I left my card, and waited for the call. After a week or so I called the garage. Offered my services and reminded the manager that a few hours training would make the garage more efficient, profitable and improve customer satisfaction. He response was he had no time for training.
I wonder how they are getting along with run flats, tyre pressure monitoring, and 4 wheel alignment seeing as they couldn't balance a tyre and tighten the wheel nuts correctly.
