Olsen Spec Projects

[olsenmotorsports]

I've been following along since you started this thread and wore out the likes n luvs buttons.....gezzis. And like those damn buttons commending you once again your attention to detail goes without saying and is just about worthless

I was just wondering something. All the years on the Porsche biz have you had any experience with CMW motorsports heads?.

Appreciate that really do! Have heard of them, but haven’t used them. Usually stick to the Ninemeister stuff if we upgrade. Have had good results.

Have you used the CMW? Interested in feedback

Grateful for the kind words

 

[olsenmotorsports]

Running some tests today. I study two industries heavily, one is Aerospace and the other is the Yachting space. If anyone can keep stuff clean it is them. They make auto Detailer’s look like amateurs!

Anyhow Starke has a new aluminum ceramic we have been testing out on our suspension stuff with good results. We wanted to test it on our intakes etc.

Idea is upsells for our customers after we restore. Why spend all the money and then have it get dirty right? I tell my sales staff every week in our sales meeting that the two easiest things to sell is fear and hope. Fear that my product I spend all the money on will get trashed, hope is ceramic coating will protect the investment! We are running tests on intakes etc. Clean it, vapor blast it, then post ultra sonic cleaning we will treat with ceramic. Then once it is cured for 7 days we will bake in the oven at 300 degrees for 24 hours. (Simulate a hot engine on a long drive).

Then we will introduce dirt and grease found in engines, bake again at 300 for 24. Then spray with detergent and wash off. See how easy it is to clean, and more important how the poors of the aluminum look. Do they keep the Lustre etc?

Just a little insight to when we put our name on it, it is the right ****. Olsen Spec. Anyhow let’s get started.



Post vapor blasting we run a cycle in the ultra sonic. This ensures that the aluminum is 100% grease free, plus at 170 degrees it just dries a lot faster.



Next up tape off one side to treat, the other side stays factory.



Q tips for the crevices and car pro applicator for the field stuff. Get the stuff on and let dry till you see rainbow colors with a light. Then wipe off.



You can clearly see how the ceramic changes the finish. Looks more uniform, a tad darker, and more consistent of a finish.

Now it has to cure and testing will commence!



lol Cam is looking at me like bro. WTF are you doing now? Let’s go play!

Thanks for following along!

 

[LXCam]

Appreciate that really do! Have heard of them, but haven’t used them. Usually stick to the Ninemeister stuff if we upgrade. Have had good results.

Have you used the CMW? Interested in feedback

Grateful for the kind words

I was only wondering because Bob Cousiamano was the owner and is who developed those billet heads. I never got to play with him on the porsche stuff, only the modern hemi and some nitro fuel toys. I just wondered if they brought anything to the table or not.

lol Cam is looking at me like bro. WTF are you doing now? Let’s go play!

Thanks for following along!

Obviously you've got both Cams paying attention to you today


Best regards, Cam



BTW, don't ever invite me to your shop - I'd probably drool more then he does.

 

[olsenmotorsports]

I was only wondering because Bob Cousiamano was the owner and is who developed those billet heads. I never got to play with him on the porsche stuff, only the modern hemi and some nitro fuel toys. I just wondered if they brought anything to the table or not.


Obviously you've got both Cams paying attention to you today


Best regards, Cam



BTW, don't ever invite me to your shop - I'd probably drool more then he does.

I’m sure it’s a great product just don’t have any experience with it. I would like to try them though!

Haha funny cam joke. Next year we are getting a second Rottweiler and his name will be shaft. Get it? Camshaft! We planned that all along. All my dogs are named after car parts . My previous was turbo

Door is always open come on through!

 

[olsenmotorsports]

The discussion came up earlier in this thread about diag and scopes and how we use them. Second car this week that has been at multiple places (first was a 964 REAL RS with a battery draw (BORING)), and then a 964 Turbo 3.6 with a “ignition cutoff problem”. The 3.6 has been at 3 different stores trying to get sorted so customer sent it to us from Florida to get fixed. Took 47 minutes to find the problem.

This car had the parts cannon absolutely UNLOADED at it. New injectors, plugs, coil, wires, rotor and cap, intake boot, boost pressure switch, intake gaskets, rebuilt CIS, Rebuilt warm up regulator, literally everything.

Engines are so simple. They need three things to run, air, fuel, and spark. That’s it.

First thing was verify customer complaint. Sure enough under heavy load (3-5th gear 3500 and full throttle building boost) it just fell over and felt like a boost cutoff. Back to the workshop to grab some equipment. We put a scope on the coil, a inuctive pickup on the coil wire to distributor, the wireless fuel pressure gauge on it, amp probe on the battery, and wireless sensor on the boost pressure. back out we go. Lost a few PSI on the fuel pressure (using the Snap-on Wireless gauge) so back to the store to log all that with the scope.



Here it is plain as day. Channel one is boost holding steady (so no boost issue with the pressure circuit or its components)

Channel two is the low amp probe around the power wire to high pressure fuel pump. The voltage drop. When the “misfire” happens is plain as day with the drop to then the spikes. Obviously there is a lot of time on that (5s) so not a lot of detail, but it is super obvious it either needs a pump or has a current problem.



We used a 4amp test light accross power and ground to make sure the wires were sound and could handle current, and measured voltage with the pump running. Internally pump had failed, causing high resistance and dropping voltage, just couldn’t keep up with the demand on boost. Other than that car ran perfect.

So simple to diagnose, with basic understanding. Yet people just do not THINK. Blows my mind.

 

[gregs]

I am not the smartest person out there. But I have said for a long time “if you don’t understand how something works you can’t solve the problem”. That applies to more than just repairs, basically most things in life.

 

[fozzy]

This very rapidly has become one of my favorite threads. Amazing craftsmanship, work ethic, professionalism, and talent abound in your shop. I wish I could contribute but it's like I'm rubbing two sticks together and you are running around with a Zippo. The one thing I can do is clean a bathroom! Thank you for posting so often, please keep it up when your work load allows.

 

[Scuderia-F1]

I’m sure it’s a great product just don’t have any experience with it. I would like to try them though!

Haha funny cam joke. Next year we are getting a second Rottweiler and his name will be shaft. Get it? Camshaft! We planned that all along. All my dogs are named after car parts . My previous was turbo

Door is always open come on through!

Poor Turbo, may he rest in piece. He seemed like a proper GOOD BOY. Cam is AWESOME, can't wait for Shaft to arrive...

 

[olsenmotorsports]

I am not the smartest person out there. But I have said for a long time “if you don’t understand how something works you can’t solve the problem”. That applies to more than just repairs, basically most things in life.

Nailed it on the head bud. At work it is called scope of project right? Have to understand the big picture right? Outside of life I have no idea what it is called. But the people make me SMH. Like driving for example. It is literally four tires, some mass, a wheel that you hold and two pedals. That coupled with 5 basic signs that are consistent, painted lines that are two colors, and some lights that are three colors and two shapes. You have probably 10 hours of practice a week your entire life with the above mentioned things and you still manage to F it up? If that is challenging what happens when you have to plan retirement, and lead a family? Scary stuff.

This very rapidly has become one of my favorite threads. Amazing craftsmanship, work ethic, professionalism, and talent abound in your shop. I wish I could contribute but it's like I'm rubbing two sticks together and you are running around with a Zippo. The one thing I can do is clean a bathroom! Thank you for posting so often, please keep it up when your work load allows.

Thank you for the kind words - really appreciate that. I would be homeless without those guys and I am extremely grateful to have them. 100% of the credit goes to them not me. Also thank you for contributing. My living is being a content creator (it is how I create revenue) and we strive for engagement (comments). I value each and every person that makes a comment whatever it is.

It is hard when you create content, because you never know who is watching (unless they comment), if its relevant, or even if its what people want. Thank you for that.

Poor Turbo, may he rest in piece. He seemed like a proper GOOD BOY. Cam is AWESOME, can't wait for Shaft to arrive...

Bro you HAVE been around since way back when! Thank you for that! Turbo was my boy. Loved that dog. He brought so many people so much joy it is really sad he was gone at such a young age (17 months). That one really broke me. Hardest thing I have ever done emotionally was put that boy to rest, he got a **** deal in life and didn’t deserve it.

 

[stinkity stoink]

Now I am heading down a rabbit hole on youtube with videos on scopes. Great stuff you are showing here. Keep it coming!!

 

[zmotorsports]

I am not the smartest person out there. But I have said for a long time “if you don’t understand how something works you can’t solve the problem”. That applies to more than just repairs, basically most things in life.

Agreed. I preach this and preach this to our younger mechanics that in order to properly diagnose something that they need to understand "HOW" the component works. The sequence of operation if you will. Then and only then can you determine where in the sequence or process the failure is occurring.

I also preach the four C's, Condition, Cause, Correction and Confirm. What is the condition that exists? NOT the client's complaint, complaining is easy, but what is the actual condition that is occurring? Once the condition is known then you do a RCA (Root Cause Analysis) to determine what is causing the condition. Once the cause is found, then a plan for the repair or Correction can be completed, than lastly you want to Confirm the repair was successful by verifying.

Most want to throw parts at something and that is a bad habit to get into for the mechanic and especially the client and his wallet.

My good friend and mentor taught me when I first started working for him back in 1988 that once you understand "why" the failure occurred, then you can focus on correcting it and more importantly, is there anything you can do to prevent it from happening in the future. I have fine-tuned this lesson over the past 36+ years of my career and apply it to most everything I own and work on.

@olsenmotorsports thanks for the continued updates on your thread. Great work and confirms a lot of my troubleshooting techniques as well as gives me more food for thought. I use my Snap-on Modis Ultra scope quite a lot for similar diagnostics. It has been an invaluable tool and saved a lot of time over the years, but I am still learning and have only scratched the surface on the possibilities.

 

[gregs]

Agreed. I preach this and preach this to our younger mechanics that in order to properly diagnose something that they need to understand "HOW" the component works. The sequence of operation if you will. Then and only then can you determine where in the sequence or process the failure is occurring.

I also preach the four C's, Condition, Cause, Correction and Confirm. What is the condition that exists? NOT the client's complaint, complaining is easy, but what is the actual condition that is occurring? Once the condition is known then you do a RCA (Root Cause Analysis) to determine what is causing the condition. Once the cause is found, then a plan for the repair or Correction can be completed, than lastly you want to Confirm the repair was successful by verifying.

Most want to throw parts at something and that is a bad habit to get into for the mechanic and especially the client and his wallet.

My good friend and mentor taught me when I first started working for him back in 1988 that once you understand "why" the failure occurred, then you can focus on correcting it and more importantly, is there anything you can do to prevent it from happening in the future. I have fine-tuned this lesson over the past 36+ years of my career and apply it to most everything I own and work on.

@olsenmotorsports thanks for the continued updates on your thread. Great work and confirms a lot of my troubleshooting techniques as well as gives me more food for thought. I use my Snap-on Modis Ultra scope quite a lot for similar diagnostics. It has been an invaluable tool and saved a lot of time over the years, but I am still learning and have only scratched the surface on the possibilities.

Thats a 100% how I operate with regards to most everything. It could be a vehicle, a house, a legal matter, etc. The most frustrating thing is working with others that dont have the same mindset. They dont understand the difference between fixing the problem and solving the problem. They are happy enough to kick the can down the road, whereas I want to solve the problem so that I can clear it out of my brain and move on to the next challenge.

 

[LXCam]

I’m sure it’s a great product just don’t have any experience with it. I would like to try them though!

Haha funny cam joke. Next year we are getting a second Rottweiler and his name will be shaft. Get it? Camshaft! We planned that all along. All my dogs are named after car parts . My previous was turbo

Door is always open come on through!

Ya I play that naming game as well. We just put my buddy Diesel (black american bulldog) of 14yrs down a couple months back. He spent a most of his life with me in the shop, its not the same anymore without him

Cam is AWESOME,

WELL THANKS Scuderia!....




Oh you meant the dog huh

 

[olsenmotorsports]

Now I am heading down a rabbit hole on youtube with videos on scopes. Great stuff you are showing here. Keep it coming!!

The scope is a game changer. It makes a multimeter look like you brought a BB gun to a world war. The good ones sample millions of times a second. Master it and you can and will fix anything! I have said it many times I will put my staff up against the best in the world on diag for any amount of money. All because they are masters at scope diag.

Agreed. I preach this and preach this to our younger mechanics that in order to properly diagnose something that they need to understand "HOW" the component works. The sequence of operation if you will. Then and only then can you determine where in the sequence or process the failure is occurring.

I also preach the four C's, Condition, Cause, Correction and Confirm. What is the condition that exists? NOT the client's complaint, complaining is easy, but what is the actual condition that is occurring? Once the condition is known then you do a RCA (Root Cause Analysis) to determine what is causing the condition. Once the cause is found, then a plan for the repair or Correction can be completed, than lastly you want to Confirm the repair was successful by verifying.

Most want to throw parts at something and that is a bad habit to get into for the mechanic and especially the client and his wallet.

My good friend and mentor taught me when I first started working for him back in 1988 that once you understand "why" the failure occurred, then you can focus on correcting it and more importantly, is there anything you can do to prevent it from happening in the future. I have fine-tuned this lesson over the past 36+ years of my career and apply it to most everything I own and work on.

@olsenmotorsports thanks for the continued updates on your thread. Great work and confirms a lot of my troubleshooting techniques as well as gives me more food for thought. I use my Snap-on Modis Ultra scope quite a lot for similar diagnostics. It has been an invaluable tool and saved a lot of time over the years, but I am still learning and have only scratched the surface on the possibilities.

Lot’s of wisdom here.

Thats a 100% how I operate with regards to most everything. It could be a vehicle, a house, a legal matter, etc. The most frustrating thing is working with others that dont have the same mindset. They dont understand the difference between fixing the problem and solving the problem. They are happy enough to kick the can down the road, whereas I want to solve the problem so that I can clear it out of my brain and move on to the next challenge.

Kicking the can down the road is the one thing I find that I have to break as a bad habit with new employees. It is an actual thing. My entire staff knows that is my one trigger that sets me off. I am just like you.

Ya I play that naming game as well. We just put my buddy Diesel (black american bulldog) of 14yrs down a couple months back. He spent a most of his life with me in the shop, its not the same anymore without him


WELL THANKS Scuderia!....




Oh you meant the dog huh

I am so sorry for you. It really isn’t. I have had 4 Rottweilers all lived pretty long lives, but my last one had Mega Esophagus - pretty rare thing - he made it 17 months, didn’t even see his second birthday.

The good thing about dogs, is the next one will have his own personality, and will steal your heart as well. They are truly the gifts that keep on giving.

 

[olsenmotorsports]

NERD ALERT: Something a little different most will find boring (sorry about that)

Christmas came today the guys were so excited. Breakout leads are a big focus for us as they make the job so much easier and faster. Around 6 months ago I commissioned a company in the Netherlands to make us a complete set of connector breakout leads for Porsche from the 60’s F body stuff all the way to the 90’s 964 chassis. I already own all the 993-997 stuff (which you can still buy from Porsche), but no one had anything for the earlier cars.

I was very specific with them, didn’t care what it cost as long as they made it the way I specified. I tell my entire staff from the technicians to marketing to sales, If you are struggling it is because of one of three things. Either you don’t have the right information, the right tooling, or you just don’t want to do the job. I will spend any amount of money to eliminate the first two of those three. In business it doesn't matter what it costs, it matters what you can make and retain on a consistent basis. Only way to do that in my experience is speed, efficency and throughput. Huge capital investment to achieve that.



Basically these are all the connectors in the 75-89 chassis. You unplug the circuit and plug these inline so the circuits stay energized and fully functional. Then you can plug your scope/meter right into the harness so there is no backprobing (giving a lot of ghost voltage) or worse piercing of wires.

Anything I buy for the store I always buy two, one for my personal use and one for the shop use.



Nicely made, One of my specifications was the wiring leads must match the color of the wiring harness of the car exactly. Makes identifying and confirming of a wiring diagram much faster and easier.



Another one of my specifications was that the leads be all labeled to the circuit function. Less reading for the staff, less hunting through service data, and less hunting through a wiring diagram. Quick visual identification.



My last specification was a laminated sheet for each breakout lead, showing the diagram, the function, and most important the usage of the pin’s in different model/year ranges


Super happy with how it turned out and the staff is really excited. They put them right to use and raved about it all day. Happy for them.

I know I am mega picky, but i like nice stuff, and more importantly the right stuff. Set me back about 5g to get this project done, but that will come back 10x in diag fee’s in a very short time.

Invest in your business!

 

[Nolift911]

These are trick and much needed - for sale or only customer builds?

 

[olsenmotorsports]

These are trick and much needed - for sale or only customer builds?

Not for sale. (I mean everything is of course) but I got these made up for workshop kits for my guys to speed up their diag.

 

[richfinn]

NERD ALERT: Something a little different most will find boring (sorry about that)

Christmas came today the guys were so excited. Breakout leads are a big focus for us as they make the job so much easier and faster. Around 6 months ago I commissioned a company in the Netherlands to make us a complete set of connector breakout leads for Porsche from the 60’s F body stuff all the way to the 90’s 964 chassis. I already own all the 993-997 stuff (which you can still buy from Porsche), but no one had anything for the earlier cars.

I was very specific with them, didn’t care what it cost as long as they made it the way I specified. I tell my entire staff from the technicians to marketing to sales, If you are struggling it is because of one of three things. Either you don’t have the right information, the right tooling, or you just don’t want to do the job. I will spend any amount of money to eliminate the first two of those three. In business it doesn't matter what it costs, it matters what you can make and retain on a consistent basis. Only way to do that in my experience is speed, efficency and throughput. Huge capital investment to achieve that.



Basically these are all the connectors in the 75-89 chassis. You unplug the circuit and plug these inline so the circuits stay energized and fully functional. Then you can plug your scope/meter right into the harness so there is no backprobing (giving a lot of ghost voltage) or worse piercing of wires.

Anything I buy for the store I always buy two, one for my personal use and one for the shop use.



Nicely made, One of my specifications was the wiring leads must match the color of the wiring harness of the car exactly. Makes identifying and confirming of a wiring diagram much faster and easier.



Another one of my specifications was that the leads be all labeled to the circuit function. Less reading for the staff, less hunting through service data, and less hunting through a wiring diagram. Quick visual identification.



My last specification was a laminated sheet for each breakout lead, showing the diagram, the function, and most important the usage of the pin’s in different model/year ranges


Super happy with how it turned out and the staff is really excited. They put them right to use and raved about it all day. Happy for them.

I know I am mega picky, but i like nice stuff, and more importantly the right stuff. Set me back about 5g to get this project done, but that will come back 10x in diag fee’s in a very short time.

Invest in your business!

I knew the diagnostic stuff would be interesting

 

[Scuderia-F1]

NERD ALERT: Something a little different most will find boring (sorry about that)

Christmas came today the guys were so excited. Breakout leads are a big focus for us as they make the job so much easier and faster. Around 6 months ago I commissioned a company in the Netherlands to make us a complete set of connector breakout leads for Porsche from the 60’s F body stuff all the way to the 90’s 964 chassis. I already own all the 993-997 stuff (which you can still buy from Porsche), but no one had anything for the earlier cars.

I was very specific with them, didn’t care what it cost as long as they made it the way I specified. I tell my entire staff from the technicians to marketing to sales, If you are struggling it is because of one of three things. Either you don’t have the right information, the right tooling, or you just don’t want to do the job. I will spend any amount of money to eliminate the first two of those three. In business it doesn't matter what it costs, it matters what you can make and retain on a consistent basis. Only way to do that in my experience is speed, efficency and throughput. Huge capital investment to achieve that.



Basically these are all the connectors in the 75-89 chassis. You unplug the circuit and plug these inline so the circuits stay energized and fully functional. Then you can plug your scope/meter right into the harness so there is no backprobing (giving a lot of ghost voltage) or worse piercing of wires.

Anything I buy for the store I always buy two, one for my personal use and one for the shop use.



Nicely made, One of my specifications was the wiring leads must match the color of the wiring harness of the car exactly. Makes identifying and confirming of a wiring diagram much faster and easier.



Another one of my specifications was that the leads be all labeled to the circuit function. Less reading for the staff, less hunting through service data, and less hunting through a wiring diagram. Quick visual identification.



My last specification was a laminated sheet for each breakout lead, showing the diagram, the function, and most important the usage of the pin’s in different model/year ranges


Super happy with how it turned out and the staff is really excited. They put them right to use and raved about it all day. Happy for them.

I know I am mega picky, but i like nice stuff, and more importantly the right stuff. Set me back about 5g to get this project done, but that will come back 10x in diag fee’s in a very short time.

Invest in your business!

MOTHER OF GOD, you do know how to party, now THAT is ****!!!!!!

 

[scooby074]

NERD ALERT: Something a little different most will find boring (sorry about that)

Christmas came today the guys were so excited. Breakout leads are a big focus for us as they make the job so much easier and faster. Around 6 months ago I commissioned a company in the Netherlands to make us a complete set of connector breakout leads for Porsche from the 60’s F body stuff all the way to the 90’s 964 chassis. I already own all the 993-997 stuff (which you can still buy from Porsche), but no one had anything for the earlier cars.

I was very specific with them, didn’t care what it cost as long as they made it the way I specified. I tell my entire staff from the technicians to marketing to sales, If you are struggling it is because of one of three things. Either you don’t have the right information, the right tooling, or you just don’t want to do the job. I will spend any amount of money to eliminate the first two of those three. In business it doesn't matter what it costs, it matters what you can make and retain on a consistent basis. Only way to do that in my experience is speed, efficency and throughput. Huge capital investment to achieve that.



Basically these are all the connectors in the 75-89 chassis. You unplug the circuit and plug these inline so the circuits stay energized and fully functional. Then you can plug your scope/meter right into the harness so there is no backprobing (giving a lot of ghost voltage) or worse piercing of wires.

Anything I buy for the store I always buy two, one for my personal use and one for the shop use.



Nicely made, One of my specifications was the wiring leads must match the color of the wiring harness of the car exactly. Makes identifying and confirming of a wiring diagram much faster and easier.



Another one of my specifications was that the leads be all labeled to the circuit function. Less reading for the staff, less hunting through service data, and less hunting through a wiring diagram. Quick visual identification.



My last specification was a laminated sheet for each breakout lead, showing the diagram, the function, and most important the usage of the pin’s in different model/year ranges


Super happy with how it turned out and the staff is really excited. They put them right to use and raved about it all day. Happy for them.

I know I am mega picky, but i like nice stuff, and more importantly the right stuff. Set me back about 5g to get this project done, but that will come back 10x in diag fee’s in a very short time.

Invest in your business!

Very nice.

But since these are "shop tools", how are you going to manage tool control (or in a broader sense, how do you manage tool control now)? Is it a non-issue in your shop?

Ive been pretty lucky in that guys Ive worked in have been pretty decent with shop tools if we didnt have a proper tool crib with a good operator, but there certainly have been times where tools have been locked in coworkers boxes or otherwise misplaced, resulting in wasted time "on the hunt", its a fact of life.

 

[jake28]

@olsenmotorsports
Your tale on diagnosing the faulty fuel pump is a fantastic example of the beauty and challenge of justifying a high hourly rate. You’re charging for the intangibles. You’re charging for the time saved going to other shops, unnecessary parts and labor, and wasted customer time.

It’s a bit like having a dentist: you don’t know if you have had a good one until you’ve had a bad one.

Kudos.

 

[olsenmotorsports]

MOTHER OF GOD, you do know how to party, now THAT is ****!!!!!!

Ha Love it. Figured you would approve, We track everything and when I designed these I went to every employee and asked what is your biggest gripe with the old wiring diagrams, and what would you like to see out of a breakout kit. This was the result.

Question for you, worth the 5g?

 

[olsenmotorsports]

HAHA the old Olsen Shuffle. That used to be a thing at our store. Still is to a small extent but I was able to sort that out using my first of five core values. ACCOUNTABILITY.

I have an ORG chart hanging on the wall that has a flow chart of who is accountable for what, Not who’s job that is, just who is accountable. (Like you are accountable for the floors being clean etc., you dont have to personally do it, just you must ensure it gets done every day sort of thing).

Tools are my lead tech and shop foreman. They are accountable for them not only for their placement and organization but also financially accountable for them. It was difficult to roll out as I dont think they took me seriously. Constant reminders and the threaten of I will take it out of your check never worked. Then I actually did it. OMG what a difference.

I spot check things now, and I don’t even ask them where it is, I just re buy it. When it shows up “hey BTW here is that replacement tool I couldn’t find and I am taking $599 out of your checks here is the receipt” happened, TWICE” then it magically stopped.

I do that with everything. My son Nic is accountable to make sure the customers car stay dust free and fingerprint clean. If it doesnt meet my standards I call the Detailer to come do all the cars, I dont tell anyone and he shows up. My kid is white faced as he knows that costs around $500. Happened three times this year. Cars are always sparkling now.

My personal tool’s are kept under lock and key (lead tech is the only one with a key) and he is personally responsible for them. Something goes missing I call the snap-on guy and the tools appears and goes on his account. That box is locked 24/7 and no one goes in there unless they really really need something.

Point is people are generallly great, and I love them all. But unless there is a shared fate and focus that he is really serious it is just not their money, till it is, then the game changes.

Sounds like I am ******* right? But I am really not, those guys get 30% more pay then they will anywhere else, have free healthcare and the best equipment money can buy. Someone has to cash flow all that (customers by paying their bills) and maintain that (employees by being accountable). It is a great place to work as it is perfectly clean and organized 24/7.

Accountability has taught me to be firm as a boss, and I am, but I am much more loving.

 

[scooby074]

HAHA the old Olsen Shuffle. That used to be a thing at our store. Still is to a small extent but I was able to sort that out using my first of five core values. ACCOUNTABILITY.

I have an ORG chart hanging on the wall that has a flow chart of who is accountable for what, Not who’s job that is, just who is accountable. (Like you are accountable for the floors being clean etc., you dont have to personally do it, just you must ensure it gets done every day sort of thing).

Tools are my lead tech and shop foreman. They are accountable for them not only for their placement and organization but also financially accountable for them. It was difficult to roll out as I dont think they took me seriously. Constant reminders and the threaten of I will take it out of your check never worked. Then I actually did it. OMG what a difference.

I spot check things now, and I don’t even ask them where it is, I just re buy it. When it shows up “hey BTW here is that replacement tool I couldn’t find and I am taking $599 out of your checks here is the receipt” happened, TWICE” then it magically stopped.

I do that with everything. My son Nic is accountable to make sure the customers car stay dust free and fingerprint clean. If it doesnt meet my standards I call the Detailer to come do all the cars, I dont tell anyone and he shows up. My kid is white faced as he knows that costs around $500. Happened three times this year. Cars are always sparkling now.

My personal tool’s are kept under lock and key (lead tech is the only one with a key) and he is personally responsible for them. Something goes missing I call the snap-on guy and the tools appears and goes on his account. That box is locked 24/7 and no one goes in there unless they really really need something.

Point is people are generallly great, and I love them all. But unless there is a shared fate and focus that he is really serious it is just not their money, till it is, then the game changes.

Sounds like I am ******* right? But I am really not, those guys get 30% more pay then they will anywhere else, have free healthcare and the best equipment money can buy. Someone has to cash flow all that (customers by paying their bills) and maintain that (employees by being accountable). It is a great place to work as it is perfectly clean and organized 24/7.

Accountability has taught me to be firm as a boss, and I am, but I am much more loving.

Really appreciate the honest answer. Holding the employees financially responsible would definitely get their attention quick. Although I can certainly see some potential personnel issues trying to enforce those rules in my home province.

Not having access to a tool that should be there is beyond frustrating for myself and the other techs that rely on it. Even worse is that it gets put back missing items and nobody is none the wiser until the next user needs it in a rush with no time to order parts to fix it (things like broken/missing legs on a puller etc.).

 

[Scuderia-F1]

Ha Love it. Figured you would approve, We track everything and when I designed these I went to every employee and asked what is your biggest gripe with the old wiring diagrams, and what would you like to see out of a breakout kit. This was the result.

Question for you, worth the 5g?

5g's is in my opinion a steal for that. I buy all looms from Kroon, so I know the attention to detail, when it comes to their work.
Pretty tempted to drop them an email right away....

 

[Scuderia-F1]

HAHA the old Olsen Shuffle. That used to be a thing at our store. Still is to a small extent but I was able to sort that out using my first of five core values. ACCOUNTABILITY.

I have an ORG chart hanging on the wall that has a flow chart of who is accountable for what, Not who’s job that is, just who is accountable. (Like you are accountable for the floors being clean etc., you dont have to personally do it, just you must ensure it gets done every day sort of thing).

Tools are my lead tech and shop foreman. They are accountable for them not only for their placement and organization but also financially accountable for them. It was difficult to roll out as I dont think they took me seriously. Constant reminders and the threaten of I will take it out of your check never worked. Then I actually did it. OMG what a difference.

I spot check things now, and I don’t even ask them where it is, I just re buy it. When it shows up “hey BTW here is that replacement tool I couldn’t find and I am taking $599 out of your checks here is the receipt” happened, TWICE” then it magically stopped.

I do that with everything. My son Nic is accountable to make sure the customers car stay dust free and fingerprint clean. If it doesnt meet my standards I call the Detailer to come do all the cars, I dont tell anyone and he shows up. My kid is white faced as he knows that costs around $500. Happened three times this year. Cars are always sparkling now.

My personal tool’s are kept under lock and key (lead tech is the only one with a key) and he is personally responsible for them. Something goes missing I call the snap-on guy and the tools appears and goes on his account. That box is locked 24/7 and no one goes in there unless they really really need something.

Point is people are generallly great, and I love them all. But unless there is a shared fate and focus that he is really serious it is just not their money, till it is, then the game changes.

Sounds like I am ******* right? But I am really not, those guys get 30% more pay then they will anywhere else, have free healthcare and the best equipment money can buy. Someone has to cash flow all that (customers by paying their bills) and maintain that (employees by being accountable). It is a great place to work as it is perfectly clean and organized 24/7.

Accountability has taught me to be firm as a boss, and I am, but I am much more loving.

Now that is how you run a crew, accountability is key!

 

[danski0224]

They are accountable for them not only for their placement and organization but also financially accountable for them. It was difficult to roll out as I dont think they took me seriously.

This is illegal.

Constant reminders and the threaten of I will take it out of your check never worked. Then I actually did it. OMG what a difference.

According to Illinois statutes, there is one exception, and the fact that you have stated that you make threats likely invalidates the allowed provision.

I spot check things now, and I don’t even ask them where it is, I just re buy it. When it shows up “hey BTW here is that replacement tool I couldn’t find and I am taking $599 out of your checks here is the receipt” happened, TWICE” then it magically stopped.

More shenanigans.

I do that with everything. My son Nic is accountable to make sure the customers car stay dust free and fingerprint clean. If it doesnt meet my standards I call the Detailer to come do all the cars, I dont tell anyone and he shows up. My kid is white faced as he knows that costs around $500. Happened three times this year. Cars are always sparkling now.

My personal tool’s are kept under lock and key (lead tech is the only one with a key) and he is personally responsible for them. Something goes missing I call the snap-on guy and the tools appears and goes on his account. That box is locked 24/7 and no one goes in there unless they really really need something.

Point is people are generallly great, and I love them all. But unless there is a shared fate and focus that he is really serious it is just not their money, till it is, then the game changes.

In most States, and outside of very specific exclusions, taking wages from employees for inventory losses is illegal.

Sounds like I am ******* right?

In this case, you most definitely are.

I kinda hope that your employees that have experienced wage theft see this and report your *** to the Department of Labor for illegal wage garnishment. It might be worth it to put up some comments on your Instagram page to inform them. Social networking works both ways.

As an employee, it is commonplace to see provided tools to not be taken care of by some, and it ***** to see that. I do not have an answer to combat this issue, which is likely why wage garnishment is not legal. My employer has draconian tool policies and an ******* in charge of them, and I am perfectly willing to wait and waste time while they figure out what they want to do. that is the choice that the ownership has made in my case. Others have chosen to provide thousands of dollars worth of tools and equipment for the benefit of the employer, to "make their life easier", and the owner is laughing all the way to the bank. Eff that, I'll wait.

I do admire the fabrication and diagnostic skills that you have posted.

But if you are zinging your employees for a few hundred bucks at a time, while posting vehicle upgrades that are certainly into the 5 figure range, yeah, you are an *******... especially when the wage garnishment is not allowed.

 

[danski0224]

Holding the employees financially responsible would definitely get their attention quick

And yours, if they know their rights and report you to the DoL or the equivalent in your location.

 

[danski0224]

those guys get 30% more pay then they will anywhere else

That doesn't mean anything given this average:

https://www.ziprecruiter.com/Salaries/Car-Mechanic-Salary-in-Chicago,IL

 

[danski0224]

Not having access to a tool that should be there is beyond frustrating for myself and the other techs that rely on it.

Now this sounds like the place I work at. Not automotive, but similar issues.

Even worse is that it gets put back missing items and nobody is none the wiser until the next user needs it in a rush with no time to order parts to fix it (things like broken/missing legs on a puller etc.).

And that is where the person in charge of the tool crib needs to keep up on maintenance and missing parts. At the end of the day, it is a business expense. If there is no one there to physically inventory and check the tool in and out, and the "honor system" is used, yeah, that's not going to work. People, in general, are not going to own up to breaking or losing something. That's a combination of human nature, and past experiences where an ******* employer threatens to take it out of a paycheck. Duh, no one will say anything.

The guy in charge of the "tool crib" at my place of employment seemingly never checks over tools, and broken ones get sent out. Tools also have a finite lifespan, and there IS a point where it should be replaced. He has also sent out tools that require consumables to function, without the consumables.

But hey, that is a choice made by the ownership.

 

[scooby074]

And yours, if they know their rights and report you to the DoL or the equivalent in your location.

I had a much longer reply typed out to his response, similar to yours above, but I deleted it.

In my area, deductions for broken items, like broken plates in a restaurant, are allowed in some instances, but there are a lot of requirements around doing it. The fact that there is a very good chance that you will end up in front of the Labour Board if/when it goes to ****, having to justify your deductions, means that it will likely cost you more as an employer than to just replace the tool.

As much as I like the idea of forcing responsibility onto the employees, I dont know if its either legal or worth the headaches to do it like this.

 

[LXCam]

HAHA the old Olsen Shuffle. That used to be a thing at our store. Still is to a small extent but I was able to sort that out using my first of five core values. ACCOUNTABILITY.

I have an ORG chart hanging on the wall that has a flow chart of who is accountable for what, Not who’s job that is, just who is accountable. (Like you are accountable for the floors being clean etc., you dont have to personally do it, just you must ensure it gets done every day sort of thing).

Tools are my lead tech and shop foreman. They are accountable for them not only for their placement and organization but also financially accountable for them. It was difficult to roll out as I dont think they took me seriously. Constant reminders and the threaten of I will take it out of your check never worked. Then I actually did it. OMG what a difference.

I spot check things now, and I don’t even ask them where it is, I just re buy it. When it shows up “hey BTW here is that replacement tool I couldn’t find and I am taking $599 out of your checks here is the receipt” happened, TWICE” then it magically stopped.

I do that with everything. My son Nic is accountable to make sure the customers car stay dust free and fingerprint clean. If it doesnt meet my standards I call the Detailer to come do all the cars, I dont tell anyone and he shows up. My kid is white faced as he knows that costs around $500. Happened three times this year. Cars are always sparkling now.

My personal tool’s are kept under lock and key (lead tech is the only one with a key) and he is personally responsible for them. Something goes missing I call the snap-on guy and the tools appears and goes on his account. That box is locked 24/7 and no one goes in there unless they really really need something.

Point is people are generallly great, and I love them all. But unless there is a shared fate and focus that he is really serious it is just not their money, till it is, then the game changes.

Sounds like I am ******* right? But I am really not, those guys get 30% more pay then they will anywhere else, have free healthcare and the best equipment money can buy. Someone has to cash flow all that (customers by paying their bills) and maintain that (employees by being accountable). It is a great place to work as it is perfectly clean and organized 24/7.

Accountability has taught me to be firm as a boss, and I am, but I am much more loving.

You and I are very much alike in regards to both providing the right tool without regards to cost and responsibility of equipment. I started my contracting business in 88 with nothing more then a bag of tools, a shovel and a truck. I grew it into something thru hard work and providing a quality product via very stringent standards with my employees. The one thing that would torque my *** was not having the right tool for the job which I always bought in spades and without hesitation.

When I sent a certain person (truck actually) on a project I knew what was supposed to be on that truck and expected things to go accordingly. Too many times I'd find out something didn't get done because so n so had borrowed a critical piece of equipment off that truck and....

So one day I fn lost it and brought everyone into the shop for a couple of days. We cleared out every truck and restocked them, then I made assignment sheets for each one and made the person who that truck was assigned to responsible for them WITH the same caveat you have, you lose it - you're buying it - sign and date here: __________________

FULL WELL knowing this wasn't legal for me to do. Luckily just the threat ended a whole bunch of the nonsense and I never once had to even threaten that action again.


I'm not going to jump down your throat like Danski did, I completely get the frustration. However what I would suggest and what is perfectly legal is a reduction in bonus monies if you do any type of distribution. It may not be received too well to sit the guy down at the end of the year and say we had this issue and because of that you were eligible for X, but will be receiving Y. But it's perfectly legal.

 

[danski0224]

I'm not going to jump down your throat like Danski did,

I didn't jump down his throat.

And unlike Olsen, you didn't carry through on the threat of illegal deductions... or that's the claim.

 

[Mr.zippy]

I didn't jump down his throat.

And unlike Olsen, you didn't carry through on the threat of illegal deductions... or that's the claim.

I kind of thought ya did? Seems like the dude has some real long term employees, so he's got that going for him?

 

[danski0224]

I kind of thought ya did? Seems like the dude has some real long term employees, so he's got that going for him?

My bad.

I'm sorry.

Carry on.

 

[LXCam]

I didn't jump down his throat.

And unlike Olsen, you didn't carry through on the threat of illegal deductions... or that's the claim.

Nope I never did, wanted too at times, but...

I kind of thought ya did? Seems like the dude has some real long term employees, so he's got that going for him?

When I got to the point of hiring top notch employee's I treated them like gold and many of them lasted years. Matter of fact there was a point I wanted to turn over the company to my two top guys and walk away but they didn't want my job...haha.

 

[fozzy]

OP, your business acumen is inspiring. I'm taking notes as I'm retiring in a few months. It takes a skipper to lead a ship, and you are doing well.

 

[SilverJimmy]

30 year Snap-On Dealer here. The guy that bought the tool never lost it, it was always the guy that borrowed it!

 

[olsenmotorsports]

Wow what a mess!


The fact that I as a business owner am being painted as a fire breathing, threatening, ******* who takes money from his underpaid employees just so he can buy a boat literally had me LOL’ing.

@danski0224 and @scooby074, love both you guys, but i think you guys should discuss this more with your legal counsel in depth, as you most definitely can hold employees accountable financially. Somewhere the term “garnished wages” got thrown around but I didn’t recall using that term. I would also look into employee case law a little more in depth and understand how that works as a relationship if you were ever in need of going to court. I am fully aware of your intents to discuss this with my employees as well as getting them to report me to the labor board, and you’re intent’s to take this to social media. I have no issue with that as they are all within your rights to do and we are 100% compliant - if not those fines will be taken out of my legal counsels E&O for sure as they wrote our employee agreement contracts!

I am not going to open my legal stuff on the internet - but when you are offered a position at Olsen you are provided with documents. One is your offer letter - explains benefits, salary, PTO etc. Pretty standard. Second doc is the brand standard agreement - How you will portray the company to the outside world (like how you wear a hat etc - anything having to do with something with our trademarked logo’s, slogans etc) - The third is your employee contract, including your job description, your responsibilities, and the expectations of KPI’s (with both the financial reward and the removal of that reward if not executed) and your improvement on those KPI’s (your value add) The 4th is your employee handbook which has everything else - pretty standard stuff.

Now to the threatening part that got everyone’s ******* in a bunch (freaking horrible choice of a word lol sorry guys). That is the threat to enforce the agreement of loss of profit share (agreement signed by employee) - if threatening to enforce the agreement falls on deaf ears, then a written conversation is recorded and signed acknowledging the understanding of the employee contract and its expectations, then if that still doesn’t work money changes hands.

Now the closing. The loss of money only applies to the cleanliness and organization/loss of company property. 7 figures cars happen upon Us all the time. Who is going to leave a car worth that in a shithole to get serviced?

Now if you do not have those signed, agreed upon docs, you are gonna have a rough road ahead of you. Both legally, as well as trying to keep your tool room/space organized and presentable.

I think what people should be asking themselves at work is what is the best use of people’s time. We have this conversation weekly. Is the best use of managements time wiping down cars we covered in fingerprints? Or setting us up for success on the next ticket? Is the best use of Tim’s time making sure we follow the basic rules? Or making sure we have enough business or cash to improve and continue to grow. People inherently will lose focus on things and do what they think is important. Does that make them bad? Hell no. Just means they aren’t focused. But when they have skin in the game that does help with the shared focus.

I have head so many times from people that they say people don’t want to work anymore, and it is impossible to find good help. I have experienced the exact opposite. My Reply to that is do people not want to work? Or do they just not want to work for YOU. Last time I checked the population is still the same, and people still got to eat.

That doesn't mean anything given this average:

https://www.ziprecruiter.com/Salaries/Car-Mechanic-Salary-in-Chicago,IL

My C tech doesnt get out of bed for this amount and he shouldn’t, he is worth more. My lead techs get almost double that.

 

[olsenmotorsports]

Great week last week for the team. They really killed it wrapping up projects and pushing the limits of our goals. All the engines got done and put back in and cars on the road for test drives etc.

Bit of a S*** show for me as I was trying to get out of town. I left Saturday AM at 2am to drive down to FL. We make the drive twice a year to transport the dog (down in November and back in April) Guys said their goodbyes to Cam as they wont see him again till late in April.



Speaking of Cam he cracks me up. I needed to get the flags clean and hung back up. He loses his mind when I am on the scissor lift. It is almost like he is the safety police!

Flags are cleaned and hung. They are a nice touch I think and kind of breaks up that huge open space of “thin air”

I wasn’t able to grab much content as I was back to back all day in last minute stuff trying to get out of town. I will be back and forth all winter and the plan is to come in every other week for two days. I let my leadership team decide when they need me to come in person over the winter months, other than that they are perfectly capable of running the store in my absence!



I feel bad for the dog on that long ride (19 hours) as he just sits there and stares into space. Sometimes I wonder what is going through his head other than “are we there yet” or “WTF are we doing”. He really is an angel though. Just hangs out and minds his own business.



Road trip wouldn’t be official without a stop at Buc-ee’s. What a machine that company is. I need to study them more as a company, just observing their workflow as I was walking around gave me some ideas on how we can be more efficient as a brand. Really inspiring to see people have success with their innovative model. SO happy for them.



Last fuel stop of the day in North Florida. The Old Exploder just got a full refresh at my local ford dealer. Has almost 51k on it. Had them do a complete fluid service as well as the bigger 60k service. I also had them do all the control arms, ball joints, new shocks, and wheel bearings. Drove like a dream.

Wife and I were talking about getting a Navigator for the road trips as it is a bit larger and more comfy. If she wants to do that I am going to pull the engine out of this explorer, build it, and try and hit 600hp with it. I think it’s doable without really pushing the limits. That and some brembo 6 piston front 4 piston rear brakes would make for some embarrassment for a lot of people!

I never modify engines on the cars that are daily driven or that we take on road trips. Just think it isn’t wise. Nothing worse than being stranded out in the middle of nowhere!