[s-cars] Monkey lads at it again

[Huw Powell]

> Unbelievable...
>  
> I take my son's new car ('97 A6 quattro avant) to NTB in Newton MA to have
> the Nokian RSi snows mounted on a set of 7 spoke A4 wheels
>  
> I ask the manager -- do you use torque sticks?
>  
> Sure, he says, and we hand torque them.
>  
> So I meander out to the shop.
>  
> Cromagnon man (I'm not kidding) is working on my car, and he's got the
> pneumatic gun in his hand. No torque stick. "Stop" I yell at him. You need a
> torque stick.
>  
> He grunts and gets a stick. I tell the manager that the 3 other wheels
> already mounted need to be retorqued.

Caveat emptor noted, of course, but one thing I like about NTB is that 
they let you hang out near the work being done.

Any place like that, has to sort of "bottom feed" for employees - as in, 
real "techs" get jobs at real car repair places.  So they are the place 
where either kids "learnin' the biz" or "old timers sick of the biz" end up.

I have monitored tire mounting work and an alignment job at my local 
NTB, I always think it helps if you're there, and care - the "tech" 
tries to do their best, to show off?  To be honest?

It's an art, of course, the balancing act between being a buddy and 
being an a-hole.

I hope you also taught your son to loosen and re-torque lug nuts/bolts 
after any "unsupervised" work on the wheels... and bought him a torque 
wrench... another addict and troublemaker is born!

-- 
Huw Powell

http://www.humanspeakers.com/audi

http://www.humanthoughts.org/