Published 2013
The West Kootenay is an area of southwest British Columbia characterized by glacial valleys and lakes separated by the high peaks of the Selkirk, Valhalla, and Monashee mountain ranges. It is classified as temperate rainforest, receiving an average of 29 inches of rain and 88 inches of snow annually. This region is not densely populated; there are 4 or 5 cities of 10000 residents or less spread out over an area about one quarter of the size of the state of Washington. The local economy is based on tourism and natural re- source industries including logging, mining, hydroelectric projects, and marijuana production. As a result the (declared) average income for residents working locally is relatively low and usually inconsistent or seasonal. Goods, services, and employment are spread around an area large enough to rule out walking as an efficient way to travel about. There is also a lack of public transport penetration, making it necessary for most residents to own a personal vehicle. This combined with the low average income means there are a lot of people relying on local mechanics (also known as automotive service technicians), to keep older vehicles operational.
The situation is not unique to this region; in the US alone over 800,000 people currently work in the automotive repair industry. There are also many areas all over the world where “grassroots” mechanics keep the population mobile by tending to fleets of aging and tired vehicles. I wanted to get a better picture of the phenomenon, and I planned to do it by making myself a fixture at different shops around over a three week period.
I spent as much time at my field sites as possible to let the “natives” come to accept me. I observed the mechanics at work and interacting with customers. I interviewed them individually and in groups, both in and out of the workplace, to obtain a complete and objective picture. I wanted to explore the sites non-judgmentally and without personal bias shaping any conclusions.
How do mechanics view one another? Do they feel any solidarity based on profession? Is there any hierarchy?
It somewhat surprised me, but almost all the mechanics I talked to said they don’t feel any sense of community or kinship with other mechanics strictly based on profession. Within each individual shop however, there was more of a feeling of unification, “Trent” gave his perspective after his many years of experience in repair shops: “There’s always a lot of ego involved. Nobody wants to think they ever make mistakes and that can lead to some pissing contests, but everyone screws up someday so when it comes down to it you gotta help each other out to keep things movin’ forward.” Many of the mechanics did not particularly like cars or like working on them as a hobby. It was strictly a job to be done. The few technicians that were “car guys” did feel some kinship to other “car guy” mechanics, as they had that hobby in common, but the profession itself didn’t engender any feelings of community. Dealers and larger shops tended to look down on the smaller repair shops in general, having the view that the work was not up to the same “dealer-approved” standard. The small shops on the other hand, often viewed the larger shops as overpriced and “oversafe”-meaning they would replace components at the slightest sign of wear in order to make as much money as possible, even if the component had many miles of serviceability left. There is great competition among the different shops within each category as they all fight over same customer base. This is one factor that may contribute to the lack of solidarity among different shops: if one shop gains a customer then another shop somewhere has to lose one. That can lead to “customer theft” (where a mechanics undercuts another’s estimate, promises better service, or tells horror stories about another’s work in order to convince the customer to switch shops) among shops, which is not conducive to amiable relationships. In this competition we can see a little Darwinism at work, as the shops with better customer service, higher quality work, or more efficient practices thrive, gaining customers and becoming more successful, thus pushing out the less successful shops in the long run.
Did they choose to be mechanics or fall into it by chance? What do they like and dislike about their profession?
“Ryan” was just starting his apprenticeship at a busy, multi-bay franchise and he gave me his perspective, “I had just gotten out of a relationship and didn’t know what to do with myself, when the apprenticeship came up. I’ve always liked working on cars, money was way better and I needed something to take up my time so I said why not? Plus I could put my schooling to work. (Ryan completed a mechanics pre-apprenticeship program at the local college a few years ago.) The job was pretty much the same as what I did before (general shop helper), but now they got me doing more technical repairs and working with a journeyman, it’s pretty sweet. I’d way rather be fixing stuff than sweeping and flipping tires.” Ryan also works on his own vehicles as a hobby, and can talk delightedly about cam timing, headers, and spring rates for hours. He would be one of the “car guys”. “John” gives us the other end of the spectrum. He has been working as a mechanic for over 15 years and isn’t much of an enthusiast: “I got into it purely out of circumstance, I had just gotten married and needed a steady job, the opportunity to start an apprenticeship came up, it paid decent money so I took it. It could just as easily have been carpentry or plumbing. I don’t really talk about it outside of work and definitely don’t love the work itself. It’s hard on your body, bending over all the time, banging your knuckles into hot metal parts, wedging yourself into tight places, and dealing with …difficult… customers, it all takes its toll. What do I like about it? Not much really, except the paycheck.” he chuckles.
Of the 13 mechanics I observed, only 4 began with a desire to work as an automotive mechanic. All of those who wanted to be mechanics had some interest in vehicles and fixing things since childhood, “so working with [their] hands and ending up in some type of mechanical job seemed inevitable”. However, the actual move to mechanics as a full-time profession was almost the same for all the subjects I interviewed: they had found themselves in a situation where the best available job was as a mechanic and it worked well enough for them that they kept at it. Those who wanted to be mechanics were motivated internally, they used their influence on the world around (agency) them to get training and seek out work doing what they wanted to do. Those who ended up there through circumstance found themselves pushed by external cultural, societal, and financial forces (social determinism). At any smaller repair shop, the mechanic was often filling the role of receptionist, accountant, and sales clerk in addition to repairing the vehicles. That was in contrast to the new car dealers with active shops, where the mechanics didn’t interact with the customers at all and interpersonal communication was not a factor of the job. All the mechanics that did their own scheduling, accounting, etc., mentioned those aspects as some of their least favorite elements of their job. Most of the mechanics, despite their grumblings, did show pride and enjoyment and completed job, and eventually confessed to enjoying the feeling that comes with taking something broken and non-functional and using their skills to make it work again.
Did they choose to be mechanics or fall into it by chance? What do they like and dislike about their profession?
There were so many different ages and personalities of people working as mechanics that an all-encompassing culture wasn’t immediately evident. The subjects I investigated ranged from rowdy twenty-something’s to venerable, patient, and all-knowing retirees. There were examples of conservative and liberal lifestyles, single and married home lives, devout Christian to decidedly atheist religious views. The mechanics I interviewed made an accurate representation of the population at large in this area, with most of the common lifestyles represented. Each shop however, had its own internal culture that was distinct and developed based on the personalities of the people there. The shop “Ryan” worked at had staff that was almost all males between 20 and 40 years old. There was a lot of common ground in terms of interests and background, which led to a familiar and boisterous environment teeming with inside jokes and inexplicable nicknames requiring long explanations. Other shops, most strongly exemplified by the new-car dealer/servicing locations, had a much more diverse range of staff, which led to a more generic “shop-culture”. The wide array of employees at these sites manifested as a more business-like and less familiar environment. Automotive mechanics is a subculture of the greater mechanic culture that also includes the areas of heavy-duty, marine, and small engine repair. Within the field of automotive mechanics there are appeared to be some distinct subcultures as well. These were based on things like preferred engine and drivetrain technologies, vehicle manufacturer and vintage, or general repair philosophy. There were mechanics that preferred to work on older carbureted engines, others who wouldn’t go near a carburetor and only worked on newer fuel injected vehicles. Most had a favorite manufacturer, or country of manufacture whose vehicles they preferred to work on, for some it was domestic and others Japanese or German. These types of preferences were one of the few common threads among the wide variety of individuals that work as automotive technicians. The only thing that I found to some degree in all shops I observed was the propensity to make “off-color” puns and comments when actually working on a vehicle. Apparently the temptation is too great when phrases like: “Make sure you lube it up good before you try to slide that in there…” are always coming up in normal conversation.
What makes a good or bad customer?
I was at my main field site late on a Tuesday afternoon. The sky was grey, rain spit down periodically, and darker clouds clustering in the north promised a more sustained soaking soon. A rusty early-90’s white Subaru station wagon with substantial damage to the bumper and passenger side front fender limped slowly up the driveway towards the simple, 2-bay shop. The single headlight remaining glowed weakly. Light and noise spilled from the shop door as it opened to release a mechanic we’ll call “Bob”, who came out to greet the wounded Subaru and its distraught owner. “Oh my god,” the woman said as she hurriedly opened the door and climbed out, “I just hit a bear on the way into town, can you fix this by tonight?? I have to be able to get the girls back home after practice, they’re all carpooling with me today…” She went on in that vein for a while, obviously still worked up after the accident. She paced around the yard, fiddling with her phone. “Bob” knelt down to peer into the jumbled mess of metal, broken plastic, and congealing bear juice. Several puddles of different colors of fluid were growing beneath the vehicle. After a minute the woman asked anxiously, “Do you think it will be super-expensive? I can’t afford much right now, so can you just like…make it work just to get home for tonight?” “Bob” sighed and looked appraisingly at the damage. Well I’ll do what I can, give me about an hour to see what we’re dealing with. If nothing major in the suspension is broken you should be able to get back tonight, gonna take at least a few hours though.” Bob ended up working 3 hours past closing to get the vehicle into drive-able condition. He barely did more than break even on the exchange, and missed dinner. She happily drove home, a bit later than intended but safe for the moment. “50/50 she never actually comes back for the proper repair, but she will for sure in 6 months, pissed off because of a D.O.T. notice, and “vowing to never give me her business again”, Bob says about it the next day. It has the sound of a well-worn complaint. “Then she’ll go off badmouthing the shop to all her friends…” he laughs it off and moves on the next work order. “Nice, oil-change/tune-up!” “That’s good?” I ask. “S*** yeah, that’s money in the bank! I wish it was nothing but oil changes and brake jobs. I’d be doing all right. I swear, 20% of my customers make me 80% of my money, the rest just take up my time…”
Many other mechanics I interviewed described similar situations when I asked them to talk about their least favorite type of customer, however, “John” had a slightly more evolved perspective. Here is his take on “bad” customers: “People who have had bad experiences with other mechanics come in with a chip on their shoulder. They don’t trust you and think you are trying to cheat them.” John’s favorite customers were those he had “cultivated over the years, built a relationship with, so they know I’m going to treat them right and not gouge them over pricing. On my end, I like knowing they are able and willing to pay for what needs to be repaired to be safe, not just the minimum to get running again.”
What is their significance to the community as a whole?
Mechanics have to wear many hats; they must be all things to all people. The actual mechanical repairs involved can often be simple, but the interaction with the owner can have many levels of complexity. People are often very emotional when dealing with a broken down vehicle. The costs involved can bring up issues around money. The lack of freedom that results from being without transportation is hard for most people to accept. Being a successful mechanic requires intelligent questioning and sometimes grief counseling skills in addition to technical knowledge and ability. Some of the technicians I observed had a “bedside manner” they adopted with customers, particularly upset ones. They would talk more slowly, smoothly, almost like one would to a jumpy horse. The customer’s crazy energy, which could have led to fights with family members, bad decisions, and general friction, was completely diffused by the mechanic’s calm demeanor.
I think mechanics like the ones I observed have a cumulative effect on an area that is underestimated. In this particular region, if the tourism or retail worker can’t get to work because his/her car won’t start then the tourists can’t spend their money and the economy suffers. If the weed-grower can’t get his truck up the mountain to his crop, the crop fails and the economy suffers. (Oh yes, it does suffer. According to the Fraser Institute up to 40% of the local economy, and over 7.5 million dollars over the whole province, comes from marijuana production (circa 2011). If the mill-worker can’t get to his shift on time because of a clogged fuel pump, the mill’s production is hindered and the economy suffers. If children miss school, or are constantly left home alone because of vehicle issues, or their parents are harassed and stressed because of vehicle issues, the children suffer…. And on and on. It would appear that mechanics have more of an impact on the solidarity of the community than they may realize. So next time you have a car problem, try to see things from the other side of the garage and think about how lucky we are that these folks are here, working hard to keep us moving.