New Job

[carfixer]

I've been a tech since I was just out of high school and a master tech for the last 18 years. Fixing cars is the only thing I've ever done professionally. Unfortunately in this trade, as you get older and your body wears out, your ability to make a decent living go down. Forturnatly, I haven't suffered the the common injuries or cronic problems that are common in this industry.

I've been inquiring for years at the dealership I've worked at for 16 years about possibly going into management. We have 4 dealerships, L/M, Mazda, Lexus and Acura and I am quite familiar with the L/M operation and fairly familiar with the Mazda side.

Today I started my new job as service manager for our Lincoln/Mercury and Mazda stores. This is the first time in my life I've gone to work without a work uniform, instead I now wear a shirt and tie. This is a big change in my life and just wanted to share it with my friends here on MM.net.

[DEFYANT]

Wow!!

Congrats man. Losts of luck!

Are the guys in the shop giving you crap for going to "management"?

[Rider90]

Congrats!!

[teamrope]

Congrats on the promotion Claude!
:woohoo:

[the_pack_rat]

What !??!!?!?!?!?!?

Who am I gonna trust to do my warranty work now !?!?!?!?!??.

:sweat::help: :sweat:


J/K(ok maybe not entirely - lol).

Congratulations !!!!!.

:beer:

[Tallboy]

Just when I thought his ego couldn't possibly get any bigger...:D

[HwyCruiser]

Congrats Claude!

The service manager at my L/M dealer was a long time tech there too. A heck of a nice guy and knows his stuff. He's runs a smooth operation and earns customer loyalty. I'm sure you'll do the same.

[MM03MOK]

:congrats: Claude!! Best wishes for your future!! :cheer:

[bigslim]

I bet it's a clip-on tie;) !! Congrats to you Claude.

[Marauder2005]

Very nice, now down to buisness. My Marauder is making this noise

and the damn service guys... LOL J/K good luck with the new

position

[wsmylie]

Hey Claude...Congratulations buddy!!! Really happy for you my friend. Best of luck. Bill:D

[Bootlegger]

Just when I thought his ego couldn't possibly get any bigger...:D
Thats mostly your fault, Congrats Claude, probadly get a Grand M to drive for your take home car..

[Hotrauder]

Claude, It couldn't happen to a nicer or more qualified guy. You will do well and the sky is the limit. Chuck is just worried about who buys lunch, now. You KNOW how that works, don't ya!:D New program. Scanlon is lucky to have you. You don't need luck when you have skill, but best wishes and make sure that you have someone there who can and will baby our babies when we drop by (As per Eric) Dennis ..Hey, next time I am by (Feb, 3 or 4th- I will let you know) bundle up the tribe and out for goodies and a pop on my plastic. :beer:

[O's Fan Rich]

Now you can help the customer more directly.
Excellent.

[Pat]

Outstanding, Claude;

Now you will experience the joys of motivating your work force, meticulious record keeping, dealing with bean counters who say your "spending" too much, evaluating performances and reassuring little old ladies who always say "it didn't used to do that".

Very best,

[Shora]

Well when I went to pay the bill after you personally worked on my car guess whos picture we saw under most Tech of the Month/ Tech of the Year awards? You are great at what you do and you have great people skills. They are lucky to have you in Management and you deserve it. I wish you and your family all the best.

[fastblackmerc]

CONGRATULTIONS!!! I'm sure it's well deserved!

[MikesMerc]

Congrats Claude!!

[carguy]

Hey Man that was quick, I wish you all the best,Change is the only constant in our lifes, Embrace it. Tony Robbins says you exactly where you are suppose to be right now. The Naples deal closes, you get an opportunity. thats great!! But don't forget to rebalance my tires Ha!!! I'll be in touch.:)

[sweetair]

Claude, good luck to you. You'll adapt to the new position I'm sure quite well.

[captJ696]

Well when I went to pay the bill after you personally worked on my car guess whos picture we saw under most Tech of the Month/ Tech of the Year awards?.

:beer: Great testement (sp?) by the dealership of your abilities, so all you needed was to decide to take it to the next level.

Congrats, all the best to ya!!!!!!:banana2:

[RoyLPita]

Congrats, Claude. I guess you can work on cars now as a "Hobby".

BTW, Welcome aboard, Carguy.

[MERCMAN]

WOW!! someone screwed up, just think,,a service manager who actually know something about MM's. its the end of the world :rofl:

Congrats Claude

[King Fubar]

Congrats Claude they got the right guy for the job.


:beer:

[shakes_26]

Congratulations Buddy!

Oh, tip #1, dont lean over any running engines with that tie on.....

[stevengerard]

congrat's - don't let those clip-on ties confuse you.:)

[RCSignals]

Way to go Claude!

I think you are unique amongst Service Managers, being a Master tech and all.
You'll do great!

[carfixer]

Thanks everyone for the vote of confidence and kind words. You guys are the best! I got a surprisingly positive response from the rest of the guys in the shop. I think they know they now have one of their own on the inside and this will be a good thing for them. I think the biggest surprise was the response from the rest of the managers in the dealer group which was very positive.

To our local guys, don't worry about service. You'll still get the same level of service. We have plenty of great techs to take care of your car and I can oversee the repairs to be sure they are done correctly.

Brian, you are right. I can now turn working on cars into a hobby. We will still be doing the "overnight" Trilogy installs and other minor stuff at home like before.

This will also allow me to put my MM away for nice days and special occasions. Although it is a great commuter car, I think it will best appreciated if I don't have to drive it on rainy days or down Alico Road (locals know what I mean) to pick up my kids.

[jimlam56]

Congratulations!
Too bad about the tie though....:D

[grampaws]

Congratulations! on the promotion..
Sure you'll get your share of COD's..
Good luck!!

[JMan]

Claude,
Best of luck in your new career. There will be a steep learning curve at first, followed by a "What the heck have I got myself into now" period before all settles down. A service manager with knowledge of the service bays is a great boon for your technicians. I wish you well and you won't believe how clean your hands are about a month from now!

J

P.S. Fixing cars as a hobby is so much more fun!:D

[juno]

Congrats! Sounds like they got the right guy for the job!

[Cobra25]

Claude thats great news. Congrats my friend. I'm happy for you and your family. I hope their is a nice pay increase in it for you and that it makes your life a little easier. The best of Luck in your new Job my friend.

[rayjay]

Congrats! My Dad took the same route many years ago. Don't let the customers get you down. I wish my selling dealer had someone at the desk who knows what a MM is.

[ckadiddle]

just think,,a service manager who actually know something about MM's.

That IS a dream come true. Congratulations, Claude! The best managers in ANY business are the ones that started out in the trenches.

[jim geary]

Congratulations Claude.
Best of luck in your new position. They'll be lucky to have you.
Jim.G.

[SergntMac]

Congrats Claude, welcome to management.

[Haggis]

Best of luck for the new year.

[SouLRioT]

Congrats Claude, now you can get ties and socks for xmas presents.

[Bluerauder]

Today I started my new job as service manager for our Lincoln/Mercury and Mazda stores.
Congratulations on your new position !!! :congrats:

[Mikeenh]

Best wishes Claude. I can easily picure you as a dealership owner.

[ghost03]

Does this mean we all have to start calling you "SIR" from now on? J/K....Congrats on your new position. You busted your a$$ for many years to get where you are and you deserve it.:beer:

[CRUZTAKER]

Just when I thought his ego couldn't possibly get any bigger...:D

:P


Ewww....Service Manager...
NICE.:hmmm:

You cannot realize how lucky you are I am so far away.:D

[FordNut]

Congratulations Claude. I spent about 6 hours bent over my car today and the back, legs, knees are telling me about it. Glad you were able to move up.

[jgc61sr2002]

Claude - Congrats and best wishes.:D

[DEW34]

Claude congrats on the new job their is nothing like talking to a service manger who knows what the hell is talking about.hmmm come to think of it that might be bad news for the techs :coolman:
mike

[MarauderMike]

Congrats Claude! You'll do a heck of a job. Having been a service manager in a smaller operation in the past it's always something new everyday and I always found the best way to handle the job was to keep running and duck occaisionally, hard for people to hit a moving taget you know.

Good luck!!

[Bradley G]

You will do well!:sunshine:

[BADMERC]

Great Job!!!!!!!!!! Good Luck!!!!!!!:beer:

[sfsv]

Claude
Congrat's. I recently resigned from the dealership after being a Ford Lincoln Mercury service advisor for 15 years. As long as you have a supportive dealer principal you shouldn't have any problems. I will give a call on the cell to give you some very valuable information.

Robert

[BillyGman]

Congrats on your new job Claude. Knowing the type of guy you are, I'm sure that atleast some of your fellow mechanics will miss turning wrenches with you. I just hope that you don't ever get to be like most of the salary geeks where I work who look down upon us worker bees, and yet know close to nothing about the manufacturing processes of the product we build. Because of your experience turning wrenches, I'm sure that atleast the latter will not be the case with you.

[67435animal]

Claude, congratulations on the promotion!

Bob

[MarauderTJA]

Congratulations Claude! Guess the hands will start to get soft now:D

[Smokie]

Claude, I been away a bit, lost my dad, it truly makes me happy that a fine person and good friend had years of quality hard work rewarded. My congratulations to you and your fine family, Javier.

[BLK03MMFL]

Congrats, Claude!!!:beer: