Automotive Technician: On-the-Job; Communications

On-the-Job -- WORKING AS A TECHNICIAN

Once you have the job, you need to keep it. Your performance during the first few weeks will determine how long you will stay employed and how soon you will get a raise or a promotion. Make sure you arrive to work on time. If you are going to be late or absent, call the employer as soon as you can. Once you are at work:

• +++Be cheerful and cooperative with those around you.
• +++Don’t spend a lot of time talking when you should be working.
• +++Find out what is expected of you and do your best to meet those expectations.
• +++Make sure you ask about anything you are not sure of, but try to think things out for yourself whenever you can.
• +++Show that you are willing to learn and to help out in emergencies.

A successful automotive technician has a good understanding of how the various automotive systems work, has good hand skills, has a desire to succeed, and has a commitment to be a good employee.

The required training is not just in the automotive field. Because good technicians spend a great deal of time working with service manuals, good reading skills are a must. Technicians must also be able to accurately describe what is wrong to customers and the service advisor. Often these descriptions are done in writing; therefore, a technician also needs to be able to write well.

Technicians also should have a basic knowledge of computers. Computers not only control the major systems of today's vehicles, they also are used for diagnostics, tracking customers, and record keeping and as sources for information. If you have little or no experience with computers, take a computer course and spend time using a computer. If you don’t have access to one, go to your local library.

|||| Being able to read and understand the information and specifications given in service information is a must for automotive technicians.

Employer-Employee Relationships

Being a good employee requires more than job skills.

When you become an employee, you sell your time, skills, and efforts. In return, your employer has certain responsibilities:

+++Instruction and Supervision. You should be told what is expected of you. Your work should be observed and you should be told if your work is satisfactory and offered ways to improve your performance.

+++Good Working Conditions. An employer should provide a clean and safe work area as well as a place for personal cleanup.

+++Wages. You should know how much you are to be paid and what your pay will be based on. Will you be paid by the hour, by the amount of work completed, or by a combination of these two? Your employer should pay you on designated paydays.

+++Benefits. When you were hired, you were told what fringe benefits you can expect. The employer should provide these when you are eligible to receive them.

+++ Opportunity and Fair Treatment. You should be given a chance to succeed and possibly advance within the company. You and all other employees should be treated equally, without prejudice or favoritism.

On the other side of this business relationship, you have responsibilities to the employer, including:

+++Regular Attendance. A good employee is reliable. Businesses cannot operate successfully unless their workers are on the job. One of the first things a potential employer will ask an instructor is about the student's attendance.

+++Following Directions. As an employee, you are part of a team. Doing things your way may not serve the best interests of the company.

+++Team Membership. A good employee works well with others and strives to make the business successful.

+++Responsibility. Be willing to answer for your behavior and work habits.

+++Productivity. Remember that you are paid for your time as well as your skills and effort. You have a duty to be as effective as possible when you are at work.

+++Loyalty. Loyalty is expected by any employer. This means you are expected to act in the best interests of your employer, both on and off the job.

COMMUNICATIONS

Employers value employees who can communicate.

Effective communications include listening, reading, speaking, and writing. Communication is a two-way process. The basics of communication are simply sending a message and receiving a response.

To be successful, you should carefully follow all oral and written directions that pertain to your job. If you don’t fully understand them, ask for clarification. You also need to be a good listener. Like other things in life, messages can appear to be good, bad, or have little worth to you. Regardless of how you rate the message, you should show respect to the person giving the message. Look at the person while he or she is speaking and listen to the message before you respond. In order to totally understand the message, you may need to ask questions and gather as many details as possible. Hint: Try to put yourself in the other person's shoes and listen without bias.

Obviously, when you read something, you are receiving a message without the advantage of seeing the message sender. Therefore, you must take what you read at face value. This is important because being able to read and understand the information and specifications given in service information is necessary for automotive technicians ---.

Do your best to think through the words you use to convey a message to the customer or your supervisor. Pay attention to how they are listening and adjust your words and mannerisms accordingly. When writing a response, think about to whom the message is going and adjust your words to match their abilities and attitudes. Also, keep in mind that more than one person may read it, so think of others' needs as well.

Working in an automotive facility requires speaking to your supervisors, fellow employees, and customers. Always keep in mind that communication is a two-way street; don’t try to totally control the conversation, and give listeners a chance to speak.

Proper telephone etiquette is also important. Most businesses will tell you how to answer the phone, typically involving the name of the company followed by your name. Make sure you listen carefully to the person calling. When you are the one making the call, make sure you introduce yourself and state the over all purpose of the phone call. Again, the key to proper phone etiquette is respect.

You will also be required to write things, such as warranty reports and work orders. You may also need to speak with or write to customers, parts suppliers, and supervisors to clarify an issue. Take your time and write clear, concise, complete, and grammatically correct sentences and paragraphs. Doing this won’t only help you to get your message across but will also make you a more prized employee.

Nonverbal Communication

In all communications, some of the true meaning is lost in the transmission of a message from a sender to a receiver. In many cases, the heard message is often far different from the one intended. Because the words spoken are not always understood or are interpreted wrongly because of personal feelings, you can alter the meaning of words significantly by changing the tone of your voice. Think of how many ways you can say "no"; you could express mild doubt, terror, amazement, anger, and other emotions.

It’s important that you realize that a major part of communication is nonverbal. Nonverbal communication is the things you do while communicating. Pay attention to your nonverbal communication as well as to that of others.

Nonverbal communication includes such things as body language and tone. Body language includes facial expression, eye movement, posture, and gestures. All of us read people's faces; we interpret what they say or feel. We also look at posture to give us a glimpse of how the other person feels about the message. Posture can indicate self-confidence, aggressiveness, fear, guilt, or anxiety. Similarly, we look at how they place their hands or give a handshake.

Posture and other aspects of body language have been identified as important keys to communication.

Many scholars have studied them and defined what they indicate. Some divide postures into two basic groups:

+++Open/closed is the most obvious. People with their arms folded, legs crossed, and bodies turned away are signaling that they are rejecting or are closed to messages, whereas people fully facing you with open hands and both feet planted on the ground are saying they are open to and accepting the message.

+++Forward/back indicates whether people are actively or passively reacting to the message. When they are leaning forward and pointing toward you, they are actively accepting or rejecting the message. When they are leaning back, looking at the ceiling, doodling on a pad, or cleaning their glasses, they are either passively absorbing or ignoring the message.

-- A typical decision tree for diagnostics:

STEP | ACTION: YES NO

Was a BCM diagnostic check performed?

* Check for current DTCs with a scan tool.

* Disconnect power to the LH door lock switch.

* Does the scan tool display B3138 as a current code?

* Check for current DTCs with a scan tool.

* Disconnect power to the RH door lock switch.

* Does the scan tool display B3138 as a current code?

* Disconnect the brown BCM (C1) connector.

* Back probe connectors with a digital multimeter.

* Measure voltage between A4 (LT BLU) and ground.

* Does the multimeter show battery voltage? Locate and repair the short to battery voltage in CKT 195 (LT BLU) between the BCM and the LOCK relay, or the left or right front door switches.

Replace the LH power door lock switch.

Is the repair complete? Replace the RH power door lock switch.

Is the repair complete?

* Replace the BCM.

* Program the BCM with proper calibrations.

* Perform the learn procedure.

Is the repair complete?

* Reconnect all disconnected components.

* Clear the DTCs.

Is the action complete?

See BCM diagnostics Go to step 2

System OK

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