Parts changers replace parts until something (or nothing) works. Technicians troubleshoot. Which are you?
When teaching current or aspiring RV technicians, I discuss the value of troubleshooting over parts changing. What do I mean by this?
Sometimes, I will ask a dealer manager or owner what they think an RV technician is. The answer I get, more than I would like or expect, is “a parts changer.”
This is a poor answer for many reasons. First, it sets the standard. If all I expect of an RV tech in my shop is to change parts without thinking, then that is all I will get. Not only is this a morale issue in the business, but customer service, satisfaction, and profit will go down with the ship. Of course, many dealers prefer to regard service as an afterthought, if they regard it at all. They look at making turns of rolling stock as the primary concern. And it’s important, don’t get me wrong. But success in one department should not be at the cost of success in another.
I have seen dealers that pit the department managers against each other…on purpose. The three departments, sales, service, and parts, look at each other as competitors.
I am a thinking man, and this makes no sense to me. But this article is about something else. This is about technicians.
Parts Changer: A person of low skill who takes things apart (sometimes with tools) and changes the parts or (un) intentionally rearranges them to make something work, often leaving out parts and not coming to a resolution.
Sometimes, this poor chap needs to learn that there is more to his job than he is doing, especially if he has no previous RV experience. I once spoke to a dealer shop manager who didn’t want trained techs. He found that the only one he ever hired was too slow. He suggested that he didn’t care about service outcomes; he wanted something done for billing and sending it out. For example, if the customer stated that the water heater wouldn’t light, the tech would change the board and send it out. If it didn’t work, the customer would be back…or maybe not. This is the gambling approach to parts changing.
I once contracted to do mobile service work for a dealership’s sales department. The dealer didn’t offer mobile service, and in this case, the service department caused the problems in the first place. The sales department would hire me to provide the best fix. In one case, I recall, the customer bought a used trailer from the dealer and returned it for warranty service. C/S: Right rear brake clanking when brakes are applied. The service shop “technician” got it fixed right away by cutting the wire to the brake. No power to the magnet, no noise. No removal of the wheel or drum. There was no attempt at adjusting the brake. They cut the wire. I’m not sure what flat rate was charged/paid.
Are these examples of how to be a technician? Not!
To me, and I suspect many others, the fun in this work comes from troubleshooting problems and finding a resolution. I love putting an RV back together better than I found it.
Testing and Thinking
There is basic information every RV technician should know for both efficiency and safety. These topics are covered in the RVTI technical training and certification program, among others.
One of the most essential skills a tech can get from training is troubleshooting. The basic understanding of how something works and being able to test each part of its sequence of operation. Some folks have difficulty with this; they don’t understand mechanical or electronic devices, and their climb to success is more challenging. Others seem to get it.
Being a good mechanic means being a craftsman/woman. You need to think about how something works, how something is put together, or even how it could be put together better. Do you think this sounds familiar to you? It should. This is exactly how Henry Ford built the Model T.
Additionally, it means having the right tools to troubleshoot and repair. Some tools make the tech more efficient and make a job easier, but they do nothing if the tech has no idea of how or when to use them. Others, like a multimeter, are the difference between guessing about a cause and knowing the cause of a malfunction.
Speaking of Ford, former CEO Alan Mulally, a Boeing engineer and executive for many years, is considered a superhero in automotive business circles. He was able to take a broken Ford Motor Company that was on the verge of bankruptcy and turn it around such that not only was the company successful, but it had a new culture and was the only one of the big three Detroit automakers not to need government assistance during the 2008 recession.
Alan has a saying that I particularly like: “The data will set you free.” In the repair world, it is not uncommon for someone to be hyper-focused on a component, for instance, when the cause lies elsewhere, and doing some testing (READ: Troubleshooting) would have directed the technician to the cause in the first place. Unfortunately, some techs become frustrated and look for an easy or faster way out, which doesn’t fix the issue or worsens the problem in some cases.
In many cases, what discourages techs from troubleshooting is that they have been rewarded by guessing and winning. Sometimes, even the casino will pay out! But it requires stepping back, looking at the big picture, following that sequence of operation, and eliminating outside influences, like power and fuel supply, before digging into a problematic device.
So, for instance, let’s say I have a problem with an RV propane furnace. I have known techs who immediately go for the electronic circuit board. They don’t know where to turn next if they test it and find it doesn’t fix the issue. Often, the problem can lie with the 12-volt DC power or propane gas supply.
On a similar vane, an experienced tech in our shop removed a furnace to bench-test it. The unit would start, briefly light the flame, and then it would extinguish, and the unit would lock out. Flummoxed, he asked around, and the issue was that he needed to insert the exhaust tube and baffle. So, the combustion fan was recirculating the exhaust into the intake and suffocating the system.
We all learn from things like this. The more training a tech receives, the better they will be at recognizing and troubleshooting systems and being able to access resources that can help them.
The same thing goes for RVers who choose to service their equipment. Treating a malfunction like a puzzle or investigation instead of a headache can produce better results and reduce the stress of the situation.
I had a student who vocally didn’t care about learning about RVs… he wanted to “fix units.” He seemed to have a good work ethic, which is a big start.
But that work ethic needs to be molded and guided. I get that some people don’t have the “knack for book learnin’.” I had plenty of trouble with that when I was young. But over time, I learned that to be good at something, you must learn about it and practice. The best RV techs embrace each trade they practice and learn the best practices to troubleshoot and repair things efficiently the first time. Higher efficiency comes with time and experience, but without a baseline of knowledge and an encouraging environment, that tech, the shop, and the dealer must expect failure.
In coming articles, when I discuss systems, components, parts, etc., I will always address troubleshooting as part of the article and provide resources to gain further knowledge about that item.
