Humble Mechanic Podcast

Today I will be taking your car related questions. The topics we cover are, car repair, DIYs on cars, Volkswagen, mechanic’s tools, and anything car related. To ask a car question for a show like this, email me Charles(at)Humblemechanic(DOT)com. Be sure to put the phrase “Question for Charles” in the subject. That is the best so you can […]

VW 2.0 TSI intake manifold failure is SUPER common. In fact they have a warranty extension on them. But how exactly do these intake manifold fail? Join me today as we look at some ways the CCTA intake manifolds fail. This is not only an VW issue, but an Audi issue as well. It has […]

Doing free work as an automotive tech. Free work is something that can ruin a day when you are paid on flat rate. But doing little things for customers can really set you apart from other tech. We need to look at free work as a small investment in building our customer base. Just to be clear, […]

Becoming an automotive technician can be scary. So many unknowns just like coming into any new job. Being a new automotive technician brings some challenges you may not have expected. What do you do about tools? How are you going to get trained? What the heck is flat rate? The list goes on and one. […]

Becoming an automotive technician can be scary. So many unknowns just like coming into any new job. Being a new automotive technician brings some challenges you may not have expected. What do you do about tools? How are you going to get trained? What the heck is flat rate? The list goes on and one. […]

Today I will be taking your car related questions. The topics we cover are, car repair, DIYs on cars, Volkswagen, mechanic’s tools, and anything car related. To ask a car question for a show like this, email me Charles(at)Humblemechanic(DOT)com. Be sure to put the phrase “Question for Charles” in the subject. That is the best so you can […]

Do you think your VW is reliable? This is a question that I get a lot. “Should I buy a VW” “Are they good cars”. And while I would love to say flat out YES, I usually answer it with “it depends. Taking care of a car is a lot more work them people want […]

Buying tools can be a very personal choice. I realize how dumb that sounds, but it’s true. I am someone that has spent a lot of time researching tools. In addition to that time doing research, I have spent a TON of money on tools. So today’s show it really built on how to buy […]

It may seem like winter is a long way off. But that cold and snow will be here before you know it. Heck for some of you, winter is here. That means we need to be thinking about prepping our cars for winter now! You don’t want to wait until the last minute to check […]

Today my good buddy EricTheCarGuy and I will be taking your car related questions. The topics we cover are, car repair, VW a/c issues, questions to ask at job interviews, best ways to break in a new engine and more. To ask a car question for a show like this, email me Charles(at)Humblemechanic(DOT)com. Be sure to put […]

On this show we run into an interesting situation. The topic we are talking about is not really relevant anymore. Well I say that, but I think we can learn a few things from it. We will go into a little about my time with F1 in Texas. This was my first and only to […]

Working in a slow shop is not ideal. Well, let’s be honest, it sucks! That is a direct impact to your paycheck. Slow times in an auto repair shop are almost a given. I wanted to try and help you figure out how to make that slow time count. You might not be directly getting […]

Have you ever wondered how A.S.E. tests are written? On today’s automotive podcast, are looking at how A.S.E tests are born. For those of you that may not know, ASE is the industry standard in testing automotive techs, as well as many other parts of the auto industry. While I personally have mixed views on […]

If you are getting ready to hit the road for a road trip, you have plenty of planning to do. But one area people often overlook is getting your car ready for that road trip. This is a vital step in prepping for a successful road trip. I have seen everything from people stopping in […]

Today I will be taking your car related questions. The topics we cover are, car repair, DIYs on cars, Volkswagen, mechanic’s tools, and anything car related. To ask a car question for a show like this, email me Charles(at)Humblemechanic(DOT)com. Be sure to put the phrase “Question for Charles” in the subject. That is the best so you can […]

The topic of paying for car repairs is not as simple as it may seen. There are so many sides to the story. You may also be wondering what “Customer Work” is verses “Warrant Work”. Why should the warranty charge or labor time be different than the customer pay? Does that mean the customer pays […]

Today’s automotive podcast we look at common car repairs and pattern failures. As a VW dealer technician, this is the world that I lived in for many many years. There were times you knew why the check engine light was on before pulling the codes. This can be a good thing and a bad thing […]

On this episode I will be taking your car questions. We will look at replacing your own ECM on a MK7 GTI, and why that may not work. Tips and tricks to finding water leaks on any car. How the water may be coming from the inside. Common issues with VR6 3.6l 4motion Passats. Buying […]

Today’s automotive podcast we look at becoming a better technician. This is an area I have worked very hard in my entire career. The amount of extra time and energy I gave was really more than anyone else. For me, that is what it took to be a good mechanic. We are going to look […]

On today’s automotive podcast, we are talking buying mechanic’s tools. This is a subject we will tackle many times. There is so much out there in the tool world that capturing it all in one shot is impossible. Plus as we grow as DIYers and Pros, our tool needs change. This was a fun show! […]

Today’s automotive podcast is geared talking right to my fellow technicians, or mechanics if you prefer. We are going to talk about dealing with bad jobs. All professions have things about them that are challenging. Being a mechanic can be mentally, physically, and even emotionally draining. I want to be sure I acknowledge those things, […]

Today’s automotive podcast is geared more to the customer. What should you do if the shop doesn’t fix your car the right way the first time? As much as I wish all cars were fixed right, that is just not reality. We discuss the steps you can take to get your car back on the […]

Today on the Humble Mechanic automotive podcast, we are talking about Flat Rate. This is the system on which technicians get paid, and customers get charged. There are many in the industry that have strong opinions about Flat Rate. Today we look at several aspects of this system. Become A CrewMember If you like this […]

When it comes to getting our cars serviced, we want it done right. We also probably want it done cheap and we want it fast. But in many cases we can’t truly have everything. Today you have me in the car on my way home from work. We are talking about allowing time for the […]

Welcome to the first audio only version of the Humble Mechanic Podcast. I have been making Youtube videos for a while now. Hey, if you haven’t seen them, check it ~ Humble Mechanic Video Show. As part of that video show, I always wanted to add audio only for the folks that may want to listen […]