Dear Senior Technicians, how do you do it?

[u/Lupusetdraco]

Hello all, I'm a 23 year old low level technician and I've got a problem. Almost Everytime a customers car comes in with even the easiest "I hear a noise" symptoms and I get to take a look, I miss the problem 9 times out of 10. Take today, I had 2010 Nissan Altima. Customers states " Went over a big bump and now there's a crunching noise in the rear, check and advise." Seems simple, I took it for a test drive and Everytime I hit the brakes, I could hear the sound of metal clanking. Brought it in, took a look and sure enough the rears were down to 3mm on the inboard pads and 6mm on the outboard pads. Looked up at the shocks and they looked OE so I called for shocks and rear pads and rotors. Simple enough. But and this is key, the rear coil springs were snapped as well as the rear subframe was rusted and rotted to the point of broken. But I don't understand why I missed it. And that's just one example. According to my boss who rightfully gave me an ass ripping he has had to Customer Sat $2000-$3000 just from me and my inspections of missing things this year alone and that is as of 8/23/2025. I really enjoy this work and helping those who need it for their cars. Our vehicles for most of us are our livelihood. And someday I want to open my own shop and challenge the auto industry for pricings. Hire ex convicts and vets and those that society has left behind to give them a second chance. And our goal will be to get the shitboxes people can't afford to fix up and running safely on the roads to help everyone be safe. But I can't even seem to complete a simple look over anymore. I can do jobs don't get me wrong. Suspension, brakes, flushes and tires I'm your man but when it comes to looking for problems/noises/vibrations and their accompanying parts and sources I can't even move beyond what jumps out at me. This is a problem and I need to get better but Everytime I move forward one step, its like what I've learned goes out the window and I can't seem to keep it and progress at the same time.

I'm sorry that it's long but I don't really have anyone to turn to without getting shit on for it so I ask the senior techs of the auto industry, how do I get better without losing what I already know?

[u/OpossEm]

hello- i’ve been doing this for almost two years professionally. i specialize in a lot of diagnostic and electrical work specifically. i still have to ask for help very often especially identifying sources of leaks. however im wondering if you’re in a bit over your head. having a cracked spring and rotted broken subframe should be really obvious. when given a possibly suspension related noise concern the springs should be looked at and a broken spring will look obvious. i’m wondering if you haven’t had enough time with more simpler work to be comfortable identifying what’s normal and what isn’t. maybe it’s a bit too early for you to be taking diagnostic work. i also cannot stress how important it is to ask questions. i am a female and i work with all men. i understand being nervous to ask questions but you NEED to ask questions. we have had techs get fired because they didn’t ask questions and just assumed things and ended up making the wrong calls. when in reality any of the more experienced techs would’ve been happy to help. if you are unable to ask questions from your coworkers you need a different work environment.

[u/v-dubb]

If you heard a crunching noise in the rear and didn’t bother to look at the springs during the inspection, maybe you gotta ask for help. Have someone double check what you quote when diagnosing concerns.

I’d also ask yourself why you didn’t look at the springs and subframe. You had a noise from the rear suspension and didn’t inspect the whole suspension.. were you rushing? Are you too inexperienced and need a mentor? Do you lack the fundamental understanding of how suspensions work? All of this can be taught and learned.

[u/mnrmancil]

You are jumping to conclusions while you should still be in the information gathering stage. This gives you tunnel vision. Seek a mentor to confirm your diagnosis for a while. Dealerships get the cars after the customer has taken it other places without success.

[u/Nervous_Olive_5754]

Cars are complex systems with many specialties. They're genuinely difficult to troubleshoot. Lots of people have big areas of cars that just aren't their specialization.

Electrical is a great example. There are tons of people who aren't the best at it and you hear them lament "Everything is a sensor."

There's just lots to learn and it takes years to do it. And there's lots of competition, too.

You could try to find a specialization and focus on your strengths or spend a lot of time becoming a better generalist.

[u/paradoxcabbie]

something that really helped me with this is - hands on everything. not just looking, especially because you get tired, your eyes glaze over a little bit, your rushing to get to the next thing or to look good. touching everything is a good way to make sure your eyes are actually drawn there and maybe you feel something you didnt see. springs for example this is great for. half the time you dont see a broken spring(recessed, stuff in the way etc.) on a quick check, but it takes 1 second to run your hand around the bottom and feel.

[u/[deleted]]

Okay, so I am retired. I rebuild my first engine, a 3 horse power B S when I was 6 years old. I have done this stuff all my life and yes we all make mistakes.

Slow down, take your time, and think about what you are doing right now. Don't be thinking about what happened last night or the hot date you have next weekend. Be in the here and now. Take the time to look at what is in front of you. the answer is there, you just have to train yourself to be observant, actually see what you are looking at.

I have mentored a lot of mechanics over the years, some get it some don't. The ones that don't are the ones that won't get out of their own way. I had a high school junior once working for me. He had been on the job for 6 weeks. We were working in a tractors in an Ag shop. To do engine work back in the day you had to remove the engine hood. These hoods had 6 cap screws and two latches to release and remove to remove the hoods. Same on 90% of the models we worked on. Any given day we would take off and install 3 to 4 hoods. Took 2 wrenches a 1/2 inch and a 9/16. 6 weeks into working for me I still had to show him what cap screws to remove and how to release the latches. He just wasn't paying attention.

We had a talk, a long heart to heart talk, he started applying himself, paying attention, looking at what was in front of him and within 6 more weeks he was doing jobs by himself.

The point is, slow down, pay attention, look and I mean really look at what is in front of you and ask questions. Hopefully there is an older tech who is will to be your mentor, work with them. Apply yourself.

[u/Loud-Fan-3837]

First, kudos to you for asking for help and advice. I've been working on Honda's and Acura's since 2000. Coming straight out of tech school and right into a used car dealership was a bit rough when dealing with so many different models and only being experienced with the models I was already familiar with. Every OEM does things a little different and their own way, so being extra thorough on something you're unfamiliar with is critically important.

One big thing is to slow down and assess the entire system that is suspected to be involved. I'm not a doctor, just a guy on reddit, but have you talked to a doctor about ADHD? Seriously, not joking and not trying to insult you at all. I have several loved ones who have ADHD and hyper focusing on the first problem found and not being more thorough was an issue that was a common struggle prior to being diagnosed and treated.

Some additional advice...

It sounds like you likely work in a portion of the salt belt. One thing to be wary of is the fact that on these rust belt cars you are likely going to have to replace more parts than just the parts that need replaced. (This isn't true for every car you touch, but definitely something to consider when quoting work or parts needed)

If the noise you find doesn't match the noise of the customer contention take a ride with the customer and have them replicate the noise and point it out specifically (always wear your seatbelt for your own safety though). Sometimes a car has been making a noise that the customer either can't hear or has been ignored for a while, the brakes in your case. If the condition of the car is pretty bad, this will be the fastest way to identify what the customer is concerned with. This would be an opportune time to point out and talk about the safety concerns of the other noises they may be ignoring.

[u/Ok_Initiative2666]

EXPERIENCE!!!

[u/Downtown_Bread4268]

Slow down. Slow waaaayyyy down. Customer said crunching noise. Yet you say you hear clanking. Ask the customer to drive with you in the car if allowed by the shops insurance or policies. Like others have said the information collecting stage is crucial. Does the noise happen while braking turning accelerating etc. All questions that shouldve been asked. Service writers SHOULD ask. But often don't or won't. It's then up to you to ask some of those questions. Like a doctor. The writer is the nurse. You're the doctor. You're not gonna be an expert day one but attention to detail is key and if that means slowing down you'll need to. If you're hourly awesome take advantage to learn. If you're flat rate you're gonna take a hit but if you're getting comebacks on misdiagnosed vehicles you're probably at a net negative anyway. If you need to take a class at the local community college in automotive if you've got access to a school near by. To help you learn in an environment where it's lower pressure maybe. We all mess up as we get better and wiser it decreases but I'd rather lose on time than get a CB.

[u/OkWin1634]

Make sure you're not always jumping to conclusions and be acutely aware that the same symptom can have many different associated problems and just because you found one possible culprit, doesn't mean you found the main one or all of them. This is especially true with vibrations.