ZooDad

 

He probably makes as much if not more with his YouTube channel.

 

But on the downside, he is one less super duty tech that can correct the multitude of warranty problems that these trucks have and honestly show them in a way that most of us can understand!

 

I have talked with Aaron several times and he has really helped me out a few times. My Dads 13 F150 had an issue where it would fall flat on its face some mornings, dash would cut out, etc. Dealer suggested a trans flush so dad went along with it, paid 500ish and found they only exchanged the fluid in the coolant lines and didnt drop the radiator to pull the check valve so only did a quart of fluid exchange. Aaron said to try replacing the leadframe in the trans, did that and replaced a couple other parts in there while i had it open and truck is good as new. Doing it in driveway whole cost of repair was under 200 after dealer had already done us so bad.

Whatever he does I hope it works out for him

 

I saw that video last night, and was surprised. I'm sure he brought a lot of business to that dealership from truck owners traveling long distances for him to correct their vehicles problems. Wherever or whatever he does, he will be successful. I've had a couple of phone calls, texts, and emails with him. He is always very helpful and responsive.

 

My impression from the video was that he was placed into a situation .

 

Can't help but wonder if the dealership had an issue with him making videos in their shop.

 

It is possible that was part of the problem. I would think if that was the root of the problem they could have resolved it easily though. He would just stop making content while at the dealership. He had been there for so long, and openly making videos for so long that it seems it would have been delt with long ago, if that was the issue.

The "best for both parties" does have me wondering what happened. Not sure if he has the means or motivation to do so, but he might be able to be even more successful opening his own shop.

 

That and the money he was charging for a phone call help line. $120 per hr. Crazy greedy. Charging that out of his home. They probably had complaints etc. So they offed him. And yes tech's are replaceable.

 

that would be dumb. The guy didn’t do anything but give us the perception people working at dealerships were skilled and talented and had some enthusiasm for their jobs. And that they care about our vehicles.

considering that’s sometimes (often) not the case they shouldn’t be upset with him when all he’d ever done is improve their image.

Who knows why he’s leaving there but something tells me he’s going to open up his own shop after building up his following.

 

If the advice for $120/hr was helpful and he helped his clients more power to him. Why not make a little extra coin on the side?? I don't think that's greedy.
DA

 

The sweat on his brow and the emotion in his delivery provide the impression that whatever event inspired the sudden announcement of that news had literally just transpired, perhaps within the hour.

To have access to some online technical service data from Ford, even if not a Ford technician, but holder of a Ford fleet account (now called Ford Pro), one must agree to not distribute certain "proprietary" information online. I'm not saying that is what AROD did (I had never heard of him until today), but it is something that I've noticed Ford enforcing from time to time, especially if the information would appear to lead to increasing warranty costs on a particular concern (speculation).

I recall when something similar happened to FordTechMakeuloco (SP), a former dealer technician out of Canada who made videos from the service bay at his dealership... just like DieselTechRon (RIP) did.

The difference between DieselTechRon and FordTechMakeuloco was that FTM (Brian?) would often reveal problems with Fords, identifying issues that customers might not have encountered until after the warranty period, and he spoke frankly about the times when he felt that Ford was not adequately addressing a flawed factor in design. This likely got the attention of not only his bosses at the dealership, but likely some folks at Ford, who may have contacted the bosses at the dealership.

On the other hand, Ron for the most part just talked about how to fix stuff, and didn't get to deep into any opinions about the manufacturer's responsibility to the customer etc.

At the end of the day, it appears that FordTechMakeuloco landed on his feet with a head start after being let go from his dealership gig, and that release likely allowed him to flourish in his own right. I suspect the same positive personal growth prospects for Aaron (again, I've never seen his videos other than the one ZooDad linked). If he was let go, that letting go can be a liberating opportunity for him, and perhaps an even better opportunity for his audience to learn from him.

 

FordTechMakuloco, FordBossMe, now Arod all opening their own shop. The business model is profit driven in dealership service, Techs are paid book to incentivize them to work faster. Say a timing belt is 8 hours on the book, do it in 4 and you still get paid the 8. Problem with senior Techs is they get the harder jobs and with modern vehicles it's very time consuming. Meanwhile the kid just out of school is hammering quick and easy brake and suspension jobs making a ton of money. Why stay....?....

 

You were not forced to call him for $120/hr. Plenty of knowledge on the internet but that takes YOUR time to research. If you want it handed to you on a plate then the packaging costs extra. If people are paying him $120/hr then his price is not too high..

We have seen how replaceable these techs are. Their replacements are leaving o-rings out and leaving pry bars in drive shafts. Really good techs are not replaceable. Bad techs are a dime a dozen.

 

I would gladly pay the $120 to get ARod's help, especially if it was something I couldn't figure out doing my own research. Knowing the alternative of having to take my truck to the dealership "service" dept, where you never really know if you going to get screwed or lied to... Not to mention most service departments are days and weeks out.
$120 for a conversation with a tech like ARod that doesn't have much to gain from me, is priceless.