Found one of those “have to be out of the shop in the morning, they’re gonna go to scrap” deals and had to make a late nite speed run. Gotta make a stop at the holy land on the 6 hour round trip!

I came across something today called Radial Planar Chromatography. Basically you drop oil on a special cloth and read the circle. Why and how did I find this? Several customers have asked or mentioned “the dealer/other shop/mechanic said I need X fluid service.” No problem. I always ask why. Most people don’t know why. That’s when I would normally go to Alldata and pull up the maintenance schedule. Then the conversation goes “you’re at 160k, it’s time for that service based on mileage.” Or even worse they’ll say “I think I need x service” and my response is “if there’s no record, then it’s probably a good idea to do it.” Now with this, it gives more of a visual confirmation. People LOVE pictures and fluid service is high profit. Oh and if you offer pre-purchase inspections it’s good money there too! https://fluidrxdiagnostics.com/the-test-card

Hey folks, new guy here. I'm Paul, and I launched Diablo Mobile Mechanic this past June. Big thanks to Ben for the inspiration. What really sparked things for me was realizing I didn’t need a traditional shop. Back in the day, before the term “mobile mechanic” existed, we just called it moonlighting. I grew up in a dealership and started wrenching early. I earned my first real dollar fixing a non-family member’s car in 1982 at age 16, and I’ve been hooked ever since. My motto is: My best to you since ’82. From 1985 to 1995, I worked as a technician in several dealerships and independent shops. I was a Mazda Master Tech, a Subaru Master Tech, and an ASE Master Tech. I also spent time working at a Lexus dealership. During the great quake (Loma Prietta) of 1989, I was under a new Mazda MPV 4x4 minivan pulling out it's transmission and transfer case assembly. The earthquake hit literally as I was wiggling the transmission to separate it from the engine and lower it with the transmission jack. I didn't even feel the quake at first, until the service advisors started yelling at me. I was the last guy in the shop, getting a jump on the next day's tear down. Quake hit just after 4:15 or so, and all the other techs had already washed up and bolted. After that period, I went back to school for a couple of years and ended up with a 25-year career in Silicon Valley working for major data storage companies. Over that 25-year career, i still worked on the small fleet of vehicles and motorcycles that I owned over that period. I also continued to fix cars for family and close friends. After my third layoff, I finally decided it was time to return to what I always wanted to do. Opening a physical shop in Northern California is incredibly expensive, so after seeing Ben’s videos, I bought a Sprinter, outfitted it with A/C machines and tools, and took my show on the road. My service area is the East San Francisco Bay Area around Mount Diablo: Alamo, Blackhawk, Danville, Diablo, San Ramon, and Walnut Creek. Lots of nice cars in the area that I hope to work on. Here in California, we’re licensed by the Bureau of Automotive Repair, and I’m fully licensed and insured.

This is something I learned while replacing the oil pan gasket on a 15l Cummins. The gasket on it is flat and doesn't attach to the pan anywhere. Doing a trans filter on an Avalon today and it's a similar situation. The cheap, tiny zip ties from Dollar Tree are a life saver. Loosely put one on each corner to hold the gasket in place until you get a few bolts in then cut them off and carry on. It's not a 40lb pan but the gasket was in a box so it didn't lay flat.

Filed my LLC paperwork last night. Just wanted to share. I’m nervous, but looking forward to being able to control my own world instead of someone else making choices for me. Stay tuned for the service truck build!