time to vent- a little

[davmitchell77]

"Doctors are lucky, their mistakes are buried; ours come back on a wrecker." Derek Hestwood, my old boss.
To those who don't know me (most of you), I'm a mechanic, and a pretty darn good one, too. My official title is HVAC Diagnostician. I keep the inside of your car cold in the oppressive Texas heat. However, due to our ridiculous turnover, I am now forced to be the lead-tech at our shop not what I was hired to do, and slightly out of my comfort zone. I shouldn't say who, but it rhymes with Fridgestone-Birestone . Anyway, a car comes in for a tune-up, a Mitsubishi Eclipse, 2002ish, V6, no prob. The upper intake has to come off to do the rear plugs. No prob, i've done lots of intakes and plenums. The whole time, the owner is shoulder-to-shoulder (i hate that), telling me how he just bought the car, is it a good car, maybe he shoulda looked some more, he just got out of prison , and lots of whatzthissez.
The upper intake was off the car 10 minutes. In that time I had the boots off, old plugs out (washerless), new plugs in (washerless), and a new upper intake gasket in place. All nuts, bolts, or whatever go into a magnetic tray that I set on the cowl. The intake went back on, everything went back onto the intake, and the car was started while i checked for vacuum leaks, etc. She purred like a kitten.
The whole time, the owner was RIGHT THERE, watching everything I do like a starving hawk (did i mention that i really hate that?), and the only time I wasn't there was when I was at my toolbox, 12 feet away. The car runs for at least 20 minutes, while I'm putting tools away and the customer is paying. He takes off, I take off, end of story, right? Wrong!
I hear Monday (4 days after the tune-up) that the owner had the car towed to another shop, and they told him the engine was shot. Now, here comes Corporate Watchdog, goes and talks to the owner, the other shop, and my boss (the Corporate Watchdog cannot lower himself by talking directly to ME, God forbid). The result: I must have dropped something into the intake that got sucked into cylinder 4 and trashed it. Disciplinary Action. BS.
Man, I gotta tell ya, I just don't see it. First, every bolt was accounted for, and none of them went into the intake. Second, the owner and I were there the whole time. I don't know about you, but if I see someone drop something in my engine, I'm gonna tell him to get it out. Third, the engine was an interference engine, so I don't see anything at all getting past those valves. And last, even IF something managed to get in there, the engine would have cranked, fired maybe 3-4 times, and died right there. If that. It wouldn't have waited 3 days to die. Corporate Watchdog doesn't see this. Corporate Watchdog is too busy kissing the owner's a-- uh, car.
Cylinder 4 is outside, close to the radiator, and easily accessed by someone after the fact, and you can fit things into a plug hole that would never fit past a valve. I'm not sayin anyone did, I'm just sayin. No one offered to show me the car, engine, or "debris" that supposedly killed the engine, that I supposedly dropped into the intake.
Essentially, I'm guilty because they say I am. Oh, how i wish Corporate Watchdog were a paintball player. I have too much self control to overshoot him, or any other nasty habit, but I sure would feel better hunting him down and taking him out game after game, after game, .
This 'incident' goes into my technician file, and hurts my chances for a raise next year. Crap.
That's the story, and I thank ya'll for letting me get it out. I think I got a little screwed, what do you think?

[interceptorMR2]

Screwed in my mind is an understatement. I'm assuming talking to them about it won't help the situation either. Sorry to hear about that, those kind of situations, especially when zero evidence is given, are usually overflowing with bs.

[vikingshadow]

I hope they at least used KY.

Sounds like every other corporation watchdog type supervising person. I've had those guys for EVERY job I've ever had, including teaching. What is it about those guys? They can only find fault with the employee, despite their previous SPOTLESS record, and are so politically correct that there's no way on this earth or heaven that the customer can be wrong. Oh, and they never find the good in the employee...

I feel for ya. Keep your head up. Things go around, someone else will pay for it later!

[DFSniper]

of course. they have the power, so they're almost always "right"...

[Critical]

Since your personnel file is about you, I would find someone fairly senior in HR, explain the situation, and request that your version of events be placed in your file, attached to and referencing the incident. At this point, it doesn't sound like you can get out of the trouble they made for you, but maybe you can get around it.

[davmitchell77]

can you do that? have a statement put into my file?

[TheDarkShadow]

wow dude that really sucks, I hope things work out for ya

[Critical]

Originally Posted by davmitchell77

can you do that? have a statement put into my file?

I just called my mother, who is in HR, and teaches HR management. First question she asked if if you're union, if so, you need to get your rep involved immediately. If not, then I was correct, you need to contact your HR department ASAP and find out what their policy is, but she said that you absolutely have the right to grieve (her word), or contest (mine) the action.

[STRIKEFIRST]

Originally Posted by Critical

I just called my mother, who is in HR, and teaches HR management. First question she asked if if you're union, if so, you need to get your rep involved immediately. If not, then I was correct, you need to contact your HR department ASAP and find out what their policy is, but she said that you absolutely have the right to grieve (her word), or contest (mine) the action.

Non Union...Absolutely....you have the right to see your file...and you should be able to add your version of the incident...the owner should have spoke with you first.