Looking for Some Guy Gonzo 2010
Have ya ever noticed that a lot of work shows up at the shop
with some sort of story attached and the customer almost
always knows who sent them to you or what the last tech
has done to their car? It’s pretty common at my shop.
This other mechanic seems to always be busy, sometimes
too busy to finish the customer’s job completely. I don’t
know who this dude is but, he gets all the work in town.
I’ve never met this wrench jockey; I don’t even know
where his shop is… in fact I don’t even know what he
charges or what his expertise is. But, I do know his name… oh yea,
I know his name, his reputation is well known, and his never
ending automotive repair skills are known far and wide.
Who is this genius of the auto repair world? You know him,
he’s that “regular mechanic” you always hear about. I don’t
know whether he is some super tech out there or just the
best salesman in the business. What’s his name you ask, well; it’s none other than…
“Sum Guy”. that’s the dude, that’s him… his name comes up in conversations all the time… something like this; “I had my car to Sum Guy the other day… he said my problem was this, and said you would know how to fix it.” Or when you ask, “Where did you have your car at ma’am?” and the usual answer ... “Oh, I had it at Sum Guy for a while, until he gave up and said he couldn’t take care of it, I don’t think he knows what he’s doing.” And, of course my all time favorite… “Sum Guy already looked at it so I already know what’s wrong.”
Now I don’t know about you, but this "Sum Guy" seems to get around a lot. One of these days I’d like to meet him. I’ve got a few words for him for sure. He either works the customer into an all out frenzy or they come into the shop with a chip on their shoulder as if they just cured cancer. Ya never know which way it’s going to go with Sum Guy around. He can be your friend or he can be your enemy, it’s all a gamble at this point.
Listening in on conversations at the front counter, and sooner or later good ol’ Sum Guy will get his name mentioned. “I had Sum Guy change my brakes last week but he didn’t want to mess with the ABS system.” “The other day my wife and I were out in town when we ran across Sum Guy, he said he knew you.” Man, this dude gets around, how do ya keep up with him? He’s everywhere!
I’m going to put an ad in the paper one of these days… it should say something like; “Looking for Sum Guy who can fix cars and impress customers more than I can. Sum Guy who has all the correct tools and diagnostic equipment that I don’t have. Sum Guy with the smarts of a rocket scientist and the strength of a gorilla. Sum Guy who can be in two places at once and never-ever makes a mistake. Sum Guy that can keep a customer happy even in the worst of conditions and knows just what to say to calm them down. And, most of all Sum Guy who can do all of this and still show up to work on time.
I doubt he’ll answer the ad, I think he doesn’t want the rest of the automotive industry to know about him. I think he likes to stay in the shadows away from the lime light and keep in close touch with all his customers. He’s a credit to himself… that guy… he’s Some Guy…
