Find Out What It Really Takes To Be A Car Mechanic From Workshop Owner Johnny Wong Johnny Wong is the proud owner of JJB Auto Service Centre in Johor Bahru. Now semi-tired, the over 60-year-old businessman is ready to hand his business down to son, Allon Wong. The workshop is a bustling corner unit located just 10 minutes from the old Johore Bahru Check Point. A variety of customers ranging from walk-ins to what Mr. Wong titles “royalty customers” of 15 years pop in and out during our time with him. Mr. Wong knows most of his customers by name, quickly switching in and out of Bahasa Malaysia, English and Mandarin to address his multi-racial customer base. Mr. Wong, who has an education from a polytechnic school in Singapore, has been in the industry since 1973. Since graduating, he has gained decades of experience from working with companies like Tan Chong Motors, B.M.W. Concessionaires and Proton EON Berhad; but not before coming out to start his very own workshop in 2001. He says good staff is far and few; he remains protective of his mechanics and technicians, paying attention to allowances and incentives as part of his hiring structure. Mr. Wong is also committed to taking Sundays off, “For my boys, I tell them, ‘Sunday is our off day, you can take this opportunity to take off, relax and do your house work or whatever. Other than that, Monday to Saturday, you all must work very hard.’ We human beings are getting old and resting is very important.” Mr. Wong opened up and revealed what it really takes to become a mechanic as well as some of the challenges he and his team faces today: 1. “To become a mechanic, you will sometimes get very ‘frus’ and then when you aren’t able to answer all sorts of questions from the customers, they won’t be happy. We really have to crack our brains and when you don’t know how to do, they look down on you as a mechanic.” 2. “When we call the customer back after a completed service or repair, the customer will never say, ‘100% you’re perfect! You did a good job’ and instead he will say, ‘Okay only-lah’ but we know, I know – it’s actually above than that. We can feel that we did a good job and we can carry on to the next car and use the same way to diagnose the problem.” 3. “We have to attend to multiple brands of cars as we are not specialists in one model only. Different models have different types of design and technology. Therefore, we have to study the diagnose book and upgrade ourselves. If any mechanic leaves the industry for a few years and decides to return, it will be quite difficult to catch up. Why? Because the market is changing every day. New cars are coming out everyday.” 4. “I’m really very sad to see those mechanics repairing cars or changing tyres in the middle of the road – it is very, very dangerous. A car breaks down halfway and he is changing the tyre but what if there’s a car behind that knocks the car down? Almost killed my mechanic. Don’t repair in the middle of the road, it’s very very dangerous!” 5. “Now, to become a mechanic, you have to know how to read and write. You must understand computers and software as we have diagnosis manual books for you to read. Unlike the olden times when our parents used to say, ‘If you cannot study, you go to be a mechanic, carpenter or a contractor.’ Now no more already –“ 6. “Times are getting tougher and tougher. Manpower is the most ‘headache’ – number one, here in Johor Bahru, mechanics are going across to Singapore as the wage conversion is 2 and a half times more than Malaysia.” Mr. Wongs workshop JJB Auto Service Centre is a Carama certified workshop located in Taman Sri Setia, Johor Bahru. You can book an appointment here! - See more at: carama/tips-and-advice/-/blogs/find-out-what-it-really-takes-to-be-a-car-mechanic-from-workshop-owner-johnny-wong#sthash.ia7crsST.dpuf
Posted on: Wed, 17 Dec 2014 13:33:37 +0000
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