36 GEARS May/June 2005

It’s been said elephants never for-get. How about you? Can youremember everything as well as an

elephant can? One of the keys to success in a

trans shop is getting very detailed infor-mation from one person to another.How well you pass it along and howwell it’s remembered can be the differ-ence between success and failure.

One low-cost way to save andtransfer information quickly is torecord the details using a microcassettetape recorder (figure 1). I’ve had a taperecorder in my toolbox for at least tenyears. I consider it a regular tool for fix-ing cars, just like a screwdriver or

wrench. Once you start using a taperecorder, I’m sure you’ll discover alltypes of uses for it.

So you ask, “What will a cassettetape recorder do for me?” Let’s take alook at the top 10 uses I’ve found for atape recorder in the shop:

#10 — Customers WillRespect You as a SeriousProfessional

Nearly every business professionaluses a personal recorder: doctors,lawyers, and other business types.When customers see you pull out arecorder and start rolling tape, theyknow your business is different. Theyknow you’re making an extra effort toget it right. You just impressed them; itmight even sell the job for you.

Try this: Start the recording, intro-

duce yourself and then say, “I’ll berecording all your information toensure complete accuracy” (figure 2).Having the customer’s words on tapeprovides you with a record of the cus-tomer’s actual complaint, word forword. That can help with your diagno-sis… and it can be useful if the cus-tomer tries to change the story later!

It’s also helpful to have tape rollingif:

• You’re a slow typist• Your handwriting is difficult

for others to read• You have a hard time listening

and typing at the same time

A tape recorder lets you recordnow and type later. This gives you moretime to focus on the customer, andleaves the paperwork for later. Leave

by J. Weldon Barnett

QUICK DIAGNOSTIC TIPS

Help Wanted:Elephant… or MaybeJust a Good Tape Recorder

Figure 1: A microcassette taperecorder can be a terrific way to help

you rival an elephant’s memory.Figure 2: Recording the customer interview is a great way to make sure you’re

on the same page as the customer.

QDT-howsyourmem.qxd 4/18/05 3:17 PM Page 36

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COMPLAINT

Continuous oscillation of theconverter regulator valve in thecast-aluminum bore causes borewear, which results in apply oilleakage.

The Sonnax kit provides a newbore surface while annulargrooves in the valve with elongat-ed spools provide more supportand extended life.

TCC RegulatorValve Kit

72854-03K1 Sleeve1 Valve3 Springs1 Washer1 O-Ringed End Plug

72854-TL22 Reamers

Also Available:

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COrrection

Cause

The converter regulator valveoscillates continuously in thecast-aluminum bore and causeswear that allows apply oil to leakto exhaust, causing converterapply and release problems andslip codes 039/741. The contin-uous motion of the valve alsocauses the end plug to wiggle,wearing both the plug and thebore. The Sonnax kit includes ahighly wear-resistant aluminum

sleeve to prevent future borewear, and an anodized valvewith elongated spools, whichprovide much greater supportfor the stroking valve. The o-ringed end plug provides a bet-ter seal for the balance portwhile an additional regulatingspring is included to allow youto set regulating pressure to thestock setting or for a firmerapply with less slippage.

Converter apply/release problemsSECONDARY COMPLAINTs • Slip codes 039/741 • Converter overheat

ODon’t count on a stroke of luck.

The Sonnax® 4T80-E TCC Regulator Valve Kit can save you as much as $175 by salvaging that worn valve body.

Sleeve

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Clip

Washer

REQUIRED

TOOL

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4T80-E

SONNAX PLACED.QXD 4/14/05 12:11 PM Page 37

the tape rolling until the customerleaves the parking lot, or until your nextcustomer comes in.

#9 — You Can Read VINNumbers and TransNumbers Without Error

The only accurate way to deter-mine vehicle year is from the 10th digitof the VIN number, not the productiondate (figure 3). The VIN has 17 digits:It’s hard to look at a few numbers, writethem down, and then go back and forth.If you get the VIN wrong, you maynever fix the car. Read the VIN out loudwith the tape rolling. Now listen to thetape and write it down. Use the follow-ing chart to decode the 10th digit.

A isn’t usedB = 1981C = 1982D = 1983E = 1984F = 1985G = 1986H = 1987I isn’t usedJ = 1988K = 1989L = 1990M = 1991N = 1992O isn’t usedP = 1993Q isn’t usedR = 1994S = 1995T = 1996U isn’t usedV = 1997W = 1998X = 1999Y = 20001 = 20012 = 20023 = 20034 = 20045 = 20056 = 2006

Reading a long, 24-digit Mercedestrans number and playing it back worksgreat, too (figure 4). No more orderingthe wrong valve body.

#8 — The Road Tester orRebuilder Will Hear theCustomer’s Exact Words

This may solve the largest problemin the shop: At last, a way for the techto be sure of what he should be looking

38 GEARS May/June 2005

Help Wanted: Elephant… or Maybe Just a Good Tape Recorder

Figure 3: The Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) provides a wealth of informationabout the vehicle. Read the VIN into the recorder, and transcribe it later.

Read the VIN into the recorder,

and transcribe it later.

Figure 4: Reading the Mercedes Transmission Number into the recorder is a goodway to make sure you have the number right, and lets you write it down later.

Figure 5: Recording flashing codes can be difficult; sometimes a second codestarts while you’re writing down the first. A recorder lets you read the codes, and

write them down correctly later.

QDT-howsyourmem.qxd 4/18/05 3:17 PM Page 38

GEARS May/June 2005 39

for. Sometimes the smallest detail ofthe customer’s explanation is what thetech needs to fix the car. The tech canpop the tape into the recorder and hearexactly what the customer said. Thisway the guys in the shop don’t have todepend on the shop manager providingthe customer complaint accurately.This can be very helpful if the car hasbeen sitting for a while before it comesinto the shop.

#7 — Read DiagnosticCodes the First Time…Without Error

On cars that blink out codes, it’shard to watch the light and then writethe codes down in the correct order.The Mitsubishi codes are difficult tointerpret, and the 2004-up Nissans withthe RE5F22A have 25 digits in thecode string (figure 5). If you happen tolook away for a moment to write anypart of the codes, you could miss thenext blink and be totally lost. If you rolltape and call out long and short as nec-essary, you can listen to the tape later,and write it down without error.

#6 — Roll Tape onTeardown

This is how I really got startedrolling tape. On teardown, have therecorder set to roll tape automaticallywith sound, and stop when it’s quiet

Sometimesthe smallestdetail of thecustomer’sexplanationis what the

tech needs tofix the car.

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QDT-howsyourmem.qxd 4/18/05 3:18 PM Page 39

(figure 6); this is known as VoiceOperated Recording (VOR). When youget the pan off, tell the tape:

• The wire colors for the different solenoids

• Accumulator spring color and position

• Unit endplay • Band adjustments• Clutch clearances• Valve body details• Parts list

It just takes a second to say it, andhaving it on tape may save hours later.No one ever lists clearances on tear-

down, because to stop, clean yourhands, and write them down takes toolong. A recorder can save a lot ofrework when the customer says, “Itnever shifted like this before.”

#5 — Roll Tape whenChecking Inventory

I had a shop for ten years andchecked physical inventory once amonth. It was fine-tuned for two peopleto count several hundred parts in a cou-ple hours. I believe it could be donequicker today with one person rollingtape.

#4 — Help IdentifyingBurglars

If you set the recorders to VoiceOperated Recording and place them outof sight, they’re ready to catch anysounds a burglar might make. It mighthelp police identify:

• Where they were going orwhere they had been

• If it was one or more burglars • Names of burglars if they

spoke to one another• Male or female by the names

or pitch of voice• Voice print • Whether it was someone you

know• Whether they were looking

around, or knew exactly whereto go in the shop

• Clues about the vehicle theyused, from the sound of thestarter, engine, etc.

#3 — Learn AnotherLanguage

If you only know one language,you could be letting money just slipaway. Depending on where your shopis, you could be losing half your cus-tomers or employees. There’s an advan-tage to being multilingual. Roll tape onkey words for each language and learnwhile you commute.

40 GEARS May/June 2005

Help Wanted: Elephant… or Maybe Just a Good Tape Recorder

Figure 6: Setting the recorder to Voice Operated Recording (VOR) lets the recorder start when you start talking, and stop when it’s quiet, so you get more

time out of your tape.

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#2 — In-Shop R&R andRebuilder Training

Roll tape while explaining proce-dures step by step for new R&R techsor rebuilder trainees. Now the traineescan practice by themselves, listening tothe tape while commuting, or referringto it in the shop.

Break the tab on tape to preventaccidental erasure. The tape can besaved for next time, or for any newtechs. You can have a whole library oftapes after a few months. You can alsohave the tape transcribed for referencethe next time the same type of carcomes in.

#1 — Listen to Tech WhileYou’re Waiting

When you’re not doing something,don’t be idle. Turn off the radio andlearn something useful.

If you’re not learning somethingevery day, you’re going backward!

Listen to recorded tech:• While commuting to and from

work• At lunch• Waiting for an appointment

(dentist, doctor, etc.).

• Taking a flight• Cleaning shop or parts• Going to sleep

How to StartIf you have a small shop that has a

manager, rebuilder and R&R tech,you’ll only need two recorders to start.Keep one recorder in the office and oneon the bench.

Shop around. Recorders start atabout $25. Buy maybe 20 tapes andsome batteries (figure 7). Overall, youwon’t have to spend much to get start-ed.

Look for recorders that are basical-

ly rectangle in shape so they fit underthe clip on your clipboard.

The recorder isn’t going to havesymphonic sound quality, so don’texpect it. It will be slightly better thantruckers talking on a CB radio.

The clean office recorder stayswith the office and the dirty beat upshop recorder stays in the shop. Afterthe trial period, if you want a differenttype of recorder, go for it. Now you’llhave one for each employee. I use a $34model. I use a single ear phone, whichfits in my pocket where a headsetwon’t, and it makes it easy to use onairline flights, where the rest of the

GEARS May/June 2005 41

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Figure 7: Make sure you have plentyof blank tapes around, so you’re neverforced to record over a tape that you

might not be finished with.

QDT-howsyourmem.qxd 4/18/05 3:18 PM Page 41

42 GEARS May/June 2005

plane may not be interested in learninghow to fix transmissions.

You may want to keep all of theinformation for each car on a singletape; customer info, road test, teardowninformation, etc. Write the work ordernumber on the tape cassette; you mayneed more that one tape on some jobs(buy 90 minute tapes when possible)(figure 8). Once it leaves the officerecorder, the tape goes into a centralcigar box. All tapes stay in this boxwhen they aren’t in a recorder.

Don’t run the recorder on halfspeed; you won’t like the sound quality.Use cellophane tape to keep recordingvolume and VOR switch in position sothey won’t get changed accidentally.Don’t glue them into position; you maywant to change the volume during play-back.

TranscriberA transcriber is a fancy playback

recorder that usually has a foot petaland headset. It can advance the tape alittle at a time and back it up easily fortyping purposes. They start at about

$125 new.If you find one at

a swap meet orgarage sale, buy it.Take a prerecordedcassette and batterieswith you to makesure it works. Mostof them are 110-volt.Make sure it usesmicrocassette tapes,not the full-sizedtapes. Call the lawoffices in town: Theymay have one theyaren’t using becausethey’ve upgraded. Ifyou can’t find one this way, it’s proba-bly not worth the investment.

Software TranscriptionThere have been a number of

advances made in Voice-to-Print soft-ware for office computers. The soft-ware listens to your recorder andchanges it to print. It isn’t 100% fool-proof, so you’ll still have to doublecheck the copy for accuracy. It can be

edited and printed. New versions arealways coming out, with each versionbeing more accurate than the last.

In fact, if you’re running MicrosoftOffice, you probably have a very serv-iceable version built in. Check yourdocumentation for loading and activat-ing it from the disk.

Why Not Digital?Digital is all the rage right now.

Help Wanted: Elephant… or Maybe Just a Good Tape Recorder

Figure 8: You can get additional recording time for not alot of additional money by buying 90-minute tapes.

QDT-howsyourmem.qxd 4/18/05 3:18 PM Page 42

GEARS May/June 2005 43

For it to be practical in the shop it musthave:

• Speaker• True rectangle shape• Cheap memory• Removable memory • Memory you can label• Memory you can buy any-

where• Good length of recording time

on normal speed

Will digital win over tape? Thatdepends on your needs, but remember:Things are changing every day. Fornow, tape machines are like a bicycle:simple and hard to beat for the price.

But whether you go top-of-the-linedigital, or barebones tape, a personalrecorder is a great way to improve yourshop communications… and your bot-tom line!

Help Wanted: Elephant

position filled

The U.S. Memory Championship

Each year, the masters of memory get together for ashowdown to see who’s the best, at the U.S. MemoryChampionship. This is a contest where everyoneentered must remember the same things in a specificamount of time. Then they must recall the informationin a specific amount of time.

RequirementsYou must be at least 12 years old and live permanentlyin the United States. Citizens from other countries areallowed to enter, but their results won’t count officiallyin the U.S. Memory Championship. The rules of the contest are loosely listed below. Thereare five categories contestants are challenged in:

Names and Faces: You have 15 minutes to memorizefaces with the first and last names of 99 people. Youare then given 20 minutes to recall as many names aspossible when just the photos are shown in randomorder.

Random Words: You have 15 minutes to memorizefive columns of 20 words per column. You are given15 minutes to recall as many words as possible in theexact same order.

Speed Numbers: You have 5 minutes to memorize 40random numbers per row at 25 rows per page. Youhave 5 minutes to recall as many as possible.

Speed Cards: You have a maximum of 5 minutes tomemorize a shuffled pack of 52 playing cards. Youhave a maximum time of 5 minutes to place a seconddeck in the same order as the first. Some memoryexperts can memorize a pack of cards in less than 60seconds!

Poetry: You have a maximum of 15 minutes to memo-rize an unpublished, 50-line poem. You have a maxi-mum of 20 minutes to recall as much as possible.

Awards PresentedEach of the five categories has gold, silver and bronzepositions awarded. There’s also an overall gold, silverand bronze award winner. The overall gold winner hasearned the right to go to Europe as the U.S. Champion.

How Do They Do That?Memory experts usually memorize by association. Thiscan be a visual image in your mind. On the playingcards, each card, such as the ace of diamonds, has ahandle, or code. It could be the ace of diamonds is pic-tured in your mind as wildly, whacky, weird, stupid,strange, ridiculous, unlikely, and vivid — and don’tforget in color, too! — 200-foot tall tennis player, serv-ing an ace across a net on a regulation-sized baseballdiamond. This will always be your code for this card.Then you link it to the next card with some equallystrange handle. Link it to the 9 of clubs. The 9 of clubscode is a 200-foot tall Tiger Woods standing on thiscard swinging 9 clubs at a time. The 200-foot tall gianton the ace of diamonds whacked a ball and it stuck inall the clubs Tiger Woods was swinging on the 9 ofclubs. So the cards were linked together and in the cor-rect order. There are variations of the association system. Eachmemory expert has a personal twist on the associationsystem. There are also different memory systems.

Do You Have A Chance?It’s almost a requirement to be a little whacky in thisbusiness, so maybe I’ll see you at next year’s champi-onship. May the best man or woman win. One of thetop contestants this year was a stay-at-home mom. For more information: www.usamemoriad.com

QDT-howsyourmem.qxd 4/18/05 3:18 PM Page 43