Small Engine Mechanics

A Day in the Life

As a small engine mechanic, you arrive at the shop or garage where you work shortly before it opens to the public for business. You started work on a lawn mower engine yesterday but couldn't complete repairs because you needed a part your shop doesn't stock. You check with your manager and he tells you that a courier will be bringing the item in about half an hour. While waiting for the part, you clean up your work area and organize any diagnostic equipment that you'll need for the day. You find gloves and safety goggles, which you must wear while completing many repairs.

The part you need arrives, so you finish work on the lawn mower. You review the customer's invoice to ensure that parts and labor have been billed correctly. After you've tested the mower to be sure that it works, you call the customer and tell him that he can pick it up whenever he's ready. You leave the paperwork at the front counter of the shop and greet a customer who is having trouble with a chainsaw. You take down the customer's details and begin a bill of work. You tell her that you'll look the chainsaw over and will call her when you have determined the problem.

Before running any time-consuming diagnostic tests, you make a visual inspection of the chainsaw. You notice that some of the links on the chain are rusting, which is causing the customer's problem. You write up a work estimate and call the customer to get her approval to begin work. After you have the customer's approval, you find the necessary chain in your shop's supply area. You make the repair and call the customer to let her know that the chainsaw is ready.

For the rest of the day, you work on small engine tune-ups that have been pre-scheduled by customers. You write up a work order and invoice for each tune-up. You are required to keep excellent records of all maintenance tasks completed so that the customer knows that your shop is fair and honest. At the end of the day, you clean up your work area and return any tools that you've used to storage. You check over the next day's schedule to see what kinds of repairs you will complete.