“Hey there, can you jump on a quick call with me in about 10 minutes?”
This was a direct message sent on Slack to me by my Director (my boss’s boss) a couple weeks ago at 9:13 a.m. on a Thursday shortly after starting my day at my corporate job. This immediately started my mind racing, because there would be only three reasons for a Director to reach out to a lowly Engineer Spec III such as myself:
1) An HR complaint
2) A drug test
3) A layoff
Pretty much this was a lose-lose-lose because any of the above three would be wicked bad (even if you’re not on drugs, if your employer thinks that you may be, that’s really not good)! The next 10 minutes are probably the longest of my entire life, until I nervously joined the conference video call with my Director, Mike.
A little background, I have been working at Verizon for the past 22 years, it’s the only job that I’ve ever had since I got out of college in ’03. I worked my way up the ladder over the past two decades, continuously attaining positions of greater responsibility and difficulty. CX/UX, Telephone Number Inventory, Supervisory roles leading various teams, Compliance, UAT testing, and finally ending up in Production Support over internal systems along with the .com site and Mobile App.
“Steve, it’s been a pleasure working with you all these years but your position has been terminated due to the company’s focus on an AI future. Thank you for your service, and if you don’t return your laptop you’ll be charged for it.”
22 years ended in about 22 seconds.
My grandfather worked for Verizon when it was called NY Telephone after he got back from Iwo Jima and Guadalcanal in ’45. Both he and his grandson worked for the same company. He got a gold watch when he retired. I got a mild threat to return a laptop.
I was 24 years old when I got that job and I was driving a five-speed, two-tone, ‘95 Sebring hardtop coupe when I applied for it. A total “straight outta college” ride. When the Verizon interviewer asked why they should hire me, I told her that I had built the car that I arrived in, out of a junkyard. I saw a look of surprise wash over her face back in ’04 that I’ll never forget. I was offered the job shortly after.
So, my life has been completely turned upside down in the past 30 days. Bills don’t stop though, and I currently have the same amount of cars that we showcased here, which is way too many for somebody who is currently unemployed.
You have to move, shake and adjust. This means you need to take a hard look at your current skill set and figure out how to make money, wicked fast! Many of my current collection of 13 cars are for sale, and I have been doing some mobile mechanic work to keep the lights on.
Let’s Wrench: Somebody Else’s Chevy
One of my best friends is a guy named Chuck, whom I have referenced over the years in a few articles, (such as what I believe to be the best piece that I’ve ever written here). Chuck owns and runs a paint shop, and has been a lifesaver to me for almost 20 years; he has painted numerous cars for me. The guy has big heart and is always paying it forward for others; he’s kinda awesome.
Anyway, upon hearing that I was down and out, Chuck wanted to help. He said that he had a customer’s car up at his shop that had lost brakes, and thus smashed into something, damaging its front end. He was putting a new front end on it, and asked the owner what he was going to do about the brakes, the owner said he planned on towing the car out of Chuck’s shop and figuring out the brakes later.
Chuck suggested that he had a buddy named Steve who was a pretty decent wrench who would slap some new brakes on it for a couple hundred bucks.
The customer agreed, and I was hired!
Ok, Now What’s Wrong With This Thing?
The next task was figuring out why this guy lost brakes and smashed into something. What he hit was never disclosed so that remains a mystery. Popping the hood I noticed that the master cylinder was completely dry, which was a huge clue. It pointed us towards the fact that the brake fluid had to go somewhere, meaning that there was a leak!
A quick peek underneath the truck fully solved the mystery of the missing brake fluid, as the right rear tire was completely soaked with brake fluid on the inside. This means either a line or the caliper was leaking. Both are pretty easy to fix!
I smiled at my good fortune, knowing that I didn’t have to reverse bleed an ABS block or deal with other, more difficult brake scenarios (ex: Google SBC brake issues on the Mercedes sl500/r230 as a great example of a gross overcomplication of the already-solved-problem of automotive brakes).
Time to grab a C-clamp and some wrenches; let’s go!
Dude, You OK Man?
Removing the tire, and squaring-up to the hub, I noticed the leak was coming from the piston boot. Popping a new caliper on this thing should be a wicked cake job I thought to myself, figuring I’d have this done shortly.
What I saw next was the absolute worst brake repair scenario in my 31 years of wrenching.
Pulling the caliper off of the caliper bracket, the caliper piston fell apart in pieces in my hand! There was no rear pad whatsoever, and the inboard side of the rotor was worn to the cooling fins!
This means that the owner of that truck went completely through the inner pad, through the steel pad backing plate, through the inboard face of the rotor, and through the rotor cooling fins until the caliper piston disintegrated!
[Ed Note: Holy crap! -DT].
I’m not sure if that charts up to willful neglect, a legendary level of laziness, or just a complete disregard for both one’s own safety and the safety of others.
In fact, the reason the truck was at Chuck’s body shop was due to it smashing into something from not having brakes after the brake fluid escaped from the blown caliper piston seal!
This is a perfect example of kicking your own ass, needlessly. None of these events had to occur.
Let’s Wrench: Cheapassery To One’s Own Detriment
The saying “pennywise and pound foolish” comes to mind for the next phase of this repair. Chuck called the owner and told him that he needed new pads, since one had completely turned to dust, and also a new rotor.
The owner, in his (continued) lack of wisdom, cheapassery and dumbassery, chose to spend $34 on new pads, but did not want to replace the rotor!
The cooling fins on a rotor are there for a reason; to cool the rotor and prevent it from warping. Not having those fins (along with necessary thickness) guarantees this rotor will be warped badly in short order. Also, the thickness of the rotor is important so that the piston on the caliper doesn’t become overextended and blow out its seal! Wicked dumb.
[Ed Note: Look below at how thin the back part of the rotor is inboard of the cooling fins. This rotor is TOAST! -DT].
I told the owner that without replacing the rotor, he’s just going to overextend the piston in the new caliper and then be forced to buy another caliper. More importantly, he would be placing himself and others in the same danger yet again that ended up with his truck smashing its front end off.
Those words of alarm and of concern fell on deaf ears as he told me to put it back together with the badly worn rotor, bled the line, and put the wheel back on.
A Feeling Of Uneasiness
The owner of the truck paid Chuck for the new front end, and I got $120 for the caliper/pad replacement job for labor.
There’s something that I’ve been focusing on lately which I found is very helpful towards my well-being on multiple levels: a focus on the things that I can control.
I can’t control the move towards AI replacing white collar human workers, and how my former employer chooses to reduce payroll costs in hopes of improving their financials and “increasing shareholder value”. I didn’t think my life would change so drastically in 22 seconds, yet that event was out of my control.
I also could not control the very dangerous decisions this truck owner was making, and he’s the one who’s going to have to live with the potential negative outcomes of his decisions. I did my part in advising him of the danger he’s placing himself and others in, and by doing the repair to the best of my ability.
I can control reducing my car collection, doing my best to write wicked-fun wrenching adventure/shitbox rescue stories here for this awesome website, and saving as many broken cars as I can from the crusher. That sounds like a great plan to me. Time shoots forward and all you can do is to try your absolute best at whatever you are doing.
And you can control the distance between you and the car in front of you, with a focus on defensive driving, as this article is yet another reminder that due to the shape of many of the cars on the road around you, doing so could possibly save your life.
It’s good to be in control. We got this.
Until next time, my Autopian friends.
88mph into the future.
More SWG below in “Related Stories“!
All photos by Stephen Walter Gossin
- I Took On A Bad GM Design In A Hail-Mary Attempt To Fix My Friends Broken Suburban But It Was Too Little Too Late
- Sparking Joy And Plugs: How To Repurpose A 31-Year-Old Junk Buick
- What I Learned Restoring A $600 Dodge Ram With A Burned Up Transmission And Ruined Interior
- How I Bought A Broken Version Of My Dream Car For $300, Then Nursed It Back To Glory And Let It Free
- Proof That A $700 Car Saved From The Junkyard Can Make Someone As Happy As A New Lambo Can
- How I Saved My Buddys’ SUV After It Died At The Most Embarrassing Possible Time
- Rescuing A 75-Year-Old Car From An Older Car Enthusiast Reminded Me How Important Every Minute We Get Doing This Truly Is
- How I Rescued A Long-Neglected Citroen 2CV Covered With Bullet Holes
- Kumho Flew Me To The Mojave To See If Their New ‘R/T’ Tires Are As Good As They Claim
- How Learning Saxophone in 1990 Led Me To Rescue A Dead Xterra From A Bouncer’s Driveway
- This Toyota Tundra Was Unstoppable, And Not In A Good Way
- How To Re-Owner And Re-Purpose A Sad 2007 Exploder In One Week
Just got around to reading this. Best of luck to you in this next phase of your career. Sucks about AI taking over the post you’ve worked hard to get to…
As someone who just graduated uni and is looking for work, that line hit me like a freight train.
Another great piece, SWG.
I remember when you said in Slack about the lay-off, hoping karma bites that company hard! I’m sure you’ll find something even more fulfilling than your old job, and hopefully soon.
My home state of New South Wales is one of the few here with annual inspections, this example really makes me glad we do!
Fingers crossed we get some more content from you soon!
Condolences, brother. I’ve been with my employer 20ish years and leaving now would feel like a divorce. So I hear you there. Thanks for the article, and I hope the next will find you in a better place.
Man that sucks; I’ve been laid off before in my career, the day after the final signing to purchase my first house.
Hopefully it will turn out right in the end for you, as it did for me.
My suggestion: get a few more arm tattoos, start your own Youtube channel.
Having been laid off from a job I hated, It actually worked out in my favor, and I’m betting it will for you too.
But I’m very concerned about the content here. Could you be absorbing liability when this fellow runs over a dentist cycling to work? Those brakes are going to fail again shortly. I kind of expect any mechanic around here would refuse to put something back together like this from a liability perspective.
What if it was a leaky fuel line on top of the engine? Just put it back on if instructed by the owner and then let them incinerate themselves?
What we did is no different than if the owner had said “Do not replace the rotor. I will have someone else do that work. Give me my property back.” The end result is the same.
There are lottery-odds more of a likelihood that the other 3 wheels (that weren’t even looked at) were down to the pistons/backing plates as well and in addition to the bald tires, bad ball joints, loose tie rod ends, etc. on that truck.
The one corner with new pads and a new caliper has the least likelihood of blowing out the piston seal out of the 4 calipers on the truck.
We documented what we did and advised that additional parts were needed and that the owner accepts all liability for his choices. No negligence was put forth in the installation of the pads and caliper and we advised that the brakes were working at the time we finished but shouldn’t be counted on for long.
I’m with you on doing the best repairs possible and for putting safety first, but forcing this guy to address everything on the truck wasn’t an option and he said he’d have an actual shop go through the brakes once he got it out of the paint shop.
The owner of the truck would have to cause injury or damage to another and the affected party would have to prove that the new caliper and new pads that were installed were the direct reason for the injury, in order for them to come after the mechanic in a civil suit.
Not likely, but we did have enough concern to document, text, call, write this article and to create a liability waiver for future jobs.
Thanks for the kind wishes, for the comment and for reading, my dude!
Having been laid off from a job I (at the time) loved, I have concluded that any company willing to treat its employees like that doesn’t deserve me anyway. It actually worked out in my favor, and I’m betting it will for you too.
Sorry to hear about the job, can’t imagine treating long-time employees like that.
Hope the silver lining is a bit more SWG content!
Also hard call on the stingy dumbass with the brake repair. I’d refuse to put something like that back together without the right parts, but then I’m not doing it to keep the lights on. End of the day you’re not responsible for someone else’s terrible decisions.
I am sorry to hear about your “actual” job. I hate Verizon. I was a loyal customer overpaying by at least $110/month for 14 years for cellular. But I had good coverage. Finally had a charge on my bill that was something I couldn’t ignore and called while at work one day. Was on the phone with at least 5 different levels of employees for about 6 and a half hours. Told the last person if they didn’t take the $55 charge off or whatever it was, I was walking with my 5 lines of service. They didn’t even hesitate and said “thanks for being a customer” and hung up. I was more pissed about that than the hours wasted.
Focus on what you’re passionate about. If I was closer to you, I would definitely pay to have you do some work on my truck. Though even as a mobile mechanic, you don’t want to be as mobile to get into my area. But there are a ton of cars down here around the ATL that need your attention.
I’m sorry to hear that you have thought to have been/made redundant with them. I hope it doesn’t work out well for Verizon, but since my mobile is through Xfinity these days and they piggyback off of Verizon’s cellular network, I guess I have to be thankful that God and the Universe don’t seem to pay much attention to what I want. Best wishes for your next work chapter.
When it comes to collision avoidance, I have a pretty good handle on what’s in front of me and do my best to leave a cushion of space. When I have to slow up or stop suddenly, it’s the guy behind me I worry about.
Seeing your dad’s watch reminded me of the time I was futzing around under the dash of my ’68 Datsun 510 and arc welded two links of the Speidel Twist O Flex watchband together. I still have a small scar on my inner wrist from the burn.
More than 45 years ago, I was visiting friends down in Los Angeles in my ’71 Peugeot 504. Peugeots had an interesting feature where there was a wire baked into the disc pads. When they were getting down to needing replacement, the wire would contact the disc and complete a circuit that would illuminate a warning light on the IP. For some reason, the light didn’t light and my first clue something was wrong was the steel pad backing grinding on the rotor. This was Saturday. On vacation. 400+ miles from home. I found replacement pads (complete with the leads for the pad wear warning system) and got the car up on jackstands and swapped out the pads. Out for a little test lap around a few blocks, someone turned left in front of me and I nailed the brake pedal. Only to have it go to the floor. I jinked hard to the right into a gas station to avoid the other guy and pulled the hand brake. Stopped, I got out of the car and saw a trail of brake fluid leading pretty much all the way back to where I had nailed the pedal. Now it was Sunday. I figured I must have nicked the left rear piston seal with the screwdriver I had used to get the piston back to where I could get the pads in. The chances of finding a new seal for a Peugeot on a Sunday seemed pretty slim. So, I did one of the more SMH things in my life that will make you wince. I bought a small C-clamp and pinched off the brake line to that caliper. And then drove that car that way for another two years until I got a job that made more than minimum wage. Ah. It’s a rear brake. It doesn’t do THAT much. In those two years, I only had to make one panic stop and predictably, the right tire locked up but the car didn’t slew much. Once my bank account balance had a positive rate of climb, I took it to a shop that specialized in keeping French cars on the road. I told Marcel what I had done as he was getting it up on the lift and he laughed and said he might’ve done the same thing. Just not for two + years.
I look forward to reading future installments of your (mis?)adventures.
I hope/assume that the laundry list of stories is there to get you some clicks and assorted income? Best of luck.
Sorry about your job, for what its worth I think your company handled that terribly, but I believe you will land back on your feet.
It has taken me many years, but I have similarly found that I have limited energy and should put it where I can actually make a difference. I have Letterkenny to thank for my new mantra, “It’s almost not worth thinking about”.
Good luck, man!
So sorry to hear that your reward for being loyal to a company for 2 decades was nothing more than a call and a threat. Yes, almost every company on the planet has “making a profit” as its first priority, but there was a time when they used to at least care enough about their employees that they’d take care of them to some extent. Now that’s gone because robots will make them even more money and they don’t have to pay them a salary. I’m worried for my own job because of AI too.
Which is why I want to buy a Model T and fix it up. The engines and other mechanical systems on those are dead simple, so I think it would be a good “beginner car” to start to learn the mechanical arts on. Plus then I’d have the advantage of being one of the younger people who knows how to maintain a Model T.
So sorry to hear of the situation. I keep hearing that AI won’t replace my job, but I’m not so sure.
But you can turn a wrench. And fewer and fewer people can.
But your article reminded me recall a driver who pulled up to the parking lot in my building on four steel wheels. Not bald tires, not deflated tires. No tires. It shocks me that some people think it’s safe to operate a two ton hunk of metal in such a poor state.
As a salvage car buyer, it still amazes me the condition of vehicles that I see ON THE ROAD being driven daily that look worse than the many cars I buy for the salvage yards.
Many vehicles that I purchase really only need a somewhat minor repair to keep going, but the rusted under-bellies of most of these make that many times just a <$500 repair seem not worth it.
On the other hand, there are way too many vehicles with metal-to-metal brakes, worn tires and sloppy steering parts that make me glad that I have a good, safe vehicle to drive. Its a little dangerous out there and many folks are oblivious to it…
Good luck to you, SWG. Your work ethic is rare nowadays.
I bet that the AI yielding guy does drive a car. Which needs fixing (even if he would be under warranty). Take comfort that when his job is replaced by AI, you’ll have a solid set of real world skills that everyone needs. That being said I would totally entrust my 80s truck to your expert hands if it weren’t for a dang near 1000 miles between us.
You’re going to be ok. A change brings good things to savvy people.
I’m sorry to hear you lost your job, SWG. I think it just means better things are in store for you. I just recently got a new job after being out of work for more than six months. The final question they asked me in the final interview was, “What skills do you possess that would be useful in a zombie apocalypse?” I responded, “I know how to drive a car with a stick shift transmission.” That got laughs all around the table, and I got the job.
Damn, SWG. I’m seriously bummed about this. I’m so sorry to hear, and I don’t have much else to say about Verizon that hasn’t already been said in the comments. One thing I do know is that I have rarely come across someone with as big of a “we got this” attitude as you.
You got this, my dude. Keep on making us smile and chuckle and we’ll keep all of the rusty whips coming your way… keep on keepin’ on in the great Cape Fear!
I am very late to the conversation, but all my best wishes to you. If Verizon seriously thinks AI can replace 22 years of experience (or “age and treachery” as I like to call it) they are sadly mistaken.
I hope this all turns out to be a mere detour into something much better for you, and while you figure out a more permanent situation I’ll happily read every single thing you put on this site.
I had my 25 year career ended in a redundancy hearing where HR didn’t even have a copy of my job description, or any clues at all as to what I’d done there for quarter of a century.
It really sucks. Worse than divorce for me. I had a real existential crisis, I’d been the engine design guy for so long I’d forgotten who I was without it.
A year later I’m nine months in to a job that’s just as challenging, but working at a profitable company where everyone is nice. I’m happier than I’ve been in a long time.
Most of the other guys who were made redundant at the same time as me are also happier, some moving on with the same career, some moving sideways, and some now running their own successful businesses. Mostly it works out ok in the end.
I’ve even forgotten the name of the woman who asked if I was “happy to proceed” with my redundancy.
I have always appreciated the cars you seem to seek out and save because they are mostly cars I would personally let go to the junkyard. The fact that you are just as much (or more) Autopian than me even though I would rank the Dodge Stratus as one of my least favorite cars of all time shows how great this community is. Best of luck in your future endeavors.
I have to say, as someone who
A) has progressed from highly technical positions early in my IT career to more “soft”/people skill-oriented management roles
B) has met you, SWG, in person.
Someone with your level and type of experience who carries themselves they way you do shouldn’t have too much trouble securing a leadership-oriented position anywhere. Your former employer is obviously short-sighted. What I’m seeing is that many companies are quickly realizing that AI, while effective at repetitive technical tasks and decently good at large-scale data analysis, cannot lead people.
Focusing on those leadership skills in your job search might be your recipe for success.
Sure doesn’t hurt to have phenomenal mechanical, writing and musical skills to fall back on, either.
Thank you sincerely for the above, wicked kind words, my friend. They mean a lot. Hopefully we’ll cross paths again (in person) in the near future.
It’d be beyond crazy for you NOT to become the next staff writer here…
Good luck! Never ever ever ever quit.
Stephen,
As always, your writing is stellar. The way you tell a story grips the reader and keeps them there to the conclusion.
My condolences regarding your layoff. Though I sort of semi-retired before getting replaced by AI became a possibility, I’m fairly sure it’d have happened had I stay in longer. I have zero doubt that you’ll move on to new things, some of which will provide some income… eventually, maybe even more than you earned from (those ungrateful bastages at) Verizon.
🙂
After 35 years Verizon laid me off 2.5 years ago, but I requested it as I couldn’t take the poor management any longer. There are some good people, but the higher you go up the chain, the less competent the people appear. I wish nothing but the best for you.