June 11-June 14

Since finishing my placement I have been presented with a number of different opportunities. Them most significant being presented with a job for the summer. My parents think co-op is an aweseome opportunity for me and they wish they had similar privilages in their day. Typical problems that arise are just some parts having excess rust, preventing them from being removed the proper way. The low point of the week was the last day because I really enjoyed going to co-op every day.

Thursday June 14, 2007

Today was my last day at co-op. Today was just like a normal day. We only worked on one car. I did a complete brake job on an Escape. This job inlcuded cleaning and lubricating keyparts. ALso, the pads were changed and the rotors were as well. I also did a p.d.i. and then it was time to leave. After I finished today, I started my summer job.

Wednesday June 13, 2007

Today I did a Maintenance 3 ona Lincoln Aviator. This consissts of lubricating all hinges and weather stripping. I also did a complete brake job on a Ford Freestyle which took a while. It then slowed down, so I took the opportunity to clean up my work area.

Tuesday June 12, 2007

TOday, the day started of working on a brand new mustang. As I arrived, Rich had just finished lowering the car 1 inch. We then followed this with a road test, and a then an alignment. We then checked a regular customer's Excursion and realized it needed some new front end components. This took the whole day.

Monday June 11, 2007

Today was a pretty busy day. It was very fast paced. The day started off with a customers van who was complaining of a vibration. It seemed like it was an issue with the tires, so I balanced the wheels and re balanced them. We took the van out following the balance and it revealed to us that the problem was solved. As we returned to the shop from the road test, another job was given to us, it was one of their bigger customer so he got immediate service. We took out his car for a road test for a general check. It showed us numerous components of the front end needed replacing as well as the switch to control the front window. This job was followed by a tire rotation, 4 wheel alignment and a road

Thursday June 7, 2007

THe first thing that Rich told me today was that we had another busy day. The first thing I did was put 2 tires onto rims for a Crown Victoria. Then I took a break while Rich was on lunch. When he came back, I had to put the tires back onto a car and we took it out for a road test. THe car was then returned to the customer.Then we took out a ford focus and did not hear the noise the customer was complaining about, but we did notice the rear wiper jet wasn't working. We went to fix it and found that the hose was off at the resevoir. We pu the hose back on and this fixed the problem. THen we moved onto a Crown Victoria. I took a lower grass shield off and then removed several steeering compoinent and replaced them. After this we did a brake job on a Focus, and then once that was done it was time to leave.

Wednesday June 6, 2007

TOday was a busy day. As soon as I arrived, I had work to do. It started off with a P.D.I. Which was then followed by putting new tires on a Ford Explorer. THen a car came in that needed some small jobs. It needed some body parts glued back on which I did while Richard was doing another job. I also found the source of a small leak in the tire. I then went and did a tire repair on it. This is about when Mr. Grace came in to talk to my supervisor. After this, the day slowed down and we spent some time cleaning the shop. I also put two new tires on a car that needed it. Also, there was a Ford Five Hundred that needed a new sway bar. It was a difficult job, and it took a while. Once this was done and the car was back together, we discovered and exhaust leak. I had to rev the engine while Rich looked for the leak. He found the leak and fixed it, then it was time to go.

Tuesday June 5, 2007

We started the day off by changing the end rods on a Ford Focus and then completing a four wheel alignment on it once the end rods were replaced. After that, it was taken for a road test and it was perfect so it was ready to be delivered to the customer. Later on, we did an alignment on a Mustang which was easy and was finished quickly, which was followed by a road test. After that, we took a vehicle out for a road test because the owner was complaining about a load grinding noise from the rear, the alignment was off and several other small things. Once we returned to the shop, we found the source of the grinding noise. The rear tires were severely cupped and needed replacing. That took up pretty much the whole day, tomorow we should pick up on what we left off on.

Monday June 4, 2007

Today was a very busy day. It started off with Richard finishing off an alignment. Once he was done we took the car out for a road test. Following the road test, Rich went for lunch and while he was on lunch I was told to change the tie rods on the Escape. I was almost done by the time he returned. Once that was done Rich did some work on the ABS module because there was a recall on some Ford Escapes. After this we aligned the Escape and as we were leaving, another mechanic stopped us and said he needed help, so I stayed back to help him. He was replacing an engine, and he needed me to put in the spark plugs and put the valve covers back on. This was a new experience for me. Also, he needed help lowering the engine onto the vehicles subframe which was also a new experience. After helping Jason, Rich was back and we did an alignment on a used vehicle which was being sold. The alignment was followed by a road test. Upon returning from the road test, we had to road test another car. After the road test, we found out that the car needed a new shifter bushing which was causing a rattle when shifting. After this was replaced it was time to go. Overall, today was very busy, but it was also a very good learning experience.

May 28- June 1 2007

When I have an idea, I do my best to have my ideas heard. I used to be hesitant to voice my ideas, but after a few correct suggestions I Have made it has increased my comfort level and confidence, now I don't hesitate to tell people my ideas. I am asked my opinion alot, but mostly when the mechanic isn't sure what the problem is and just wants to hear what I have to say. I have contributed to my placement from day 1. I always give 110% at my placement. My co-workers always listen to what I have to say, which makes me feel like a part of the team. I was complimented for an idea this week when we were working on a car that had a sqeak and we could not figure out where it was coming from, and I made a suggestion that ended up fixing the problem. I am always assertive at my co-op, I used to wait for things to come to me, but now I am more confident and I always apply myself.

Friday June 1, 2007

When I arrived to co-op today Richard was just finishing up a job and we went out for a road test. Once we returned from the road test richard went for lunch. While he was onlunch he wanted me to hacksaw through a knuckle so he could get a ball joint out and reuse it. I finished this before he got back from lunch so I went to help another mechanic. He needed help adjusting a sunroof so it wouldn't leak anymore. Once this was done, Richard came back and it was time to back to work. We first started to work on a Ford escape that had a sqeak in the rear. At first we thought it was the seats so we lubed them up, but it still squeaked. After another road test we decided to try to lube the shock, and this solved the problem. After this job we moved onto a Ford Tauris that need the fron knuckles replaced. This job took a while, but it was fairly easy. Also, we did an alignment on the taurus after the knuckles were put on. Today was a busy day, and so was this entire week.

Thursday May 31, 2007

Once I arrived, the mechanic I work with was just about to go on lunch. So he gave me some easy tasks to keep me occupied until he was finished. These included servicing the battery, lubricating all hinges as well as the weatherstripping. The truck I was working on also needed a new mirror, so we took the door panel off, only to find out that the parts department ordered the wrong mirror so we had to reassemble everything. After that was all settled, we did a P.D.I. on a new vehicle. After we completed this, we did a transmission flush and a coolant flush on a truck. Once this was done, the day was pretty much over

Wednesday May 30, 2007

Today we worked on the lincoln aviator from yesterday. The shop manager changed what we were to do on it, we only changed two rims and then changed all 4 tires. Putting the tires on took wuite a while, but after that was done, we put them back on the truck and then started working on the next job. This was a fairly easy job, so I did most of it myself. A ford taurus needed rear endlinks replaced and by the time this was done, it was time to leave. I did not get to g0 on the road test of the lincoln so I don't know if it fixed it, but I will find out tomorow.

Tuesday May 29, 2007

Today Richard came back, and it was a busy day. The day started out by working on a P.D.I. After that I working on a Ford F-250. I did a maintenance 3 and a brake service. This job took a ittle while. After I finished this job, we moved onto a lincoln aviator. The owner was complaining of a vibration. Upon taking the vehicle out, we noticed that we haveworked on this car before and we remembered it had bent rims. So we figured that was the source of the vibration, but we took the truck out for a road test anyways. Upon returning, we decided to suggest the owner replace all for rims and tires. This was a big job so we had to get the approval from the shop manager before giving the estimate to the customer. At this point it was time to leave.

Monday May 28, 2007

Today Richard was away, so I just went to the Fastlane to work for the day. Mostly, it was a very slow day, but I did get a few small jobs to do, like tire rotations. Although at the end of the day I did get my hands dirty. I did a brake service on a Ford F-150. This included wire brushing the brake pads and lubing up specific components the brake calipers.

Thursday May 24, 2007

Today I worked on two Ford Escapes. ON the first one, I changed the lower control arms and the tie rods. There was more work to be done on it, but we left it for another mechanic who wanted the work. After that We moved onto another Escape. On this one we changed the brake shoes on the rear brakes.

Thursday May 24, 2007

Today was a pretty busy day. It was very fast paced. The day started off with a customers van who was complaining of a vibration. It seemed like it was an issue with the tires, so I balanced the wheels and re balanced them. We took the van out following the balance and it revealed to us that the problem was solved. As we returned to the shop from the road test, another job was given to us, it was one of their bigger customer so he got immediate service. We took out his car for a road test for a general check. It showed us numerous components of the front end needed replacing as well as the switch to control the front window. This job was followed by a tire rotation, 4 wheel alignment and a road test on an Escort, then it was time for me to leave.

Wednesday May 23, 2007

Today we started out by working on a work van from UBA inc. We did a maintence 3 on it as well as the rear and front brakes. Additionally, we did a number of other small tasks on it. We then started to work on an older Mercury Grand Marquis which needed 2 new tires. We put the new tires on the rims and then balanced the wheels and put the car back together. After a road test, we gave the car back to a customer. After that we worked on another ford F-350 which needed new tires on it.

Tuesday May 22, 2007

Today was the first day back from the long weekend. THe day started out by working on a Ford F-350 super duty. We balanced the tires and put them back on.
THis was a fairly simple task. After that, we started to work on a FOrd Five Hundred. We did a road test on it and gave it a quick once over to make sure it was in good shape. We did a maintenace 3 on it which consists of lubricating all hinges and weather stripping as well as inspecting major components of the car

May 14- May 17 2007

Something that happened this week that makes me feel that I would want to do this job as a career is the amount of work I did independantly. It gives me a glimpse of what it would be like to be an apprentice or a mechanic. I would not need to change in many ways in order to do this as a career. I would just have to be a little less hesitant to try new things. Additional education that I would need is I would just need some more extensive explanations on certain tools and also some more on the job experience would greatly help. People at my placement enjoy their career because they have always like being around cars and prefer to be working with their hands as opposed to being stuck behind a computer all day.

Tuesday May 15, 2007

Today was a slower day. It started off by doing the brakes on a Ford F-150. This consisted of removing the caliper and caliper bracket, sanding down the bracket and hub, replacing the brake pads, lubricating and re assembling everything. This was followed with replacing the wheel bearing on the same truck. We road tested this truck and it was all repaired so we continued onto the next job. The next job was a big one. Last week, there was a focus with a noise and we could not figure out where it was coming from, well today we were replacing the steering rack to try to fix the problem. This was a big job and was not completed by the time I had to leave. Tomorow I will ask Richard if this fixed the problem.

Thursday May 17, 2007

Today started off with an intersting job. We needed to replace the timing belt and belt tensioner. So while Rich left for lunch, I started removing the wheel well cover so we could gain easy access to the tensioner. Once Rich returned he drew out a diagram of the pulleys so he knew the set-up when he went to put everything back together. After this job, we moved onto a P.D.I. which are pretty routine now so I get them done very quickly. Today was the slowest I have seen the shop in a long time. There was a lot of downtime throughout the day, which gave the mechanics an opportunity to clean up around the shop. I helped with this clean up by moving many tires from the shop floor into the storage room. After a while, it was time to leave, hopefully on Tuesday the work pace goes back to normal.

Wednesday May 16, 2007

Today was a busy day. When I first arrived we did a road test on a Ford Excursion and a generqal check of it. We found out it needed brakes. Richard decided since I have done plenty of brake jobs that I could do this on my own. I did this job on my own and was very satisfied after Richard told me I did a good job. Their was a Barbeque for lunch so we took some time out to go get ome food from the barbeque. Upon returning, we replaced all the necessary parts on a lincoln towncar that I inspected earlier this week. After this was done, another Excursion came in needing brakes and I did this one also on my own. Overall, today was a very satisfying day.

Monday May 14, 2007

Today was a pretty busy day. It was very fast paced. The day started off with a customers van who was complaining of a vibration. It seemed like it was an issue with the tires, so I balanced the wheels and re balanced them. We took the van out following the balance and it revealed to us that the problem was solved. As we returned to the shop from the road test, another job was given to us, it was one of their bigger customer so he got immediate service. We took out his car for a road test for a general check. It showed us numerous components of the front end needed replacing as well as the switch to control the front window. This job was followed by a tire rotation, 4 wheel alignment and a road test on an Escort, then it was time for me to leave.

May 7- May 11 2007

I have had alot of opportunities at my placement. Once and a while there is talk of a possible part-time job once my placement is over, but nothing is finalized yet. Also, this whole experience would be considered an opportunity. Not everyone aspiring to be a mechanic will have the benefit of co-op and I see this experience as an advantage in the future. My parents think that co-op is "great" and that I am getting a lot of valuable experience from it. The typical problems in my workplace are people bringing in their vehicles with nothing wrong with them. They compain of noises that are normal and it is a waste of time for the mechanics when they could be working on other jobs. The Highlight of the week was when I installed the control arms on the Focus by myself. It gave me a boost on confidence knowing that I am able to do jobs by myself. The low point of the week was when I was having problems with the tire machine and getting the tire off. It was very frustrating, and it was very hot in the shop which added to the frustration, so I decided to grab a drink and take a little break which helped a lot. Before co-op is over, I want to get a job at Oak- Land Ford.

Friday May 11, 2007

The day started as usual, with Richard leaving for lunch. While he went on lunch, I was assigned to change a set of tires from the winter tires to the summer tires. This was taking longer than expected and was not done by the time Richard was back and he decided to finish it off himself. Once this was done, I took the rims and put them back on the truck. I took the winter tires and put them in bags then into the truck of the car to be returned to the owner. We roadtested the truck to make sure there were no vibrations, and there wasn't so it was ready to be returned to the customer. Next, we did a P.D.I. Following the P.D.I. there was a Mercury Sable that needed a brake job, as well as new shocks and struts. I have not done struts yet so I watched Rich do them. It seemed fairly simple, but could be very dangerous since we are dealing with compressed springs. Once this was done, they were installed on the car and it was time for me to leave.

Thurdsay May 10, 2007

Today was a busy day. When I arrived, Richard was just leaving on lunch. So, he gave me lower control arms to install on a Ford Focus. I was mostly completed the job by the time he came back from lunch. I was very proud of doing this job by myself. The reason that this was done was because the owner was complaining of a clunking noise while going over bumps. After a road test, we found out that the new parts did not solve the problem, so we decided to put on new inner tie rods. This did not fix the problem, so we decided to start working on a new car. We did a P.D.I. and then by the time this was completed, it was time for me to leave,

Wednesday May 9, 2007

Today was a busy day. I started the day out by sanding and grindaing rust and other impurities off of brake rotors and the fron hubs on a Ford Escape. This was done while Richard was on lunch. When he returned, we changed the tires on the Escape. This was a fairly easy job so I was told to do this. Once this was completed, the wheels were remounted in the truck. This was followed by a roadtest and then it was ready for delivery to the customer. After this job was completed, we needed to replace the powersteering pump on an older Ford van. This was taking longer than expected and was not completed by the time I left.

Tuesday May 8, 2007

Richard came back today from his extended weekend. We started the day off by setting the tire pressures to 35 psi's and set it up for alignment. After that I took the summer tires out from the trunk of a customer's truck. I then took off the wheels, but later on in the day I needed to put them back on so the tune-up guy could take it for a test drive to give an estimate on how much it would cost the owner to get the rear end rebuilt. ONce this truck left, Richard showed me how to do a tire repair. It is fairly easy and I can see myself doing lots of these in the future. After this, another customer's car was brought in and the tire had a leak in it. We took the tire off and we determined that the tire could not be repaired. Later, an employee's vehicle had been brought in with the owner complaining af a rattle, after a road test we could not here the rattle. But after we lifted the car up and did some tests, we could hear the noise. BUt before we had time to figure out the source of the noise, I had to go put some wheels back onto a truck, and then it was time to leave. Hopefully tomorow I can find out where the noise was coming from.

Monday May 7, 2006

Today Richard was not here, so I went back to the fastlane to work with dave, and Jim. The day started off slow, but eventually I got my fair share of work to do. I started off by balancing wheels off a van. This was very simple and did not take long. After this, we did a tire rotation on a car. This was followed by a seasonal tire change which I completed all by myself. A seasonal tire change includes dismounting the winter tire off the rim, which is followed by remounting the summer tire on the rim. Then you take the wheel and balance it. Then place it back on the car. After this, I did another rotation on a Ford Escape. This Is when Mr. Grace came in and took some pictures of me and the Fastlane. This took up pretty much the whole day and it was time to leave. Tomorow Richard is coming back.

April 30- May 4 2007

Since starting co-op, I feel different about myself. I am alot more confident when working around cars and especially with the tools. I also feel alot more independant since I am given more independance at co-op than I did at school in auto class. I've learned alot about myself from co-op. I realized I used to be very reluctant to try new things, but now I do new things almost everyday at co-op and it is a very good learning experience for me. I've learned that my supervisor has a lot of responsibility. He has the resposibility to make the company money, to get vehicles in and out of the shop as quick as possible all while ensuring that the customer is satisfied. I've learned alot about working with others. I learned that since other people's work habits may differ from mine does not mean that they are wrong. I should always listen to what others have to say. Now I am more comfortable with everything. I am more comfortable in the enitre work environment, but especially with the tools. To show initiative at my workplace, you have to do things before someone tells you to do them. What I remember most about this week is when I did the endlink replacement on my own on the Mustang, I am very proud that I did that without any assistance.

Friday May 4, 2007

Today the day started off like a normal day. Richard was just leaving for lunch and I just cleaned up around the area which we work in. When he returned, we began to work on a Canada Post Van, which needed it's shocks replaced. The nuts holding the shock on was seized so we needed to get the torches to loosen the nut so the shock could be removed. We did this on both sides. After that, we did an alignment on the van and road tested it. This job was followed by a convertable mustang who's owner was complaining of a clunking noise while cornering. We did a road test and this test revealed a broken end link. This was an easy job, and since the parts were in stock, I started the job, but then had to leave since the time was up. Monday Richard will not be there, so I will probably work in the Fast Lane where I first started.

Thursday May 3, 2007

Today, as I arrived Richard was just getting back from lunch. We were working on a van. It was a Windstar and the complaint was that the ABS was not always working. We did a road test which did not provide us with any conclusive results. We had to resort to a new technology which I have not used before at Oak-Land. We used a computer to clear the codes on the vehicle. The codes told us that the wheel speed sensors were failing, but after a road test and other computer simulations, this proved false. We checked all the terminals on the module for breaks, but this was not the source of the problem. This is the only job we worked on all day and by the time I was leaving, we had still not found a solution to the problem.

Wednesday May 2, 2007

Today we started off working on a Lincoln Navigator. Richard was leaving as I was arriving. He told me to remove the calipers and pads from the truck. I was finished this by the time he came back from lunch. I then sanded down the bracket to remove the rust which had formed which could lead to sqeaky breaks down the road. Once the fron brakes were done, we moved onto the back brakes. This proved to be a real hassle. The rear rotors were rusted on so we had to take the truck out for a drive and periodically apply the parking brake to remove all the rust which had built up. Once we returned to the shop, a few good hits with the hammer and the rotor was off. This was easier since the rear rotors were in alright shape, so they only needed to be machined. Once this was done, we took it for a road test with showed us that the vehicle was ready to be returned to the customer. It was time to leave after that, hopefully tomorow is a good day.

Tuesday May 1, 2007

I did not attend co-op today.

Monday April 30, 2007

We started the day off by changing the end rods on a Ford Focus and then completing a four wheel alignment on it once the end rods were replaced. After that, it was taken for a road test and it was perfect so it was ready to be delivered to the customer. Later on, we did an alignment on a Mustang which was easy and was finished quickly, which was followed by a road test. After that, we took a vehicle out for a road test because the owner was complaining about a load grinding noise from the rear, the alignment was off and several other small things. Once we returned to the shop, we found the source of the grinding noise. The rear tires were severely cupped and needed replacing. That took up pretty much the whole day, tomorow we should pick up on what we left off on.

Thursday April 26, 2007

Today, I arrived as Richard was leaving for lunch. A mechanic named Jason, did not take his lunch and I watched him change a P.T.U. in a Ford Escape. A P.T.U. is a Power Take Off Unit, which assists in hard acceleration. I drained the old unit and watched the new one get installed. By the time this was done, Richard came back so I left to help him. We worked on a car that had been repaired earlier in the week. We needed to replace the steering rack then align it. After the alignment, we took it for a road test which revealed finer tuning was required. We returned to the shop and fixed it. This took all day, tomorow is an integration day so I will not be attending co-op tomorow

Wednesday April 25, 2007

Today I started where I finished off yesterday. I did an alignment on the car that I did the tire swap on. Then we took the car out for a road test and this revealed that a little more fine tuning was required before we could release the car to the customer. Later, I took off the front diff cover and cleaned it and refilled the diff with gear oil. Following this, an alignment was done to the same truck. That was all the time we had to work today, tomorow I hope that there is more work to do.

Tuesday April 24, 2007

Today Richard came back. To start off the day, I was told to change tires from a car that was going to the scrap yard to a customers car. This did not take long and Richard was not done lunch when I had finished. So, I just cleaned up some tools until he returned. After that was done, he took the car out and brought in a new one. I set up a Ford Edge for alignment after i rotated the tires on it. After the alignment we took it on a roadtest which revealed that the car pulled to the right. We changed a bolt on one side and the tire pressures on the other and this solved the problem. After that, I took out a cotter pin and a nut from a tie rod, then it was time to leave.

Monday April 23, 2007

Today Richard was away so I did not have much to do. I just went to the FastLane part where I started out at and just watched them do some work. It was easy work like changing fuel filters and rotating tires. Eventually, I was given some work. I changed tires on rims, from winter to summer tires. This was most of the work that I did. Tomorow Richard is supposed to come back so hopefully there is more work for me tomorow.

April 16- April 20 2007

At my placement, I feel very comfortable to try new things and to ask questions because I do not receive much criticism. But, when I do get criticized, I take their point seriously and try to improve on the next time. An example of when I have received constructive criticism is when I was removing the tire from the rim. When I was breaking the bead, I was doing it at the wrong place and they told me there could be a sensor there so I should do it in another spot. I took this to my mind and now I do it exactly as they showed me everytime. When something is difficult, I seek assistance and the mechanics are very accepting that I am learning and never hesitate to help me. I would consider this whole week to be a positive experience because everyday, the amount of work that I do increases. My whole work experience is an intersting one. I never do the same thing two days in a row and there is always a different twist to every unique job. My supervisor expects that I show up to work on time and everyday. He also wants me to always try my hardest and to enjoy my co-op experience at Oak-Land.

Friday April 20, 2007

Today was a busy day. I started the day out by sanding and grindaing rust and other impurities off of brake rotors and the fron hubs on a Ford Escape. This was done while Richard was on lunch. When he returned, we changed the tires on the Escape. This was a fairly easy job so I was told to do this. Once this was completed, the wheels were remounted in the truck. This was followed by a roadtest and then it was ready for delivery to the customer. After this job was completed, we needed to replace the powersteering pump on an older Ford van. This was taking longer than expected and was not completed by the time I left.

Thursday April 19, 2007

This day was a rather slow day. It was the slowest I have seen it for a month or so. But we still managed to find work for ourselves. We started off by doing some simple tire rotations. After there were no more tire rotations, we decided the start doing some P.D.I.'s. We did about 4 P.D.I.'s, this took up the rest of the day. Hopefully tomorow the amount of work is greater.

Wednesday April 18, 2007

Today, there was a meeting at Oak-Land Ford, so I did not have to return until 1:00 when the meeting was over. Since there was a meeting at the beginning of the day, there was no work for us to do. Since there was no work, we used this time to make the shop spotless. Also, I talked to some mechanics about possible career paths that I could take. Tomorow there is no meeting, so hopefully there is some work for us to do.

Tuesday April 17, 2007

When I arrived, everybody had already left for lunch so I did not have much to do. I just cleaned up some messes of tools around Richard's area until he returned. When he returned, there was lots of work to do. We started off with a transmission fluid flush. Once this was done, we did a complete brake job on a focus which included changing brake pads, machining the rotors and lubricating neccesary parts. Overall, I think that today was a very producitve day.

Monday April 16, 2007

Today was not quite as busy as the rest when I arrived. I did not have much to do when the guys went to eat, so I just cleaned up the area. When Richard got back we did an alignment on a Ford F-150. I have done alot of alignments, but never really explained what I do on them. First of all, I put on all the reflective heads on the wheels. After that, I go to the computerand start the alignment. After the alignment is complete, I make the necessary adjustments to the tie rods on the car. After the alignment, he brought in a truck that needed its driver side mirror replaced and had a leaking tire. Richard asked me if i could do the whole thing myself and I did. To replace the mirror you must remove the door panel and the door speaker. Once the panel is off, you can remove the bolts holding in the mirror and replace it. Once that is done, put everything back together. Once it was all back together, I checked for the leak in the tire, which was caused by a nail in the tire. Once that was done, I had to remoce the tires and calipers from a truck in order to measure the rotors to see if they needed replacing, which they did. After that, we I removed and cleaned the diff cover because we needed to rebuild the rear diff on the truck. We got a lot of work done today and I feel very satisfied with my work today. Hopefully tomorow is the same.

April 10 - April 13

Learning in the workplace is very different than working in school. THis is because I find that school is very theoretical and very practical. Sure, being taught how to do something is great, but actually being able to do it is a different thing. Co-op provides me with the opportunity to work in the workplace and get actual hands-on experience which is awesome. I reallly learning about anything that they teach me. They teach me a variety of things, from basic tire changing to special tricks of the trade that they use to make things easier. I would really like to know more about everything. Although I have learned alot at co-op, I still do not know everything. Next week, I hope the weather gets better so more people bring out their Mustangs to work on, because I really enjoy working on Mustangs.

Friday April 13, 2007

Today when I arrived Richard told me that we had a lot of work to do today. WE had to rebuild a differential out of a truck. It had a posi traction rear end and the clutch packs needed replacing since the car was jumping when it turned. This job consisted of removing the diff cover and cleaning it and removing the old gasket and replacing it with a new one. We also took out the whole differential so we could take out the gear in order to change the clutchpacks. This took the whole day and it was time to leave by the time we finished.

Thursday April 12, 2007

Today I arrived just as the lucnh truck came, so Richard gave me a job to do while they were eating. I had to change the tires on a car. The old tires were very bald so we put on new Pirelli P6's which are very good tires. After they returned from lunch we got to work on a Mustang. We replaced the tie rod on it. We took a break from the mustang once we finished the tie rod and aligned another car. After that alignment and road test, we aligned the mustang then did a road test on it. The road test revealed that the mustang was not steering straight so we did another alignment. This took up all day and it was time for me to leave.

Wednesday April 11, 2007

Today was a busy day. It started out with a Pre Delivery Inspection and a road test on the new vehicle. Upon arriving back from the road test, it was lunch time, so I just cleaned up while they were eating. After Richard came back, we did an alignment on a customers vehicle. After that, we had to replace an endlink on a customer's truck. It was a fairly easy job since I have done it before at Oak-Land. Since we changed a front end component, we had to do an alignment and take it for a road test. After this, the day was over. I can't wait to come back tomorow.

Tuesday April 10, 2007

Finally I am able to get back to work at Oak-Land. Today was a busy day. We started the day off by changing the end rods on a Ford Focus and then completing a four wheel alignment on it once the end rods were replaced. After that, it was taken for a road test and it was perfect so it was ready to be delivered to the customer. Later on, we did an alignment on a Mustang which was easy and was finished quickly, which was followed by a road test. After that, we took a vehicle out for a road test because the owner was complaining about a load grinding noise from the rear, the alignment was off and several other small things. Once we returned to the shop, we found the source of the grinding noise. The rear tires were severely cupped and needed replacing. That took up pretty much the whole day, tomorow we should pick up on what we left off on.

April 2- April 5

It's been over a month since I began co-op and I really like it. I think it is a good experience for me. It gives me a really good idea of what it is like to be in the trade, which I want to be in. At Oak- Land Ford, I always feel a part of the team. Everyone there treats just as they treat everyone else which makes me feel equal to them which creates a good atmosphere for me. There is no one aspect of the job I like the best. But, if I had to choose one it would be the people. I know that if I was working with different people, the experience would be totally different. I would like to be able to do more work on my own, but since I am a co-op student I expect to not have a lot of work to do on my own. I am suprised with the amount of work that I get though. Sometimes it can get a little stressful at my co-op, so when it gets stressful I usually just go grab a drink or a short 2 minute break or something like that. I received a compliment when I completed a bunch of tasks faster than they thought I would do it. ASking questions on the job is essential. First of all for safety, if you don't know how to use something, ask. Secondly, co-op is a learning experience and how can you learn if you don't ask questions.

Wednesday April 4, 2007

Today when I arrived, Richard was still working on that steering rack from yesterday. He had got the old one out and the new one in. But in the process of re-assembly the threads became stripped and it had to be taken out and re threaded. This was repeated again because it did not work the first time. In the midst of this, another mechanic brought in a mustang to work on. I like these cars so I left Richard for a little bit to go watch the work on the mustang. It was very interesting. It was at about this point that Mr. Grace came in to do my evaluation. After that, another mechanic needed help checking out the front end of an excursion, so I went to help him. After this, it was already 3 o'clock and it was time to leave.

Tuesday April 3, 2007

Today when I arrived, Richard was working on a job that he did not like. He had to replace a steering rack on a Mercury Cougar. He said that this job was very tricky to do. He did not like working on it so he was assigned some other jobs. We did an alignment on a van as well as a power steering fluid flush on a van. After that, we went back to working on the Cougar for a bit. After that we went to work on another customer's car. We replaced the lower control arms on both sides of the vehicle. Later, a customer brought in his mustang complaining of a harsh noise, but after a roadtest, the noise was not evident and the vehicle was returned to the customer.After this was done, it was time to leave.

Monday April 2, 2007

The day started out like usual, with something for me to do. I had to remove a tire from the rim because there was a nail in the tire and it needed to be replaced. Also, we did some P.D.I.'s today. In addition to that, there was a car that had been brought in because the owner was complaining of a rattling noise. After a road test, we raised it up on the lift and a broken bracket turned out to be the source of the rattle. This was an easy fix, all we had to do was remove the bracket and out the door the car went. Today the workload as pretty light, hopefully tomorow there is more work to be done.

March 26- March 30 2007

Good time management is imporant at my placement for several reasons. One of them is that the mechanics get paid on a basis of how much time they work on cars for, so they need to make sure they do not spend too much time on a short job, so they are able to keep up with the quick paced atmosphere. To have good time management at my placement, I make sure I am always aware of the time. I want to make sure that when I am given a job to do that I do not take too long and put my mechanic behind schedule. Sometimes I feel tension at my placement when we encounter unforseen problems on a job and the vehicle is not able to be completed by the time it was supposed to be done by. When this happens, the service manager comes over and starts asking questions which sometime leads to disagreements, which always are solved in the end. When I feel stressed at Co-Op, I try to take a breather. I take a moment away from the work I am doing and just try to think of what I am doing in order to releive the stress. Teamwork is important at my placement many times throughout the day. The mechanics need to work as a team when they are keeping the shop clean. Also sometimes jopbs require an extra set of hands, which is when another mechanic usually volunteers to help. I always feel like a good team member, I always put in 110% effort and always help out where I can. Overall, this was a good week because I got to try new things and it wasn't an overly busy week.

Thursday March 29, 2007

Today at Oak-Land Ford, it was a very slow day. The started out with routine tire rotations and balancing. Later, We did several P.D.I.'s which took the rest of the day. TOmorow is an integration day so I will not be at co-op tomorow. Hopefully, there is more work to be done on Monday.

Wednesday March 28, 2007

Today we continued work on the customer's Lincoln from yesterday. We did a road test on it and found out it was making a thumping noise under braking. We returned to the shop and did an alignment on it which did not fixe the problem. We took it on a series of road tests which resulted in us replacing the rotors which we had done yesterday, but the problem persisted. We took a brake from that, and started work on a truck, but it was time to leave. Hopefully we can find out what is making the noise tomorow.

Tuesday March 27, 2007

Today Richard came back and with him came plenty of work. When I first arrived, he was leaving for lunch and he gave me the rest of a P.D.I. he was working on. I finished it by the time he returned. Once he got back, we worked on a big job that took the rest of the day. A customer brought in his car to put on his summer tires and found out he needed $4000 worth of work done. We had to rebuild many of the front end componets, and replace the sway bar. When I had to leave it still wasn't finished and I was told it will still be here tomorow.

Monday March 26, 2007

Today the mechanic I typically work with was not here. I decided to go back to the other side of the shop where I first started. The work load was light, and I did mostly tire rotations all day. The mechanic comes back tomorow, hopefully he brings more work with him too.

March 19- March 23 2007

I was suprised many times throughout the week. The aspect that suprised me the most was the amount of work that I am doing now, compared to the amount that I did at the beginning. The workload has increased dramatically. Today I felt good when I was given work to do on my own. It really makes me feel like part of the team. My supervisor is a really cool person. He treats me like he treats everyone else and he is really laid back which creates a good atmosphere to work in. My colleagues are all good guys. They treat me like anyone else and show me lots of respect. I never feel dissappointed at my coop becasue it is all a learning experience and I should never feel dissappointed. I hope that everything stays the way it is now, because I really like how everyone treats me and the amount of work that I am doing. When my work is finished, I tend to look for more work. If I can't find anything, i usually just watch a mechanic who is doing some work.

Friday March 23, 2007

Once I arrived, the mechanic I work with was just about to go on lunch. So he gave me some easy tasks to keep me occupied until he was finished. These included servicing the battery, lubricating all hinges as well as the weatherstripping. The truck I was working on also needed a new mirror, so we took the door panel off, only to find out that the parts department ordered the wrong mirror so we had to reassemble everything. After that was all settled, we did a P.D.I. on a new vehicle. After we completed this, we did a transmission flush and a coolant flush on a truck. Once this was done, the day was pretty much over.

Thursday March 22, 2007

Today was a very interesting day. There was not much work to do so we did 3 P.D.I.'s which took a while. Although the P.D.I.'s took a whil;e, we still had time to go out and test a vehicle to see if we could feel the complaint the customer was talking about. We could feel the rear end slipping so we brought it back into the shop to try and solve the problem. Not even 5 minutes after we returned, the power went out and we could not work on any vehicles. Fortunately for me this was at 3 o'clock so I did not lose any time.

Wednesday March 21, 2007

Today there was not much work to do. We did 2 pre delivery inspections (P.D.I.). Also we did an alignment on the company shuttle vehicle because it was in a minor accident. It was an easy thing to fix. On this day, a van needed some transmission parts replacedm so I took off the transmission pan so the parts could be accessed. This was a new experience for me and was very interesting. Also, we replaced the fuel filter on the van, this took up a good deal of time, and by the time it was done, it was time for me to leave.

Tuesday March 20, 2007

Today when I arrived, the mechanic just arrived back from taking the truck that we worked on yesterday, back from a road test. he realized that it need the power steering fluid changed and it needed an alignment. We did this and once it was done, we took it for another road test and it was ready for the customer to pick it up. After that was done, he brought in a van to work on. We did the front brakes, serviced the battery and rotated the tires. I also lubricated all the hinges and locks, as well as lubricating all the weatherstripping. That took a good chunck of the day and once that was done, we replaced the driveshaft on a truck and once that was done, it was time for me to leave.

Monday March 20, 2007

March break is over and ts back to work for everyone. Today at co-op, it seemed like I never left. As soon as I arrived, I was given work to do. A customer brought in their van for serviceing, and I sanded the break rotors while the mechanic I am working with was working on something else. After that was done, we moved onto another vehicle. We took apart and rebuilt the entire rear brake assemblies on a customers truck, because it had been sitting for 9 months and the wheel cylinders were seized. That took the whole day. Since I was taking the bus home, I stayed an extra 20 minutes to catch up on the time that I lost from the days I missed.

March 5- March 8

At my placement, I am still trying to find out the names of some of the mechanics I have not yet met. I want to know everyone that I work with and work around. Getting to co-op is essential. Showing up on time shows many things about an employees personality. It shows that they are committed to their work and it shows they respect their supervisors rules. There is not really much routine at my placement. The only thing like a routine is cleaning up once a task has been completed. It can be hazardous for tools and parts to be sitting in places where it may interfere with other people. I haven't really experienced a day where the amount of work has overwhelmed me. But, the mechanics have told me that the busy season is coming. At the beginning, I found that there wasn't enough to do, but now that I have switched sides, there is always something to be done. I have learned many things about being a mechainc, and I hope I learn much more.

Thursday March 8, 2007

Today I did not attend Co-Op.

Wednesday March 7, 2007

Today was a little slower than the two previous days this week. When I arrived, there was nothing to work on, so I talked to one of the younger mechanics and we talked about how mechanics are going to be in high demand in the future and this is a good career to be getting into. The mechanic I usually work with went on lunch and he told me to washt the engine bay of the CN truck we were working on yesterday. I also replaced the dome light which needed replacing. After completing that, we took it for a road test and it got his seal of approval and we were done with that truck. After than, another mechanic was inspecting another CN truck and I helped him with that. This truck was in good shape and was completed in a few hours. After that, a customer brought in a truck, and we had to rebuild the rear end. I assisted on this. It was a new experience to take a differential apart. It was very interesting. That is pretty much what I did today, and I am looking forward to returning to Oak-Land after the break.

Tuesday March 6, 2007

Today started off alot like yesterday, with lots of work to be done. When I arrrived, Rich was just starting an interesting job. We had to replace an axle on a customers van. It was an interesting job. After that was complete, we did an inspection on a CN rail truck. This inspection consisted of a road test to listen for vibrations or other noticable malfunctions. The road test revealed a subtle vibration. Once we arrived back to the shop, I checked that all the lights were functioning properly, which some weren't and need to be replaced. Also, once the vehicle was lifted into the air, the source of the vibration was revealed, a broken fastener. After the inspection, I watched the mechanic write up the estimate for the customer, and I realized that there is a lot of paper work to do if your a mechanic. I really enjoy the change of pace from the first week, which was a little slow.

Monday March 5, 2007

Today was not a slow day. From the moment I arrived to the moment I punched out, there was work for me to do. I arrived and was told to remove the wheels from a car that an employee at the shop recently purchased. Then I put all the tires to 30 psi. After that, I moved onto another car and used a special cleaning machine to clean the whole drum brake assembly. After it was cleaned, I watched the mechanic replace the piston in the drums. I was then told to clean the from brake assemblies on two cars. The cleaning consisted of using a grinder to grind some rust off, and manually sanding some hard to reach spots with sandpaper. We also replaced the upper tie rod on a customers car because it was worn out. This will be a short week, but it looks like there will be lots to do.

February 26- March 2

Being ready at my placement means many things. First off, it means that I must show up in proper attire (i.e. work boots, work clothes, etc.). Also, it means that I must show up with the right attitude. I must show up ready and willing to work, I can't have a negative outlook on the situtaion. I shouldn't expect to be doing big jobs, so I should show up to my placement with that state of mind. This placement is what I expected because it consists of working on vehicles, which is pretty much what I thought it would be like, although there are many differences than what i expected too. At times it can be very slow, which is on the contrary to what I expected. I thought it would be a fast paced environment with no time for breaks. That leads me into my next suprise at my placement. The overall attitude of most of the mechanics at Oak-Land is very laidback and relaxed. Situations that made me feel good was when any of the mechanics would just say hi to me and make me feel welcomed and a part of the team. Also, I liked it when they gave me work to do. There never was anything that made me feel bad, I really shouldn't even feel bad about anything because being able to do my co-op is a privelage and I should not take what I have for granted. Overall, this week has been a very good week and I hope that the remainder of the semester I am able to work with the great people that I am working with now.

Friday March 2, 2007

Again today, I was working with the mechanic I was working with yesterday. From the minute I arrived, he had work for me to do. I started off by removing tires of a car so we could inspect the brakes. They front discs needed to be machined, so he took me to the tool room and showed me how to mahcine rotors. After the machining was started, he told me to go clean the rear brake assemblies. After that he told me to sand the rear pads and drums. Once that was done, I put the brakes back together and put the front rotors back on once they were done. Once that was done, a representative from Ford's ESP (extended service plan) came to inspect a claim that was filed yesterday. It was very interesting to watch him take pictures of the clained parts. After that, another customers car was brought in and I changed the tires and remounted them on the car. Overall, I feel that today was a very productive day. I can't wait for Monday so I can get started again.

Thursday March 1, 2007

Talk about a new month bringing new experiences! Today was the first day of a new month, and man did I do some different stuff today. It was really slow in the area I was working in, and a mechanic from the other shop noticed that I wasn't really being presented to opportunity to learn new things, so he told me to go work with him for the day. His name is Richard. To start off the day, i removed the calipers and pads from a customers vehicle so the brakes could be done. After that, I was told to remove tires off of a truck, and then after removing the wheels, it was realized that the truck needed completey new axles. Once that was determined it was time for a new job. A customer brought a truck in complaining of a vibration, but after a series of tests and a road test, it was determined that there was no audible noise in the drivers compartment. And the finish off the day, I assisted with a P.D.I.(pre delivery inspection) on a brand new Ford Edge. This inspection consisted of checking all the fluids of the vehicle, remocing protective wrapping on the exterior of the vehicle, removing the plastic convering on the seats of the vehicle, attatching the licence plate bracket as well as other things. Well, it looks like March is going to be a good march.

Wednesday February 28, 2007

Ok, finally today it wasn't very slow. When I arrived at Oak-Land, there was not a spare bay and I knew that today was going to be busier than the few previous days. Although it was busy, I still did not do alot, it was more watching the mechanincs do jobs such as, brakes, tire repairs and troubleshooting problems with a ridaiator. I did however remove and remount a tire on a rim after replacing the valve, after that the tire needed to be rebalanced, which I did as well. It did gradually slow down throughout the day, but now that the slowest month of the year is over, I hope that the pace picks up allowing me to do more work.

Tuesday February 27, 2007

Again, today was a slow day at Oak-Land Ford. Today I did not do anything I haven't done before at my placement. I rotated tires for customer's vehicles. Today, during the downtime, I talked to one of the mehcanics who took the OYAP program and discussed for a bit on different options I have upon completion of OYAP. Overall, today was a slow day, but it wasn't bad.

Monday February 26, 2007

Today I went on a religion trip and did not attend co-op.

February 19- February 23

Ok, so the week is over and I am I excited for the rest of my semester at Oak- Land Ford. I think I made a good impression all throughout the week. I never did anything wrong, and never refused to do any work no matter how insignificant or tedious (after all you have to start somewhere, right?). I always listened to what they had to say and learn alot in this week alone. i felt welcome at my placement, because all the mechanics there treated me like any of there other co-workers and when they go for a coffee break, they ask if I want anything. If I had to choose a favourite time in the week, I wouldn't be able to because the whole experience was a positive experience for me. I was surprised at the amount of vehicles that go through the shop in one day, expecially considering that February is the slowest month of the year. I was also surprised at how I was accepted into the group in such a positive way. At my placement, for me appropriate dress and grooming means wear anything I don't mind getting dirty, but if i worked there it looks like i would be required to wear a specific uniform. My job duties will be doing anything to help out the mechanics that work there, starting off doing little things, but eventualy progressing into bigger things I expect. Overall, this has been an awesome week.

Friday February 23, 2007

Today I arrived a little early to get a head start. Today was very slow and I discussed with other mechanics how they say that this work can be very "patchy". They say sometimes it can be very busy, while other times it will be very slow, as it has been most of the week. Today I completed tire rotations and got parts from the parts room. I also participated in a tranmission flush and learned something new. Also, today Mr. Grace stopped by to chechk up on things. Hopefully, next week things pick a little more and I get a little more work.

Thursday February 22, 2007

Today was a very slow day at Oak-Land Ford. An employee there told me that February is usually the slowest month of the year. One the cars that did go through the shop, I performed basic tasks such as rotating the tires. Also, I watched one of the mechanics I work with perform an emmissions test on a customers car. Today, I also saw something new. I assisted a mechainc in changing axles on a customers truck. We also drained the differential. Overall, today was a good day with new experiences.

Wednesday February 21, 2007

Today I arrived at Oak-Land early and got a head start. I worked for 3.25 hours today. Once I arrived I realized that it was going to be a busy day because there were no empty bays. Today I did the same stuff as the two previous days(i.e. rotating tires). Also, a new co-op student started today. He comes from Iroquois and will be working in the same area as me. The day started off busy, but after about 2, things died down and it was slow until I left. Right before I left. I watched one of the mechanics do an emmisions test on a customers vehivle. Overall, today was a pretty good day.

Tuesday February 20, 2007

Today I arrived at Oak-Land at noon and stayed until 3 just like yesterday. Today was not much busier than yesterday. The tasks that I completed were not much different than yesterday either. I rotated tires and did a nitrogen fill on a customers car. I did do something new today though. For the first time, today I helped on a tranny and coolant flush which was very interesting.

Monday February 19, 2007

Well, today was the first day at my co op placement at Oak-Land Ford. I arrived a bit early today because I didnt want to be late my first day. Once I arrived, my supervisor gave me a tour around the facility. He introduced me to different people around the shop. He told me to work with one of the mechanics named Richard. At the beginning of the day, it was very slow paced because there were not many cars. But as the day progressed, the pace picked up and more cars came in. Today I did not do anything extraordinary(which is expected on the first day), but I did do simple things like rotating tires and balancing tires. As expected, I watched the mechanics do alot of work, such as emissions testing and trouble shooting various problems. Overall, I think I am going to enjoy my placement at Oak-Land.

Today's Blog

Today in co-op, we completed safety 101 on Passport to Safety.