There’s more to automotive than the bay.

A lot of technicians spend their careers seeing pieces of this industry. The repair. The RO. The part. The customer concern. The comeback. The warranty line. The job in front of them.

But automotive is a lot bigger than what we see from inside the shop.

In this episode of The Wrench Turners Podcast, I’m joined by Jacki Lutz, Content Director at the Auto Care Association and host of Auto Care On Air, for a conversation about the bigger world surrounding technicians, service advisors, parts people, shop foremen, and fixed ops leaders.

Jacki brings a perspective that a lot of dealership technicians don’t always get to hear. The aftermarket isn’t just parts. It’s training, education, content, marketing, technology, e-commerce, community, leadership, and opportunity.

We talk about how employee-generated content can help shops build real trust, why personal branding matters more than people think, how simple social media guardrails can give employees freedom instead of fear, and why AI should support the human side of the business instead of replacing it.

We also get into parts e-commerce, the importance of product detail, the difference between franchise and independent marketing, and why professional development matters for anyone who wants to grow beyond the job they’re currently doing.

This episode is for the technician who knows there’s more out there.

It’s for the advisor trying to communicate better.

It’s for the parts person who wants to understand the digital side of the business.

It’s for the foreman, manager, or fixed ops leader trying to build a team that can grow.

Because your career can be bigger than the bay too.

Negative pushes.

Positive pulls.

God Bless.

j.

Follow Jacki

https://www.linkedin.com/in/jackilutz/

Check out Auto Care On Air

https://www.youtube.com/ ⁨@autocareorg⁩

Check out Auto Care Association

https://www.linkedin.com/company/autocareorg/

https://www.autocare.org/

⚠️ Disclaimer:

I’m a licensed mechanic. That doesn’t mean I know what I’m doing, whether it’s fixing things or filming things. Do your own due diligence.

Listen to The Wrench Turners Podcast:

Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/show/1ScwRP0DFMtDsp83JxPhPK?si=26aeb4be65da45eb

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/mrjoshuataylor/

LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/mrjtaylor/

Chapters

00:00 Soft Skills Matter

01:33 Meet Jacki Lutz

02:22 Finding Automotive

09:27 Leadership Changes Careers

10:48 Employee Content Works

17:59 Simple Social Guardrails

22:41 Better Parts E-Commerce

24:48 Marketing The Shop

26:22 AI Needs Humanity

28:23 Invest In Yourself