“If I had eight hours to chop down a tree, I’d spend six hours sharpening my ax.” – Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln is someone that can be quoted for many different situations. I think because his words were so simple yet so true, even today.
In his day, an ax was an important tool used by people on a daily basis. It could be used for protection, acquiring fuel for your fire, and building your home. Your muscles were what powered this tool so your ability to perform a task was limited by your physical strength.
The tools that we use in our business vary from a wrench or mallet to a computer. The correct tools are required now more than ever. We’ve gotten to the point where some tools are very vehicle specific. Some are even based on the year, make and model of the vehicle. What implications does that have for today’s car owner?
One thing it does is limit your ability to work on your vehicle. As technology advances and cars become more technologically sophisticated, the average person isn’t going to invest in all of the tools to work on their one particular car. Secondly, making sure that the business working on your car has the tools and experience needed to complete the job. We’ve had more than one car towed in that someone had started working on and was not aware a specialty tool was needed.
Some tools are powered by the air compressor; others are using software, while some are still powered by the technician. Whatever the case may be, having the right tool and the knowledge to use it is imperative for any job.
We haven’t had to use an ax while repairing a vehicle. That’s probably a good thing!