Why are some mth techs crappy and other not?

How do you know a factory trained technician did the work?  John

Thats what the seller claimed. Albeit I do not no for shure, but that is the reson I asked the question in my post. Plus the sticker kinda leads me to belive it was done by someone other than the seller. When I asked about whether it was a 3volt or 5volt upgrade the seller replied back he would ask his tech who did the install. He repled back it was a 3volt ps2 install so I took his word it was seen by anathorized tech and bought the engine. Not sorry I did as I stated it is a beautiful set. Just wish his tech had done proper job on the installation.

This was one of the reasons I was told Lionel stopped training.  Of the folks that went, only about 10% were reliable to fix something correctly.  Seems a lot of the repairs that were coming back were through the hands of the folks trained.

The problem I have with no training is there are a lot of engines now out of warranty being repaired by guys who just "picked it up" as they went along.  I'm not saying that's a bad thing but it certainly isn't helping the folks that do have out of warranty items get things fixed with less trained techs out there.

As for MTH techs, as stated some folks pick it up and other don't.  They may pass the tests but when put into service they do enough to get by while others strive to get the job done right.  It's like any other profession I suppose.

It's like any other service industry.  Some are good, some not so good.

Rusty

It's like that old saw that goes: What do you call the one who finished at the bottom of their Med school class? The answer: Doctor.

I personally do not believe any mth tech would wire something incorrectly! I in fact can tell you honestly and truly what happened when I went to mth tech school and when finished the course helped mth repair customer repairs sent to MTH ! I personally worked on a ps 2 5 volt big boy and when checked it over someone had done a ps 3 steam kit upgrade, the ps3/2 board was fried and burnt marks on the stacker board connectors and regulators were fried and burnt right off the board and when I asked mth what did they want to do to repair it they "MTH" shop tech Jason told me that they did not believe a mth tech had even did the worked and mth was going to call owner and see what he wanted to do!

this is a  fact and true story so DON'T BELIVE EVERY THING YOU READ ON THE FORUM! SINERELY

Alan

Perhaps in house techs but the independent techs could easily vary in competence and ability.

Marty I agree. Alan sending it to mth factory techs is one thing. saying my personal mth tech did the work is another. wish I had known his tech did lousy work. I always use Raymond Manely from rays electric train works he does excellent work and always backs up his work. every single engine I have ever sent to him work on was done meticulously and 100% right the first time. I am glad he is only 2 hours away from me. looks like he may be busy after Christmas I have a few I need upgraded when I get the funds.😉

Not all Amish are good carpenters.

@David Minarik posted:

Not all Amish are good carpenters.

Good analogy Dave.

@geysergazer posted:

It's like that old saw that goes: What do you call the one who finished at the bottom of their Med school class? The answer: Doctor.

You beat me to it.

This is really a question that  has an obvious answer.  Please name me a trade where every person plying the trade, professionally trained or not, is competent, meticulous, and never makes a mistake.  I'd be very interested in that list, because it's going to be a short list!

I've gotten a few "upgrades" to fix, and I had to tell the person they were either paying for the upgrade to be done properly or I couldn't do the job.

Some mistakes I can forgive, but black electrical tape is 100% unforgivable!

MTH Service school is a very a detailed and demanding learning experience.  You are exposed to a lot of very detailed information, some of which is not covered in the service manual.  Classes are about 8 hours long, for 3 days, with a lot of information being learned.  When I went to school very little about the TIU and  Remote was covered.  PS3/2 boards and the WIU were brand new.  I accepted the challenge and studied each evening until about 10:00pm.

My theory is simple; if you do not know something - admit it and learn.   I am constantly adding notes to my service manual on descriptions, procedures and items I am not up to par on.  Us techs do network with each other.

More important,  the customer must realize that not all people are not created equal, some techs are more skilled and quick learners, some are not.  Techs must also be honest with their customers and listen to them.

During this pandemic things are very tough, communication between tech and customer is important.  Availability of parts, not just from MTH, is challenging. 

For someone to state that an item was repaired by a tech and have no proof is unacceptable.

In summary, be careful in how you interpret what you read and show respect.

Bruce

Unfortunate to have these issues. I’m not trained and I do my best for a factory like install.

To be honest. The Coal Turbine is one of the more difficult PS2-Ps3 upgrades Ive done. Besides the brass models. But that was the early days when I was learning....

@geysergazer posted:

It's like that old saw that goes: What do you call the one who finished at the bottom of their Med school class? The answer: Doctor.

or: What do you call the one who graduates last in their Law School class ? Answer: Your Honor.

It's all about time.   If this a $100 engine repair and I spend 25 hrs on the repair, that's $4/hr.   Pack it up, send it back. 

I am sorry to say, but three eight-hour classes doesn't sound either rigorous or demanding to me.  It sounds like a three day seminar.  Is there a formal Certification Exam they have to pass at the end?  Is there a hands-on problematic test as well?

Would you let an A/C guy show up at your house and work on the electronics of your $12,000 Heating and Air System, if he told you, "Don't worry.  I am fully trained. I had three eight-hour classes in A/C repair."

Just my opinion, but any "Certification" you can receive in three eight-hour classes is a joke.  Unfortunately, with the dumbing down of America, every place that wants to call itself a "Training Institution" hand out a "Certification" at the end of the classes to the unwashed public who passed with a D+.    I believe you could get a Certification for digging up tin cans if you looked around a bit.

We use to laugh at the outdoor magazine ads that said, "Learned to be a Professional Gunsmith in Just 6 Months,"   because we knew that was impossible.

Mannyrock

I don't know why some Lionel techs are so bad!

I don't know what you paid or who you're dealing with here.

Some mistakes I can forgive, but black electrical tape is 100% unforgivable!

Is gray OK? Or blue? I have both.

Is three days of training enough? It all depends on the person's background taking the course. A Phd in English, tenured professor, who doesn't know a transistor from a resistor likely won't know much more after three days. OTOH someone whose hobby is electronics, maybe built radios when he was seven and been doing it for 20 years, three days just fills in the gaps. Maybe he will be pointing out mistakes to the instructor.

Pete