Episode 177

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Published on:

12th Mar 2025

We All Want to Be Special [E177]

Thanks to our Partner, NAPA Autotech

NAPA Autotech’s team of ASE Master Certified Instructors are conducting over 1,200 classes covering 28 automotive topics. To see a selection, go to napaautotech.com for more details.

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Key Highlights:

  • Matt reflects on the idea of self-awareness and balance, emphasizing that "everything comes from you" and that we are all part of a larger matrix of experiences and growth.

Vision Conference Recap:

  • Matt shares his experience at the Vision Conference, where he faced a challenging drive through a snowstorm and crosswinds to get there.
  • He highlights the hands-on training sessions he participated in, including:
  • Key Cutting and Programming Class: Co-taught with Andrew Sexton, where attendees got to physically cut keys and program them using a Honda ignition system.
  • Pico Training: A full day of hands-on training with Scott Shotton, focusing on practical, car-side diagnostics.
  • Tech Talks: Featuring Garrett Jacobson (HP Tuners) and Zeb Beard (Thermal Imaging), both of whom delivered high-energy, informative sessions.

Key Takeaways from Vision:

  • HP Tuners: Matt learned new functionalities of the tool, even after using it for over five years. Garrett Jacobson’s class demonstrated how intuitive and powerful the tool can be for diagnostics.
  • Thermal Imaging: Zeb Beard emphasized the importance of using thermal imagers regularly, even when it doesn’t seem immediately necessary. His session focused on diesel diagnostics but applied to all vehicles.

Personal Reflections and Connections:

  • Matt shares heartfelt moments from the conference, including dinners with industry friends like Dan Baumhardt, Matt Hall, Kevin Looney, and others.
  • They reminisced about Harvey Chan, a beloved figure in the industry who passed away too soon, and the impact he had on everyone.
  • Matt reflects on the duality of emotions—being sad about losing someone but happy to share stories and memories.

Behind-the-Scenes Stories:

  • Matt dives into the importance of understanding the "behind-the-scenes" of how things are created, whether it’s a business, a movie scene, or even a professional wrestling match.
  • He shares an iconic wrestling story about Stone Cold Steve Austin and Bret Hart, highlighting how collaboration and trust led to one of the most memorable moments in wrestling history.

Themes of Authenticity and Sharing Knowledge:

  • Matt discusses the tendency in the industry to want to feel "special" or to exaggerate success stories.
  • He emphasizes the importance of being honest about how things are achieved, whether it’s diagnosing a tough problem or building a successful shop.
  • He encourages technicians and shop owners to share their real stories, even if they involve luck or being in the right place at the right time.

Filling Your Own Bucket:

  • Matt reflects on the need for self-validation and filling your own "bucket" rather than constantly seeking external validation.
  • He stresses the importance of being honest with yourself and others, giving credit where it’s due, and taking pride in your work without exaggeration.

Key Quotes:

  • "Set the freaking thermal imager on your diagnostic cart and start using it, even when you don’t know why."
  • "At some point, you’re going to have to fill your own cup. You’re going to have to be content with yourself."
  • "The real stories, if somebody could tell them, didn’t take away from the magic. It’s the art, the craftsmanship, the creativity that’s magical."

The Aftermarket Radio Network: https://aftermarketradionetwork.com/

Remarkable Results Radio Podcast with Carm Capriotto: Advancing the Aftermarket by Facilitating Wisdom Through Story Telling and Open Discussion. https://remarkableresults.biz/

Diagnosing the Aftermarket A to Z with Matt Fanslow: From Diagnostics to Metallica and Mental Health, Matt Fanslow is Lifting the Hood on Life. https://mattfanslow.captivate.fm/

Business by the Numbers with Hunt Demarest: Understand the Numbers of Your Business with CPA Hunt Demarest. https://huntdemarest.captivate.fm/

The Auto Repair Marketing Podcast with Kim and Brian Walker: Marketing Experts Brian & Kim Walker Work with Shop Owners to Take it to the Next Level. https://autorepairmarketing.captivate.fm/

The Weekly Blitz with Chris Cotton: Weekly Inspiration with Business Coach Chris Cotton from AutoFix - Auto Shop Coaching. https://chriscotton.captivate.fm/

Speak Up! Effective Communication with Craig O'Neill: Develop Interpersonal and Professional Communication Skills when Speaking to Audiences of Any Size. https://craigoneill.captivate.fm/

The Aftermarket Radio Network

Remarkable Results Radio Podcast with Carm Capriotto: Advancing the Aftermarket by Facilitating Wisdom Through Story Telling and Open Discussion

Diagnosing the Aftermarket A to Z with Matt Fanslow: From Diagnostics to Metallica and Mental Health, Matt Fanslow is Lifting the Hood on Life.

The Auto Repair Marketing Podcast with Kim and Brian Walker: Marketing Experts Brian & Kim Walker Work with Shop Owners to Take it to the Next Level.

The Weekly Blitz with Chris Cotton: Weekly Inspiration with Business Coach Chris Cotton from AutoFix - Auto Shop Coaching.

Business by the Numbers with Hunt Demarest: Understand the Numbers of Your Business with CPA Hunt Demarest.

Speak Up! Effective Communication with Craig O'Neill: Develop Interpersonal and Professional Communication Skills when Speaking to Audiences of Any Size.

Show artwork for Automotive Field Theory

About the Podcast

Automotive Field Theory
From Automotive Diagnostics to Metallica and Mental Health
Automotive Field Theory explores the forces that shape automotive repair, including the ones measured with a meter or oscilloscope and the ones that cannot be found on a wiring diagram.

Hosted by automotive diagnostic specialist, shop manager, and instructor Matt Fanslow, the podcast begins in the automotive aftermarket but rarely stays inside its traditional boundaries. Diagnostics, electricity, technology, leadership, psychology, economics, game theory, history, music, movies, family, and human behavior may appear unrelated. Look closely enough, however, and connections begin to emerge.

A vehicle may arrive with a technical fault, but the work surrounding it is rarely technical alone.

Information is incomplete.

People make decisions under pressure and uncertainty. Incentives shape behavior. Standards gradually drift. Good intentions produce unexpected results. The official process may say one thing while the system quietly rewards another.

Automotive Field Theory is an attempt to understand those interactions.

Drawing from real diagnostic work, shop management, industry conversations, personal experience, and an occasionally inconvenient level of curiosity, Matt examines not only how things work, but why they work that way, how they became what they are, and what apparently unrelated subjects might teach us about repairing vehicles, leading people, running businesses, and improving the automotive industry.

Some episodes begin with a failed component. Others begin with Metallica, quantum physics, professional wrestling, a historical disaster, a round of golf, or a question that refuses to leave Matt alone.

Eventually, they all enter the same field.