If it weren't for Engineering Explained I wouldn't even know about your Charles! He had you as a guest and I came here aftewards to see what was up! Your partnership was great even if it only gained you 1 extra subscriber!
You gotta love a guy who takes things apart and shows you exactly how they work! Your video with him on gas in a diesel car was the first I saw of you and I still remember and refer to it to this day whenever anyone asks about what happens when that occurs. Heck I referred to it the other day when I found coolant in that Jetta tank because you did mention how to clean out a gasoline engine fuel system if something other than gas got into it! You guys are great together keep it up.
Stay dirty...not that dirty tho.lol. i dont think your a bum pirate sailing the muddy waters to brown eye island. Ahh. Got to make yourself laugh if noone else does
Glad to hear the White Wookie rebuild is still going. I'm rebuilding the bottom end (for the first time) of my R32 and have been watching to get an idea of what I am doing. Thanks for all the great content! Best of luck!
Good Luck sir. May everything work out well for you and your family. I was an ASE Master tech in a former life, service writer, assistant service manager and now totally out of the automotive business. I miss some aspects of the business but in spite of some hard times, I am happy to be out of the dealership environment.
Congrats man. It is always a hard thing to make a decision like this but as they say, "nothing ventured, nothing gained." We'll support you and excited to see what the future holds.
Congrats man! Very happy for you. Having your passion as a career and doing something you love is the best move you can make! Best of luck in the future, and thanks for sharing your wealth of knowledge.
Excellent news and best of luck to your future. You ultimately have to do what's best for you and your family. Glad to see another one make it out of the garage and doing something you love to do.
I am a Subaru mechanic and I think all you VW mechanics are nuts. I love it, I love watching your show, and I wish you the best in this direction you're going in!
A Huge step forward. From someone who has worked at the dealer, owned my own business, worked at independent shops and done lots of side work, sorry no YT or FB or IG, I sorta understand the thought process of leaving a secure work environment. Good luck, you did not say you were doing customer pay at home but I assume you will. Sometimes fixing the car is the easy part, running the business aspect of the business the hard part. Good luck. I am 68, still pulling wrenches and also starting a new job. I will follow your progress.
Well thank you for all your years of input and commitment to the automotive trade and also for helping us dealer techs understand and become better technicians ✌🏼👍🏼
It's interesting to see this kind of move while literally everyone else on TH-cam complains that they cannot survive with doing TH-cam alone since the recent changes Google introduced to TH-cam. I wish you all the best and luck in succeeding with your project of full time TH-cam. And thank your for everything you have done so far!
Like everyone else i wish you good look. Must say you have some Cojones to do the move when everyone else is moaning that they can barely make any money.
That's totally awesome that you have made this jump. Everyone has been taken into consideration. Family is number one. Congratulations to a new step in life. You have made me a better TECH. THANK YOU SO MUCH.....
I agree with the fella who mentioned your own shop. A good vw tech is worth a lot to someone who can't afford the dealership. Your knowledge is so valuable to others and i really appreciate that you're more than happy to share the vw/ humble mechanic knowledge with all of us. Can't wait to see what thing brings us!
Good for you I'm glad you made the decision to do what's right for you! as far as your videos I think it's important that you explain why you do what you do ! The why is always more critical than the how. You're a good guy and no matter what you do for the rest of your life I'm sure you'll be a success at it!!!!!
Sounds like you made the right choice! And I think you have a huge presence in the online automotive world. I'm a GM truck guy and I love learning about these little car engines and other VW stuff. I enjoy the tool reviews and real world tech tips!
Good luck, Charles! The important thing is all the reasons you listed as to why you're making the switch are all the right reasons, and no one else knows those better than you! Even though I'm a MK1 guy (I'm older, so all of my VWs were MK1s - I currently own a '92 Cabriolet), and would obviously like to see more stuff applicable to me, I still love most everything you put out. Keep up the good work!
it's hard to know what's going to be good content these days. Repair videos are ok but there's a lot of competition now. Project videos aren't always relatable to the average viewer. Will be interesting to see what you come up with. Your collaboration vids have always stood out for me.
Watching this video after a year, it’s amazing to learn that TH-cam pays more than a regular paying job. Honestly, kudos to you and Google to bring out the best of the individuals such as yourself. Wish you all the best!
you are not making a bad choice for doing youtube humble mechanic channel, i can assure you that your channel will grow more and more. I thank you for all of the hard work and dedication and god bless
Congratulations! About 9 months ago I retired from a dealership.. and then a better job (with less pay) with less stress landed in my lap. Still working but much happier. I came to your channel for tool reviews.. some of the VW stuff was interesting, but not really applicable to my job or fleet. My suggestion would be to keep things varied or at least balanced. Good luck man.. keep it up.
Thank you. I am glad you found something better for yourself. Also thanks for the feedback. I Am going to do my best to make the show amazing. Everyone may not love every video, but everyone should find some value.
urjb I couldn't agree more. I watch for mechanic info in general and VW stuff I am less interested in. However I would think that your base is over 50% Vw so......
Hey man I've been dealership tech for 9 years. I started watching your channel about a year ago before I left the dealership. What I love about your channel was about being flat rate tech and knows about the dealership life especially being on the service side. You gave great insights about flat rate and alot of tips especially time management and when you and engineering explained relations between the tech and engineer i loved that episode. I always liked that and similar too you I quit (9 months ago) and now turning all my focus to college life it's different and hard but I like the challenge (similar going to training but less money lol). I hope the nothing but the best for you I'll still be a subscriber love your channel excited what's going to come out next!
I relay do enjoy most of you're content but I've always wished that you would apply you're knowledge to other brands then VW. I think this relay would make for a growth in audience and also make the current audience happy. Good luck and I'm looking forward to all the future content from you!
+William Mohr thank you. :) One of my goals is to branch out for a broader net of content and also a more laser focused one. I stick to vw because it's what I know. But that's gonna change
William Mohr its very hard for a dealer tech to move between brands while im able to move between brands because of my experience most of the guys i work with have never worked on anything other than vw and struggle with other cars
I can agree to this. I worked for Toyota, Ford, and GM. At GM I moved into a reconditioning shop where we worked on EVERY brand but when we had problems and needed master tech intervention on off brand cars they would freak out because it wasn't a GM brand. I always had to tell them "just ignore the body on the frame, talk to me about how the system works and lets figure this out." simply because it was not the same car you see every day doesn't mean you can't fall back on that ASE level training and remember how the systems work so you can identify what the problem probably is then we can hit up all data and find the associated parts and if we are lucky electrical connector diagrams and troubleshooting tips. It also helps to have friends at other stores that can help you access the manuals for that car.
I can already see a fantastic 4 bay shop with a Humble Mechanic sign and Charles on his local news as the go to car tech. You would kill it with your great personality, work ethic, etc. Your brand has huge potential and I wish you the best!
Hey Charles. It takes some big chestnuts to walk away from a job like you had to persue your next big career and I fully support your decision. I also envy you for that. Good luck to you and looking forward to some more excellent content!
Looking forward to more "humble mechanic" . I think your making a great decision for you personally and your family. Fact is you are fully trained so if need be you always have that in your back pocket if needed. All the best man. Going to be a exciting week for you I bet! Happy for ya!
I love your videos and I'm happy to see more content from you. I just hope you will make as much or more money then your dealership money but I think this is awesome that now your really doing what you love now
This is going to be awesome!! People like you is what made this community what it has become. Engine internal work and tips and tricks by an experience VW mechanic like you will be amazing.
Always have a contingency plan my Friend. TH-cam isn't the whole answer to financial security. In fact, it's financial insecurity when you see the trends on here as of late with Advertisers pulling out and videos being tagged "inappropriate" for all audiences and there for being demonetized. Have a bigger plan where TH-cam is but a stepping stone to a greater way of life for you and your family. I wish you all the best in your new chapter! Zip~
+ZippoVarga thanks for the kind words. I treat YT as a part of revenue not the only part. In fact it's a middle part as far as income stream. Between CrewMembers, teaching, sponsorship and a few more it's all good. If any one of those go away we will be all good.
I knew you had your bases covered my Friend. I wish you all the best in the coming venture. It's scary sometimes to make change, but often, change is just what's needed to move forward. Between you and Eric, you guys are treasures of TH-cam. Keep on keepin on! Zip~
Congrats Charles! It's a bold move to go from the safe & secure world to doing your own thing--I've got nothing but respect for you. The entrepreneurial thing is terrifying and rewarding at the same time and is worth it in the long run. Suggestions for your channel: there are lots of "parts hangers" out there, and somebody of your caliber should emphasize the importance of diagnostics to make sure we fix the right thing the first time. Keep taking us through the "whys" of what you're doing. Also, please post somewhere if you decide to eventually open an independent shop locally. As someone from "your neighborhood" I would be glad to patronize your endeavor.
HumbleMechanic enjoy it though! And if you're selling the box I'd love to maybe look into buying it and any extra tools always looking for some good tools
Wow. This is brave and dedicated. Is youtube enough of an income generator, or does such a choice mean that you need to have sponsors on board? Anyway, best wishes from Norway!
I started watching because of your tool review so when you bring home your box maybe a toolbox tour and do reviews of tool people ask about in the comments
best of luck to you Charles, it's a big decision to make, as a full time tech, I love the tool reviews. it's so easy to get the blinders on to the tool trucks, and forget their is a whole market out there to select from
have you spoken with ETCG? he is trying to get more views as in appearance his audience is not liking what he is doing with the Fairmont. Also I hope you do some collab repair with other mechanics or even a crazy build challenge like b is for build
Whatever videos you make Charles, may they be ones that are fun and satisfying for you. Sincerely wishing you all the best. From a happy subscriber in Australia 😀
I love the technical detail always included in your videos, always nerd out on proper specs and procedures for doing the job right the first time. keep up the good work, looking forward to more videos.
It's a gremlin snatcher... when it comes across a gremlin messing with a car it pops out of his beard super quick and snatches up the gremlins... Most cars have gremlins.
your horizons will expand immensely now that you're outside of the dealership I wish you the best of luck. I'm third generation in this trade and one lesson I was taught for the beginning was no matter how much you know there's always more to learn
Congrats man. I have a 2012 Passat with a 2.5l with over 200k. I almost got rid of it because of a ton of bad vw press and because of u I kept it. No big prods at all and still runs like new. U saved me a ton of cash. Congrats. Looking forward to see what u do with ur new gig.
Hey Buddy. I think what you are doing is awesome it was a pleasure working with you and seeing a real mechanic at work. Thanks for all the awesome videos....let me know if you want to do a segment on cnc or 3d printing! Erik F.
I enjoy the real information you present. I have a BS in Auto Technology and 15 years with Mitsubishi from line mechanic, parts, warranty administration to service manger. I use channels like yours to stay in the loop and still learn new things all the time. I would like to see you address real upgrades, things the manufacturer chose price point over performance / longevity. Not fake upgrades like "this magnet will increase power and fuel mileage" but real practical upgrades.
Best of luck, I don't even own a vw group auto any longer, but still watch this channel. Hopefully you won't get too sponsor driven and sell us on what truthfully works, like you always hav. Appreciate you dude, bearded wonder!
I can watch your general repairs/maitenance vids all day long. The videos with tips for the junkyard are also very helpfull. My best wishes for you man!
Todd McCarter what do you guys think the cause of Eric's issues are? I feel like like I've been doing a lot of talking and not a lot of working lately. So I'm primed to get back to getting dirty. I mean Staying Dirty. Lol
HumbleMechanic Honestly I think he is gone way to in depth with his project car with too little other content, especially considering how much of a departure it is from what he used to do. Granted you will likely stick with VW stuff, I really think the only way the same thing would happen to you is if you sold the white cookie to start a year or two long Honda project. All I really meant by that is I know you are laying it all on the line and I hope it goes better then you hope it could!
Best of luck Brother. I actually started liking Vw/ Audis because of you, and recently purchased a B7. 😆 ill be going back to your old videos on the fsi lol. We know you will do great. Cant wait to see what you have in store.
Humble mechanic looks like a awesome guy who always makes great shit! Lol. But be careful with the white wookie. Erics havin issues with the fairmont project right now
+trollaphobic thanks. I think the thing Eric is dealing with is legit. And real!! Projects like that always take way longer than they should. The tv shows have made it seem like it's only 30 minutes. I'm trying to learn from it and make sure I give you guys what you want.
Been watching the channel for a little while now. To hear you leave the dealership was a lil bit of a shock to me especially with all the youtube screwing going on, but from what ive read so far you got yourself covered. I truely hope the best for you and your family in this adventure. It will be interesting to see the channel grow and expand, and to see what ideas that you come up with the channel in the future. Stay humble my friend.
Thought that was a razor in his hand @8:29. Almost unsubscribed! hahaha, kidding, of course. Go buy a Mk4 TDI wagon and make some videos on that! congratulations on having the faith in yourself to make this decision. Best of luck!
First off, I wish you the best of luck with this. :) I'm not a VW guy, never even driven one but I subscribed and watch for the "tech" stuff. I spent over a decade as a field tech working on equipment and I enjoy your videos about what it's like to be a technician and the challenges we work with. I hope you keep up the videos about working in this industry.
+Gregory Twig I don't follow. I am pretty sure ETCG didn't make the same switch I did. He started YT stuff after working at the dealer. I am sure I'll have bumps in the road in some capacity. I personally do much better while I'm losing. I like the pressure and thrive on the doubt people have in my. On that note, what type of content do you want to see?
HumbleMechanic just keep doing what you're doing, not too many project videos as that's only limited to a small circle of viewers but stuff that is helpfull. good luck, if all fails crawl back to VW lol
Congratulations man!! It's a big leap, I'm sure. I have only recently subscribed a few months ago. I've been watching a lot of your previous videos and I'm learning a lot. Judging from the quality of your previous content I'm really looking forward to the future of your channel!!
Charles Sir,You have always been an inspiration for a tool guy like me who likes to get his hands dirty in oil and grease.Its because of you that I have started to notice little nuances in automotive work.You're doing a noble job by sharing your knowledge in a world where technicians want to keep trade secrets.After this decision of yours,my respect for you has increased by folds.A salute to you for being courageous to do what you actually enjoy and are passionate about.
Thanks for showing us that working on VW's isn't scarey. We love to watch you do something so we know the small tricks that make the difference between giving up and making it done. A pay for use helpline would also be great to solve those puzzles that can't be solved watching youtube and searching the forums. A change in the road isn't the end of the road. Drive on.
I wish you luck in your endeavors, and I will enjoy watching the transition to full freedom of expression without any corporate censorship shackles. I fully understand and respect your decision and will be pulling for you.
Hey Charles, man its best to do what you love most. I became a master vw technician and shop foreman this year after 18 years. Hope your new journey is just as fun. Good luck.
you're amazing, Charles! i want to see a video on changing bits and pieces on a vw. i want to change my horn because I'm not a fan of how flat the sound is. keep doing what you do, you have helped me increase my love for cars with every video
I'm looking forward to more of the Wookie build. I also like the junkyard videos because I'm a junkyard picker too. Keep up the good work and I have to admire your always positive attitude!
Congratulations!! I've stumbled upon your vids while watching EE and immediately subscribed. I enjoy learning and you've got a great deal of knowledge to share. So I'm happy for us all, and know you'll be awesome as always!
the best of luck to you and with you Charles, this channel is awesome and has helped me at my last job when we had a run of VWs coming in, I thank you for your help and advice
glad to see you doing what you think is best! I had to resign from my job last month too... new owner was a nightmare, and even though the customers were extremely important it was my sanity and happiness that needed to be first. Will be wishing you the best in your next ventures!
look forward to your channel " expanding " . Started watching you back in 2014 when I obtained a 2014 Beetle TDI loaded with manual trans........forward to 2017 buyback moved me to a Mini Cooper coupe. Always enjoy your knowledge and ease in explaining the how and why. Hope this new venture works well, maybe you and Edd China can work together, but I am sure you have something great coming my way.
I liked your salvage/junk yard videos. I have a base model Golf Mk5 and would love to see videos on taking higher spec parts and putting them in cars a low spec car. Best of luck with it all!
Good luck man, lets keep this party going and take it to the next level. I swear though, every video I watch I keep thinking, damn did he have that many subs in the last one? This channel is growing so fast, its awesome.
I wish you the best of luck charles! have been following you for some time and as a fellow vw/audi/skoda/seat tech it's been very interessting to watch so many of your videos and sharing all of your knowledge, thank you and keep up the good work!
Hey Charles you're the man! I left my dealer as well but jumped into a low speed independent shop to get a break from the high speed pace of rolling 10-15 cars a day in and out as fast as possible. I enjoy the break but at the same time now I'm dealing even more with having to work on a huge variety of cars! I text you the other day on the facebook page about that Jetta with the pink crap in the gas tank and even though you didn't know what it was it was super helpful that you didn't know because now I was able to start testing for various chemicals. Turns out it was coolant. No idea how it got in there short of someone being a jerk or an idiot but knowing that a master tech had never seen it meant to me that it wasn't common and I was able to use that information to start my diagnosis tree. Unfortunately the customer was not willing to pay to have everything cleaned up and parts replaced due to cost and the fact he ran the engine for so long with that chemical running as his "gas" but at least I was able to use your information to determine what had gone wrong and that in my memory bank is experience I can use in the future. TL;DR Thank you for this channel, the blog, and the facebook page. Your knowledge and interaction helps me a lot to figure out things I see rarely but need to know how to fix.
Humble mechanic, this is awesome news, I'm very glad to hear this is going to be your focus. If you ever get a chance to come to New Jersey I've got a few water cooled and air cooled projects happening that would make cool content for the channel. You could start a segment showcasing the crazy VW builds across the states!
Congratulations. I'm sure it wasn't an easy decision. I assume you'll continue your knowledge in VW and reading tech papers and keeping on top of things. You've shared so much information with us. Thanks for that.
Good luck man. I' m an independent certified tech. I care about what i do, but i only see the occasional VW come through my shop. The information you have provided has been reliable and accurate. You will never know how much time you have saved me, or how much you have enabled me to sound like i really know new Vw's when the truth is that it's not something i do everyday.
Congrats on a very difficult but hopefully fruitful decision, Charles! I love the passion and genuine interest you have in all the videos you post, and I look forward to more of that!
You gotta do what you want,your videos are good as is your expertise.I have a 2015 golf tsi,really nothing of significance has gone wrong,my owner/dealer relationship has been superb.Keep doing what you are passionate about,it's less like "work".
Best of luck with your decision, I can't wait for the new style content! For me, I'd really like to see some car fix hacks - the ways a pro saves time to do those jobs that usually take forever. Also, I'd love your take on how to deal with a dealership when our cars are in for repair. The lines they feed you, the scams, how to know you're at a good dealer etc etc.
Deploy and grow :) I've been watching your shows for a while, and I was wondering why you were still working at a VW dealership. Your knowledge is beyond the skill of a std dealer mechanic. I wish you all the best on your new journey!! Keep us viewers posted with your intelligence and experiences!!!
If you cover the things that are bass ackwards between EU and the world and keep up on those year to year you will always be relevant and a valuable asset on TH-cam. Best of luck to you. Subbed.
You're the man Charles! Love you buddy, and looking forward to more videos with you over the years!
+Engineering Explained love ya brother. Thanks for all the support and guidance over the years.
I'll always remember fateful day on the shell bus. Lol
If it weren't for Engineering Explained I wouldn't even know about your Charles! He had you as a guest and I came here aftewards to see what was up! Your partnership was great even if it only gained you 1 extra subscriber!
+Nismomonkey lol thank you. EE is the man. It's always a blast to work with him.
You gotta love a guy who takes things apart and shows you exactly how they work! Your video with him on gas in a diesel car was the first I saw of you and I still remember and refer to it to this day whenever anyone asks about what happens when that occurs. Heck I referred to it the other day when I found coolant in that Jetta tank because you did mention how to clean out a gasoline engine fuel system if something other than gas got into it! You guys are great together keep it up.
Actually, come to think of it I think EE is how I ended up here and never left too! LoL
You're so handsome.
EricTheCarGuy bahahahahah 😂
A little jealous are we Eric? Both you guys are the best!
EricTheCarGuy Dude!
Stay dirty...not that dirty tho.lol. i dont think your a bum pirate sailing the muddy waters to brown eye island. Ahh. Got to make yourself laugh if noone else does
EricTheCarGuy i
I think you should ultimately work towards owning your own garage, that way if youtube goes sideways you still have a solid income! Best of luck Man!
+Eric Campbell thanks for the well wishes. It's definitely not out of the question ;)
I agree with Eric Campbell,
+Hammond Auto LLC :)
yep, me too!
That sound like a realy good and amazing idea
Glad to hear the White Wookie rebuild is still going. I'm rebuilding the bottom end (for the first time) of my R32 and have been watching to get an idea of what I am doing. Thanks for all the great content!
Best of luck!
NICE! Thank you. I am ready to get her back on the road. I miss that car LOL
Good Luck sir. May everything work out well for you and your family. I was an ASE Master tech in a former life, service writer, assistant service manager and now totally out of the automotive business. I miss some aspects of the business but in spite of some hard times, I am happy to be out of the dealership environment.
Congrats man. It is always a hard thing to make a decision like this but as they say, "nothing ventured, nothing gained." We'll support you and excited to see what the future holds.
+DoctaM3 thank you. :)
Congrats man! Very happy for you. Having your passion as a career and doing something you love is the best move you can make! Best of luck in the future, and thanks for sharing your wealth of knowledge.
Excellent news and best of luck to your future. You ultimately have to do what's best for you and your family. Glad to see another one make it out of the garage and doing something you love to do.
You are really awesome Charles, and I wish you the best I can imagine. You simply rock
+Mattia Dalla Pozza thank you so so much. :)
Good luck Charles! I'm excited to see how this improves your channel!
+subaruwrxfan thanks dude.
AMAZING NEWS!!! Cant wait to see what comes next.
I am a Subaru mechanic and I think all you VW mechanics are nuts. I love it, I love watching your show, and I wish you the best in this direction you're going in!
A Huge step forward. From someone who has worked at the dealer, owned my own business, worked at independent shops and done lots of side work, sorry no YT or FB or IG, I sorta understand the thought process of leaving a secure work environment. Good luck, you did not say you were doing customer pay at home but I assume you will. Sometimes fixing the car is the easy part, running the business aspect of the business the hard part. Good luck. I am 68, still pulling wrenches and also starting a new job. I will follow your progress.
Well thank you for all your years of input and commitment to the automotive trade and also for helping us dealer techs understand and become better technicians ✌🏼👍🏼
So Humble Mechanic full time now? Good luck!
Yep... It's time for things to get real real! LOL
It's interesting to see this kind of move while literally everyone else on TH-cam complains that they cannot survive with doing TH-cam alone since the recent changes Google introduced to TH-cam.
I wish you all the best and luck in succeeding with your project of full time TH-cam. And thank your for everything you have done so far!
Like everyone else i wish you good look. Must say you have some Cojones to do the move when everyone else is moaning that they can barely make any money.
That's totally awesome that you have made this jump. Everyone has been taken into consideration. Family is number one. Congratulations to a new step in life. You have made me a better TECH. THANK YOU SO MUCH.....
How bitter sweet brother. Hugs.
Very much so.. Thanks my dude.
I agree with the fella who mentioned your own shop. A good vw tech is worth a lot to someone who can't afford the dealership. Your knowledge is so valuable to others and i really appreciate that you're more than happy to share the vw/ humble mechanic knowledge with all of us.
Can't wait to see what thing brings us!
Good for you I'm glad you made the decision to do what's right for you! as far as your videos I think it's important that you explain why you do what you do ! The why is always more critical than the how.
You're a good guy and no matter what you do for the rest of your life I'm sure you'll be a success at it!!!!!
Sounds like you made the right choice! And I think you have a huge presence in the online automotive world. I'm a GM truck guy and I love learning about these little car engines and other VW stuff. I enjoy the tool reviews and real world tech tips!
congrats to you. I look forward to the future content you produce.
Good luck, Charles! The important thing is all the reasons you listed as to why you're making the switch are all the right reasons, and no one else knows those better than you! Even though I'm a MK1 guy (I'm older, so all of my VWs were MK1s - I currently own a '92 Cabriolet), and would obviously like to see more stuff applicable to me, I still love most everything you put out. Keep up the good work!
+Gregory Smith I'd love to get another mk1 at some point. I miss my Cabby.
good luck to ya. The time is right to step out and see how the fulltime HM works 👍
it's hard to know what's going to be good content these days. Repair videos are ok but there's a lot of competition now. Project videos aren't always relatable to the average viewer. Will be interesting to see what you come up with. Your collaboration vids have always stood out for me.
Watching this video after a year, it’s amazing to learn that TH-cam pays more than a regular paying job. Honestly, kudos to you and Google to bring out the best of the individuals such as yourself. Wish you all the best!
you are not making a bad choice for doing youtube humble mechanic channel, i can assure you that your channel will grow more and more. I thank you for all of the hard work and dedication and god bless
Congratulations! About 9 months ago I retired from a dealership.. and then a better job (with less pay) with less stress landed in my lap. Still working but much happier.
I came to your channel for tool reviews.. some of the VW stuff was interesting, but not really applicable to my job or fleet. My suggestion would be to keep things varied or at least balanced. Good luck man.. keep it up.
Thank you. I am glad you found something better for yourself.
Also thanks for the feedback. I Am going to do my best to make the show amazing. Everyone may not love every video, but everyone should find some value.
urjb I couldn't agree more. I watch for mechanic info in general and VW stuff I am less interested in. However I would think that your base is over 50% Vw so......
I'm 35 been doing this for 15 years and I'm about to walk out of this business. There's no money anymore just more stress every year.
Hey man I've been dealership tech for 9 years. I started watching your channel about a year ago before I left the dealership. What I love about your channel was about being flat rate tech and knows about the dealership life especially being on the service side. You gave great insights about flat rate and alot of tips especially time management and when you and engineering explained relations between the tech and engineer i loved that episode. I always liked that and similar too you I quit (9 months ago) and now turning all my focus to college life it's different and hard but I like the challenge (similar going to training but less money lol). I hope the nothing but the best for you I'll still be a subscriber love your channel excited what's going to come out next!
I relay do enjoy most of you're content but I've always wished that you would apply you're knowledge to other brands then VW. I think this relay would make for a growth in audience and also make the current audience happy. Good luck and I'm looking forward to all the future content from you!
+William Mohr thank you. :)
One of my goals is to branch out for a broader net of content and also a more laser focused one.
I stick to vw because it's what I know. But that's gonna change
William Mohr its very hard for a dealer tech to move between brands while im able to move between brands because of my experience most of the guys i work with have never worked on anything other than vw and struggle with other cars
I can agree to this. I worked for Toyota, Ford, and GM. At GM I moved into a reconditioning shop where we worked on EVERY brand but when we had problems and needed master tech intervention on off brand cars they would freak out because it wasn't a GM brand. I always had to tell them "just ignore the body on the frame, talk to me about how the system works and lets figure this out." simply because it was not the same car you see every day doesn't mean you can't fall back on that ASE level training and remember how the systems work so you can identify what the problem probably is then we can hit up all data and find the associated parts and if we are lucky electrical connector diagrams and troubleshooting tips. It also helps to have friends at other stores that can help you access the manuals for that car.
I can already see a fantastic 4 bay shop with a Humble Mechanic sign and Charles on his local news as the go to car tech. You would kill it with your great personality, work ethic, etc. Your brand has huge potential and I wish you the best!
+kode3 thank you. I have a handful of ideas for the future. ;)
Hey Charles. It takes some big chestnuts to walk away from a job like you had to persue your next big career and I fully support your decision. I also envy you for that. Good luck to you and looking forward to some more excellent content!
+Classic G-Body Garage thanks dude!!!
Looking forward to more "humble mechanic" . I think your making a great decision for you personally and your family. Fact is you are fully trained so if need be you always have that in your back pocket if needed. All the best man. Going to be a exciting week for you I bet! Happy for ya!
I love your videos and I'm happy to see more content from you. I just hope you will make as much or more money then your dealership money but I think this is awesome that now your really doing what you love now
Thank you! I am excited to have you along for the ride.
Your welcome and I'm excited to see what you have in store for us!
Dude I'm excited to see that white wookie project get finished! Good luck making the channel full time.
Godspeed Charles!
:) Thank you
im willing to be an investor in your shop.
Serob Zetilyan x2 on investment
Joel Lopez X3 I'm in on the investing idea. Set up a C-Corp and sell private shares.
This is going to be awesome!! People like you is what made this community what it has become.
Engine internal work and tips and tricks by an experience VW mechanic like you will be amazing.
Always have a contingency plan my Friend. TH-cam isn't the whole answer to financial security. In fact, it's financial insecurity when you see the trends on here as of late with Advertisers pulling out and videos being tagged "inappropriate" for all audiences and there for being demonetized. Have a bigger plan where TH-cam is but a stepping stone to a greater way of life for you and your family. I wish you all the best in your new chapter! Zip~
+ZippoVarga thanks for the kind words. I treat YT as a part of revenue not the only part. In fact it's a middle part as far as income stream. Between CrewMembers, teaching, sponsorship and a few more it's all good. If any one of those go away we will be all good.
I knew you had your bases covered my Friend. I wish you all the best in the coming venture. It's scary sometimes to make change, but often, change is just what's needed to move forward. Between you and Eric, you guys are treasures of TH-cam. Keep on keepin on! Zip~
Congrats Charles! It's a bold move to go from the safe & secure world to doing your own thing--I've got nothing but respect for you. The entrepreneurial thing is terrifying and rewarding at the same time and is worth it in the long run.
Suggestions for your channel: there are lots of "parts hangers" out there, and somebody of your caliber should emphasize the importance of diagnostics to make sure we fix the right thing the first time. Keep taking us through the "whys" of what you're doing.
Also, please post somewhere if you decide to eventually open an independent shop locally. As someone from "your neighborhood" I would be glad to patronize your endeavor.
Follow your path 👍
Bittersweet but support you tons Charles ! Glad to see you living your dreams !
That is a very good way to put it. I am guessing Wednesday will be emotional for me. LOL
HumbleMechanic enjoy it though! And if you're selling the box I'd love to maybe look into buying it and any extra tools always looking for some good tools
Wow. This is brave and dedicated. Is youtube enough of an income generator, or does such a choice mean that you need to have sponsors on board? Anyway, best wishes from Norway!
Yay!! Go Charles. To do what you love, and grew from day one, full time is more rewarding than anything!! Best of luck, friend.
I started watching because of your tool review so when you bring home your box maybe a toolbox tour and do reviews of tool people ask about in the comments
+Garrett Arney I already shot the red box tour. l just haven't done the editing.
That's a great idea on the reviews. Thanks for that. :)
Awesome man can't wait to see it whenever you get it out
best of luck to you Charles, it's a big decision to make, as a full time tech, I love the tool reviews. it's so easy to get the blinders on to the tool trucks, and forget their is a whole market out there to select from
have you spoken with ETCG? he is trying to get more views as in appearance his audience is not liking what he is doing with the Fairmont. Also I hope you do some collab repair with other mechanics or even a crazy build challenge like b is for build
Whatever videos you make Charles, may they be ones that are fun and satisfying for you. Sincerely wishing you all the best. From a happy subscriber in Australia 😀
how did you start in the car idustry?
+kevin fuentes my first job in the industry was selling cars. Lol
Ahhhhhh cool
Enoying the videos, to thumbs up
I love the technical detail always included in your videos, always nerd out on proper specs and procedures for doing the job right the first time. keep up the good work, looking forward to more videos.
I wanna see what's in that beard.
The Mechanic OC 😂
A bird in there. Every time Charles tries to eat something the bird pops out and steals his food.
It's a gremlin snatcher... when it comes across a gremlin messing with a car it pops out of his beard super quick and snatches up the gremlins... Most cars have gremlins.
your horizons will expand immensely now that you're outside of the dealership I wish you the best of luck. I'm third generation in this trade and one lesson I was taught for the beginning was no matter how much you know there's always more to learn
Thanks for the kind words. :)
You made the correct choice. Not many mechanic or techs actually retire.
Thank you.
Congrats man. I have a 2012 Passat with a 2.5l with over 200k. I almost got rid of it because of a ton of bad vw press and because of u I kept it. No big prods at all and still runs like new. U saved me a ton of cash. Congrats. Looking forward to see what u do with ur new gig.
I will always pick self employment over working for someone else. Congrats...
Hey Buddy. I think what you are doing is awesome it was a pleasure working with you and seeing a real mechanic at work. Thanks for all the awesome videos....let me know if you want to do a segment on cnc or 3d printing! Erik F.
+EdwardThomasCigar thank you sir!!!
Put a LS engine in a vdub bug from the 60-70's
I enjoy the real information you present. I have a BS in Auto Technology and 15 years with Mitsubishi from line mechanic, parts, warranty administration to service manger. I use channels like yours to stay in the loop and still learn new things all the time. I would like to see you address real upgrades, things the manufacturer chose price point over performance / longevity. Not fake upgrades like "this magnet will increase power and fuel mileage" but real practical upgrades.
When you gotta go...you gotta go!
+BobtheBstrd He ain't fixin' it lol
HumbleMechanic I made a similar choice 12 years ago when I left the trade! Haven't looked back since...go for it!
+BobtheBstrd He ain't fixin' it nice! It's definitely a mixed emotions kind thing for me
Best of luck, I don't even own a vw group auto any longer, but still watch this channel. Hopefully you won't get too sponsor driven and sell us on what truthfully works, like you always hav. Appreciate you dude, bearded wonder!
yup it's full of oil filters you never installed 😂😂😂
HAHHAHA
87vdubman I have tons of never installed parts in my tool box. Saves me ass sometimes
I can watch your general repairs/maitenance vids all day long. The videos with tips for the junkyard are also very helpfull. My best wishes for you man!
+Julio Padron thanks for the feedback and kind words. I'm actually trying to nail down a ton more of those videos. :)
I think this could be really great for you, I just hope this doesn't go for you the way it seems to have been going for Eric the car guy lately
Todd McCarter Yea thats exactly what I was thinking
Todd McCarter what do you guys think the cause of Eric's issues are?
I feel like like I've been doing a lot of talking and not a lot of working lately. So I'm primed to get back to getting dirty. I mean Staying Dirty. Lol
HumbleMechanic Honestly I think he is gone way to in depth with his project car with too little other content, especially considering how much of a departure it is from what he used to do. Granted you will likely stick with VW stuff, I really think the only way the same thing would happen to you is if you sold the white cookie to start a year or two long Honda project. All I really meant by that is I know you are laying it all on the line and I hope it goes better then you hope it could!
What's up with Eric the Car Guy?
sachelle babbar he's loosing views
dude, awesome, great for you! so happy to see you move on. you are a model for all of us techs. You made the right decision! As should all of us!
ahhh first dibs!!
HAHAH LOVE IT!
what we need... ALL OF THE DIBS!
Best of luck Brother. I actually started liking Vw/ Audis because of you, and recently purchased a B7. 😆
ill be going back to your old videos on the fsi lol.
We know you will do great. Cant wait to see what you have in store.
I really appreciate the support. :)
Benjamin Dover you bought into the German quality crap. If you want worry free motoring, with no mechanic involment get a real car get a Toyota
Humble mechanic looks like a awesome guy who always makes great shit! Lol. But be careful with the white wookie. Erics havin issues with the fairmont project right now
+trollaphobic thanks. I think the thing Eric is dealing with is legit. And real!!
Projects like that always take way longer than they should. The tv shows have made it seem like it's only 30 minutes.
I'm trying to learn from it and make sure I give you guys what you want.
TV makes it look easy. Yeah, I'd be plenty careful with that, given if it were me in the same position.
Been watching the channel for a little while now. To hear you leave the dealership was a lil bit of a shock to me especially with all the youtube screwing going on, but from what ive read so far you got yourself covered. I truely hope the best for you and your family in this adventure. It will be interesting to see the channel grow and expand, and to see what ideas that you come up with the channel in the future. Stay humble my friend.
Thought that was a razor in his hand @8:29. Almost unsubscribed! hahaha, kidding, of course. Go buy a Mk4 TDI wagon and make some videos on that! congratulations on having the faith in yourself to make this decision. Best of luck!
+calebdeanusmc hahaha. I was fidgeting with a cellphone tripod mount.
Mm mk4 TDI WAGON. 😍
Hell yea! ALH for life. Seriously for life. Because they last forever. Like herpes but with better gas mileage.
calebdeanusmc so much yes to this TDI project!
First off, I wish you the best of luck with this. :) I'm not a VW guy, never even driven one but I subscribed and watch for the "tech" stuff. I spent over a decade as a field tech working on equipment and I enjoy your videos about what it's like to be a technician and the challenges we work with. I hope you keep up the videos about working in this industry.
don't turn into Eric the car guy lol
he is looking views because he did the same thing, learn from his mistakes
loosing
+Gregory Twig I don't follow. I am pretty sure ETCG didn't make the same switch I did. He started YT stuff after working at the dealer.
I am sure I'll have bumps in the road in some capacity. I personally do much better while I'm losing. I like the pressure and thrive on the doubt people have in my.
On that note, what type of content do you want to see?
HumbleMechanic just keep doing what you're doing, not too many project videos as that's only limited to a small circle of viewers but stuff that is helpfull. good luck, if all fails crawl back to VW lol
HumbleMechanic his views went down after he stopped repairing cars for a living
Congratulations man!! It's a big leap, I'm sure. I have only recently subscribed a few months ago. I've been watching a lot of your previous videos and I'm learning a lot. Judging from the quality of your previous content I'm really looking forward to the future of your channel!!
+Josh Beall thank you so much for the kind words and support. :)
Charles Sir,You have always been an inspiration for a tool guy like me who likes to get his hands dirty in oil and grease.Its because of you that I have started to notice little nuances in automotive work.You're doing a noble job by sharing your knowledge in a world where technicians want to keep trade secrets.After this decision of yours,my respect for you has increased by folds.A salute to you for being courageous to do what you actually enjoy and are passionate about.
Thanks for showing us that working on VW's isn't scarey. We love to watch you do something so we know the small tricks that make the difference between giving up and making it done. A pay for use helpline would also be great to solve those puzzles that can't be solved watching youtube and searching the forums. A change in the road isn't the end of the road. Drive on.
I am in the works with a guy for a tech line type thing. I am not sure all the details yet, but something in the works for sure.
+HumbleMechanic
I like meoutwest idea a LOT, a consumer version of the factory VWoA
VW Tech Line! I'd gladly pay for that service.
I wish you luck in your endeavors, and I will enjoy watching the transition to full freedom of expression without any corporate censorship shackles. I fully understand and respect your decision and will be pulling for you.
Hey Charles, man its best to do what you love most. I became a master vw technician and shop foreman this year after 18 years. Hope your new journey is just as fun. Good luck.
+John Ansell congrats man. Glad to see your hard work pay off
you're amazing, Charles! i want to see a video on changing bits and pieces on a vw. i want to change my horn because I'm not a fan of how flat the sound is. keep doing what you do, you have helped me increase my love for cars with every video
+Samuel Chung thank you!!!
HumbleMechanic seriously. I'm literally going to work on my friends car today for the fourth day!
I'm looking forward to more of the Wookie build. I also like the junkyard videos because I'm a junkyard picker too.
Keep up the good work and I have to admire your always positive attitude!
Troubleshooting tricks and techniques are always good. Keep up the good work! Best of luck to you! I know I'll be here watching.
+Tom Mclain got more of that for sure. Oil leaks is going to be an early one. My Passat is leaking somewhere. Lol
Happy for you....
Whishing you the best in your new journey. I'll support one way or other.
Thank You Charles for all you have done !!! I'm not going anywhere I'll stick with you & follow you were ever you go.
Congratulations!! I've stumbled upon your vids while watching EE and immediately subscribed. I enjoy learning and you've got a great deal of knowledge to share. So I'm happy for us all, and know you'll be awesome as always!
+terrance edwards thank you so much. :)
Wow dude, sweet. I just saw your channel last month and am super pumped to see more. You rock! Party on.
the best of luck to you and with you Charles, this channel is awesome and has helped me at my last job when we had a run of VWs coming in, I thank you for your help and advice
You have saved me so much money that even my wife knows about your channel. Thank you for all your post and Best of luck!
glad to see you doing what you think is best! I had to resign from my job last month too... new owner was a nightmare, and even though the customers were extremely important it was my sanity and happiness that needed to be first. Will be wishing you the best in your next ventures!
look forward to your channel " expanding " . Started watching you back in 2014 when I obtained a 2014 Beetle TDI loaded with manual trans........forward to 2017 buyback moved me to a Mini Cooper coupe. Always enjoy your knowledge and ease in explaining the how and why. Hope this new venture works well, maybe you and Edd China can work together, but I am sure you have something great coming my way.
I liked your salvage/junk yard videos.
I have a base model Golf Mk5 and would love to see videos on taking higher spec parts and putting them in cars a low spec car.
Best of luck with it all!
Good luck man, lets keep this party going and take it to the next level. I swear though, every video I watch I keep thinking, damn did he have that many subs in the last one? This channel is growing so fast, its awesome.
I wish you the best of luck charles! have been following you for some time and as a fellow vw/audi/skoda/seat tech it's been very interessting to watch so many of your videos and sharing all of your knowledge,
thank you and keep up the good work!
Hey Charles you're the man! I left my dealer as well but jumped into a low speed independent shop to get a break from the high speed pace of rolling 10-15 cars a day in and out as fast as possible. I enjoy the break but at the same time now I'm dealing even more with having to work on a huge variety of cars! I text you the other day on the facebook page about that Jetta with the pink crap in the gas tank and even though you didn't know what it was it was super helpful that you didn't know because now I was able to start testing for various chemicals. Turns out it was coolant. No idea how it got in there short of someone being a jerk or an idiot but knowing that a master tech had never seen it meant to me that it wasn't common and I was able to use that information to start my diagnosis tree. Unfortunately the customer was not willing to pay to have everything cleaned up and parts replaced due to cost and the fact he ran the engine for so long with that chemical running as his "gas" but at least I was able to use your information to determine what had gone wrong and that in my memory bank is experience I can use in the future.
TL;DR Thank you for this channel, the blog, and the facebook page. Your knowledge and interaction helps me a lot to figure out things I see rarely but need to know how to fix.
Humble mechanic, this is awesome news, I'm very glad to hear this is going to be your focus. If you ever get a chance to come to New Jersey I've got a few water cooled and air cooled projects happening that would make cool content for the channel. You could start a segment showcasing the crazy VW builds across the states!
Good fortunes to you and a full on dive into HumbleMechanic and out of your VW era !!!
+Adam Shaiken thank you!
Congratulations. I'm sure it wasn't an easy decision. I assume you'll continue your knowledge in VW and reading tech papers and keeping on top of things. You've shared so much information with us. Thanks for that.
Good luck man. I' m an independent certified tech. I care about what i do, but i only see the occasional VW come through my shop. The information you have provided has been reliable and accurate. You will never know how much time you have saved me, or how much you have enabled me to sound like i really know new Vw's when the truth is that it's not something i do everyday.
Good luck brother and can't wait to see what the future holds for your channel!!
Congratulations man! Big decision, takes balls for sure. In the end you have to do what you feel you want to do most. Best of luck.
Congrats on a very difficult but hopefully fruitful decision, Charles! I love the passion and genuine interest you have in all the videos you post, and I look forward to more of that!
I wish you all the best for this new chapter in your life. I will certainly be supporting you and am exited to see how this progresses.
Stu
+TheStwat thank you!!! I appreciate it
You gotta do what you want,your videos are good as is your expertise.I have a 2015 golf tsi,really nothing of significance has gone wrong,my owner/dealer relationship has been superb.Keep doing what you are passionate about,it's less like "work".
Thank you Mike :)
Best of luck with your decision, I can't wait for the new style content! For me, I'd really like to see some car fix hacks - the ways a pro saves time to do those jobs that usually take forever. Also, I'd love your take on how to deal with a dealership when our cars are in for repair. The lines they feed you, the scams, how to know you're at a good dealer etc etc.
Deploy and grow :) I've been watching your shows for a while, and I was wondering why you were still working at a VW dealership. Your knowledge is beyond the skill of a std dealer mechanic.
I wish you all the best on your new journey!! Keep us viewers posted with your intelligence and experiences!!!
If you cover the things that are bass ackwards between EU and the world and keep up on those year to year you will always be relevant and a valuable asset on TH-cam. Best of luck to you. Subbed.
Thanks so much :)