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The technician who turned oil changes into master certifications—and negativity into a movement of positivity.

Curtis Gardner isn’t your typical technician. Starting out with oil changes after high school, Curtis worked his way up to Toyota master certification before taking on the German-engineering challenge at Audi. But what makes his story stand out isn’t just his technical chops—it’s his decision to flip the technician narrative from negativity and burnout to optimism, efficiency, and human connection.

In this conversation, Curtis shares how video inspections transformed not just his customer relationships, but his own career. From becoming “the guy” customers now ask for by name, to creating content that shines a positive light on technicians, Curtis is redefining what it means to thrive in fixed ops. If you’ve ever wondered how to solve the so-called technician shortage, why techs need self-leadership, or how tool organization can actually change shop efficiency, this is the episode for you.

Takeaways:

0:00 The hats don’t fit—but this episode does

1:00 Meet the first technician ever on Auto Collabs

2:15 From Legos to master-certified Toyota tech

3:40 Why Curtis started sharing technician content online

5:07 Video inspections: the tool that changed everything

7:20 How customers react when they finally see under their car

8:50 Becoming “my guy”: when customers start asking for you by name

10:15 Why Curtis makes Zen videos inside Audi hoods

11:45 Self-leadership: the hidden skill every tech needs

13:55 Is the technician shortage real—or just perception?

15:20 Why management isn’t always the best next step for master techs

17:00 Curtis’s vision for the service shop of the future

19:10 3D printing a better way to organize tools

21:15 The human connection that technology can’t replace

Connect with Curtis Gardner on https://www.linkedin.com/in/techgnarr/

Learn more about Techgnarr at https://stan.store/techgnarr

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