i was just thinking, maybe when you updated the site, Danny, you could include a member category for those who have tech experience or something. i thought there was a designation on the old site but maybe that's just my legendary horrible memory. anyway, just a thought. i'm not offended if you think it's a bad idea.
I like the idea, Galaxee. My only concern is the bona fides. How could Danny know a new member was a tech? The member says so? Or would this be a sort of communal vote of confidence, some how? I know there are a lot of people here who are not Toyota trained, but still know a whole lot about Prii.
hmm. i guess it would have to either be by confidence or proven somehow with a business card sent to Danny or something. anyone with toyota cert's has a toyota business card. if they don't have a business card they can supply some other verification if it's about being strict. a photo of their SPIN card or something. there are tons of toyota identifiers.
That's a good idea. We can have a "Ask a Toyota Tech" forum for those questions where we're really stumped lol... hmm.. or not.. never mind, scratch that.
don't we already have one of those, Tideland? :lol: i suppose we should include non-toyota techs too to be fair, i don't think frank works for toyota but he supplies great info. ase credential cards accepted too? hmm. maybe this is too complicated. i do not know. it was just an idea. thought i'd toss it out there.
I'll just throw this in, yes I work for a Toyota dealer, industrial Toyota but Toyota. I got my mechanics liscense in 1968, and have been a mechanic ever since. Lots of variation from GM to Toyota and most in between. And in a year and a bit I'm retiring from this rat race. The only time I wasn't working on cars trucks airplanes tractors was a year and a half I was working for a company that was building a 38' twin diesel tug boat. Yes I like steel and the ease you can work with it. Neat to see that grow from laying the keel to letting it slip down the ways. Most of the stuff that we see in the Prius is also somewhere in the industrial equipment. Regen, AC motors, Hall effect throttles you name it. We have it too. And if you don't keep up by going to Toyota University your left in the dust. Does this make me an expert? the definition of an expert: x the unknow in an equation and a spurt is just a drip under pressure.
ah, an industrial dealer. i knew it was something different. that infamous memory again. and heck, we all know noone's THE expert on anything nowadays! :lol:
There are some folks who are really good in the engineering and industrial-controls arena, like, say, jayman. There are folks who must scour the TIS stuff for hours a day, like danman32 who mostly hangs over on POL. There are official toyota techs who love tackling hard problems, like your beloved DH, and I think he and I could have gone on nattering about stuff all night when we met up last month. And then there are the random guys like me and Attila and many others, who aren't afraid to take an o-scope to the ECU harnesses and dig through the EWD and figure out a lot of what's going on, not to necessarily turn that knowledge into products or services but just to *understand*, and hopefully drop some of that back into PC and PO and yahoogroups where others can find and benefit from it. . The problem is, where do you draw the line? . Maybe the tech-clueful people, of all facets, could have a place where they could voluntarily sign up to be part of a "problem- solvers" pool of talent. Unfortunately such an area would probably just look like yet another sub-forum and get lost in the noise. PO has the "Q&A" sub-board, but I don't think it's particularly active and what does go across it is typical newbie questions. . I would suggest that part of the base problem is that people don't use things like search functionality to its fullest [well, barring SQL breakage on occasion, like right now], from which they could probably find out a lot of their own answers from the numerous past posts. Most people just want their hands held, and to be given all the answers right now. Further work on expanding the knowledge- base section might help narrow down where they need to look -- if that were designed well, it might provide much faster answers than dropping something into an "ask a tech" section and hoping someone's got time to read and respond... . _H*
It sound really interesting the motion for the " Ask the Tech" but who will hung around and get the pounding on how to remove a plastic schroud from the dash or how to replace a damm fuse questions? It will be not fair to discriminate questions naider.
Just have the tech fax copies of his/her toyota tech certification from toyota.. then only true a Prius tech would be listed.... Prius Tech If you just have a ASE cert then you could be listed a Vehicle Tech That would solve the issue if it ever came up Danny could say he has the proof... Good Luck.
For the most part we've taken folks' word that they are approved Toyota Hybrid Tech, and the guys who have been on the site (Rick and Kyle for the most part) were clearly the real deal. I'd be more than happy to give anyone special designation if they come to the site and let it be known that they are Hybrid Techs. The more knowledge we have on the site, the better it will continue to be.
