Jim Taylor Motors in Fort Benton employs the "best diesel mechanic in the state", at least according to Nick Brock, internet manager for the dealership. I visited the dealership to speak with the best mechanic in the state, and met Jason Langer. He was modest in response the suggestion that he was the best diesel mechanic in the state. When I pressed Jason to explain what set him apart as the best, he explained "It's not that I'm better than any other tech. It's knowing where to find the information. So, I could work on the same Ford stuff all day long, and you know what you're doing. You don't have to look up torque specs or procedures or anything like that anymore, because that's what you do all the time. I think it's the things that are your uncommon problems that maybe sets me apart."
Jason Langer has a knack for repairing the impossible-to-figure-out problems. "I get one every couple of months that comes in, and they say 'I've had this everywhere and no-one can figure it out.' It just fuels your ego when you can figure it out." In his eight years at Jim Taylor, Jason has developed a reputation for fixing things after everyone else has tried.
"There's a lot of electrical diagnosis. That's the stuff I really love doing. When the customer brings their car or truck in, and they say 'I had it at this guy, and my mechanic has done this....I've spent all this money doing stuff to it' and then I get it. It's like 'Ok this is a tough one. Then you do what you have to do, and you figure out the problem. It's a busted wire in a spot that no-one would ever think to look. Or figuring out what's not working even though it looks right on your scan tool, but you wiggle it a certain way. You can look at data and say, 'yeah this falls within the spec, but it's borderline and it's just enough that when it's forty below and you're driving it, now it's causing a problem. Or it's summertime and you're harvesting all of a sudden something fails on it and being able to figure it out in a timely fashion that's what's fun."
Sometimes the solution to problems is a matter of thoroughly tracking wires for hidden breaks in strange locations or finding components that work intermittently, though occasionally he discovers solutions simply when intuition strikes: "Those are my favorite because you're just pulling your hair out, and you've checked this and it doesn't make any sense and then something just clicks, whether you're at home or you're at lunch or you're drinking coffee and all of a sudden 'wait a minute'. Your workshop manuals and your diagrams, they give you pinpoint test to diagnose these problems but sometimes you step back and get your head out of the book and say: 'what are we really testing, even though it says to do step A, then B, then if all else is good then replace this part and retest it. Well, just because it's in the order doesn't necessarily mean that that's every problem you have."
Jason attributes some of his success to a deeper understanding of the workings of the vehicle: "Anybody can change a part. They are parts changers. I think what sets certain techs apart is understanding how a system works, and not just how the system in general works. How each component of that system works."
In the 8 years Jason has been working at Jim Taylor, he has dealt with problem cars around once a month. In all that time he has only come across two vehicles he wasn't able to fix. Though on many more occasions like the customer who announced over the phone: "'I don't want to spend any more money on it. I just want you to come and get it.' I (Jason) am listening to him on the phone and something in my mind clicked and by the time he made it here... I passed him on the highway. I was doing a road test on it. I found the problem, fixed it all, and reconnected everything. He was so happy."
Jason isn't limited to Ford repairs. He has solved problem cases with GMs and other makes. He explained: They all work the same. They just have different names for components. The electricity always works the same. So when it comes to hydraulics, and electricity, and suck, squeeze, bang, blow you can figure out everything. The only difference between GM, and I do a lot of the GM stuff, they have different names for components and procedures and which module talks to which module. Communication networks are a bit different."
Jason grew up in Helena and got his start in auto mechanics through the school's automotive program. Jason earned a scholarship to UTI in Phoenix through the Skills USA Auto Program. He completed their diesel program, then "did the Ford Fact Program, which you come out of school with a lot of certifications so you can do warranty repairs and it kinda jump starts your career path. That's what a lot of dealerships look for. So, fresh out of school you might think you know stuff, but you can't work on anything that's warrantied until you're certified. Plus, another thing about that school is when you graduate you're certified in multiple areas." After attending school in Chicago for several years to become a certified Mercedes Benz mechanic, he decided to go back home to Montana, where he was hired by Jim Taylor Motors.
He is married and has a young son, who is already an aspiring mechanic and has appeared in Jim Taylor commercials.
