Motor Age and PTEN are committed to supporting young technicians in the automotive aftermarket and we want to shine a spotlight on those who are paving a successful path in the industry. This is part of a monthly series to showcase the best young talent in our industry.
Shortly after completing basic technician training from Universal Technical Institute, Brandon Ludwikowski started working at Midwest Performance Cars in Chicago. Although first hired as a porter, it didn’t take long for the shop owner to notice his strong work ethic and desire to learn.
He quickly progressed from an apprentice to a general-, C-, and B-level technician. Today, Ludwikowski is the shop’s senior Porsche technician.
“His dedication to improvement has positively impacted his own production level as well as the rest of our shop, as everyone now uses Brandon as a resource to improve their own knowledge base and skills,” says Andy Bizub, owner of Midwest Performance Cars. “Brandon is a living example that there are no limits in this industry for people who truly apply themselves and find the right professional environment to drive their dreams into reality.”
It is for this reason that Ludwikowski made it into the top ten candidates for the second annual PTEN and Motor Age Best Young Tech Award, a program that aims to recognize innovation, dedication, and excellence in the industry’s technicians aged 35 and younger.
Ludwikowski’s success stems from his desire for continual improvement and education. In addition to completing numerous certificates (including from ASE), he has attended various SSF sessions where he has trained under Tony Callas of Callas Rennsport, a Porsche expert and racing veteran, for years.
While the young tech specializes in water-cooled Porsches from model year 1997 to 2021, he is always willing to help where he can in other areas of the shop. One notable initiative Bizub noted was when he worked with their service department to help create nearly 1,000 pre-programmed jobs in their new shop management software platform, thus saving time for common maintenance operations that require just one part and a simple labor time.
Beyond the shop, Ludwikowski is known by many Porsche dealer technicians throughout the Chicago area for his knowledge and helpfulness, which as Bizub notes, “is pretty unusual for an independent technician.”
Bizub also says that Ludwikowski regularly addresses requests for consultations from independent Porsche technicians across the U.S. and even once assisted a technician in Bulgaria who found the shop through their YouTube channel.
On top of all this, this father of two is also mentoring a new apprentice.
“Brandon is a true three-tool player,” Bizub adds. “[He’s] a superior, smart, highly skilled technician; an excellent mentor to bring along newer and younger techs, and a good person who his fellow team members enjoy interacting with.”
PTEN and Motor Age magazines recently caught up with Ludwikowski to learn more about him and his future aspirations.
How did you first become interested in the automotive industry?
My grandparents and dad had a huge influence on me. They would always try to fix things around the house instead of just replacing them. They taught me about thinking methodically when trying to figure out a problem. After taking small engine, motorcycle, and auto repair classes in high school I fell in love with being able to figure out problems and fix things with my hands and, to be honest, growing up during the early Fast and the Furious movie saga and car scene pushed me into the automotive side of things.
What is the best piece of advice you’ve received in your career?
That failing is a learning opportunity. You don't know what you don't know. And that you owe it to yourself to do the best you can.
What is the most random item in your toolbox?
A bright green cassette tape simply labeled "BROWN ACID" I got for free while getting coffee one day. I use it for testing old car stereos during pre-purchase inspections.
What are your career aspirations?
To grow and broaden my automotive diagnosis abilities and possibly teach or mentor younger techs. Also, to strengthen my oscilloscope skills.
What is your favorite tool and why?
My notebook! It's in my toolbox and I consider it one of my most valuable tools. Working on multiple different vehicles creates difficulties remembering important details. I create notes that make sense to me from past experiences, trainings that I’ve attended, and anything else I find of value that can make me more efficient.
If you weren’t in the automotive industry, what would you be doing?
Anything that involves diagnosing a problem and seeing it fixed. When I'm not working on cars I enjoy working on my house, plumbing, electrical, carpentry. Before I became so fixed on the automotive side, I always thought about working on cruise ship engines. Traveling the world while you work and being close to the water.
What was the most challenging or memorable repair you’ve worked on?
I had a check engine light on for a variable valve timing (VVT) fault on a 2007 Porsche 911 turbo. After performing all the basic first steps to diagnosing the fault, I had determined the cam phaser was malfunctioning, or so I thought. The job involved removing the engine, which was a daunting task. The thought of performing this huge job on this nice vehicle and the diagnosis being incorrect was worrying me. I replaced the phaser, reassembled, and test drove the vehicle, and, to my horror, the check engine light and fault returned.
This taught me a lot about the importance of verifying every fault path and using all tools and information available. I ended up having to remove the engine again to find a blocked oil passage in the camshaft to my surprise. This one job taught me so much about proper diagnosis I can never forget it.
