Employee Interview-Theresa Judd
Job Title: Level 1 Technician at East Bay BMW
Tell us how long have you been a technician at East Bay BMW and what did you do before joining East Bay BMW?
8 years as a technician! I went to sequoia and through the BMW STEP program on the Fremont campus and now I am a Level 1 Technician. Before I became a full time technician, I was a hair stylist and still am. I received my cosmetology license when I was 17 and still style hair on the side.
Tell us a little bit more about the master tech program, how many levels are there and how does the process work?
There’s master tech and then level 1-3. Three being the very basic. To become a master tech you have to have 4 years, and be up-to-date on all your classes. It’s a 3 day demanding course and testing process.
When did you first discover you have a love for cars? Do you like cars and that culture?
Oh yea, I love cars. I have all brothers and my dad was a mechanic for 20 something years so I was always around them.
What’s your dream car?
It has to be the e39 M5. It’s fantastic in my opinion. It’s a sedan, it can go really fast, it’s got a 6 speed manual, not some funky semi-auto transmission. I love the BMW M5.
You’re the only female technician out of 30, what’s it like “hanging with the fellas” on a daily basis?
(laughs) They’re a bunch of really good group of professional guys to work with.
What’s your favorite BMW tech feature?
The new Active Cruise Control. You can follow someone and it’ll detect the distance between you and the car in front of you and apply the brakes/accelerate. It's pretty neat.
Have you been to any autocross/track events?
I haven’t personally done it myself but I’ve been a spectator. I love it, I’ve been up to sears point (Infineon Raceway) a few times to see the drag races. They also have dirt bike events up there as well that I love to see, I was actually originally going to become a bike technician.
Do you have a dirt bike yourself?
No, just my Jeep for now. Maybe a future play toy for me!
Any crazy/funny BMW shop stories that you can share with us?
I’ve been in the trunk of a car trying to listen for a squeak/rattle. We had one guy driving the car, another in the backseat with the door open and then me in the trunk. We had to pinpoint this squeaking and it turned out to be a wheel bearing.
What do you like to do in your spare time?
I box (traditional western boxing) every night at a local gym. I participate in classes and then spar afterwards. Watch out guys!
What do you feel are the dealerships strengths? What do we do that makes us a 9-time center of excellence award winner?
We are always working together as a team and we’ll go to any lengths to figure out the problem and get it fixed or make it right for our Clients. I think that’s a big thing—the commitment to always offering “excellent” customer service.
What do you feel makes the BMW brand exciting/appealing?
BMW isn’t afraid to start with high-tech cutting edge technology. It proves to be a little bit troublesome at times when trying to fix a problem, however BMW always begins with new technology and it seems other manufacturers follow BMW.
If you could help design a future BMW model what would it be and what features would it have, what would be the specs?
Oh it would definitely have a motorsports engine and I don’t think I’d make it twin turbo, I like the naturally aspirated engines; and of course a manual transmission!
