The Tech Gap - October 8, 2026 — Podcast Recap | MOMS Mobile Oil Change®

The Tech Gap - October 8, 2026

*Originally aired 2026-10-08 on the Mobile Oil Change Industry podcast.*

Tyreese digs into the AAPEX student engine-teardown competition and the one-point-two-million-tech shortage - why the labor gap is a mobile oil change operator's recruiting edge, and how to build your own pipeline instead of fighting Ford over the same techs.

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Key Takeaway 1

Good morning. I'm Tyreese, and this is the Mobile Oil Change Podcast. Look, I saw something Tuesday that I have not been able to stop thinking about. Nine teams of high school and technical college students are heading to Las Vegas this November to tear down and rebuild a V eight engine, on a timer, in front of a live crowd. That is the actual news story. And it tells you everything about where this industry is right now.

Key Takeaway 2

So I started digging. This is the second annual A P E X student competition. A P E X is the Automotive Aftermarket Product Expo, the big trade-only show for the aftermarket, happening in Las Vegas this fall. The competition itself is Wednesday, November fourth. Teams race in timed rounds to fully disassemble and reassemble a small block V eight engine. Preliminaries start at ten in the morning and one in the afternoon, and the four fastest teams go to the final at four o'clock, Las Vegas time. There is no cost to watch.

Key Takeaway 3

Last year there were three teams. This year there are nine, from seven schools. That is triple the number of teams. First place prizes are valued at more than five thousand dollars this year, up from two thousand last year. The engines are supplied by Duralast, which is AutoZone's private label brand. Milwaukee Tool and Carlyle are sponsoring the prizes. And here is a detail I love. Jack Stow, an A S E certified master technician who teaches in North Kansas City, coached last year's winning team, and this year he is bringing an all-female team and they are coming to win.

Watch the Video Summary

*Video summary coming soon — a visual breakdown of the key points from this episode.*

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*Tyreese Burton is the owner-operator of MOMS Mobile Oil Change in the Philadelphia area and host of the Mobile Oil Change Industry daily podcast. He covers the business of mobile automotive service — pricing, operations, fleet contracts, and industry shifts — from the driver's seat.*

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