The Mechanic Who Could Listen to Engines

In 1987, a Toyota dealership in Lexington, Kentucky hired a mechanic named Earl Combs who had no formal training. He had never attended a single day of automotive school. What Earl had was thirty years of lying underneath cars in his father's garage in Appalachian coal country, listening. The other mechanics used diagnostic computers and followed troubleshooting flowcharts. Earl would ask the customer to start the engine, close his eyes, and tilt his head.…