Creator / BMW Tech Brandon Ramirez, known on social media as @LaidOutDC4, has built a solid audience on his platform with over 28K followers.
Who is Brandon Ramirez
For Ramirez, cars have been in his life since his childhood. He often hung out in the garage while his dad fixed cars. While he always had a casual interest due to the father-son bonding in the garage, he didn’t really take an interest in entering the industry until after high school. He received his first portable tool case at 18 and found a home in the garage. He has been working in the industry for the past six years.
Watching Ramirez’s content on social media, you can see his passion and excitement for the car industry come right through the screen. This enthusiasm is juxtaposed with his laid-back personality, which makes him seem approachable and friendly — probably a key component of how he has amassed such a large following.
"I wanted to be able to show videos of installs and/or fix issues in cars in case there were people out there that had similar problems.”
-Brandon Ramirez
Getting Started as a Content Creator
Ramirez said he became a content creator to bring people along as he worked on his current projects.
In his early YouTube videos, he talks about his 1997 Acura Integra, answering common questions about the car from friends and acquaintances. He also tackles common repairs and modifications to other Honda models, such as the 10th generation Civic. He eased into the space, creating a video swapping out the interior lights in the Civic for LEDs.
For three years, viewers tagged along as he made more modifications to the Civic, which is currently well on its way to being done. Anyone could follow one of these videos regardless of their experience with cars.
TikTok is the preferred home for Ramirez’s prized Integra, BMW, and other cars that can be seen drifting, cruising, or simply parked for admiration. Ramirez also answers viewer questions about each car, taking them through various customization projects. On TikTok, Ramirez showcases his fun side, often saying nothing and letting his cars do the talking.
Taking His Passion to the Garage
For Ramirez, working on cars is more than just a job. It is an opportunity to work with intricate parts and learn more about what makes each vehicle perform well. He works on a variety of car models, but his favorites are Hondas and BMWs.
Since he owns an older Honda, he enjoys working on similar vehicles with “a lot of history.” He finds these cars fascinating and thinks they are easier to work on than some other models he has encountered in his career.
Being in the industry gives Ramirez a chance to hone his own skills through different repair and customization projects. He also appreciates learning from his peers. He loves the knowledge and ideas he gets from each new project and seeing how different people customize their cars.
Each new car gives him inspiration for future projects on his own vehicles. He appreciates how car owners get to bring their ideas to fruition during customization projects. Even with successful projects under his belt, Ramirez considers his biggest achievement to be simply starting school. He said, “I feel that a lot of people have problems with starting anything. But starting is the first big step! And I wouldn’t be who I am today if I didn’t take the first step to start school.”
Dealing with Challenges
His biggest challenge thus far in his career has been building his project car. “A lot of time, money, and dedication went into the car. I also did a lot of research to make sure the right parts were being put on.”
From his experiences, he would caution that personal passion projects often take a lot of time and money, so anyone thinking of building or customizing a car should consider the investment before getting started.
Lending Some Advice
Since he has been working in the industry for a while, Ramirez is at a place where he can advise people coming into the field. His biggest suggestion is to always ask questions regardless of how silly they may sound. It’s better to have the right answer and do the job correctly than not to speak up and delay the project to fix a mistake.
He also knows that the best way to get experience is to jump in and do hands-on work. Consistently working in the garage and practicing is the only way to get better. He says the best skills to have in the business are patience and good listening skills. Anyone who can hear noises that sound “off” or abnormal would do well in the industry.
Ramirez likes to keep his skills fresh by continuously learning. He strives to stay on top of new technology that ends up in new model cars. It helps him with certain projects and allows him to work on a wider variety of cars.
