Being a mechanic gives you a different perspective on software. You don't see code ad code, but as an engine. If the engine is not tuned properly, the engine will not be as efficient as possible. If there is too much cruft in the code, the engine will perform poorly. Troubleshooting is also easier, I think. Due to the fact that all that mechanics due is troubleshoot. I once spent a week chasing an electrical bug on a Porsche. For those curious, it was the car's computer going bad (a circuit connection somehow broke under stress and it shorted). It also makes design a bit easier, because I have seen many different design patterns IRL. When you can touch and feel a design, working with them is much easier. For example, the camshaft is a function that makes valves open and close. The camshaft lobes are the parameters being passed as data to the camshaft function. The parameters tell the camshaft function how far should valves open, and for how much time.
It also removes any fear from working with any system. I've seen and fixed it all. There is no way any codebase will turn out to be harder to fix than changing the spark plugs on a 1996 Porsche 911 Turbo. No way.