The shop charges $150 an hour and the mechanic gets $25. You work in a drafty shop with 100 degree heat while the boss sits in the A/C. You get to work on vehicles that are not designed to be repaired. There is no way in hell I would be a mechanic today
I experienced this first hand, I brought my Honda to an Illinois dealership for an oil change and tire rotation. Before taking my car I marked the front driver rim with a piece of tape. Well when I picked it up I noticed the tape was in the same location yet they charged me for the rotation. I brought it to the owners attention and he said ok, sorry, your next oil change is free? I told him since they didn’t rotate my tires how do I know the oil was even changed, he just looked down at the floor, how many people get scammed everyday??? It’s sad
The best way to keep this crap from happening is pay hourly plus performance based bonuses. A huge part of that performance is customer satisfaction. Not letting customers take advantage of you, but being straight up with them. Letting them know pricing up front. Having service managers who know what they are talking about, hiring a warranty claims specialist if you’re a dealership. Labor rate is $95/hr, overhead is $28/hr, $25/hr to owner, $42/hr to tech. You pay hourly $32/hr and $10/hr bonus for performance. Owner can dip into their pockets for those who go above and beyond in an honest way.
My Honda dealer always used to charge me for things they never did. It took me some time before I realized that. I try now to stay away from dealers even though I have a 2023 car.
New cars are a pain to work on, I spent over 50 years as a mechanic. The dealership make money but not the workers. I find dealerships shops are not honest.
They are not. I brought my 06 Corolla into the dealer for an oil change (I swap engines, I could easily do an oil change myself) in hopes that they would be able to actually get the mileage off the computer, as the odo stopped at 299999. They didn't do it. $100 later, I got my car back with fresh oil and a report that said everything was fine. My pads had 10% left in them (I knew this) and two weeks later the exhaust fell off the car (I did not foresee this). Jackson's Toyota did not check my car at all, and I'm willing to bet they didn't even try to get the mileage off it.
Dealerships try to NOT FIX your car. They give you a BS "resolution" and tell you to "monitor the condition and see if it gets worse" on your service invoice. I'd rather just diagnose and correct any problems myself.
See my screen name. 14 years with Lexus, 10 as a Master certified Lexus tech. Doing it the honest way, I averaged about 45-50k in SoCal. Best year I had was 60k in Arizona. All while having to play politics with work dispatch, going through work slumps, then massively busy with recalls, to pitiful labor pay on warranty. The final straw for me was Lexus corporate bringing down the hammer on techs that missed an online quiz deadline. That fucked with my pay for an entire month. Wife was 4 months pregnant with my first kid and I flagged 40 hours for the whole month. Could not touch a ticket that even SNIFFED warranty, even replacement batteries. This was a new punishment, one that backfired on them I think. Why? We missed the deadline because we were busy trying to finish all the fucking recall work we were flooded with. It will be 5 years since I left the dealer life, flat rate, and the enormous lack of respect for a skill set that is in no way easily replaced. Dealers and repair shops are all screwed because the next Gen isn't buying in. Good, fuck them. They did it to themselves.
This is what caused welding-issues at newport-news shipyard. They ran off the skilled welders years ago. Generational welders that passed skills to their sons. 😢
"It's a buyers market" is your first indication that the hiring has gone to the wolves and the company is in a terrible place. They try this with us programmers knowing full well the gifted percentile in any given country is 2%. If the pols weren't awarding them guest worker visas no programmer in America would be making under six figures.
The place I work is desperate for help, I think its funny, they dont understand why nobody wants to work for them. I only stay because I have no other options.
I started out as an automotive tech when my father told me if I don't go to college, learn a trade. I was young and saw the very same shady stuff and hostile work environment like you have, not to mention the lousy pay. I saw nothing but a dead end is that career so I decided to join the service and learn aviation maintenance. Best decision I ever made. Long story short, I ended up becoming a Federal aircraft mechanic at an Air National Guard base for 30 years, since I just retired from. Decent pay, I didn't have to buy tools, and I have a pension which I'm enjoying now. Thanks for the video!
And no working on flat rate, the only time you have to be really fast is when you are deployed to a war zone. You also have to be certified , unlike some mechanics and no regular mandatory medical exams, and you do not need as many tools.
The ANG can be a great deal. I was warned by (successful shop owner) mechanics in the 1970s not to wrench cars for a living though I'm good at it. Joining the Air Force was pure win (but sensitive people should avoid aircraft maintenance and preferably the armed forces so no one has to hear their whining!) and retirement is Very Nice. If a career doesn't have a government-guaranteed pension and benefit package no ordinary mechanic job beats it or even comes close. I've wrenched commerically for toy money at my bros shop but would never want to depend on that.
You listened to your dad, good for you. My dad saved me from a bad business decision and changed my lifespan. And to stay in one place for so long. Airline mechanics go all over the place.
I just got into automotive work and its so far a nightmare outlook. Jesus the pay is deplorable, corporate America is going to destroy this country through greed.
@@luissantiago147 The only good job in aviation is a pilot. If any young person is interested in aviation, I would never steer them to be a mechanic. It might cost more up front, and pay might be low for the first year-ish, but the long term is leaps and bounds above a mechanic. You are talking on order of $10's of millions of dollars more pay over a career, with much less daily hassle. Be a pilot, not a mechanic should be a bumper sticker.
Worked as a service advisor, in the early 70's. I quit after a month. Management told me to,sell services the customers didn't need. Upselling should be illegal.
@@Jhonny-w6p Yes, my manager was happy with the "best tech" who *refused* to do any brake work unless you automatically added calipers/wheel cylinders, every drum and every rotor always were needing replacement, even on the 10k mile car where the owner wanted his aftermarket pads placed on that kinda thing. Every drum. Would refuse to do any brake job unless we fluffed up the work order with ridiculous markup parts, that, of course, we werent supposed to tell the customers they could walk 1 minute next door WHERE WE WOULD BUY THE EXACT SAME PART and save $$$. And all oil changes had snake oil injector cleaner snuck in and you were supposed to only address it if the customer noticed and asked about it. Dishonest and gross
Here in Canada the largest national chain has earned some infamy for paying their mechanics a sales commission on top of their earned wage. Even decades ago an aggressive mechanic could earn $1500.00 per month as a 'bonus'. It was and is largely fueled by the mandatory annual inspection of motor vehicles. The mechanic's 'opinion' about what repairs are needed can force the customer into a corner. Same problem - but I am sad to hear that wages are so low and can be peeled back so easily in the US
@dereksollows9783 Any mechanic worth his salt, should open up his own shop. That would force the big dealerships to lower prices and maybe restore their reputations.
I work as a technician for a large transportation agency - buses and passenger trains. Many, maybe close to 50% of the techs came from the service departments of auto dealerships. Instead of maintaining cars they fix trains and buses. Their reasons for making the switch are the same as in this video. As a train tech I do routine maintenance as well as troubleshooting and repair. It's a union job that pays $54/hour and offers lots of over time for those who want to work extra hours. It's common for techs to earn $120k to $140k per year and receive great benefits...medical, dental, vision, 401k, and pension.
Its all part of the plan to get people out of their personal vehicles so the city can implement self driving cars everywhere. This is all part of the plan.
Nice, I work for a University as a facilities maintenance. I'm under paid, but have great benefits including a Pension. I see a few sitting behind a desk, making 150,000 a year for being a chair warmer. Nuts. It's job's like yours that will be in demand.
@@joefran619A.I. will take care of that soon enough. Paper pushers make a ton of money to do nothing. Now computers will do those jobs more efficiently.
I just quit my job as a master technician twenty years plus in the horrible trade no money nothing but problems and toxic toxic toxic people. NO MORE NEVER GOING BACK 😮
Stay away from the dealer for maintenance items. Local mechanics do a better job and you can usually trust them. Dealers are for recalls and warranty work.
Not anymore. Cars coming out next year are going to need a $6 scan tool to work on and there will be a subscription fee for the software. Most mechanics are not going to shell out more money to buy those tools let alone learn how to use them. With people treat personal vehicles more like appliances where they throw them away every few years. Its only a matter of time before everyone ends up with these rolling iPhones on wheels.
I'm a retired mechanic, It was a decent way for a man with just high school education to make a decent living if he had good mechanical instincts and a box of tools. That was back in 1975. I wouldn't recommend it to anyone now. The mechanic's cut of the labor has been shrinking for 40 years and the job has been getting tougher.
Some guys I've met over the years that are pulling good money on being a mechanic work out of regular garages in loosely zoned areas and it's just themselves or another guy. Mostly cash usually nothing heavy duty. Lower end of the market on older cars and sometimes need to deal with people that cannot afford a car but need one. A lot of loyal clients.
You nailed it. I did 5 years at a dealer and almost starved to death. Everything you said I experienced. I retired in fleet maintenance, I'm glad my career is over.
the only growth in our country is the growing gap between the rich and poor, the youth is giving up, not getting married, having children or working. Society is collapsing, look no further than our influencers that the kids are following.
i fully agree society is collapsing there is little hope for the average youth of today to own a house and have a family. I am a baby boomer i feel we have raped the place and our grand kids will be stuck with the bill. then there is the non hetrosexuals who are not normal they are not going to reproduce. so there wont be enough kids to support the country at this rate
I was a telecommunications tech where I just dealt with bandwidth for big customers. I worked in one of those big windowless buildings with a couple other techs. I didn’t even have to talk with the customers as we had people that took care of that. $45 + an hour, double time over 12 hours and Sundays, 401k and pension. Company provided all tools and test equipment.
Not as much free lunch as you think, HVAC means you work on heating in the winter and as many other smaller licenses and takes just as long. Plumbing is not bad, changes very little. But electrical is just behind auto for changes. You get stuck with all the latest plant automation and robots etc, codes and you work often have to pass inspection. Oh it works is not good enough, had to pass code. You do buy less tools than auto.
I once had a gunsmith named Earle Miller tell me, nobody ever got rich fixing things. You don't want any job fixing things, you want a job where you're making something. He was right
I was a cnc machinist and didn't make squat.You were always under pressure to get the job done and reminded daily how you can be replaced any time.When I left there was a great feeling of relief.
That's debatable. Purchase/throw away products are cheap & waste product materials. More jobs are created due to repairs. It's capitalism (GREED). And denial of unions. Hate unions?? It brings EVERYONE'S wages up, union or NOT. 🤔🇺🇸
You are wrong. Then exactly WHO is going to fix anybody's car? At that point, my slow but basic DIY mechanic's skills are worth $120+/hour because I'm the only guy in town.
Former tech- Pay sucks, management shits all over you all the time. Basically, they want it all done right this second, but then try and get out of paying your full flat rate for each job. 3rd major reason I quit was tool cost. Some of the stuff you need the shops do not supply can cost a small fortune. I have at least 2 new cars worth of tools from when I worked as a tech.
@revnation_auto I got as much as possible second hand or from Harbor Freight. Only stuff I got off the truck was stuff I couldn't find online or needed right that minute as I absolutely hated paying their prices for stuff that wasn't that much better than you can get a northern tools for 1/3 the cost.
Tool prices came down a lot these couple of decades, unless you are the few stubborn ones who insist on buying Snap-on everything. Their patent for flank drive expired.
I quit being a mechanic 35 years ago and things were a lot better than they are now. Find another job you can transfer your mechanical skills to. Good mechanics have always been very hard to find and if you are good demand good pay and conditions if you do not get them quit on the spot. In a job interview tell what you will and will not do if you do not like doing engine rebuilds or whatever refuse to do them from the start. Service techs in other industries do little and get paid better than mechanics. I would only buy tools to make my life easier. When I brought tools to turn a 1 hour job into a 30 minute job I would work for 30 minutes and rest the other 30. If the book times said 2 hours and reality was 4 I would refuse to do them unless I was credited with the extra 2 hours. Always road test your vehicles before and after working on them it saves a lot of wasted time and heartache. A clean mechanic is a good mechanic. I would always put Thanks John on the service sticker if you do good work people will ask for you by name. When repairing a air conditioner try and get as close to zero as you can in a hot climate people will look at the service sticker and say mentally to themselves "Thanks John".
@@johnsmith9161 Out of high school every trade are competing for the group of students that are very handy doing things with their hands. They lose a certain amount to be accountants , teachers, sales etc. I am electrician and Ind mech etc but much of the job do not involve electricity. It involve mechanical assemble and installation. If you are 10 thumb type, you have a hell of a time finishing the apprenticeship.
My kid was a Euro ASE Master Tech with 20 years on the job at a German Luxury Car dealer and made well over $120K a year and finally got sick and tired of the young guys coming in that couldn't tie their shoes let alone diagnose with a computer what was wrong with a car and had to do it himself to keep the work moving. The other straw was the required stealing from customers with fake work, the management rational was that rich people don't really think too much about what fixing their very expensive car costs, they just pay it. So stealing from them was easy and required. He quit after 20+ years, never to return.
Had my new car serviced at the Toyota dealer, after I got home I opened the hood to check the oil and other things. I could tell the Tech rushed the service. The cap was left off the coolant reservoir container, I could smell coolant, thought I had a coolant leak. The rod that holds the hood up was not secured to the holder, just loose. Oil was overfilled past the max mark on the stick. Yes I believe techs are not paid fairly. Yes I believe techs skip some things and don’t do it correctly.
A product of poor wages, you get what you pay for, poor wage, poor worker, why would you take a vehicle to a Toyota dealership, well known as the most corrupt.
@@scaramouche8244 Yup, very sad but true, I was a pipe welder fitter, for 50 years raised a family, now a foster home all on a single income, not gonna happen right now, but it can be fixed, one last chance. VOTE RIGHT MY FRIEND
My cousin quit the car service industry after getting a job at in n out. He now makes $22 an hour at in n out and can work up to store manager role in 7-8 years, making $160k plus a year. His $22 was a huge jump from make $10.50 as a technician at the shop he worked at
I was a tech in the late 70s. The older guys working there told me to get out of this profession. They were all unhappy and pissed every day. The shop provided only some basic equipment that all the tech shared. We had to buy our own tools. A set of Snap on impact socket set was more than my weekly pay. I worked on the side and made more money than at the dealership. I left after about 2 yrs. The work was hard on your body. The older guys were beat up, wore back braces, breathing issues from the asbestos exposure, knee issues etc. In the summer it was hot no ac. The winter was cold. Every day we were exposed to chemicals. I did a lot of warranty work. Shit jobs no one wanted to do. I was good at my job and took pride on the work I did. Rearly any come backs. We had no respect from the management. Fast forward no different today. 😮
I echo your experience. Worked from 1979 - 2004. I died at the dealerships, mostly because certain mechanics were spoon fed gravy work while the smart technicians were fed warranty work. One technician told me, perhaps out of pity, "Dave, the more you know the less you'll make". He was right. He simply told management he didn't know electrical, or transmissions, or wind noises and was fed royally. He was quite fast. Why? Services, and brakes and clutches... (all customer pay) keep the dealership doors open, not warranty. A side note: --The insistence on more and more tech features on new cars ultimately hurts the consumer and the repair crew. Thanks for reading this.
The other day my mother-in-law came to me with an estimate from the Hyundai dealer. They wanted $600 to change a motor mount which I bought for $50 and changed in 20 minutes. Also they wanted to change the entire tail light assemblies, I tested them and they all worked fine.
An Oregon Dodge dealer diagnosed a bad fuel injector. Over $900 total estimate. I paid them almost $200 for the diagnoses and shopped around for an injector for $80 and changed it myself in 20 minutes. No wonder they are called stealerships.
My uncle got fired from a repair shop 10 years ago for helping a customer save money.an old lady came with a code but only had to replace the gas cap & air filter. His boss was trying to out sell her unnecessary repairs but had an emergency and had to pick his son from middle school for fighting. My uncle was unaware of this incident & he was left working on her car. he spend an 20 minutes checking her car & told her it was only $138.60 after taxes. She was happy and told my uncle he proud of him for being helpful & honest and explained the issue with his boss. When his boss came back he pissed and told him that lady needed a full check up to replace some parts and fired him on the spot
Its not just the initial costs of tools, its the fact that you often need to update and purchase speciality tools on a regular basis to equal or beat flat rate time. Shops don't provide enough tools (imho) for techs to be efficient at their jobs. If your shop does a fair amount of AC work, you might have two machines. But often times you'll have to wait for your turn to use it; I own my own machine and my own VAT 40 when did work and never had to wait for a shop supplied tool. But, a word of advice; become a plumber or electrician, it pays more and your tool costs are limited. Or, do fleet work in a government shop; get a pension, great benefits, paid vacations and almost never worry about layoffs.
You nailed it, I thought it was my thing, I was building and racing cars with my dad at a very young age, I knew cars in and out, but as soon as I started working as a mechanic, I learned it was not for me, became a pipe welder, made a very good living, then Biden, on his first day in office got me laid off for the first time in my life, being a foster home and all, I was not sure if I could retire, but Biden left me no choice, so now I am building road racing cars, and driving my favorite one, load up the car and equipment, load up the kids and camper, and wife, and we go camping road racing and grilling all weekend long, never had so much fun, but if the democrats stay in power they are going to make all recreational motorsports illegal, illegal to make any modifications to a car, even if it makes it better or cleaner, TRUMP is our last chance, vote right people, all right.
Tools are too expensive and you need a ton of them... Pay isnt high enoughl to make a living compared to other trades... Flat rate encourages mistakes and rushing... Way too much warranty work if your at a dealer to make any money... Parts are seemingly never available and your always waiting, have a lift tied up, have to move bays... etc... all stuff that loses you money! I gave up on it in 2014 and went into a maintenance role, still make great money turning wrenches but i have half as many headaches! Also, the not having to constantly buy tools week to week is nice!
I went to a fleet six years ago. Best decision ever. I am hourly. My gross is lower but I make more per actual hour worked. At the dealer I worked 60 hours a week and grossed 20% more. I still work 60 hours a week. 40 at my day job and 20 on side work. Way better off.
I was a Ford technician for over 20 years. When Ford rammed their Saturday services and free multi point inspections, I started looking to get out. I switched over to the union shops, and it was a little better, but not by much. And not enough for me to stay. On my days off, the resume and applications were getting sent out. Eventually I found a government job. We don't work for free. And if we're called in on a weekend or a day off, we get overtime. A word and concept foreign to any car dealer.
@@l.j.r.8448 Wrong. I am one of the many that gets a little wake up call during the winter. !am. To start at 3am. To push snow and salt the streets. For a 12 hour shift. So that others can get to work. As well as ambulances to hospitals, fire trucks, police, etc. We keep American open and rolling, while others are either sleeping, or calling in sick. I also eat my lunches in the truck, don't get or take breaks, and have to plan my bathroom stops accordingly. We don't get the option. What's worse is when there's an every other day snow event. One day I do a regular shift, next day I get the wake up call, and repeat. For someone to say this isn't real work, just try it one season.
@riceburner4747 Actually, state jobs do pay pretty good. When you factor in the benefits and paid holidays. But yes, overall federal jobs due tend to be a better gig.
worked in stealership and independent shops, no difference,low pay, shop politics, little if any benefits. I'm retired and discourage anyone from entering this trade, it's a dead end !
All dealer owners see the employees as replacable. Turnover in sales is 50/yearly, less in service because there are fewer available folks. Plus the service manager hands out the plum jobs to their buddies.
Years ago i bought a new car took it to the dealer for an oil change and the tech didnt put the oil cap back on.Drove home which took 20 min.For some reason i opened the hood to see oil all over my engine. Luckily i only lost a qt of oil no damage.Put a qt of oil in it drove it right back to the dealer i made them spit shine it.
Happens quite a bit. I once forgot to put a guy’s center cap back on his wheel. I felt terrible about it and the guy actually bought me a beer because I clearly gave a crap unlike many others.
Had the dealer do this to me after selling me the radiator flush.As i got near my home,the truck was overheating.Had a 2 mile long line of boiled radiator fluid behind me on the road.The hose was never put back on.Dodge dealership techs did this.
I’m a service manager at a non dealership service center and a former Honda master tech. The whole industry is crooked. As a manager, I’m third in the chain of three at my shop. Yesterday I was told if our shop didn’t make money this month, all three managers would be written up. We have been incredibly slow for about 3 weeks, half of our lifts are broken and we have increased prices three times this year. How is any of that my fault? I didn’t price customers out, I don’t control advertising so getting people in the door isn’t my job and we reported the lifts as they broke over the last 9 months just to be told we don’t make enough to fix them even though our store ALWAYS makes a decent profit for the year. I told the store manager if they write me up after I come to work early every day and work my ass off, I’m walking straight out the door. Automotive jobs really kinda suck.
Just a warning I worked at Goodyear for 10 years. If it is corporate they will right you up.then next year fire you. They also always try and weasel out of unemployment. Not only that they are in financial trouble right now and you are just one of multiple locations from what I have heard that has broken hoists that aren't getting repaired. They don't care how long you have worked there and they don't care if you have years of perfect employment. They are trimming any where they can. Its sad. Good luck to you.
Corporations are the downfall of America, I worked in the automotive industry for 36 years, I quit in 1999 it wasn’t worth going to work anymore. All the money was taken away between insurance companies, and corporations, now it takes $60,000 dollars worth of tools to make $19.00 a commission hour , sad what has happened to the middle class
I was conditioned for 20 years to believe that every job was going to at least cost me $300+. Then I found a genuinely honest mechanic and the amount of times where the issue wasn’t a big deal and they charged me for an oil change was pretty staggering.
If dealerships and garages will not pay their mechanics enough, then I don't blame the mechanics for quitting. It's like going on strike for higher wages. Back around 100 years ago, at the start of the industrial revolution, there were violent bloody labor riots, gunfire, people getting killed. That's what it takes to force employers to pay enough and provide decent working conditions. Perhaps there will come a mechanics union, the mechanics need one. Form a national union and go on strike
47 years wrenching in 4 different fields. Retired now. All techs should quit. 16 bucks an hour to repair an 80k vehicle. You want to wrench, go Aviation. I would never do it again. Open a Snow Cone stand and make more money.
The automotive industry has turned sour like the trucking industry. Greed has led to their demise. A service advisor gets paid more than a skilled laborer who must have training certifications and tools.
It isn‘t any better in europe. I‘ve worken 9 years on mazda one year on peugeot and four years on citroen/suzuki. The pay you get is fixed and it‘s not great in these 15 years I got zero hours over time paid. Its illigal but the shop doesn‘t care. They do every thing in there power to write of expenses from your pay but you never ever get anything extra. The workenvierment is harsch. No AC in summer, you get chooched alive and inadequad hearing in winter. Your always freezing. And the work culture is hostile and toxic you get jelled at often. They punish you for every sick leave. They expect you to work ill and do unpaid overtime. You just destroy your body doing a highly skilled and complicated job. But they pay you shit tread you badly and don‘t care at all for your wellbeeing. I loved to be a car mechanic, I didn‘t do it for money I did it as my passion. But at some point you have to quit and move one from this terrible conditions.
Got my class A currently after working in the auto industry for 20 years. My best friend just quit too since now he has is pilot license. And my other old coworker quit and started a business. The older guys get the gravy/high paying jobs that come in. Also goes to sales. The ones that’s been in the business the longest usually get the most clients and sales. I HAD TO JUMP SHIP!!!👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽
If you have enough contacts and reputation to go on your own, great, and you can collect lots of cash too. But you still need a place to fix them. Hoist and waste liquid containers etc.
Rule #1, if you are going to be an auto mechanic you have to SPECIALIZE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! A "general repair man is a road to nowhere unless you want to be an idiot like Scotty Kilmer....
As a former service mechanic, I can relate to this. We were expected to find extra work all the time. God help us if we didn't find it and sometimes pressured to sell crap that wasn't needed like transmission services, brake fluid changes when they weren't needed etc . My worst nightmare was a car that needed few if any repairs,the boss would butt in and make stuff up.
Tow company's going out of business due to folks canceling triple AAA or other tow insurance Co. They just pull it home with a strap. Way too expensive to try and have them fixed.
The customers don't want to pay, the warranty companies don't want to pay, the auto manufacturers don't want to pay. The cars are more complicated than ever before. They have never been harder to work on. The stress on the technician is horrible. The customers or horrible. The RUclipsr videos that attack technicians as all scammers and thieves are horrible.
He mentioned the fellow that worked at advance auto parts, i did the same thing. Worked as a mechanic for 16 years, then went to advance auto as a commercial parts pro, selling parts to garages. With my automotive knowledge i excelled and made good money and the shops i serviced loved me. Did that for 15 years until I retired. After being off for a few years, I went back working 2 days a week 10 hours a week. There will always be a satisfying feeling about helping someone with a car problem.
Self educate, get a job as a helper or something at a shop & learn. When ready take ASE certification tests 100% without schooling. Or join military & get paid while getting free training.
Worked in the 80s at a dealership collision repair then repair shop until 1995 then aircraft mfg now retired and glad its over Capitalism needs basic income especially for young people starting their lives
@@MichaelSmith-yr8rb There would have to be strict caveats for it. If jobless have to use government website to apply for a minimum of 3 jobs a month & if a job offer was declined the job would report why & your basic income be canceled. Similar rules to state unemployment benefits.
I now repair my vehicles I bought all the tools and scanners needed I got so pissed getting my vehicle back from service shops with the issue not fixed or bolts nuts not put back on also clamps ect put back on backwards and not tightened and being charged a ridicule rate !
I had my Nissan's CVT fluid changed last year at the dealership. This is not a hard job as I just did it this year myself. (I drive 20,000 miles per year and DON'T want the CVT to quit!) They forgot to tighten ALL 19 bolts that hold on the tranny pan! I noticed it a few days later when I saw oil spots everywhere I parked. I tightened them all myself, added 1 1/2 quarts of Nissan CVT fluid and went to the dealer. I got an apology from them but no real satisfaction.
I was an automotive technician since 1976 With the same Company. In those years we had some great times but after the original owner sold to his son things started to change some not for the better. Three of us were the original crew left,the company started pushing more service which wasn’t a problem But the younger crew started trying to recommend things that they shouldn’t and the older crew would call them out which pissed off people. I had a back injury first of June of this year used my vacation time to cover my time off some. Last week of June I was called buy the owner and told to go and retire and go on social security. But the best part of it was he Canceled My Insurance three days before I was told. It’s Gets Better I Forgot To Mention That He’s A Great Christian A Pushes It Always! IN THE END I WILL WIN BECAUSE THERE AINT NOBODY WANTING IN THIS BUSINESS SO ALL THOSE YEARS I DEDICATED MY LIFE TO THE COMPANY WAS A JOKE!
That’s awful, I always the love the greedy jerks who mask their behavior with “Christian values”. I’m really sorry that you’re having to go through all of that. I hope you recover soon.
Another thing about dealerships is when doing factory warranty work, warranty time is lower. Example if you are warranting a transmission regular R&R time may call for say 6 hours, whereas the manufacturers will only pay say 3.5 hours. I worked at a Dodge dealer years ago, they were a 5 Star rated dealer. We did so much warranty work that after 9 months I quit and went back to an Independent repair shop. I recently retired after wrenching for 38 years.
@@carlcornelius8667 Exactly,we did so many transmission warranties/replacements on Caravan’s/Voyager’s,etc that I lost count. It got to the point that Dodge sent a representative to either ok or deny warranties.
Yep, I once spent almost a day tearing the inside out of a car looking for a wiring short. Had to remove the seats, dash, etc. Fixed the short and put it all back together. Generous Motors paid me 15 minutes for splicing a wire!
After putting in my 45 years of service as a technician I can say that you are 100% correct in this video. I did the HS auto shop, trade school, dealership route in the mid-seventies and early eighties. Worked in dealerships until the early 90's. Worked independent shops through the 90's. After 21 years in private industry as a fully California licensed (Smog Check since '81, and brake and lamp), ASE Certified Master Tech and a GM Certified Master Tech, I finished my career working in government fleet. Hostile work environment in many of the private industry shops I worked at included the techs I worked with and the management. Between the hard physical work that requires you stay in excellent physical shape, the dirty, non-climate controlled shop that when it's 100+ degrees and you are working under the hood of a running car it's the same temp as being in an oven set at 300+ degrees. When it rains you get to be cold, dirty and wet. Also the pay hassles and assholes you work with, it's not an industry that fosters respect for the employee. Granted, there are many other careers that are hot/cold, dirty, wet, but in most of those the pay structure at least ensures you are going to be compensated for your effort, not screwed like flat rate. Throw in the cost of tools and training, both of which need to be constantly updated if you wish to keep up with the ever changing technology, and overall there are more minuses than pluses to an automotive repairman tech career.
Thank you for this video. I absolutely agree with you and I started fixing my own Dodge Grand Caravan 2007 - replaced the belt, radiator, pipes, alternator, starter, front struts and brakes and disks, tire changes, oil changes, etc. I am an electronic engineer making C$50, but I can't afford to pay the same kind of money to the local repair shops in these difficult times.
I worked at a few Ford dealerships during and after I got done with Ford mechanic training. 2 year program. Worked up to and through journeyman level. Wasn't the worst work I've ever done but toward the bottom. I was union in missouri. Pay was decent. Moved to south Texas and applied to a couple dealerships. The pay in and around San Antonio was abysmal. Including all pay and benefits Texas wages were about 38% of what I made in St.Louis region. Ended up doing higher end stereo systems at a radio/tint joint for about double what dealer paid. Definitely enjoyed life more for the 2 years I was down there. Ended up getting epa certs and did hvac part time too. That all was 20 years ago. Never worked at an auto shop again since then.
I think shops should have large windows open to the waiting area so you can WATCH your car being worked on. The BS that OSHA rules prohibit customers in the shop is garbage! I trained to be a mechanic in the early 80's but worked on an auto assembly line instead. It was also hard on the body, but no other issues. I hate working on my own car but I do it as much as I can for the reason in this video.
It's been 15 years since I took any of my vehicles to a shop, because of the alarming incidence of sloppy repairs and inability to diagnose non-trivial problems. Here are few of my pet peeves: 1) Nearly universal use of impact wrenches, which results in frequent cross threading, or stripping out of threads altogether. 2) Failure to repair stripped out threads, even on very important applications (e.g. for engine mount bolts!). 3) Failure to notice and report other issues which need attention. 4) Incompetence troubleshooting modern computer controlled engines and transmissions. Fortunately I have a large shop of my own where I can perform my own repairs. 1.5 years ago I finally junked my 1994 Mercury Sable, and replaced it with my wife's 1998 Accord V6, which has 250K miles. I haven't made a car payment since 1989.
Good video. I went to work at a Mercury Dealership after High School in 1969. I saw that most of the 50 and 60 year olds that I worked with, hated wht they were doing. I loved working on cars, trucks, and tractors so, I decided to keep that as a hobby and went into engineering. It was a good choice for me. I still do all of my own repairs. My home shop is pretty good. Good Luck, Rick
When I was a high school student in the 1970's, I worked at a full-service Standard Oil gas station when gas stations were still auto repair shops. A classmate of mine worked at the Shell station down the street. We would compare work stories. My boss was an honest guy. The owner of the Shell station not so much. My classmate would tell me how his boss would change oil on a car, wipe the oil filter clean with a grease rag and charge the customer for a new oil filter when in fact he never changed it. He charged a young lady with a VW Bug for winterization including anti freeze. VW Bugs were air cooled and did not have anti freeze. All sorts of shady deals like that.
I'm a professional automotive tech and I work independently in many cases and charge 60 to $70 per hour. I also have several part-time jobs doing fleet service making $40 an hour actual time. The problem with many shops is that they give all the cake jobs to their favorite employees and everyone else gets the money losing jobs. In particular diagnostic and warranty work where you get pennies on the dollar.
2014 Acura went in for $120 oil change and they said battery was on its way out. $340 plus tax, I said no and the salesperson was pissed. Went to a local auto parts store and picked one up for $79 and put it in 5 minutes. Never saw a dealership for service since
I would not work as a mechanic these days. I remember points, carbs, HEI ignition and Ford Durafail. I remember rear wheel drive cars and cars I could pull the motor in 2 or 3 hours from under the hood. These new cars SUCK!!!!!!! Most of them are FWD. Most of them you have to remove the body to get the motor out. If mechanics are only being paid 25 an hour commission, gee that is no better than what 30 years ago? Plus you need 200,000 dollars worth of tools and electronic gear to work on todays nightmares.
I typically always do my own work on my Subaru. There was 1 time where I was gonna do a 2 person job and decided just to take it to a Subaru dealer I caught them on my camera that I had in the car just vacuuming out the Brake and clutch reservoir and not doing a proper flush
@@narcissistinjurygiver2932 There are no artificial price controls on those wages. The flat rates and hourly wages are there because the market says so. The fact they remain low is another bit of proof that there is still a glut of mechanics, not a shortage. Wages don't go up until they have to, so the fact they are what they are is proof the shortage itself is the hoax.
In a dealership setting, flatrate sucks because of warranty rates.. In a independent repair shop, flatrate is still very lucrative “if” the work is consistent. Otherwise, an hourly rate or weekly guarantee is what you will want. Ultimately, if you are a good Mechanic with good experience, you want to work for yourself, mobile mechanic or your own shop.
I left the business after two decades as a flat rate Chrysler tech. Warranty dependent and recall plagued trash was no longer paying my bills. I miss the business and my customers.
Funny thing is 20 years ago you had company paid healthcare and pension . Today we live in a 2 class society where owners of businesses have multi million dollar beach homes ,summer homes by the lake ,winter homes in the mountains ,etc . There's no paying people a good wage ,it's all about me . I worked in freight for 30 years and every business I went into would readily replace every worker with illegals .
Nice. You still have to do the rest of the service such as check filters, belts, check/top off fluids, air up tires, check brakes, replace oil filter, reset oil change reminder.
@@mph5896 No problem. I live in rural America where my shop has been around for 100 years and I own a 2005 toyota. Repairs are a breeze. I always complain they don't charge enough. They still bill at $75 an hour. In cities as you know, the shop rate is $150 and most newer cars are computers. I have a cassette deck that sometimes gives me trouble. Only problem. I have the money to buy any car I want. I won't because nothing new will be better than my 20 year old car. .FBJ.
dealerships should be paying their techs top dollar given the price the charge for service. the local dealer wanted almost twice the price for some work that a local family owned shop ended up doing.
It doesn’t promote quality, as a subcontractor it take a lot more time to do as for yourself so I charge good but know my job will be excellent and customer happy
The days of Gomer working on cars is over. These guys gotta be very smart and hardworking to make is as a mechanic today. Things are complicated. Always changing. Everything is different. Hats off to these guys for keeping America running.
As a guy who has worked on lab instrumentation and managed a lab, it takes some aptitude to troubleshoot obscure electrical/electronic problems on a vehicle. I do a little of my own repairs sometimes, and there is no room in these engine compartments. Forget dash work. That's an expensive puzzle to put back together.
@@elmerfudpucker3204 If you have the skills and ability then you should always start a business. A maintenance is something everyone needs. Therefore, it is a valuable skill you can use to make a living.
The owner of a MB, BMW, Jaguar dealership said I don't have any use for talented techs I prefer those who can sell as many jobs as they can even if they are lousy at repairing things as long as they sell a service I love them, what good is a guy who can fix the problem with minimum expense he makes the customer happy and I lose, the customers are at our mercy anyways they can't fix their cars so we make sure to leave them with just enough for a phone call.
I'm 67 and grew up fixing cars and rebuilding engines in the 1960's - 1970's. Did virtually all my own auto work except for clutch replacement until the early 1990's. As I made more money I had my car serviced more and more usually with independent mechanics. But, with the closing of my favorite used car dealership who had a good mechanic (less than a block away) I have decided that its time to start fixing cars again. I still have all my tools (my wife is amazed at all the tools I have). I replaced an alternator in my wife's car last month saving hundreds. With a $450 YOUCANIC scanner I was able to diagnose my car (crankshaft position indicator) and my wife actually did most of the work replacing it (a real pain in the butt job and I have some health issues that prevented me from working effectively laying on the engine - but my wife could do it). We figure we saved at least $300 in labor for that job - and possibly as much as the new scanner. I've still got a very heavy duty scissors jack (with like a 4" wide x 7" long base plate: I think rated for 8000 lb) and a set of 6000 lb rated jack stands (all things I purchased like 40 years ago). Unfortunately, about 20 - 25 years ago I gave my heavy duty ramps to someone who I felt needed them more (and at that time I was able to slide under my vehicles and change oil without needing ramps). I'm not interested at all in the modern plastic ramps. There are things I won't do (front end and suspension work)... and of course we buy tires at a tire shop. But a lot of the other stuff I can still do. I figure that the YOUCANIC scanner will pay for itself real fast between our two cars based on past work. My wife is kinda interested as I pointed out that we could make decent side money doing limited auto repairs for select people. I would need to look into insurance for that 1st (protect ourselves from being sued).
Minimum wage for techs in California is an industrial welfare commission law. You can not require a technician to supply their own tools unless you pay them twice the minimum wage. You are guaranteed that wage for every hour worked. You could flag 8 hours in the morning and stand around for 4 hours in the afternoon. You would get paid 8 flat rate and 4 hours at minimum wage. Gonzales v Downtown LA Motors is the case law that established this. Best practice in California is to pay the tech minimum wage for the week, with a bonus for productivity. Keeps the employers from getting sued.
I appreciate this video. I feel "metrics" are destroying many industries. I absolutely agree with your thoughts on trade schools. Unfortunately that is not something that can just be restarted in a day...
My nephew is a VERY smart kid (he's 24) and LIVES to work on cars. He is self-taught and seems to be able to fix ANYTHING. He is an awesome "back yard" mechanic. At this point he's employed at a dead end job (which he hates but dutifully does). He is talking about going to school to become an auto tech. He is currently on a "fact finding" mission to determine costs, travel (nearest community college is over 50 miles away), ability to continue working part-time, etc. Despite his excellent work, he is used to taking his time (he's a bit of a perfectionist) and I told him he wouldn't have that luxury when employed as a tech. I previously encouraged him to "pursue his dream" but after hearing this may change that recommendation.
Ive been turnning wrenches since 1969... I don't know any mechanics that don't have bad back..! I became a master automotive machinest ASE Certified... At age 40, and never looked back .
When customers expect factory service by factory tech? Good luck, maybe 1 out of 25 tech have some knowledge on new tech components. Hardly anyone gets his car fixed right on one visit. Fact of life.
Being an auto mechanic even sucked back in 1985-95. Flat rate totally blows. If you're not a little on the shady side, you won't make enough. If the sevice write up guy doesn't like you, you get warranty crap like wind noises, leaks, rattles. I stuck with getting paid hourly in a family owned shop that specialized in heating /AC and cooling systems. Hot in the summer and cold in the winter. You can do it when you're under 40 but after that, forget it. By 1995 cars started to get a little more complex and more obnoxious. Glad I got out of it.I can't imagine it now. No way.
My youngest son recently graduated from a trades school in Waco. Maybe 200 kids walked for maybe 8 trades. Maybe 30 were white, another 20 black, the rest...the future is brown y'all. They will fill the mechanic jobs and the govt will foot the $50k bill for their training at UTI. And many will make great mechanics. What are the ones who quit gonna do? Learn to code? Not trying to be racist nor political, just observations from an old guy in TX. Things are not like they were 40 or 50 yrs ago. If the trend holds things are gonna continue to get different and possibly at an accelerating rate. The short term answer is buy a dependable older used vehicle and maintain it well. Less bells n whistles is better.
Well learning to code is actually fruitless now. I live in Seattle and the amount of computer scientists working fast food here is nuts. AI is destroying their field and I LOVE it
One time I was working on a vehicle with brake pads at 2mm. Tried to sell them, advisor said they were just replaced 15k miles ago. Told him if he didn't believe me he can look at them. He said, "oh I guess they are at 2mm". Just got tired of people questioning my integrity.
I used to be a tech in my late teens as a L&F, tire tech, and I also did brakes. My shop was solid for like a year, everyone loved one another. Then leadership slashed some hours, gave others a small raise, and fired our good techs or made them feel invalidated. Shortly after I put in my two weeks and left, too.
the good techs leave to higher paying jobs. It's not a bad job for someone just getting in the workforce but you have to find a way out. Definitely not a job you would for 30 years.
The shop charges $150 an hour and the mechanic gets $25. You work in a drafty shop with 100 degree heat while the boss sits in the A/C. You get to work on vehicles that are not designed to be repaired. There is no way in hell I would be a mechanic today
Yep, it’s not worth it in 90% of cases.
Well said
Sounds like you need to open your own shop
You also have to buy a lot of expensive tools .
The good jobs are in fleet maintenance. Those are usually union jobs with security.
I experienced this first hand, I brought my Honda to an Illinois dealership for an oil change and tire rotation. Before taking my car I marked the front driver rim with a piece of tape. Well when I picked it up I noticed the tape was in the same location yet they charged me for the rotation. I brought it to the owners attention and he said ok, sorry, your next oil change is free? I told him since they didn’t rotate my tires how do I know the oil was even changed, he just looked down at the floor, how many people get scammed everyday??? It’s sad
i have done this for years and I too caught a shop one I mark oil file too
After some of the problems I've had with shops, I ain't gonna let no one touch my car anymore.
The best way to keep this crap from happening is pay hourly plus performance based bonuses. A huge part of that performance is customer satisfaction. Not letting customers take advantage of you, but being straight up with them. Letting them know pricing up front. Having service managers who know what they are talking about, hiring a warranty claims specialist if you’re a dealership. Labor rate is $95/hr, overhead is $28/hr, $25/hr to owner, $42/hr to tech. You pay hourly $32/hr and $10/hr bonus for performance. Owner can dip into their pockets for those who go above and beyond in an honest way.
My rims are all marked because I have been duped so many times where they charged me for a rotation and never did one
My Honda dealer always used to charge me for things they never did. It took me some time before I realized that. I try now to stay away from dealers even though I have a 2023 car.
New cars are a pain to work on, I spent over 50 years as a mechanic. The dealership make money but not the workers. I find dealerships shops are not honest.
They are not. I brought my 06 Corolla into the dealer for an oil change (I swap engines, I could easily do an oil change myself) in hopes that they would be able to actually get the mileage off the computer, as the odo stopped at 299999. They didn't do it. $100 later, I got my car back with fresh oil and a report that said everything was fine. My pads had 10% left in them (I knew this) and two weeks later the exhaust fell off the car (I did not foresee this).
Jackson's Toyota did not check my car at all, and I'm willing to bet they didn't even try to get the mileage off it.
Dealerships try to NOT FIX your car. They give you a BS "resolution" and tell you to "monitor the condition and see if it gets worse" on your service invoice. I'd rather just diagnose and correct any problems myself.
Stay away from Pep Boys, rip off $132 for a synthetic oil change
The correct term is 'Stealership'
Exactly the reason I like older easier cheaper to fix cars. My work vehicle is 34 years old
See my screen name. 14 years with Lexus, 10 as a Master certified Lexus tech. Doing it the honest way, I averaged about 45-50k in SoCal. Best year I had was 60k in Arizona. All while having to play politics with work dispatch, going through work slumps, then massively busy with recalls, to pitiful labor pay on warranty.
The final straw for me was Lexus corporate bringing down the hammer on techs that missed an online quiz deadline. That fucked with my pay for an entire month. Wife was 4 months pregnant with my first kid and I flagged 40 hours for the whole month. Could not touch a ticket that even SNIFFED warranty, even replacement batteries. This was a new punishment, one that backfired on them I think. Why? We missed the deadline because we were busy trying to finish all the fucking recall work we were flooded with.
It will be 5 years since I left the dealer life, flat rate, and the enormous lack of respect for a skill set that is in no way easily replaced. Dealers and repair shops are all screwed because the next Gen isn't buying in. Good, fuck them. They did it to themselves.
This is what caused welding-issues at newport-news shipyard. They ran off the skilled welders years ago. Generational welders that passed skills to their sons. 😢
"It's a buyers market" is your first indication that the hiring has gone to the wolves and the company is in a terrible place. They try this with us programmers knowing full well the gifted percentile in any given country is 2%. If the pols weren't awarding them guest worker visas no programmer in America would be making under six figures.
@@charlesforrest7678 I REMEMBER when they listed Newport job ads.
Wow, I would’ve never thought a Lexus dealership would treat its techs this way.
The place I work is desperate for help, I think its funny, they dont understand why nobody wants to work for them. I only stay because I have no other options.
I started out as an automotive tech when my father told me if I don't go to college, learn a trade. I was young and saw the very same shady stuff and hostile work environment like you have, not to mention the lousy pay. I saw nothing but a dead end is that career so I decided to join the service and learn aviation maintenance. Best decision I ever made. Long story short, I ended up becoming a Federal aircraft mechanic at an Air National Guard base for 30 years, since I just retired from. Decent pay, I didn't have to buy tools, and I have a pension which I'm enjoying now. Thanks for the video!
Thank you for your service to our great nation! 😎👍
And no working on flat rate, the only time you have to be really fast is when you are deployed to a war zone. You also have to be certified , unlike some mechanics and no regular mandatory medical exams, and you do not need as many tools.
Your rich, that pension is a sweet deal
The ANG can be a great deal. I was warned by (successful shop owner) mechanics in the 1970s not to wrench cars for a living though I'm good at it. Joining the Air Force was pure win (but sensitive people should avoid aircraft maintenance and preferably the armed forces so no one has to hear their whining!) and retirement is Very Nice. If a career doesn't have a government-guaranteed pension and benefit package no ordinary mechanic job beats it or even comes close. I've wrenched commerically for toy money at my bros shop but would never want to depend on that.
You listened to your dad, good for you. My dad saved me from a bad business decision and changed my lifespan. And to stay in one place for so long. Airline mechanics go all over the place.
Stealerships treat their employees and customers like shit. I used to work at a car dealership.
@@MossMini That is why there is so much turnover.
I just got into automotive work and its so far a nightmare outlook. Jesus the pay is deplorable, corporate America is going to destroy this country through greed.
Yep, it’s been like that forever
Go aviation I did and never looked back!
@@luissantiago147 The only good job in aviation is a pilot. If any young person is interested in aviation, I would never steer them to be a mechanic. It might cost more up front, and pay might be low for the first year-ish, but the long term is leaps and bounds above a mechanic. You are talking on order of $10's of millions of dollars more pay over a career, with much less daily hassle. Be a pilot, not a mechanic should be a bumper sticker.
@@naps3386I’m an A&P and specialize in Avionics. This career path has been an absolute life changer for me! What do you do in Aviation?
That screams for an independent owner to start a business wherein the techs are treated right and paid well.
Worked as a service advisor, in the early 70's. I quit after a month. Management told me to,sell services the customers didn't need. Upselling should be illegal.
I quit in 2019 for the same reason
@@CT_Taylor Taylor it's called having a, moral standard. Thank you for your, feedback.
@@Jhonny-w6p Yes, my manager was happy with the "best tech" who *refused* to do any brake work unless you automatically added calipers/wheel cylinders, every drum and every rotor always were needing replacement, even on the 10k mile car where the owner wanted his aftermarket pads placed on that kinda thing. Every drum. Would refuse to do any brake job unless we fluffed up the work order with ridiculous markup parts, that, of course, we werent supposed to tell the customers they could walk 1 minute next door WHERE WE WOULD BUY THE EXACT SAME PART and save $$$. And all oil changes had snake oil injector cleaner snuck in and you were supposed to only address it if the customer noticed and asked about it.
Dishonest and gross
Here in Canada the largest national chain has earned some infamy for paying their mechanics a sales commission on top of their earned wage. Even decades ago an aggressive mechanic could earn $1500.00 per month as a 'bonus'. It was and is largely fueled by the mandatory annual inspection of motor vehicles. The mechanic's 'opinion' about what repairs are needed can force the customer into a corner. Same problem - but I am sad to hear that wages are so low and can be peeled back so easily in the US
@dereksollows9783 Any mechanic worth his salt, should open up his own shop. That would force the big dealerships to lower prices and maybe restore their reputations.
I work as a technician for a large transportation agency - buses and passenger trains. Many, maybe close to 50% of the techs came from the service departments of auto dealerships. Instead of maintaining cars they fix trains and buses. Their reasons for making the switch are the same as in this video. As a train tech I do routine maintenance as well as troubleshooting and repair. It's a union job that pays $54/hour and offers lots of over time for those who want to work extra hours. It's common for techs to earn $120k to $140k per year and receive great benefits...medical, dental, vision, 401k, and pension.
Its all part of the plan to get people out of their personal vehicles so the city can implement self driving cars everywhere. This is all part of the plan.
Nice, I work for a University as a facilities maintenance. I'm under paid, but have great benefits including a Pension. I see a few sitting behind a desk, making 150,000 a year for being a chair warmer. Nuts. It's job's like yours that will be in demand.
May I ask what agency you work for?
WoW!!!
@@joefran619A.I. will take care of that soon enough. Paper pushers make a ton of money to do nothing. Now computers will do those jobs more efficiently.
I just quit my job as a master technician twenty years plus in the horrible trade no money nothing but problems and toxic toxic toxic people. NO MORE NEVER GOING BACK 😮
Stay away from the dealer for maintenance items. Local mechanics do a better job and you can usually trust them. Dealers are for recalls and warranty work.
not even for recalls
The other place to stay away from are those big chain places. It’s best to find small independent shop although that might not be possible soon.
Not anymore. Cars coming out next year are going to need a $6 scan tool to work on and there will be a subscription fee for the software. Most mechanics are not going to shell out more money to buy those tools let alone learn how to use them. With people treat personal vehicles more like appliances where they throw them away every few years. Its only a matter of time before everyone ends up with these rolling iPhones on wheels.
Andcwhen they F your car up you take it to the dealer your job is only as good as the tech anywhere
No one walks into a auto shop and can fix a car it takes years and most are not cut out for it
I'm a retired mechanic, It was a decent way for a man with just high school education to make a decent living if he had good mechanical instincts and a box of tools. That was back in 1975. I wouldn't recommend it to anyone now. The mechanic's cut of the labor has been shrinking for 40 years and the job has been getting tougher.
Some guys I've met over the years that are pulling good money on being a mechanic work out of regular garages in loosely zoned areas and it's just themselves or another guy. Mostly cash usually nothing heavy duty. Lower end of the market on older cars and sometimes need to deal with people that cannot afford a car but need one. A lot of loyal clients.
You nailed it. I did 5 years at a dealer and almost starved to death. Everything you said I experienced. I retired in fleet maintenance, I'm glad my career is over.
Yep, that’s why I quit doing it. Surrounded by dirtbags, greedy owners, angry customers. Fun fun
the only growth in our country is the growing gap between the rich and poor, the youth is giving up, not getting married, having children or working. Society is collapsing, look no further than our influencers that the kids are following.
i fully agree society is collapsing there is little hope for the average youth of today to own a house and have a family. I am a baby boomer i feel we have raped the place and our grand kids will be stuck with the bill. then there is the non hetrosexuals who are not normal they are not going to reproduce. so there wont be enough kids to support the country at this rate
Your generalizations are killin’ me.
Very true.
Indeed, the left hand opens the borders and the right hand lowers corporate tax rates. That group George Carlin spoke of exists. They win either way.
Thank Democrats.
cars are becoming too complicated
You gotta buy a scan tool that does everything, gets updates. Unfortunately it will set you back 1k just for a decent one.
I got a 2000 f250 with the 5.4 thats as new as i will go i can still work on it and not need a 10000 scan tool
@theoddstreamer6918 For sure. That's a good truck, and doesn't have all the electronics of these new vehicles
Feature creep.
Much better off in HVAC, plumbing or electrical work.
Yep in 90% of cases. A lot of people love working on cars and want to follow their passions. Just need to be clear-eyed on what they’re getting into.
I was a telecommunications tech where I just dealt with bandwidth for big customers. I worked in one of those big windowless buildings with a couple other techs. I didn’t even have to talk with the customers as we had people that took care of that. $45 + an hour, double time over 12 hours and Sundays, 401k and pension. Company provided all tools and test equipment.
Not as much free lunch as you think, HVAC means you work on heating in the winter and as many other smaller licenses and takes just as long. Plumbing is not bad, changes very little. But electrical is just behind auto for changes. You get stuck with all the latest plant automation and robots etc, codes and you work often have to pass inspection. Oh it works is not good enough, had to pass code. You do buy less tools than auto.
@@revnation_autoit's a good skill to have to maintain your own vehicles
@@tonylam9548sparkys a bad trade to join RN it's over saturated
I once had a gunsmith named Earle Miller tell me, nobody ever got rich fixing things. You don't want any job fixing things, you want a job where you're making something. He was right
smart guy!
Yeah he is smart. You want to capable of fixing YOUR personal items so you don't end up with someone turd that they made.
Just have to find the right trade. Elevator techs are at the top of that heap.
I was a cnc machinist and didn't make squat.You were always under pressure to get the job done and reminded daily how you can be replaced any time.When I left there was a great feeling of relief.
That's debatable. Purchase/throw away products are cheap & waste product materials. More jobs are created due to repairs. It's capitalism (GREED). And denial of unions. Hate unions?? It brings EVERYONE'S wages up, union or NOT. 🤔🇺🇸
I sincerely hope the whole car repair industry goes under. Nothing but con men and scammers left now.
You are wrong. Then exactly WHO is going to fix anybody's car? At that point, my slow but basic DIY mechanic's skills are worth $120+/hour because I'm the only guy in town.
You are kind of correct. But now, they make it hard for DIYers. We'd be screwed, not dealers.
Millennial mechanics
Service tech hourly rate: $25/hour
Flat Rate Labor Charge: $185/hour
Yep, the American way my friend .
Getting anything less than 35% is barbaric
less than 13.5% after taxes.
I've seen it as high as $250 for Mercedes/BMW (I forget which) in Northern Indiana.
Former tech- Pay sucks, management shits all over you all the time. Basically, they want it all done right this second, but then try and get out of paying your full flat rate for each job. 3rd major reason I quit was tool cost. Some of the stuff you need the shops do not supply can cost a small fortune. I have at least 2 new cars worth of tools from when I worked as a tech.
Tool debt is a huge problem amongst techs. Those vendors are just like dope dealers.
@revnation_auto I got as much as possible second hand or from Harbor Freight. Only stuff I got off the truck was stuff I couldn't find online or needed right that minute as I absolutely hated paying their prices for stuff that wasn't that much better than you can get a northern tools for 1/3 the cost.
Tool prices came down a lot these couple of decades, unless you are the few stubborn ones who insist on buying Snap-on everything. Their patent for flank drive expired.
I quit being a mechanic 35 years ago and things were a lot better than they are now.
Find another job you can transfer your mechanical skills to.
Good mechanics have always been very hard to find and if you are good demand good pay and conditions if you do not get them quit on the spot.
In a job interview tell what you will and will not do if you do not like doing engine rebuilds or whatever refuse to do them from the start.
Service techs in other industries do little and get paid better than mechanics.
I would only buy tools to make my life easier.
When I brought tools to turn a 1 hour job into a 30 minute job I would work for 30 minutes and rest the other 30.
If the book times said 2 hours and reality was 4 I would refuse to do them unless I was credited with the extra 2 hours.
Always road test your vehicles before and after working on them it saves a lot of wasted time and heartache.
A clean mechanic is a good mechanic.
I would always put Thanks John on the service sticker if you do good work people will ask for you by name.
When repairing a air conditioner try and get as close to zero as you can in a hot climate people will look at the service sticker and say mentally to themselves "Thanks John".
@@johnsmith9161 Out of high school every trade are competing for the group of students that are very handy doing things with their hands. They lose a certain amount to be accountants , teachers, sales etc. I am electrician and Ind mech etc but much of the job do not involve electricity. It involve mechanical assemble and installation. If you are 10 thumb type, you have a hell of a time finishing the apprenticeship.
My kid was a Euro ASE Master Tech with 20 years on the job at a German Luxury Car dealer and made well over $120K a year and finally got sick and tired of the young guys coming in that couldn't tie their shoes let alone diagnose with a computer what was wrong with a car and had to do it himself to keep the work moving. The other straw was the required stealing from customers with fake work, the management rational was that rich people don't really think too much about what fixing their very expensive car costs, they just pay it. So stealing from them was easy and required. He quit after 20+ years, never to return.
He quit after 20 years, that's called retirement
No, quitting after 40 or 50 years is retirement.
Dealerships steal from the poor, working class too. They need to be abolished.
Had my new car serviced at the Toyota dealer, after I got home I opened the hood to check the oil and other things. I could tell the Tech rushed the service. The cap was left off the coolant reservoir container, I could smell coolant, thought I had a coolant leak. The rod that holds the hood up was not secured to the holder, just loose. Oil was overfilled past the max mark on the stick. Yes I believe techs are not paid fairly. Yes I believe techs skip some things and don’t do it correctly.
Good chance the "tech" who serviced your vehicle used to wash the dealership's cars and has no formal training or degree. Sad but true.
They often let lube techs take work they aren’t qualified for to scam more money and pay them jack squat.
A product of poor wages, you get what you pay for, poor wage, poor worker, why would you take a vehicle to a Toyota dealership, well known as the most corrupt.
@@user-Dr. The new american way is there are jobs for people who want them but you will need two of those jobs to break even.
@@scaramouche8244 Yup, very sad but true, I was a pipe welder fitter, for 50 years raised a family, now a foster home all on a single income, not gonna happen right now, but it can be fixed, one last chance.
VOTE RIGHT MY FRIEND
The manufacturer can't even repair their own crap.
I recently had my car in the workshop for 6 weeks because the techs couldn't figure out a fault with a product from their own brand.
@@Beef_SupreeemeWhy didn’t you take it somewhere else after a few days?
I don’t know where this guy lives but most mechanics here (central Texas) what they say they do and do not rip you off.
They can but why would they? Theres no money in that.
My cousin quit the car service industry after getting a job at in n out. He now makes $22 an hour at in n out and can work up to store manager role in 7-8 years, making $160k plus a year. His $22 was a huge jump from make $10.50 as a technician at the shop he worked at
I was a tech in the late 70s. The older guys working there told me to get out of this profession. They were all unhappy and pissed every day. The shop provided only some basic equipment that all the tech shared. We had to buy our own tools. A set of Snap on impact socket set was more than my weekly pay. I worked on the side and made more money than at the dealership. I left after about 2 yrs. The work was hard on your body. The older guys were beat up, wore back braces, breathing issues from the asbestos exposure, knee issues etc. In the summer it was hot no ac. The winter was cold. Every day we were exposed to chemicals.
I did a lot of warranty work. Shit jobs no one wanted to do. I was good at my job and took pride on the work I did. Rearly any come backs. We had no respect from the management.
Fast forward no different today. 😮
I echo your experience. Worked from 1979 - 2004. I died at the dealerships, mostly because certain mechanics were spoon fed gravy work while the smart technicians were fed warranty work. One technician told me, perhaps out of pity, "Dave, the more you know the less you'll make". He was right. He simply told management he didn't know electrical, or transmissions, or wind noises and was fed royally. He was quite fast.
Why?
Services, and brakes and clutches... (all customer pay) keep the dealership doors open, not warranty.
A side note:
--The insistence on more and more tech features on new cars ultimately hurts the consumer and the repair crew.
Thanks for reading this.
Aches and pains come from age even if you don't lift
The other day my mother-in-law came to me with an estimate from the Hyundai dealer. They wanted $600 to change a motor mount which I bought for $50 and changed in 20 minutes. Also they wanted to change the entire tail light assemblies, I tested them and they all worked fine.
An Oregon Dodge dealer diagnosed a bad fuel injector. Over $900 total estimate. I paid them almost $200 for the diagnoses and shopped around for an injector for $80 and changed it myself in 20 minutes. No wonder they are called stealerships.
My uncle got fired from a repair shop 10 years ago for helping a customer save money.an old lady came with a code but only had to replace the gas cap & air filter. His boss was trying to out sell her unnecessary repairs but had an emergency and had to pick his son from middle school for fighting. My uncle was unaware of this incident & he was left working on her car. he spend an 20 minutes checking her car & told her it was only $138.60 after taxes. She was happy and told my uncle he proud of him for being helpful & honest and explained the issue with his boss. When his boss came back he pissed and told him that lady needed a full check up to replace some parts and fired him on the spot
So he was fired for refusing to commit acts of fraud...
He should have gone to a good lawyer.
That sucks.
@@STScott-qo4pwlawyers are not cheap.
Its not just the initial costs of tools, its the fact that you often need to update and purchase speciality tools on a regular basis to equal or beat flat rate time. Shops don't provide enough tools (imho) for techs to be efficient at their jobs. If your shop does a fair amount of AC work, you might have two machines. But often times you'll have to wait for your turn to use it; I own my own machine and my own VAT 40 when did work and never had to wait for a shop supplied tool. But, a word of advice; become a plumber or electrician, it pays more and your tool costs are limited. Or, do fleet work in a government shop; get a pension, great benefits, paid vacations and almost never worry about layoffs.
💯👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾
So true get your experience and apply for city, state or federal jobs with benifits you won't find anywhere.
You nailed it, I thought it was my thing, I was building and racing cars with my dad at a very young age, I knew cars in and out, but as soon as I started working as a mechanic, I learned it was not for me, became a pipe welder, made a very good living, then Biden, on his first day in office got me laid off for the first time in my life, being a foster home and all, I was not sure if I could retire, but Biden left me no choice, so now I am building road racing cars, and driving my favorite one, load up the car and equipment, load up the kids and camper, and wife, and we go camping road racing and grilling all weekend long, never had so much fun, but if the democrats stay in power they are going to make all recreational motorsports illegal, illegal to make any modifications to a car, even if it makes it better or cleaner, TRUMP is our last chance, vote right people, all right.
@@user-Dr. 🤣🤣🤣🤣 Yeah sure.... everything that went wrong in your life is Biden's fault.
@@duancoviero9759 At this time, yours too ah, Obama actually, Biden is controlled, vote right my friend.
Tools are too expensive and you need a ton of them... Pay isnt high enoughl to make a living compared to other trades... Flat rate encourages mistakes and rushing... Way too much warranty work if your at a dealer to make any money... Parts are seemingly never available and your always waiting, have a lift tied up, have to move bays... etc... all stuff that loses you money! I gave up on it in 2014 and went into a maintenance role, still make great money turning wrenches but i have half as many headaches! Also, the not having to constantly buy tools week to week is nice!
I went to a fleet six years ago. Best decision ever. I am hourly. My gross is lower but I make more per actual hour worked. At the dealer I worked 60 hours a week and grossed 20% more. I still work 60 hours a week. 40 at my day job and 20 on side work. Way better off.
I hear that a lot.
I was a Ford technician for over 20 years. When Ford rammed their Saturday services and free multi point inspections, I started looking to get out.
I switched over to the union shops, and it was a little better, but not by much. And not enough for me to stay. On my days off, the resume and applications were getting sent out.
Eventually I found a government job. We don't work for free. And if we're called in on a weekend or a day off, we get overtime. A word and concept foreign to any car dealer.
Vivek Ramaswamy says working for the government isn’t real work.
@@l.j.r.8448 Wrong. I am one of the many that gets a little wake up call during the winter. !am. To start at 3am. To push snow and salt the streets. For a 12 hour shift. So that others can get to work. As well as ambulances to hospitals, fire trucks, police, etc. We keep American open and rolling, while others are either sleeping, or calling in sick.
I also eat my lunches in the truck, don't get or take breaks, and have to plan my bathroom stops accordingly. We don't get the option. What's worse is when there's an every other day snow event. One day I do a regular shift, next day I get the wake up call, and repeat. For someone to say this isn't real work, just try it one season.
@ tell that to republican Trump supporter Vivek Ramaswamy. My parents had federal government jobs . I’m on your side.
I agree with you. Except I wasn't fortunate enough to GET a government job. And government, you MEAN FEDERAL. State government don't pay as well. 👍🇺🇸
@riceburner4747 Actually, state jobs do pay pretty good. When you factor in the benefits and paid holidays. But yes, overall federal jobs due tend to be a better gig.
worked in stealership and independent shops, no difference,low pay, shop politics, little if any benefits. I'm retired and discourage anyone from entering this trade, it's a dead end !
All dealer owners see the employees as replacable. Turnover in sales is 50/yearly, less in service because there are fewer available folks. Plus the service manager hands out the plum jobs to their buddies.
Years ago i bought a new car took it to the dealer for an oil change and the tech didnt put the oil cap back on.Drove home which took 20 min.For some reason i opened the hood to see oil all over my engine. Luckily i only lost a qt of oil no damage.Put a qt of oil in it drove it right back to the dealer i made them spit shine it.
Happens quite a bit. I once forgot to put a guy’s center cap back on his wheel. I felt terrible about it and the guy actually bought me a beer because I clearly gave a crap unlike many others.
Had the dealer do this to me after selling me the radiator flush.As i got near my home,the truck was overheating.Had a 2 mile long line of boiled radiator fluid behind me on the road.The hose was never put back on.Dodge dealership techs did this.
I don’t think it’s quite as bad as this video portrays, but my rule of thumb is: what I can do myself on my vehicles,I will do.
DIY . It's not rocket science
I’m a service manager at a non dealership service center and a former Honda master tech. The whole industry is crooked. As a manager, I’m third in the chain of three at my shop. Yesterday I was told if our shop didn’t make money this month, all three managers would be written up. We have been incredibly slow for about 3 weeks, half of our lifts are broken and we have increased prices three times this year. How is any of that my fault? I didn’t price customers out, I don’t control advertising so getting people in the door isn’t my job and we reported the lifts as they broke over the last 9 months just to be told we don’t make enough to fix them even though our store ALWAYS makes a decent profit for the year. I told the store manager if they write me up after I come to work early every day and work my ass off, I’m walking straight out the door. Automotive jobs really kinda suck.
Just a warning I worked at Goodyear for 10 years. If it is corporate they will right you up.then next year fire you. They also always try and weasel out of unemployment. Not only that they are in financial trouble right now and you are just one of multiple locations from what I have heard that has broken hoists that aren't getting repaired. They don't care how long you have worked there and they don't care if you have years of perfect employment. They are trimming any where they can. Its sad. Good luck to you.
Corporations are the downfall of America, I worked in the automotive industry for 36 years, I quit in 1999 it wasn’t worth going to work anymore. All the money was taken away between insurance companies, and corporations, now it takes $60,000 dollars worth of tools to make $19.00 a commission hour , sad what has happened to the middle class
I was conditioned for 20 years to believe that every job was going to at least cost me $300+.
Then I found a genuinely honest mechanic and the amount of times where the issue wasn’t a big deal and they charged me for an oil change was pretty staggering.
If dealerships and garages will not pay their mechanics enough, then I don't blame the mechanics for quitting. It's like going on strike for higher wages. Back around 100 years ago, at the start of the industrial revolution, there were violent bloody labor riots, gunfire, people getting killed. That's what it takes to force employers to pay enough and provide decent working conditions. Perhaps there will come a mechanics union, the mechanics need one. Form a national union and go on strike
That was the end if the second industrial revolution, we are now reaching the end of the third.
47 years wrenching in 4 different fields. Retired now. All techs should quit. 16 bucks an hour to repair an 80k vehicle. You want to wrench, go Aviation. I would never do it again. Open a Snow Cone stand and make more money.
my motorbike mechanic at a big dealership was complaining to me he earned less than a hair dresser,
Sounds like exploitation. We live in a exploitation economy.
They all want the employees in debt
As a crooked turd said in Toronto who owned a chain of oil change shops said "it's an upsell world".
@@STScott-qo4pw What a sad world we live in today.
The automotive industry has turned sour like the trucking industry. Greed has led to their demise. A service advisor gets paid more than a skilled laborer who must have training certifications and tools.
It isn‘t any better in europe. I‘ve worken 9 years on mazda one year on peugeot and four years on citroen/suzuki.
The pay you get is fixed and it‘s not great in these 15 years I got zero hours over time paid. Its illigal but the shop doesn‘t care. They do every thing in there power to write of expenses from your pay but you never ever get anything extra.
The workenvierment is harsch. No AC in summer, you get chooched alive and inadequad hearing in winter. Your always freezing.
And the work culture is hostile and toxic you get jelled at often. They punish you for every sick leave. They expect you to work ill and do unpaid overtime.
You just destroy your body doing a highly skilled and complicated job. But they pay you shit tread you badly and don‘t care at all for your wellbeeing.
I loved to be a car mechanic, I didn‘t do it for money I did it as my passion. But at some point you have to quit and move one from this terrible conditions.
I lived in Spain, Ireland, and Poland and remember seeing the same bs there.
Got my class A currently after working in the auto industry for 20 years. My best friend just quit too since now he has is pilot license. And my other old coworker quit and started a business. The older guys get the gravy/high paying jobs that come in. Also goes to sales. The ones that’s been in the business the longest usually get the most clients and sales. I HAD TO JUMP SHIP!!!👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽
They are quitting.....but going freelance. Way better money.
If you have enough contacts and reputation to go on your own, great, and you can collect lots of cash too. But you still need a place to fix them. Hoist and waste liquid containers etc.
Till you get sued. Ask me why I don't touch anyone's car anymore.
Rule #1, if you are going to be an auto mechanic you have to SPECIALIZE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! A "general repair man is a road to nowhere unless you want to be an idiot like Scotty Kilmer....
Idiot Scotty makes more money in one year than you made in your whole career..
Kilmer does alright for a supposed idiot. Just an observation.
As a former service mechanic, I can relate to this. We were expected to find extra work all the time. God help us if we didn't find it and sometimes pressured to sell crap that wasn't needed like transmission services, brake fluid changes when they weren't needed etc . My worst nightmare was a car that needed few if any repairs,the boss would butt in and make stuff up.
I blame the car dealerships 100% having maximized profits PAST the point of quality.
Dealerships are BROKE so you can guess what will happen to your bill if you take your car there for repair. They will load up on you!
Tow company's going out of business due to folks canceling triple AAA or other tow insurance Co. They just pull it home with a strap. Way too expensive to try and have them fixed.
They might be able to sell a few cars if they would get rid of some of those $15,000 "market adjustments" they've been tacking on to sticker prices.
The customers don't want to pay, the warranty companies don't want to pay, the auto manufacturers don't want to pay. The cars are more complicated than ever before. They have never been harder to work on. The stress on the technician is horrible. The customers or horrible. The RUclipsr videos that attack technicians as all scammers and thieves are horrible.
He mentioned the fellow that worked at advance auto parts, i did the same thing. Worked as a mechanic for 16 years, then went to advance auto as a commercial parts pro, selling parts to garages. With my automotive knowledge i excelled and made good money and the shops i serviced loved me. Did that for 15 years until I retired. After being off for a few years, I went back working 2 days a week 10 hours a week. There will always be a satisfying feeling about helping someone with a car problem.
Self educate, get a job as a helper or something at a shop & learn. When ready take ASE certification tests 100% without schooling. Or join military & get paid while getting free training.
True for aspiring techs, ASE study guides offer more info than trade schools all together. The price is steep for them but you'll be ahead for sure.
Worked in the 80s at a dealership collision repair then repair shop until 1995 then aircraft mfg now retired and glad its over
Capitalism needs basic income especially for young people starting their lives
@@MichaelSmith-yr8rb There would have to be strict caveats for it. If jobless have to use government website to apply for a minimum of 3 jobs a month & if a job offer was declined the job would report why & your basic income be canceled. Similar rules to state unemployment benefits.
@j887276 it would be like the alaskan permanent fund since 1980 and not means tested like other govt social programs
@@MichaelSmith-yr8rb In that case what's the point of working if you can simply exist off of free money?
I now repair my vehicles I bought all the tools and scanners needed I got so pissed getting my vehicle back from service shops with the issue not fixed or bolts nuts not put back on also clamps ect put back on backwards and not tightened and being charged a ridicule rate !
I had my Nissan's CVT fluid changed last year at the dealership. This is not a hard job as I just did it this year myself. (I drive 20,000 miles per year and DON'T want the CVT to quit!) They forgot to tighten ALL 19 bolts that hold on the tranny pan! I noticed it a few days later when I saw oil spots everywhere I parked. I tightened them all myself, added 1 1/2 quarts of Nissan CVT fluid and went to the dealer. I got an apology from them but no real satisfaction.
I was an automotive technician since 1976 With the same Company. In those years we had some great times but after the original owner sold to his son things started to change some not for the better. Three of us were the original crew left,the company started pushing more service which wasn’t a problem But the younger crew started trying to recommend things that they shouldn’t and the older crew would call them out which pissed off people. I had a back injury first of June of this year used my vacation time to cover my time off some. Last week of June I was called buy the owner and told to go and retire and go on social security. But the best part of it was he Canceled My Insurance three days before I was told. It’s Gets Better I Forgot To Mention That He’s A Great Christian A Pushes It Always! IN THE END I WILL WIN BECAUSE THERE AINT NOBODY WANTING IN THIS BUSINESS SO ALL THOSE YEARS I DEDICATED MY LIFE TO THE COMPANY WAS A JOKE!
That’s awful, I always the love the greedy jerks who mask their behavior with “Christian values”. I’m really sorry that you’re having to go through all of that. I hope you recover soon.
@@revnation_auto I’ve never been happier being out of the drama sad think is I really loved what I did!
Some of the worst jerk offs are so called Christian/religious types. Best of luck.
Another thing about dealerships is when doing factory warranty work, warranty time is lower. Example if you are warranting a transmission regular R&R time may call for say 6 hours, whereas the manufacturers will only pay say 3.5 hours. I worked at a Dodge dealer years ago, they were a 5 Star rated dealer. We did so much warranty work that after 9 months I quit and went back to an Independent repair shop. I recently retired after wrenching for 38 years.
That and everytime there is a recall, the manufacturer expects the technicians to help pay for it by lowering the flat rate times.
@@carlcornelius8667
Exactly,we did so many transmission warranties/replacements on Caravan’s/Voyager’s,etc that I lost count. It got to the point that Dodge sent a representative to either ok or deny warranties.
Yep, I once spent almost a day tearing the inside out of a car looking for a wiring short. Had to remove the seats, dash, etc. Fixed the short and put it all back together. Generous Motors paid me 15 minutes for splicing a wire!
After putting in my 45 years of service as a technician I can say that you are 100% correct in this video. I did the HS auto shop, trade school, dealership route in the mid-seventies and early eighties. Worked in dealerships until the early 90's. Worked independent shops through the 90's. After 21 years in private industry as a fully California licensed (Smog Check since '81, and brake and lamp), ASE Certified Master Tech and a GM Certified Master Tech, I finished my career working in government fleet. Hostile work environment in many of the private industry shops I worked at included the techs I worked with and the management. Between the hard physical work that requires you stay in excellent physical shape, the dirty, non-climate controlled shop that when it's 100+ degrees and you are working under the hood of a running car it's the same temp as being in an oven set at 300+ degrees. When it rains you get to be cold, dirty and wet. Also the pay hassles and assholes you work with, it's not an industry that fosters respect for the employee. Granted, there are many other careers that are hot/cold, dirty, wet, but in most of those the pay structure at least ensures you are going to be compensated for your effort, not screwed like flat rate. Throw in the cost of tools and training, both of which need to be constantly updated if you wish to keep up with the ever changing technology, and overall there are more minuses than pluses to an automotive repairman tech career.
Thank you for this video. I absolutely agree with you and I started fixing my own Dodge Grand Caravan 2007 - replaced the belt, radiator, pipes, alternator, starter, front struts and brakes and disks, tire changes, oil changes, etc. I am an electronic engineer making C$50, but I can't afford to pay the same kind of money to the local repair shops in these difficult times.
I worked at a few Ford dealerships during and after I got done with Ford mechanic training. 2 year program. Worked up to and through journeyman level. Wasn't the worst work I've ever done but toward the bottom. I was union in missouri. Pay was decent. Moved to south Texas and applied to a couple dealerships. The pay in and around San Antonio was abysmal. Including all pay and benefits Texas wages were about 38% of what I made in St.Louis region. Ended up doing higher end stereo systems at a radio/tint joint for about double what dealer paid. Definitely enjoyed life more for the 2 years I was down there. Ended up getting epa certs and did hvac part time too. That all was 20 years ago. Never worked at an auto shop again since then.
Texas pays horribly compared 90% of the country. Mississippi and West Virginia are the only places I’ve seen worse.
I think shops should have large windows open to the waiting area so you can WATCH your car being worked on. The BS that OSHA rules prohibit customers in the shop is garbage! I trained to be a mechanic in the early 80's but worked on an auto assembly line instead. It was also hard on the body, but no other issues. I hate working on my own car but I do it as much as I can for the reason in this video.
30 yr long sae mechanic here , I didn't quit i repair and build my own now not customer cars.
It's been 15 years since I took any of my vehicles to a shop, because of the alarming incidence of sloppy repairs and inability to diagnose non-trivial problems. Here are few of my pet peeves:
1) Nearly universal use of impact wrenches, which results in frequent cross threading, or stripping out of threads altogether.
2) Failure to repair stripped out threads, even on very important applications (e.g. for engine mount bolts!).
3) Failure to notice and report other issues which need attention.
4) Incompetence troubleshooting modern computer controlled engines and transmissions.
Fortunately I have a large shop of my own where I can perform my own repairs. 1.5 years ago I finally junked my 1994 Mercury Sable, and replaced it with my wife's 1998 Accord V6, which has 250K miles. I haven't made a car payment since 1989.
The 3 reason you talked about is the exact reasons why I got out of it in 2007 after 16 years.train cars are my way of life now
I love cars, but I got out of the industry after 2 years.
Still in the automotive industry though, just not repairing them for a living.
Good video. I went to work at a Mercury Dealership after High School in 1969. I saw that most of the 50 and 60 year olds that I worked with, hated wht they were doing. I loved working on cars, trucks, and tractors so, I decided to keep that as a hobby and went into engineering. It was a good choice for me. I still do all of my own repairs. My home shop is pretty good. Good Luck, Rick
Being an automotive technician is NOT for everyone. Get experience, work for and independent, open your own shop. That’s the plan
When I was a high school student in the 1970's, I worked at a full-service Standard Oil gas station when gas stations were still auto repair shops. A classmate of mine worked at the Shell station down the street. We would compare work stories. My boss was an honest guy. The owner of the Shell station not so much. My classmate would tell me how his boss would change oil on a car, wipe the oil filter clean with a grease rag and charge the customer for a new oil filter when in fact he never changed it. He charged a young lady with a VW Bug for winterization including anti freeze. VW Bugs were air cooled and did not have anti freeze. All sorts of shady deals like that.
I'm a professional automotive tech and I work independently in many cases and charge 60 to $70 per hour. I also have several part-time jobs doing fleet service making $40 an hour actual time. The problem with many shops is that they give all the cake jobs to their favorite employees and everyone else gets the money losing jobs. In particular diagnostic and warranty work where you get pennies on the dollar.
2014 Acura went in for $120 oil change and they said battery was on its way out. $340 plus tax, I said no and the salesperson was pissed. Went to a local auto parts store and picked one up for $79 and put it in 5 minutes. Never saw a dealership for service since
Flat rate should be illegal. Period.
Dealing with it sucks with no experience as a mechanic. I am losing money now and need work other places to pay bills.
I would not work as a mechanic these days. I remember points, carbs, HEI ignition and Ford Durafail. I remember rear wheel drive cars and cars I could pull the motor in 2 or 3 hours from under the hood. These new cars SUCK!!!!!!! Most of them are FWD. Most of them you have to remove the body to get the motor out. If mechanics are only being paid 25 an hour commission, gee that is no better than what 30 years ago? Plus you need 200,000 dollars worth of tools and electronic gear to work on todays nightmares.
All part of the plan to force people into self driving cars and accept public transportation.
It's an engine
I typically always do my own work on my Subaru. There was 1 time where I was gonna do a 2 person job and decided just to take it to a Subaru dealer I caught them on my camera that I had in the car just vacuuming out the Brake and clutch reservoir and not doing a proper flush
These techs need to be paid 50 per hour,have health care and paid vacation, then the techs will stay
If we had a free market there would be no shortages of auto techs. this only happens when wages are artificially controlled.
What are you talking about??
@@joecrazy7158 there would be no shortage if they paid mechanics more.
@@narcissistinjurygiver2932 There are no artificial price controls on those wages. The flat rates and hourly wages are there because the market says so. The fact they remain low is another bit of proof that there is still a glut of mechanics, not a shortage. Wages don't go up until they have to, so the fact they are what they are is proof the shortage itself is the hoax.
@@narcissistinjurygiver2932 I completely agree, that's called unions with contracts..
@@joecrazy7158 I tried to unionize and they fired everyone and just rehired. imo NADA is the problem. it is like a union
In a dealership setting, flatrate sucks because of warranty rates..
In a independent repair shop, flatrate is still very lucrative “if” the work is consistent. Otherwise, an hourly rate or weekly guarantee is what you will want. Ultimately, if you are a good Mechanic with good experience, you want to work for yourself, mobile mechanic or your own shop.
I left the business after two decades as a flat rate Chrysler tech. Warranty dependent and recall plagued trash was no longer paying my bills. I miss the business and my customers.
30 dollars an hour? After your IRA, after your health insurance, that ain't squat.
Funny thing is 20 years ago you had company paid healthcare and pension . Today we live in a 2 class society where owners of businesses have multi million dollar beach homes ,summer homes by the lake ,winter homes in the mountains ,etc . There's no paying people a good wage ,it's all about me . I worked in freight for 30 years and every business I went into would readily replace every worker with illegals .
It's been a while that employers do not care.
In many industries.
I bought a $20 pump to pump out my old oil in 3 minutes and do my change for $25.
so
Nice. You still have to do the rest of the service such as check filters, belts, check/top off fluids, air up tires, check brakes, replace oil filter, reset oil change reminder.
@@narcissistinjurygiver2932 so, I don't need no stinkin tech. AND I own a 2005 Toyota. Winning. Not a .Biden voter.
@@mph5896 No problem. I live in rural America where my shop has been around for 100 years and I own a 2005 toyota. Repairs are a breeze. I always complain they don't charge enough. They still bill at $75 an hour. In cities as you know, the shop rate is $150 and most newer cars are computers. I have a cassette deck that sometimes gives me trouble. Only problem. I have the money to buy any car I want. I won't because nothing new will be better than my 20 year old car. .FBJ.
Waste of time and oil if you don't change the filter.
dealerships should be paying their techs top dollar given the price the charge for service. the local dealer wanted almost twice the price for some work that a local family owned shop ended up doing.
There is no more margin or profit in good mechanical work.
It doesn’t promote quality, as a subcontractor it take a lot more time to do as for yourself so I charge good but know my job will be excellent and customer happy
The days of Gomer working on cars is over. These guys gotta be very smart and hardworking to make is as a mechanic today. Things are complicated. Always changing. Everything is different. Hats off to these guys for keeping America running.
I left the auto industry for a public utility years ago. Best decision I've ever made.
As a guy who has worked on lab instrumentation and managed a lab, it takes some aptitude to troubleshoot obscure electrical/electronic problems on a vehicle. I do a little of my own repairs sometimes, and there is no room in these engine compartments. Forget dash work. That's an expensive puzzle to put back together.
Nice video, I remember seeing those uti ads 20 years ago, I thought about it, glad I didnt
Those automotive techs need to start their own businesses.
I know many who have. It’s a massive gamble but if you’re good and behave well, you’ll succeed.
I did. But I had a great employment in my years. It helped greatly in my opportunity to retire and start my own business.
@@elmerfudpucker3204 If you have the skills and ability then you should always start a business. A maintenance is something everyone needs. Therefore, it is a valuable skill you can use to make a living.
You got $500k laying around? Those days are over you aint starting a shop now.
The owner of a MB, BMW, Jaguar dealership said I don't have any use for talented techs I prefer those who can sell as many jobs as they can even if they are lousy at repairing things as long as they sell a service I love them, what good is a guy who can fix the problem with minimum expense he makes the customer happy and I lose, the customers are at our mercy anyways they can't fix their cars so we make sure to leave them with just enough for a phone call.
Sounds like a greedy jerk. I’m sure he’s really proud of himself and I bet his family isn’t jacked up at all🤣
We are living in the age of greed.
I'm 67 and grew up fixing cars and rebuilding engines in the 1960's - 1970's. Did virtually all my own auto work except for clutch replacement until the early 1990's. As I made more money I had my car serviced more and more usually with independent mechanics. But, with the closing of my favorite used car dealership who had a good mechanic (less than a block away) I have decided that its time to start fixing cars again. I still have all my tools (my wife is amazed at all the tools I have). I replaced an alternator in my wife's car last month saving hundreds. With a $450 YOUCANIC scanner I was able to diagnose my car (crankshaft position indicator) and my wife actually did most of the work replacing it (a real pain in the butt job and I have some health issues that prevented me from working effectively laying on the engine - but my wife could do it). We figure we saved at least $300 in labor for that job - and possibly as much as the new scanner.
I've still got a very heavy duty scissors jack (with like a 4" wide x 7" long base plate: I think rated for 8000 lb) and a set of 6000 lb rated jack stands (all things I purchased like 40 years ago). Unfortunately, about 20 - 25 years ago I gave my heavy duty ramps to someone who I felt needed them more (and at that time I was able to slide under my vehicles and change oil without needing ramps). I'm not interested at all in the modern plastic ramps.
There are things I won't do (front end and suspension work)... and of course we buy tires at a tire shop. But a lot of the other stuff I can still do. I figure that the YOUCANIC scanner will pay for itself real fast between our two cars based on past work.
My wife is kinda interested as I pointed out that we could make decent side money doing limited auto repairs for select people. I would need to look into insurance for that 1st (protect ourselves from being sued).
Minimum wage for techs in California is an industrial welfare commission law. You can not require a technician to supply their own tools unless you pay them twice the minimum wage. You are guaranteed that wage for every hour worked. You could flag 8 hours in the morning and stand around for 4 hours in the afternoon. You would get paid 8 flat rate and 4 hours at minimum wage. Gonzales v Downtown LA Motors is the case law that established this. Best practice in California is to pay the tech minimum wage for the week, with a bonus for productivity. Keeps the employers from getting sued.
Well, to be honest, I am not a fan of a lot of the things going on in CA. This appears to at least give these guys a chance.
Everything about the stealerships is sales. Upsell, upsell, upsell.
I appreciate this video. I feel "metrics" are destroying many industries. I absolutely agree with your thoughts on trade schools. Unfortunately that is not something that can just be restarted in a day...
My nephew is a VERY smart kid (he's 24) and LIVES to work on cars. He is self-taught and seems to be able to fix ANYTHING. He is an awesome "back yard" mechanic. At this point he's employed at a dead end job (which he hates but dutifully does). He is talking about going to school to become an auto tech. He is currently on a "fact finding" mission to determine costs, travel (nearest community college is over 50 miles away), ability to continue working part-time, etc. Despite his excellent work, he is used to taking his time (he's a bit of a perfectionist) and I told him he wouldn't have that luxury when employed as a tech. I previously encouraged him to "pursue his dream" but after hearing this may change that recommendation.
Ive been turnning wrenches since 1969... I don't know any mechanics that don't have bad back..!
I became a master automotive machinest ASE Certified... At age 40, and never looked back .
Excellent video!!!! Superbly put.
When customers expect factory service by factory tech? Good luck, maybe 1 out of 25 tech have some knowledge on new tech components. Hardly anyone gets his car fixed right on one visit. Fact of life.
In my job, I meet a ton of former automotive techs who got the heck out of there. They now make good money servicing and repairing forklifts.
Being an auto mechanic even sucked back in 1985-95. Flat rate totally blows. If you're not a little on the shady side, you won't make enough. If the sevice write up guy doesn't like you, you get warranty crap like wind noises, leaks, rattles. I stuck with getting paid hourly in a family owned shop that specialized in heating /AC and cooling systems. Hot in the summer and cold in the winter. You can do it when you're under 40 but after that, forget it. By 1995 cars started to get a little more complex and more obnoxious. Glad I got out of it.I can't imagine it now. No way.
My youngest son recently graduated from a trades school in Waco. Maybe 200 kids walked for maybe 8 trades. Maybe 30 were white, another 20 black, the rest...the future is brown y'all. They will fill the mechanic jobs and the govt will foot the $50k bill for their training at UTI. And many will make great mechanics. What are the ones who quit gonna do? Learn to code? Not trying to be racist nor political, just observations from an old guy in TX. Things are not like they were 40 or 50 yrs ago. If the trend holds things are gonna continue to get different and possibly at an accelerating rate. The short term answer is buy a dependable older used vehicle and maintain it well. Less bells n whistles is better.
Well learning to code is actually fruitless now. I live in Seattle and the amount of computer scientists working fast food here is nuts. AI is destroying their field and I LOVE it
One time I was working on a vehicle with brake pads at 2mm. Tried to sell them, advisor said they were just replaced 15k miles ago. Told him if he didn't believe me he can look at them. He said, "oh I guess they are at 2mm". Just got tired of people questioning my integrity.
I used to be a tech in my late teens as a L&F, tire tech, and I also did brakes. My shop was solid for like a year, everyone loved one another. Then leadership slashed some hours, gave others a small raise, and fired our good techs or made them feel invalidated. Shortly after I put in my two weeks and left, too.
the good techs leave to higher paying jobs. It's not a bad job for someone just getting in the workforce but you have to find a way out. Definitely not a job you would for 30 years.