When I first started working as a mechanic after trade school I made $15/h. I was expected to do 70 hours a week of work within 40 hours. Everyone was expected to scam customers with repairs that weren’t needed. Oh and the dealer charged $150/h. I was laid off for not meeting performance goals that could only be met by scamming customers. No shock there is a shortage of techs, when being honest gets you fired from many shops.
I’m a mechanic. I work for myself too. I get a lot of people on referrals from other people I’ve done work for. They don’t want to go to a shop or dealer. I don’t charge insane amounts and can still make a nice living and my customers are happy. I’m happy. That’s the best way to do it.
What to look for is used car prices following used farm tractors where the older ones are worth more than the newer ones because they are simpler and easier to repair. In my area I certainly want a car that is at least 20 years old because it is exempt from smog check, and will pay more for one than I will for a 15 year old car, and I think markets will follow, especially in smog check localities. The epitome of this is Cold War Motors.
20 year old cars are also fully depreciated and will only appreciate into classics over time, so especially low mileage drivers have every reason to pay more for older cars than for newer ones.
its actually true though, a lot of car parts are still on months long backorder, especially known defect kinds of parts. not entirely sure why though, no lockdown to cause it.
Follow the supply chain. Manufacturers are choosing to create less volume but higher prices to get the same $x gross sales but less work. Consumers just need to come together and refuse to purchase or switch to economical brands.
Since Covid there’s a lot of gouging going on in every industry. I have a friend in the car repair industry and I asked him why prices are so high and he said because the owners feel they can get away with it. They feel people are ‘mentally accepting’ of higher prices right now so they keep pushing up their prices and then blame Covid, shortages, inflation, etc.
If a mechanic shop justifies an outrageous markup for a part being replaced because of supply chain disruptions, then I find it very fishy, especially if those parts are easy to locate at an Advanced Auto Parts or AutoZone.
That's why I'm driving a 20-year-old Corolla. It cost next to nothing to maintain, it doesn't break down easily, no complicated computers to repair, parts are available everywhere at the junkyard or online. It makes you "look poor" but it doesn't actually make you poor.
I can't I understand 25 year old hicks making $20 an hour buying 70k pickups without flinching. I can't wait to see what retirement looks like for them!
I try to get 20 years out of every vehicle - you can do that with a Toyota if you undercoat and follow in maintenance manual. So what’s better for the environment 1 fuel efficient car every 20 years per driver or 3 EVs every 20 years per driver?
Don't forget manufacturers deliberately making it more difficult (or virtually impossible, in some cases) for customers and/or shops to repair certain things without getting them involved so that they can charge whatever they want for a replacement component.
Exactly lmao, like off-setting access holes by 2-3 inches so it makes it impossible to use the correct tool to remove that part. And instead you have to come up with some workaround which takes 3x as long but your expected to do it within X amount of time cause you don't get paid extra since it's a warranty claim.
yep. got to take the cab off a ford super duty to do engine work and cab off and back on is 10 hours alone. so thats $1500 extra on top of repair bill.
@@MH_6160 Sometimes now, even on a relatively easy fix, you still need a dealer specialty computer to reprogram the part you are installing. It happened to me. I did all the work part was less than $200 but I had to have it towed to the dealer for them to hook their computer up and push a few buttons to program the part. The dealer charged me $500 for less than 5 minutes of work plus $200 for the tow. So they still made $700 off me basically doing nothing. If I had let them install everything $5200 on a car that is over a decade old.
After being told by the Toyota dealership that the transfer case on my 4Runner was gonna need to be taken out and rebuilt (it wouldn't shift into 4Lo) I found a RUclips video that showed how to fix the problem. I got under the vehicle, smacked the transfer case in just the right spot with a dead blow hammer a few times and problem solved. I then changed the oil in the case myself and drove it for several years. God bless RUclips videos. That video saved me roughly $2500.
The video should have talked about used car extended warranties. My friend got her 2016 honda HRV(under 100k miles) transmission replaced for free with an extended warranty she purchased.
Glad I'm capable to do 70% of my own repairs. Have saved $1,000's in repair bills. Very Grateful. You Tube played a huge role in helping me learn how to do repairs.
@@COBRO98 Yep, there's "Just Rolled In" showing some idiots who claim "done by another shop". But some guys (maybe 1/3) can do work as well as those in the industry. The key is knowing what you don't know and letting a pro handle those jobs. Then there's the majority who don't know how to check tire pressure or safely fill their washer fluid who try to "improve" their car.
There are no real supply shortages, my family is in the business, and I can assure you we are able to get any part we need. The big change is manufactures have made it increasingly difficult for owners and independent shops to make repairs. They force you to go to a dealer by not allowing access to the software on their vehicles unless you have their equipment. You used to be able to change out a part, and drive off. Now, many manufactures are forcing you to program the part to the vehicle, and it can't be done unless you have their specific programmer. Mercedes was the worst, started this over 20 years ago with their STAR programmer. Without it, you can not replace most parts on the cars.
While I agree I am able to get my hands on a vast majority of parts I need (something like 99%) within 24 hours, there is an occasional difficult part like the C6 Corvette fuel pipes one of my customers currently could use. We just take our time with it and charge accordingly. You're a $4,000 high end scan tool away from doing almost everything you could ever need software wise. My current shop has three different scanners with various programming, third party linking, and miscellaneous diagnostic add-ons. Between all three we can service practically any car and service well into supercar territory depending on the brand. You're a PIWIS and an Autel away from doing anything Euro related you could ever have the time to do.; every shop I know operating in this space always has work. Total initial commitment in scan tools is like $10,000 with an annual cost about a quarter of that in software. We can service 99% of cars 100% in house by utilizing our current tool set and it really doesn't cost that much in the grand scheme of things. Our labor rate is lower than local dealers.. TLDR: This poster's family is either an oil change shop or an auto parts store. What you're describing isn't reality.
My mom’s car sat at our local Subaru dealship for 3 months waiting on a back ordered part for the emergency break.. she ended up going and getting her car, the part is still on back order.
I have a 2012 Fiat Panda. My local garage repair shop can service n maintain & MOT my car. HOWEVER the REAR windscreen wiper can only be bought n replaced by the dealership I got it from. I let it fall apart until my repair shop found something comparable n now i use that. Refuse to go back to the dealership just for a damned wiper that will cost 3x more than it should.
I've learned to be a RUclips mechanic; over the past 5 years of maintaining and repairing my 3 vehicles, I've probably saved 6,000-7,000$ in labor costs.
How this for price gouging. The vidy suggests labor rates are 60.00 per hour...even in So Dakota rates are above 100.00. In Brooklyn/NYC where this was filmed 200.00+...price gouging is a term used by govt to point the finger away from the real culprit - govt policies and it's huge deficit spending...
Pandeminc is the indirect reason, the root cause is the greed, the monopolies formed and no action against them, and the losing of democracy. And all of these caused the pandemic response too, aided heavily by the greedy media. And this in turn caused the whole world shutting down for 2 years. And imagine what that can do if only one ship blocking the channel hurt the global economy so bad as we saw. And the economic effects of that lost 2 years is just one thing, not even the most severe. It totally worth it staying home.
Greed and price gouging have nothing to do with inflation and the increases in the cost of living. You didn't watch the video, did you? The guy literally just said what's driving the increase. What he didn't say was anything related to greed or price gouging.
@@spartakos3178Inflation has been declining for months. The sitting president no matter what party they’re from cannot influence inflation that much. Pick up a book and stop watching manipulative and generally false mainstream media. You’ll be a lot happier.
Because to change a headlight bulb in modern cars, can mean removing the front bumper, a tire, and maybe a fender liner. The fancy bulbs can cost over $100 just for the bulb. And if you have LED lights, you’re going to have to buy the entire housing. It’s nuts.
A woman my friend worked with came in one day and asked if he could change a headlight bulb for her, he agreed until he realized it was one that came standard with HID's, she had to go to the dealer and it cost ~$400 to replace it. New Volkswagen, I believe. He said she got rid of it shortly after. Another reason I'm keeping my 07 truck, I can add LED's if I want for ~$100 bucks, and if I have to replace them I can still use standard bulbs.
Most people don’t know you can change an headlight bulb so easily. Not even a 10 min job. What modern car are you basing this on? Most cars headlight bulbs can easily be replaced by removing the cover behind the headlight housing. Removing a headlight housing isn’t difficult either. Usually 2-4 bolts. Quality bulbs are also at minimum $70 so I got no clue what bulbs you’re buying unless it’s some ridiculous brand. Idk what you mean by if you have led lights you’d near to buy an entire housing. If you have reflectors you have to change them since LEDs are meant for projector based headlights. Otherwise stick to halogens or mind warmer tone LEDs. LEDs in Reflectors are too strong for oncoming drivers
Insurance generally doesn't cover standard maintence parts. Mostly just body repair and windows. If yout car takes a big enough hit to damage the engine bay or subframe its a instant write off as being totaled.
I own an auto repair shop in Los Angeles, and despite having a 5-star rating and filling up our work schedules a few weeks out, we still struggle to meet our overhead because we have been pushed to acquire and maintain various tools and equipment for even your basic servicing. People don't understand why their car repairs are so expensive, and yet they opted to purchase a vehicle with heated cup warmers and complex exterior lighting (such as your headlights, tail lamps, etc.), each of which has it's own control module on even your standard economy car. They also don't understand that their vehicles boasting a much larger MPG range is due in part to the very little clearances between internal engine components than call for the thinnest weights of oils we as mechanics would have never imagined nor agree with. You waste less gas because they designed your engine to have the least resistance by using thinner engine oils which in turn causes premature engine failure, often well before 100k miles. Transmissions that you cannot rebuild and cost the same as the value of the vehicle. Cheap plastic and aluminum parts that used to be made of metals, steel and cast iron. This is the future, and our struggle to provide our work is just as expensive for us as it is for the general public to maintain and repair their vehicles. We are not crooks, we are tradesmen/women trying to keep up with the stupidity of modern automotive engineering.
It's the CAFE requirements. No one runs for office on dismantling the CAFE standard, though they should. Ignorance is rampant among consumers who don't know anything about CAFE much less anything about the car they're driving now. If you think education is expensive, TRY IGNORANCE.
I was in the automotive service industry for over 35 years. After the Navy, I was offered a tech job with Volvo (1971) After a year I was offered a job with Porsche. I was a Porsche tech for over 10 years until I reached the point of disgust at how so many customers were unfairly treated at the dealerships. I opened my own shop doing European autos only. Within 6 mo. I was on fire with work. Even from shops that couldn't do what I knew/did. In town, I was treated like the Mayor at times because I was honest and professional and explained everything that was done. Recently my GF took her Honda to a shop for some repairs that I couldn't do b/c of my health. I was astounded at the overlapping labor charges and the use of "OEM Parts" which were clearly aftermarket. I called that creative writing. Creative for profit. Finding an honest and forthright repair shop is like gold. And when you do, spread the word.
You sound like a good man. I was lucky to find a shop with honest owners who are also very transparent with the costs and repairs. Seems like most mechanics either don't know what they're doing, or they're just lying to you.
I am not a mechanic. I am a small business man who has resold various things (gold, silver, sports memorabilia, advertising, pop culture and mens clothing ) for 42 years. Your words ring true like gold. Honesty and integrity are where it's at. A good name and reputation is money in the bank.
I wish all repair/maintenance places were owned by someone like the guy in the interview. He seems like a genuinely nice guy who cares about his workers and the customer.
I'm a master technician who has been in the business for about 20 years and I haven't seen anything like the last couple years. Parts have nealy doubled, no matter if it's aftermarket or OEM, not all parts but a good majority of them have, I have many different suppliers that I use to try to get my customer's the absolute best price I can for them on quality parts. The pandemic also caused a LOT of third party manufacturers such as Dorman, Behr, Nissens, Mahle, etc. to completely STOP manufacturing of some parts for some makes and models with no word on whether or not we'll see them produced again. This has caused a drastic rise in parts pricing, there is a LOT of scalping going on due to supply chain issues even at direct factory buying, it's actually insane. This is just ONE of the things making prices go up, labor rates have sky rocketed due to MASSIVE rent and insurance increases, techs are FINALLY starting to get paid what they SHOULD have been paid 10 years ago, most shops were taking advantage of seasoned tech at $17 an hour in California, techs with their own tools should be making at minimum about $22 an hour but should be near $25+, I've finally seen techs getting $30 an hour, also a few misconceptions in this video but electric vehicles DO still have oil changes and should be performed regularly, their drive units require ATF and filter replacement and Tesla themselves have fumbled the numbers multiple times as to WHEN you should perform the maintenance but like with any transmission or differential component you should probably stick to doing it about every 36K miles, EV's also still have cabin air filters and require AC system maintenance and brakes and tires and alignments and suspension components just like any regular ICE vehicle, the biggest caveat of this "lie" EV makers feed their customers is that there is no maintenance and nothing to replace but on average an EV battery system will only last about 8-10 years depending on charge/discharge cycles and temperatures and mileage.
Go off fam! 👏👏👏Thanks for sharing. I truly don’t think EVs are the future. They’re just reinventing the wheel. Maybe EV buses and EV tractors, but everyone owning an EV CAR? The roads can’t take it, the grid can’t take it. They have so much intertidal it’s a recipe for disaster. They aren’t the future IMO.
Yep, even simple car maintenance has been lost on much of the current generations. Being an old school boomer, I still do all of my car maintenance short of those requiring special tools or diagnostic equipment.
As a former automotive technician, one of the biggest reasons why I left the automotive industry was flat rate pay and the way dealerships raised the cost of labor rate. For example service writers, who only deal with the clients and warranty companies. They don't work on the cars, get paid more than the people that work on vehicles? Automotive technicians who are paid on a flat rate system are the ones that are short-handed the most in the automotive industry.
You got that right! as for me back in the 80's working with Maserati, Alfa Romeo and Peugeot and other European used to make more $$ than now, these days with all of the stuff loaded in any vehicle is like one loses more than one actually makes
Hi 20 year mechanic here. Worked in dealers all my life. I’ve watched labor rates 2-3x but tech pay has been relatively flat in the same time. This pushes techs out cause factor in inflation we make less now than we did 20 years ago. Tools that we have to buy are insane now for any new tech entering the industry.
Why you Amercans have to buy the tools? I worked in Sweden as mechanic and every worksstation is set up with tools, special tools are stored separte and are used by everyone. When I started the boss asked me to make a list of what more I needed and they order it.. But maybe you guys get payed more? We don't get payed 60 / h maybe 17 - 25 / h fixed month sallary.
@@mrm1885 wages very around the country. I’ve seen anywhere from 20-60/hr for techs. If you find a good shop here you’ll make lots of money. But bad shops tend to put most techs looking to leave the field. I’ve also seen techs spend 100k on a box and tools so it’s not an easy answer.
Dude I put in 40 years, that's right 40 years. When my service advisor, with the green hair and the nose ring was chastising me for not selling enough wallet flushes, I told him what to do with them. He took offense and started an altercation and one of us ended up not being able to breathe right through their nose. I retired the same day. For the amount of a time and money that is required by technicians to invest, the return is laughably small A plumber or electrician makes twice the money and has one tenth the headaches. You would have to be a financial full to enter the field these days
Another problem is the quality of parts. Parts store like autozone, Napa, O'reilys, etc, are all seeing brand new parts with horrible quality control. The rate of bad new parts the companies are seeing has jumped
Blame China… literally! I follow a lot of car review channels as well as car repair channels on YT… they all basically say the same thing… A lot of non-OEM parts come from China but are made with substandard materials or are poorly put together and don’t last or just break shortly after installation.
I always love how they interview one of good shops, that takes care of their techs and customers. Maybe they should talk to actual techs who have left the industry and the average shop who looks at tech as a body.
Yes i and my work mates were told by our Manager how we were dime a dozen because he had many applicants for a job he had advertised for 12 came out and saw the shop and left never to come back we Laugh so loud at his expense True story
I left 8 years ago. They just kept cutting the labor times and it was hard to get a raise. Then they started cutting benefits. They always wanted to see growth no matter what. When they couldn't sell more they started cutting cost. Infinite growth beyond normal inflation is unsustainable. They did offer me a raise when I put in my notice but I'm in a union now and they did not even come close. I'm really happy I left.
@@Karl-Benny I will leave shop in a HEARTBEAT because some of these managers have that 1970s attitude as if techs are some sort of objects you can treat like hhhit. I told my last manager...without technicians a shop is just a building with a pretty name on it.
@@SgtJoeSmith I am not educated) but I did get a 38 cent raise) now I am up too 12.98) an hour) what do you think can I take a vacation or retire early) I am out of debt) an I have all I need but not what i want) to be fare) work two days a week sat an sun) 500 pm to 500am) an the rest of the days sleep in an jog when I get up) after taxes 14000 a year)I am a security guard) going on three yrs)
@@Johnny-um6sd I can tell. It's "liar" and there should be a comma after it. A 5th grader should know that. The mower repair shop I work at 5 minutes down the street from the Walmart home office is starting people at $50 an hour. I been there 25 years and get $100 an hour. Maybe you should go into mowing and landscape.
@@Johnny-um6sd BTW, over the last 6 years I got a $50 an hour raise with 3 to 4 raises a year. Supply and demand. Shop can't find anyone else. No other shops around. Shop kept raising prices 3 or 4 times a year and paid me more. Population here is increasing 7000 a year.....25 years in a row average. Want to make money? Find a $h1tty job no one else around will do. cut grass, pick up dog poop, etc
Yeah! Similarity, across the pond, we used to learn how to wire up electrical plugs in primary school. (Elementary school) Nowadays, they teach some of the most useless bollocks they can come up with in these schools.
Yes. I took Auto Shop my sophomore year in high school (1992-1993,) but now the auto shop is long gone. The shop itself, and the bay that had a in the ground lift, is all used for storage, now, including the yard where the cars ware kept.
My high school still has one. But hte shop class in my middle school was disbanded long ago. Why teach kids to fix things when you can just buy a new one? All this amidst a move to go green - what a load.
RUclips has saved me a lot of money by teaching me how to do minor to major repairs on my own. The only time i go to a mechanic now is if I'm being too lazy or if I'm pressed for time.
So glad I payed attention when I worked on cars with my dad and took shop class, I can fix just about anything on my basic car, fluid changes, brakes, alternators etc. Not a mechanic but I've saved a bunch with no car payments or ridiculous car repair bills, they are robbing people out here, I've seen it.
Same. And You Tube was a big role in that as of the last 18 years. However I learned a lot as a kid, since my dad worked for my grandfather in the 60's when my grandfather owned a Standard gas station.
Same here. I was always afraid to touch my car but I learned how to fix few things. I now replace my brake pads & rotors, oil change, spark plugs, tranny fluid, alternator, installing battery. I learned by watching RUclips videos & invested in a lift & tools. Saved lot of $$
I can fix just about anything but unfortunately my kids haven't been interested. They are fine while I'm around but someday it's going to come back to bite them hard
I once did the math on how much I've saved in labor and parts on an old car of mine by doing work myself. The numbers were mind boggling. It was thousands and thousands of dollars. The only thing I can't do is alignments and tire mounting/balancing, and I'm going to get the machines to do that some day.
Fortunately I taught myself at the age of 15 how to do basic maintenance on my cars. I am now 33 and probably saved thousands in repairs. Also smart to buy Hondas and Toyotas.
@@the_kombinator My 2009 Ford Escape has been extremely reliable, almost like my 2002 Toyota Corolla, and I've only done basic maintenance on it. Very easy to change the fluids, too.
@@tom11zz884 I also work for a living. Actually a military officer now in the RCN here in Canada. Fixing cars is also a hobby of mine, but saves money too. To each their own. Cheers.
Same. RUclips university. The only repairs I don't touch are extensive engine repairs and stuff that needs a full shop lift. Anything else I do myself.
I started off as a GST at pepboys just changing oil, rotate tires, alignments working in 100 degree shop. I had to take a loan out to buy my tools. GST are paid $7hr plus $6 flat rate, iI barley made enough I was “promoted” to a tech B, a parts changer, and made even less money. I left the trade when i found out the service advisors where making 3x more than techs while there sitting in cool ac talking to customers all day. Im sure SA are highly skilled at selling to customers. Fast forward today, i took up a course at my local college studying the IT industry, got my CompTIA certs and now working in the IT industry as a computer mechanic. Best decision ever made for myself I now use my tools to fix my own cars. I no longer work for people. I buy non running cars and repair and sell them as a side hustle.
Why would automakers get "costs down: when SERVICE is the number ONE PROFIT maker in a dealership!! Lol...hilarious. Remember this IS a "business channel"...this message is approved buy the manufactures so they can PRETEND not to be the bad guy...lol..who are the ONES who SET the labor rates, warranty rates, etc...hilarious!!
The automaker is only motivated to get costs down for the first owner under warranty. Low cost of maintenance and fewer inconvenient trips to the service department are great marketing. But for the used car buyer after that, who is out of warranty, the service department is ready to profit!
Well, most car manufacturers do not in fact own their own dealerships (dealerships have a lot of favorable legislation protecting them from carmaker selling directly or vertically integrating that Tesla has fought hard to find loopholes around). So all of those servicing department mark-ups and fat margins aren't actually benefiting car manufacturers. I think there is fundamentally a market failure where they aren't really incentivized to reduce repair costs except to the extent that it becomes so egregiously worse than their competitors that it drives them to other brands next time (e.g. the $60k Hyundai Ioniq 5 battery replacement problems that grabbed headlines a month ago).
people will be more inclined to buy on the used market because newer cars are more costly to repair. Older cars are less costly to repair, and buying older used cars don't really help the car manufacturers.
Part of the problem may be greed by the insurance companies, but driving practices in general are getting worse. For example, I have been tailgated more in the last two years than I have in the last 20 years, and I am living in the same area. In the last few months alone, several drivers have made dangerous left turns right in front of me, forcing me to take evasive action in order to avoid a collision. I have also witnessed several near-collisions from vehicles in front of me. Furthermore, I receive text messages from the county sheriff department about road closures due to automobile collisions, and these messages have increased in frequency after the pandemic. It seems that the extended lockdowns caused many Americans to suffer mental health issues, which appears to be affecting their driving habits.
All of you guys are right! Rising costs of vehicles, rising costs of repairs because newer cars are a lot more complex, shortage of blue-collar workers (body shop workers in this case) rising costs of treating injuries sustained during crashes, and at least 25% of drivers are on their phones.
Two things drive that...cost of repairs are up and people not insured. I work for a big insurance company out of California...they just got approved for another like 20% hike in that state.
It's not just a matter of cost, either. It has just as much to do with quality and expertise...or the lack thereof. Example: I worked in the automotive industry, until recently. I know my way around, mechanically. Recently, I purchased a NEW transmission from my local Lexus dealer. $3500. Ouch...but new...so ok. Installed it (correctly) myself. After about 300 miles, it threw some warning lights and began shifting erratically. I brought it to the dealer, ONLY FOR DIAGNOSIS. They charged me $205 to tell me shift solenoids were stuck closed and that the transmission was shot and required replacement. Offered to replace the transmission, itself, under the parts warranty and quoted FOUR THOUSAND DOLLARS just for the labor to install...which equates to about $300/hour. CRAZY!!!!!!! I decided to look deeper and not trust their diagnosis. Turned out is was just under 1 quart low on fluid, after some air pockets had released. Topped the fluid off, cleared the codes and voila...no...more...issues. Had I trusted them, I would have been out nearly $4K extra. Called them, told them what had happened, and insisted they refund my $205...which they did.
In the same vein, electric seat didn’t move forward or back and dealer wanted 4K to replace the entire seat. Luckily, I diagnosed myself and it turned out be a $40 switch.
🙋🏾♂️ ahhhhh!! I had a similar issue 4 months ago. My Mercedes wasn't shifting right. I took it to my favorite Euro specialist who told me my transmission needed a rebuild for 3.5k. Me and my buddy didn't believe as we know this particular tranny to be almost bulletproof. So we took it back home and just started doing basic checks and discovered the oil was low. We filled it back up correctly and the transmission shifts perfectly again. They almost got me.
I been a mechanic most my life and most people who buy a car are not thinking about repairs down the road. No one is thinking how much is this blend door actuator going to cost when it goes out or the heater core,etc. I kinda do cause I’ve always had to replace them. I drove a 1990 Silverado for 15 years, when it became so rusty I bought the identical truck 2 years ago to replace it. These old trucks rarely have any issues and are crazy easy to work on when something goes wrong and parts are everywhere and cheap. Ill never buy anything new, glad I got out of that job field 6 years ago
@@coache1nine pretty much. I always figured that’s why Chryslers are so popular. Great looking vehicles just poorly made but i guess pretty much everything is now
I wish I could get a basic 4x4 truck with not all the fancy electric things in it I just want to drive to point a to point b an make it with device that don't allow cell phones to work inside we are driving not here to play on phones
Did 7 years in small engine work before going to school for automotive. When I got out they wanted to start me at $11-$13 an hour. This was in 2019. I said screw that and went to work in a glass factory starting out and more than double that with no experience required. After a year working there I was making over $30 an hour doing production. I know diesel mechanics with 10 years of experience and don't make what I make. I still have my autel scanner and a shop full of tools and do 90% of my repairs myself. In 3 years the school paid for itself and I don't even work in the field. The car business has a high turnover for a reason.
It really sucks when the job pays 1.5 hours, but you get to deal with broken bolts or cleaning up someone's mess who was in there before, and deal with rust and blah blah blah, and it takes you 1.75 hours to do the job. Then you are effectively working for free. A person can REALLY do well by working for himself in the industry.
@paulstandaert5709 I was pretty good at beating book time on most jobs on the classes. We were told for service management that you should be charging 1 hour for every broken bolt regardless of book time, and it should be agreed upon when the customer drops off the car. I was self employed doing small engines and it was good money, automotive get almost double the labor rate here so I agree 100%, that's if you have the patience to deal with the public. My patience with people wore pretty thin after awhile.
@@johnjohnii5849 It is always good to be able to dismiss a customer. If you are your own boss, you can do that. There is plenty of work out there. I tell customers that they can go right ahead and check out that other place right down the street and deal with them. I know its more expensive. I know they eff stuff up constantly.
h0ow long did it take you for that? id love to learn about cars and stuff ive been gradually teaching myself i think itd be such a handy thing to know.
@@sonnyc3826 At worst, this is a skill that will save you many hundreds of $$$$ per month over the course of your entire life just on your own vehicle(s). Working as an employee in the automotive repair field kinda sucks. You are paid by the job, and not by the hour. You miss just 1 bolt and you won't be able to get the job done in the amount of time that it is claimed to take, thus you work for free or at a lower wage. On some other stuff, you can do really well, but overall, it kinda sucks. I only do the work if I work for myself. Do good work, and treat the customers well, and they come to you like flies on fecal matter. The work requires a mechanical and electrical aptitude and patience above all else. The people who just replace parts without actually thinking about what the problem could be are the most common, and don't end up actually fixing anything. You'll need a minimum of $10,000 worth the tools and equipment to be able to do a lot of stuff.
I started out as an auto mechanic and switched careers after struggling to get by for several years. The “labor shortage” is no surprise. Getting paid by the flag hour, especially on warranty jobs, was a joke. Changing industries was the best decision I ever made.
@@gamechip06 it can be, however when working flat rate especially at a dealership, you have high and low margin jobs. In other words, some jobs will pay 1 hr that take equal or more time to complete while some can be easily completable in only 15 minutes. If you consistently get the high margin jobs you will do well for yourself. The opposite is true if you get stuck with most of the low margin jobs. Typically, the senior employees get most of the high margin jobs because they're the most desirable
I stopped fixing my car at the shop two years ago after I realized I'm racking up credit card debts because of repair bills. I thought my self basic mechanic skills and I buy parts online. I drive my car to the ground, scrap it and buy a newer used model from a private seller. I'm 50 and Im not expecting to set foot in a dealership to buy a new car ever, not even or any other car. Bottom line it's greed, cost of doing business. It's unsustainable
I can tell you exactly why car repairs are getting more expensive. The first 30 years of my life as a mechanic was with Mom and Pop dealerships. Every dealership I worked for cared about the technicians well-being making sure we made money and kept the shop hourly rate competitive for the community. Then corporate America moved in and in my case that was the nation's largest automotive retailer. The first words out of their mouth were "we're shocked at how much you people make", and from that point on it was downhill. Wages stagnated and the shop hourly rate went through the roof. There was a constant reminder that the shareholders were the top priority even suggesting us technicians weren't there to make money for our families, we were there to make money for the company. There's so much more I could say but If I could sum it up in one word it would be GREED. They taught me the meaning of worshiping the dollar.
This is why I am staying with cars around 95-2010....I can't afford much of anything after that especially adding in maintenance costs nowadays. These new computer screens and comforts they put in these vehicles are going to be insane to repair and replace when this stuff starts going bad in 10-15 years.....people have no clue how expensive this stuff is and most of the time you won't even be able to start your car without those huge touchscreens. Currently have a 2003 Chevy Tahoe and it's everything I need.
Couldn't been any more correct than that. I went from a '98 F-150 to a 2000 Silverado 1500 for easier maintenance, gas mileage, and a far more accessible engine.
Unfortunately there is only so much going around. A lot of late 90s and early 2000s are gone/crushed. Finding them would be like finding gems after 2030.
That's the sweet spot for cars....modern enough to have variable valve timing and 21st century design, yet also easy to repair and get parts for. I have a 2006 Nissan Xterra...has 225k and it's the last car I plan on having.
20 years professional technician and shop owner 4 years I literally opened 6 months before Covid. Just in the 4 years I’ve been open the cost of everything has gone up like crazy and unless u own a shop you don’t understand how much it really costs to run a shop people would be shocked to know they have an employee that makes more.
Been repairing my cars for yrs. Even went as far as buying a manual transmission forester. I can't stand all this complexity and modernization that just adds losses to the owner.
The best way to go, repairs and maintenances your own cars, you know what exactly what happened and cost much less by do it yourself. I have repaired my own cars for years as well.
I put 237k miles on my old Forester and did most of my own repairs and maintenance. It was pretty much trouble free the entire time I had it and when something did go wrong I could usually get parts cheap over the internet and do the repair myself. Can’t imagine wasting thousands of dollars a year on an unreliable car.
Nobody mentions the fact that in 1975 you could pull a bumper out in a relatively low speed accident and keep going down the road whereas today if you hit a front bumper the bumper itself is made to absorb the energy by breaking into pieces and now with radar and cameras molded into the bumper as well you're looking at astronomical costs associated with low speed accidents vs. 40 years ago. Cars began to lose "real" bumpers in the 90s and it's just a piece of plastic/rubber with a steel reinforcement behind that many times also bends out of shape.
@ricnyc2759 I am not saying everyone should. At the very least even if you can't, then common sense should tell you to get an easy to repair car. Perhaps a Toyota Corolla, Civic, Sonata etc. But really, the problem today is a lot of people got used to swapping cars over new cool features and stuff. The automakers noticed and started updating cars every 2-3 yrs. Now there's too much dependency on cars with collision tech, and if you dont want/have it your insurance is penalized. Its a ridiculous industry at the moment.
A few months ago I went to one of the largest Nissan dealerships around to get a quote on changing my transmission fluid and both transmission filters. First they argued it's lifetime fluid and doesn't need changed. I advised them there is no such thing as "lifetime" trans fluid. Second they argued there is only 1 trans fluid filter when there are definitely two. Finally the price. For 5 quarts of Nissan trans fluid, a new trans oil pan gasket, filter, and labor was just a little under ONE THOUSAND DOLLARS! I got all the parts I needed and did it myself successfully for about $85. I feel bad for anyone that isn't financially well off and doesn't have the capacity to repair their own vehicle.
Was rebuilding small blocks in our high school shop class late 80’s. We had welding, woods, fabrication. Those type of classes are largely gone due to the big push trying to get every kid to college. Adults can’t even change their wipers now or their pouring engine oil into the radiator. All this higher education for nothing
There are warnings on batteries indicating that you should not consume the contents of it. When did we go from "sure I can give you a boost " to ingesting acid?
Sure, but windshield wiper changes aren't keeping collision and body shops in business. Sometimes, there are bigger, systemic issues that don't have a local solution
Fatherless households my g. Lucky I had a grandfather. Men doing right by their families would have kept a lot of this bs from happening. Plain and simple
Imagine how expensive it will get for repair shops and customers when every shop has to have manufacturer specific tech to repair brand specific proprietary software. Costs will put the smaller garages out of business, forcing customers to go to dealerships with much higher prices
Not included in this video, is how car manufacturers are making dealerships the only place that they can have their cars repaired. This is essentially controlling the market and forcing consumers to pay whatever they feel like charging. This will squeeze out the already stressed independent repair shops and basically negate any cost savings that could come from the lower complexity of an EV. . Please contact your local county and state and federal representatives and urge them to support right to repair for motor vehicles!
Your statement is half true. Issue is there isn't enough Mechanics who are willing to open a shop to repair cars. The Informations to repair cars and parts purchasing are not exclusive to Dealership. Anyone can Open a Shop and buy the repair equipments neccary to repair any cars, just like the shop this Video Interviewed. Question for the shop owner is, at what point to you stop because the expenses simply exceed the profit to do certain jobs? Do some basic math, Rent a certain Square Footage to open a shop, you have X amount of repair Bays, how much do you need to charge people just to cover the expenses?
@@steak5599 And who is the first order influence of these higher costs? The manufacturers dictate the repair equipment specs and make the certification process as onerous and costly as possible... because if they run the shop... they don't have to account for any markup. This is all about forcing the market into a position where nobody can afford to be cost competitive with the dealer repair shop... and then they can control the market. They have been moving in this direction for years... but EVs and generally more tech in cars has accelerated it.
@@paskowitz right to repair only dictate whatever manufacturer sells to dealer also needs to be available for aftermarket shops and general public, it doesn't say manufacturers are giving them away for free. They are certainly NOT free for dealerships. Dealership also needs to pay a lot for subscription fees and tool cost. The difference is Dealership can make the money back on the investment, and general public most likely can't.
@@steak5599 Right to repair laws in certain states have had language similar to "reasonable" in regards to the costs of obtaining the necessary documentation to make repairs. IIRC I think is was MA, but I could be wrong.
@@paskowitz that's the issue with these Laws, what is reasonable is always up to interpretation. So you have to use the car makers Everytime when price is reasonable? Here is the Price I found today. For brands like GM Ford, or Toyota, if an independent shop wants full access to all their repair information equivalent to a dealer is about $600-1000 per year, IIRC. Problem is, if you buy sub for every manufacturers, your shop would be losing money. But if you focus on like 2 or 3 major brand is doable. But now u are back the the problem the shop owner said, he couldn't find any Technicians to work for him despite paying like $40/hrs for a Seasoned mechanic. There are simply lack of people want to work on cars for a living today in the independent repair industry.
I have a 97 Tacoma. Spark plugs are $3, air filters are $15, and brakes are $35. I fix and maintain it myself. I stopped going to mechanics years ago. I saw the writing on the wall that this was going to happen.
@@mikep490 Fake news. Bosch Iridium Spark Plug 6707 $4 at autozone. $3 at Rockauto. If you’re feeling froggy or got some extra $ you can go all out at $6 for the Double Platinum w Unicorn Tips.
Inflation is a factor, but the primary factor is the shop owners. They will charge 200 per hour, but the mechanic gets 20-30. Also, the service department is now the primary profit driver for the dealers, not new car sales. After being a mechanic for many years, I don't know a single mechanic making six figures, most make 30-50k/year. They also have the additional expense of buying tools. I won't even get into 'flat rate'. Who wants to work in an industry like this? So glad I quit and went into a field where I am compensated FAR better.
Well this is what you get when you are TOO LAZY to work for yourself..with technicians a shop is just BUILDING...with a pretty name on it. In this day and age there is NO REASOn for a skilled technician to be working for anybody when he can just have his own clientel charge less than the dealer, have a personal relationship with his clients...stop being lazy
@@HuChing-ob4kk 'a shop is just BUILDING' yeah how about talking to customers and figuring out pricing and making sure the building has all its permits and keeping up on ordering and inventory. theres NO way a technician can go solo, there has to be at least a 2nd person to talk to customers and suppliers
At my dealership we have one master tech that does get paid extremely well, pretty sure it's in the 150k+ range from what I've heard from multiple people. But he's been there for 15 years and is also super freaking smart, which I guess you need to be if you're a master tech. Becoming like him is basically my goal, but I definitely don't want to wait 15 years for that and also I feel like there are other avenues of similar work that will pay better a lot faster/instantly with the right certifications, which I am slowly working towards.
@@TheIncredibleJumpman i have no certs and make an easy 50k/year, only downside is i travel. upside, thats only working half the year. other half i do what i want. most of my supervisors make around 150k, easily 100
Refering to the problems of tech bloat, that's an area where governments and automakers have failed to think realistically. Not only has it made cars heavier and more complex, its made them harder to diagnose and more expensive to repair or replace so many of us have to leave a damaged or faulty non-essential system dead or have it disabled.
Haha just recently my sisters windshield wipers were not working well, so she took it to Firestone. And an hour later they quoted her $1,300 to fix them! Like seriously? Hell no!
grew up overseas, and have said it for a long time, owning a car is a luxury, but I do not believe many people in America see it that way. The poor public transportation infrastructure outside of a few major cities is disappointing and I believe it is intentional.
It is intentional. Our infrastructure is quite literally designed for car culture and the boomer generation completely bought the propaganda of rugged individualism and personal freedom. Sidewalks are a rare relic where I'm from and if you're seen walking down the street, you're viewed as poor, classless and a hazard to drivers.
You could have the best public transportation but if the government won't do anything about the thugs, homeless and drug addicts riding these buses and trains everyone who has the means is going to get a car.
@daveh71 size is irrelevant. Petroleum industry stood in the way of public transit and 15 minute cities since the automobile became mass produced. With exception to the oldest and densest cities, EVERYTHING is designed with cars as the main mode of transport in the U.S.
@daveh71approximately 5 million people take the NYC subway each day and the vast majority of days have no zero incidents whatsoever. Each year over 40,000 Americans die because of cars. Maybe you’re less “afraid” of being hit by a car, but trust me, it won’t feel any better if the car didn’t mean to hit you. The bottom line is that anyone who lives in an area which requires a vehicle to do basic everyday errands is living in a more dangerous place than the vast majority of city dwellers.
I have been in the industry for 35 years and have to say this was really spot on. People need to understand that when you make something very complex it’s going to cost you to fix it.
So what about to older cars that mechanics are gouging ppl to fix also explain that? I have a 2008 Nissan altma and they want $800 just to do back and front pads and the cheapest I can find
Nit really..the automotive industry the past 10 years has become the like HOUSING MARKET with COPORATIONS buying up all the family homes...big corporations have figured out there is PROFIT in automotive repair and Wall Street has moved in... FAMILIES cant even afford to own dealerships anymore..."Dealership Groups" like GroupOne who own over 1600 dealerships in America have figured ou tthat a majority of dealerships profits come from SERVICE....and have swooped because....and ALL They see is PROFIT...these are the people who hire "sales gpeople" as service advisors give them targeted numbers to reach and fire them if they dont..THSI is what makes guys "cheat"
It’s not just EV’s. I have a Telluride and I’m in a Telluride group and I see brand new Tellurides getting written off all the time with very little damage that would have been repaired in the past. Repair labor and parts have become so expensive, it doesn’t take much damage to write off a car.
3 second 0 to 60 family EV is also a bad idea. My coworker's pickup truck has 800 hp. My other friend wrapped his monster truck around a pole. No wonder insurance rates are so high as people can literally fly.
What paid me big dividends was taking an auto shop class back in high school in the 1970s. When it comes to doing basic maintenance from oil changes, alternator replacement, tune ups, and brake jobs I can do it myself.
Yeah, pretty much every guy took auto mechanics in my high school in the 80's. Problems is they make zero cars that can be worked on like 80's vehicles today. You can get a basic diagnostic reader for $50-100 but some of these new cars have such complex coding and systems that you need a $10-40K diagnostic unit like a dealer has (plus specialized tools). Still even then, many honest dealers service shops have trouble finding the exact problem. Do you have that kind of equipment at your house? I don't, some of that stuff costs more than my HOUSE originally did.
@@waynepurcell6058 You are right about not having the right diagnostic at home and not being able to find out everything quickly, but there are a lot things in the today's cars today that haven't changed a lot since the 80s or 70s when I took auto shop. Think about what dealers charge drivers taking their cars in for the typical 30k check up. The higher end cars like Mercedes, BMW, Audi, etc. charges $800 or more for the service and the cheaper cars like Honda, Toyota, Hyundai, etc. are not too far behind. Nearly all 80's backyard mechanics can easily perform these checks. The typical cost to change the low cost items like oil, coolant, trans fluid, air filter, light bulbs, wiper blades are over priced. The sad part is can you really trust the dealer to do the check they are suppose to do.
In my last year of high school in my auto shop class my partner and I were required to dismantle a slant 6 engine, measure bearing clearance etc. reassemble the engine and run it. We also were allowed to to bring in private vehicles for routine maintenance, for me that was a 69 Buick Skylark with a 350 and a Corsair. Kids should learn to work with their hands to fix things.
The major problem with repair costs is parts markup. My wife had a quick strut replaced under her extended warranty and the dealership charged the warranty provider a 200% markup. I was shocked to learn that the part replacement wasn't even OEM, but rather the least expensive aftermarket brand available. In retrospect, if I bought the part through a retail wholesale provider and did the work myself, it would have cost me $100 and around 8 hours of my time. It helps to know your way around a vehicle if you're poor or didn't pay for an extended warranty.
I worked for a major auto parts supplier in the early 2000s. We were directly across the street from a well known brake shop. One of the selling points at this company was to tell their customers that their brakes were better than ours. What their customers did not know is that this company purchased their parts from us. These parts were delivered in an unmarked delivery vehicle, and we were required to deliver behind the building so their customers would not see us. One day we had a customer coming in to purchase brake rotors. We had two options available. One was $18, and the other was $38. He purchased the more expensive ones and left. A few minutes later, this company called us and began screaming at the commercial manager for undermining their business. Though we were unaware of it until they called, our rotor customer's car was in their shop. They had purchased the cheaper rotors from our commercial department at $9 each, and they were charging him $83 each plus $90 an hour in labor. He bought both of the better rotors for less than they were charging him for one of the cheap ones. Greed is a very large component of the problems that the industry is currently facing.
Multiply the price of the part by the eight hours it takes you, and you lose money. It takes less than two hours, to replace a strut, including swapping the spring. You wasted an entire work day
That is small and easy maintenance. When you face a bolt that wont budge and you gotta use the acetyline torches.. thats when youll see it cost less to pay a real mecan8c.
@@RideOrangeKTM i would not suggest using heat unless you know how. especially acetylene you need skill to use properly, and its easy to make things go boom with it
I have done about 60 brake jobs and have never had to use heat to loosen bolt. If I had to use a torch I'd probably use mapp gas I use for quickly soldering plumbing.
I've been in the industry for 20 years and the past 3 years has been devastating. I had 3 carpal tunnel release surgeries (two surgeries on my left wrist 2 years apart and one on my right this past year) and a torn rotator cuff tendon last year. I'm reluctant to get back into an industry that does nothing but use me up and throw me away.
Look into thoracic outlet syndrome it can be misdiagnosed as carpel tunnel and can be common in mechanics, there are at home tests you can do to see if tos is what's actually causing your issue.
As a automotive mechanic/technician that I see is vehicle owners do not take care of their investments. I seen customers that goes way over oil changes and tire rotations and just basic maintenance. And instead of paying 100 bucks every 3 months they end up paying thousands of dollars on a repair for a year of neglected care.
Fraud is either not needing it in the first place or them not performing the work but making you pay for it. That's just being gouged, whether it costs 90 or 900 and the identical product is much cheaper elsewhere. Walmart Auto Care does a ton of stuff 50% or more cheaper (often not really charging for labor) than the major chain shops. Although you just have to be smart about the time of day or location you go there to avoid a 2-3 hour wait if they are backlogged.
The real problem is that even basic maintenance is getting outrageous. Used to get a full synthetic oil change and tire rotation for around $100, now it’s over $170. Front end alignment…used to be $86 only two years ago, now it’s $150!!!!
Absolutely, I went in for a diagnostic because of all the lights on and they charged me $200 just to look at the thing! Found out squirrels tore up 2 wiring harnesses which costed 8k.
That's crazy. Get a jack, wheel chocks, 2 jackstands, an oil filter wrench and an open end wrench kit. Get a drain pan. Open the drain plug and drain oil. Replace drain plug. Get 4-5 qts synthetic oil and the right filter. Make sure to oil the filter gasket before installing. Hand tighten the filter. Refill oil, etc, etc. Yeah it's kind of a PITA and you get a little dirty, but either you do it yourself or pay a stranger $100 to do it or be good at making friends who can! @@victoria.galvin
Part of the problem with modern cars is that they're putting parts INSIDE other parts. I recently had to take in my Prius because I ran my front bumper up against a gate, and it ripped just the right corner of the bumper off. I saw the bumper part on a dealer site for only $100, but the problem was there were like 10 sensors and the AC motor mounted INSIDE the bumper, and they needed either fixing or replacing. What should've been a simple plastic piece replacement turned into an entire revamp of the front end. The Toyota dealer wanted almost $9k to fix it and couldn't promise me it would take less than a month, the place I ended up going to charged me half and took just over 3 weeks (it took a week just to get the parts).
This is why I stay away from all these assistive technologies. The value they bring to me personally aren't worth it. Blind spot monitoring, lane keep assist, etc. Most of these new technologies are because people now more than ever are distracted driving. Keep your hands on the wheel and your eyes on the road and buy a reliable used in decent shape car and not pay the absurd repair prices of modern cars.
@@DaN3xtSlimShady I don't know exactly what it was called but my AC no longer worked. It looked a like a large plastic can with a tube that was ice cold to the touch. It was definitely for the AC, I saw the parts list.
@@buzztrucker if you want to save on fuel costs, you don't have a choice (plus I got a rebate from Edison too). My previous car was a 2017 Nissan Versa, very efficient and easy to repair, but doesn't come anywhere close to the fuel efficiency of the Prius.
Don't forget about "add-ons" like fuel additives, engine oil additives, etc. Dealership service centers will just put these aftermarket items on bills without asking and most customers will never notice. Just like how almost every car dealer now sells every car with *mandatory* paint protection, key insurance, pinstripes, seat fabric protection, etc. Dealerships around where I live charge $5,000 for this list on every car on the lot.
@@hoflungdung111 Illegal? How so? I'm in Baja California, Mexico. Baja California, not California. And my mechanic for my two Jeeps is licensed with his own auto body shop.
@@edyannwell you said, “ WE have great mechanics. “ Then you say , “ MY mechanic “ So, there are some without licenses but not the one you go to. Just like here.
@@Dmatis-n4z My mechanic is just one of the many licensed, legal good mechanics that we have here in Baja. At a fraction of the cost of what the USA charges. Now you know and it's heavily raining here in the two Californias so have a great one and bye!
Having been directly involved in the repair side of the automotive industry since the early 80s, I can tell you that the #1 problem by far is a lack qualified mechanics/technicians and its only going to get worse.
This is why despite my 30 year old Honda Accord being down for repair until spring, I'm not getting rid of it because the issue is a cheap fix and once repaired, it'll run another 300k miles before needing another overhaul.
I learned a lot from RUclips. Oil, Transmission Fluid, Coolant, Disc Brakes, Drum brakes, Alternator. People have to start doing this stuff by themselves !
@@waterloo123100 In theory EVs should be even easier to work on. But as they describe in the report: most on the market are essentially luxury vehicles. The ones actually "designed for manufacturing", like the Leaf, are essentially compliance cars. It lost the fast-charge format war twice over (CHAdeMO < CCS < NACS). But also: Nissan refuses to sell you newer 40kWh batteries for the older 30 and 24kWh leafs (only the 63kWh battery does not easily fit).
@@jamesphillips2285Apparently You can’t even disconnect the battery in modern gas vehicles without risking “malfunctioning” the system. So I’m sure it’s worse in EV’s. I firmly believe manufacturers are pushing EV so you can’t work on your own vehicle. They’ve been trying for years for ways to force you back to the stealership.
Removing the transmission oil dipstick is beyond me. Supposed to be one of the easiest fluid changes. But now you need to take to the dealer. Not to mention you don't know if they actually did the fluid change because there is no way to check the fluid color.
@@james-wx6jhand what? Uncrew the drain plug wasting half a quart and having to refill? They should have kept the dipstick. Sealed transmissions are a joke
All by design. They know they can make more off of you for service, even more than the profit of selling you the car. It's a purposefully designed scam.
Shops paying mechanics $23-$26 an hour and the customers are paying $120-$160. Mechanics have to buy expensive tools and bring their experience and education to the job only for the owners to make $100-$150 an hour off them
One of the BIGGEST things this article skipped over was the general shop rate per hour. We now see both small shops and dealers charging upwards of a $150.00 per hour to work on something. Now I don't know about you, but when people are only earning15-30 an hour, a small repair is a huge hit!
Preplanned obsolescence is nothing more than people complaining about their cheap stuff breaking. If manufacturers made things last then people would just complain about the price. Right to repair is a joke. I agree for companies like Apple and John Deere it's bad business practice but it shouldn't be a law.
It has to be mandated to take effect. No corporation wants to add complexity of after-sales service compared to a simple scheduled purchase. If hindering easy repairs was some corporate cartel conspiracy, we'd have all heard of artisan manufacturers like Fairphone by now.
There is NO SUCH THING as "No Right to Repair" in the automotive industry..stop with the BS. In 2011 Congress mandated at all Manufacturers: (1) provide to the vehicle owner and service providers all information necessary to diagnose, service, maintain, or repair the vehicle; (2) offer for sale to the vehicle owner and service providers any related tool or equipment; and (3) provide the information that enables aftermarket tool companies to manufacture tools with the same functional characteristics. Exempts trade secrets, so long as the information is not disclosed to authorized dealers or service providers. The biggest problem I see in these comments are peoplewho say things that are EASILY checked by using the internet with LESS energy than it takes to type false, misleading comments
@@doujinflip It HAS been mandated..he doesnt know what he is talking about. There was a "Right to Repair" Bill passed in 2011 that REQUIRED manufactures to make available all information and tools needed to fix car
@@doujinflip Introduced in House (04/08/2011) Motor Vehicle Owners Right to Repair Act of 2011 - Requires the manufacturer of a motor vehicle sold, leased, or otherwise introduced into U.S. commerce to: (1) provide to the vehicle owner and service providers all information necessary to diagnose, service, maintain, or repair the vehicle; (2) offer for sale to the vehicle owner and service providers any related tool or equipment; and (3) provide the information that enables aftermarket tool companies to manufacture tools with the same functional characteristics. Exempts trade secrets, so long as the information is not disclosed to authorized dealers or service providers. Authorizes enforcement of this Act by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and civil actions by state attorneys general.
There's an old saying that goes something like this: those who have it, dream of getting rid of it, but those who don't have it dream of having it. The car.
I have an audi s5 as a company car which I can use privately. Recently someone scratched my car while getting out of the parking spot. He lightly scratched the bumper and a tiny bit of the headlight glass. The scratches were so light they were barely visible and the light was still working. You used to be able to just switch out the plastic/glass cover, but I had to switch out the whole headlight system. The bill for that guy came out as 7k$ total, out of which 4k was just the headlight. I couldn't believe my eyes, I thought it would be like 200$ for a new glass cover including the service fee. And then we wonder why insurance gets more expensive.
Every time someone asks advice on the best path into and through the automotive repair career, mechanics and technicians overwhelmingly say “DON’T, it’s not worth it”. They’re paid crap but have to spend so much to stay competitive. They say the Heavy or Industrial sectors are the only ones worth it. That’s pretty sad considering most other trades pay well.
You wanna know how insane it is? I do my own work on my cars. I was curious one day and decided to call a few shops for a very simple PCV valve replacement which involves pulling off an easy to get to hose, wrenching off the valve and putting a new one on, put the hose back, done. Job takes like 5 mins. Part is about $15. Shops wanted to charge me $350-$400. Basically robbery.
When you have to pay others, expect to pay dearly. A shop has so many expenses, their actual profit may not be highway robbery. Think of how many hundreds of thousands or millions in building and equipment they're paying for. Taxes, insurance, advertising, paying the guys. A guy making $20/hr is costing them $30/hr easy. Plus the owner still has to profit, otherwise why bother. Try a mobile mechanic, they are probably cheaper. We did once and he did great work. I do 99.9% of my own work and I'll admit it felt emasculating having some dude wrenching on our car in the rain while I'm sitting in the house watching TV. We just couldn't for the life of us get that darn part of.
@@AmandaHugenkiss2915 The places I called are non franchise. I understand they got to pay for their business and building. That's why i figured it would be about a $50 $60 job they would charge. They also tried to sell me things that were not even needed. One said that the fuel system needs to be cleaned when doing a pcv valve which was going to be $121 (it doesn't). Another said they had to order in gaskets and seals since that was required for a pcv valve replacement with 2-5 hours labor (not true at all). So it was made worse that they were going to charge me for things completely unrelated and unnecessary for the job. I also told them I was supplying the part.
@@WNicole1993 I think the major part of the accidents is not the cars themselves but the divers. Nobody can drive anymore and people drive distracted all the time. I hate it so much. My first, and my favorite car I had was hit 5 out of the 7 years I owned it. Last year it was hit twice, the second time killed it. Some young guy driving a company truck and trailer slammed into me when I was at a stop. Probably to busy hitting his vape.
Thats not how businesses work brother... they dont get to charge you based on the tools they purchase... they only get to charge based on 3-5 things being labor over head which is consisten of labor , rent , diagonistic time, supplies ( rags , fuilds , or other NON REUSBALE ITEMS, and the parts themselves.... IF THEY CHARGE YOU BASED ON TOOL PURCHASES YOU SHOULD NOT BE GOING THERE @@AmandaHugenkiss2915
The only reason I step foot in a mechanic shop is to do my yearly emissions. It’s depressing to see they are charging $79 for an oil change and $150 for a serpentine belt service. Iv done my own work for the last twenty years. When I first started it was just for fun, but now with the prices it’s a necessity to do my own repairs.
Another reason. Some cars you have to remove so many parts just to change 1 something thing. For instance, to change a cabin air filter, most cars you'll have to take out some or all of the dash. Which can take hours. Which then takes 30 seconds to change the filter itself.
One thing that would really help is requiring that you can run diagnostic software and reset a cars computer with no extra tools. Like everything has to have a mode that shows all codes and resets them, including emissions. I can’t even troubleshoot my new truck without taking it to the dealer and just paying them to do it because even though it has multiple screens that can show me things, all it says is “take me to the dealer, I’m broken”
How and WHY would a car be designed to check codes without a scan tool?!? You want to be able to change flats without a jack or socket?! Or replace parts on the car without tools?!/ Sometimes people can just be silly.
@@HuChing-ob4kk There are some cars that will show what the codes are on the dash. With analog displays being replaced by digital screens there's no reason the car can't show you all this information itself.
@@HuChing-ob4kk How dumb can you be? Why do you need a scan tool when most cars have computers in them and could have the ability to put this info on the car's computer monitor. If X breaks in my car the cars computer should be able to tell me "X is broken and needs repair or replacement" with no scan tool needed.
I'd have no problems driving a car less technologically advanced so that I could fix it myself. The problem is, at some point, manufacturers stop making parts for an older car and then you're struggling to find a specific part when you need it.
Don't buy domestic and you won't have this issue. Domestics constantly redesign the cars with non-interchangeable parts which automatically makes for a very small parts market. I can still source parts for my 34 year old Nissan and my 20 year old BMW. Heck, I can get an entirely new engine and for less than half the cost of fixing that guy's broken radar module. New cars and especially domestics are money pits.
I was in the industry for a few years. But what I saw made me realize how hopeless it is. Mechanics are getting screwed on wages only making 15-25 an hour, but the dealerships are charging customers 160+ an hour. Mechanics need to unionize.
Former technician here. One topic the video did not bring up, nor was it mentioned by the shop owners, is manufacturers recommending excessive times between maintenance. Stating turbocharged engines can go 7-10K miles between oil changes and transmissions up to 150k before the ffirst fluid service is ridiculous and Im certain is adding to the increased repair bills motorists are seeing. Consumer Reports and other rags have advised to never buy an extended warranty. Given the cost of repairs today, its almost mandatory unless you're leasing the car.
Cost of auto repairs have always been off the charts.Parts are relatively affordable but the labor cost is though the roof but wages aren’t though the roof!!!
The video should have talked about used car extended warranties. My friend got her 2016 honda HRV(under 100k miles) transmission replaced for free with an extended warranty she purchased.
Wait till you have 40k in tools and they want to pay you 15/hr and your have all 8 ASE certs and they say we can't afford to pay more as they charge the customer 155/ hr
I worked in the automotive field once when I was 20 and a few years ago at 25,26. I loved fixing cars but what makes it not worth being a mechanic is the unrealistic work expectation/flat rate compensation. You always get screwed over by service advisors. Not worth it. All my automotive classmates didn't stick with it either. Warranty work screws techs over.
The overhead to run a shop is high. Insurance has gone up, property taxes and rent have gone up. Newer cars are more complicated to work on and require more expensive tools and diagnostic equipment.
I bought a manual transmission car in 2017, I was told that when the clutch goes it “will cost between $600/800” in 2022 it cost me $4,500 to replace the clutch. That was after calling about 5 different shops to get the best price.
I don't know where you live dude, so I don't know the specifics of your vehicle either, but I had my clutch replaced for 800 bucks labor. I had already bought the clutch and flywheel kit for just under 200. This was last summer
Another part of the issue, for new vehicles, if you can afford one are the stealerships adding BS like $199.00 for nitrogen in the tires. Give me a break!
Yall failed to mention that manufacturers also intentionally make it harder to repair to force you to bring it in to dealerships that have the crazy tools required to do it. It's a pure scam. Ain't stopping me though. Example is removing dipstick for transmission fluid. It used to like doing an oil change. Now for my Tundra truck I had to lift the whole truck in the air, make sure it's level, drain like normal, the manually pump the fluid in, then turn the truck on to get it to a certain temperature, then remove drain plug to let excess drain out until it was level. I did it successfully last week. Also some dealers are saying you're not supposed to change it at all. LIES! If you don't change it, the transmission will go bad! And then you'll have to buy another one or another car, and that's exactly what they want! Don't fall for it. Crazy how this video failed to mention that.
At this point im riding an electric bicycle or getting a motorcycle license because this is getting ridiculous putting money into something that expensive and be a necessity for everyday living.
I typically drove just under 3,000mi/yr. Since I got an ebike, especially a cargo ebike, and a Costco opened up within ebiking distance, I put over 2000mi/yr on my e-bikes and
That's limiting. You can't ride an electric bike or motorcycle in the rain or when it's cold or when you need to carry stuff/people. You can't ride much beyond your town.
@@bwofficial1776 Did you not see I still drove almost 600 miles after using my e-bikes for most of my previous car? You don’t have to go car-free, car-lite is just fine. I don’t feel limited in the slightest, especially when I cruise past congested traffic. I ride in the cold a lot. Done it as cold as -10C (14F), which is the lower limit anyway for the batteries when they’re cold. A lot of people do. Simply dress for the weather. I don’t like riding in rain though many people don’t mind it. It’s more fear of bad drivers due to reduced visibility and traction than my own comfort. Were safer infrastructure available, I’d ride in the rain too.
@@chow-chihuang4903awesome! I’ve been using my e-bike for running errands. It’s not a cargo e-bike, but I strapped an old milk crate to the back rack. It’s good for grocery store runs.
@@bwofficial1776who said you cant ride in the rain and cold on an ebike? Plenty of ebike riders do both and their ebikes can handle it. Dress for the occasion. Also if you need to carry stuff, you have to get the right bike for the right job. You dont get a road bike for a cargo bike job just like how you dont tow 10,000 lbs with a prius when thats a truck job. My cargo ebike can carry people and/or cargo. It can carry a combined weight of 450 lbs (rider and cargo/passenger) and 300 pounds of that can be on the cargo rack alone (Thats ignoring the fact i could get a bike trailer to expand that capacity further). Put it simply, i can carry a week worth of groceries and still could add more stuff if i needed to.
What's even worst is nowadays, the shops blatantly tell you they don't want you to supply your own parts. I was quoted $295 plus tax per shock absober , $110 plus tax per link kit, $150 plus tax for one ball joint, $500 plus tax for labor cost. I went online I found the pair of shock absorber cost $235, pair of link kit $75, ball joint $46.
As a car owner, it’s important that you learn to do the most common basics maintenances like oil changes, air filter, spark plugs, etc. Save the heavy stuff for the pros but do the basics. Also helps to buy a reliable car from a reliable brand!
also an older car with less electronics.. they are still amazing. i have a 1991 toyota pickup and it runs like a top. the transmission and engine run like new with 156k miles
When I first started working as a mechanic after trade school I made $15/h. I was expected to do 70 hours a week of work within 40 hours. Everyone was expected to scam customers with repairs that weren’t needed. Oh and the dealer charged $150/h. I was laid off for not meeting performance goals that could only be met by scamming customers.
No shock there is a shortage of techs, when being honest gets you fired from many shops.
Sad but true. Same thing was asked of an A/C repair man I know. Integrity is becoming an option not a requirement.
Thank you!!! But no one is talking about this!
Thanks for sharing your story. It's always interesting to hear firsthand from people in trades how business really works.
At what point did you decide face tattoos were the key to success?
Those tats and bullhorn are ridiculous
I’m a mechanic. I work for myself too. I get a lot of people on referrals from other people I’ve done work for. They don’t want to go to a shop or dealer. I don’t charge insane amounts and can still make a nice living and my customers are happy. I’m happy. That’s the best way to do it.
Couldn't agree more, i run a small shop and its very fulfilling to make a good living and do work you can be proud of
@@13EN17 that’s awesome! People always tell me it’s hard to find honest people to work on their cars. Feel great knowing that they trust in me.
What to look for is used car prices following used farm tractors where the older ones are worth more than the newer ones because they are simpler and easier to repair. In my area I certainly want a car that is at least 20 years old because it is exempt from smog check, and will pay more for one than I will for a 15 year old car, and I think markets will follow, especially in smog check localities.
The epitome of this is Cold War Motors.
20 year old cars are also fully depreciated and will only appreciate into classics over time, so especially low mileage drivers have every reason to pay more for older cars than for newer ones.
Thank you for your service.
How much longer are industries going to blame “supply chain issues”? This seems like a cop-out at this point.
its actually true though, a lot of car parts are still on months long backorder, especially known defect kinds of parts. not entirely sure why though, no lockdown to cause it.
My man not everything is 2 day shipping. Esp in this industry, ordering oem sucks. You should see the rv industry
He’s a fix .. manufacturing everything here like it originally was..china china etc etc other countries making the parts.that would fix jobs ect
Follow the supply chain. Manufacturers are choosing to create less volume but higher prices to get the same $x gross sales but less work. Consumers just need to come together and refuse to purchase or switch to economical brands.
It’s complete BS. They want to find an excuse.
Since Covid there’s a lot of gouging going on in every industry. I have a friend in the car repair industry and I asked him why prices are so high and he said because the owners feel they can get away with it. They feel people are ‘mentally accepting’ of higher prices right now so they keep pushing up their prices and then blame Covid, shortages, inflation, etc.
Greed, plain and simple. This "report" is a joke.
Take the bus.
@@horton368naw man the bus sucks lol trust me I know 😅
@User3xiii yeah I've spent too much time taking the bus to work, on and off for years
If a mechanic shop justifies an outrageous markup for a part being replaced because of supply chain disruptions, then I find it very fishy, especially if those parts are easy to locate at an Advanced Auto Parts or AutoZone.
That's why I'm driving a 20-year-old Corolla. It cost next to nothing to maintain, it doesn't break down easily, no complicated computers to repair, parts are available everywhere at the junkyard or online. It makes you "look poor" but it doesn't actually make you poor.
I can't I understand 25 year old hicks making $20 an hour buying 70k pickups without flinching. I can't wait to see what retirement looks like for them!
@@JoseLopez-tk4tq wat
Lmfao 😂. I'm sure you'll sleep better than the guy with big car payment.
I try to get 20 years out of every vehicle - you can do that with a Toyota if you undercoat and follow in maintenance manual. So what’s better for the environment 1 fuel efficient car every 20 years per driver or 3 EVs every 20 years per driver?
@@gregorymacneil2836 What's better is driving an EV for 15 or 20 years and after that it's battery is used for storage at a solar farm
Don't forget manufacturers deliberately making it more difficult (or virtually impossible, in some cases) for customers and/or shops to repair certain things without getting them involved so that they can charge whatever they want for a replacement component.
Exactly lmao, like off-setting access holes by 2-3 inches so it makes it impossible to use the correct tool to remove that part. And instead you have to come up with some workaround which takes 3x as long but your expected to do it within X amount of time cause you don't get paid extra since it's a warranty claim.
Then fix it yourself… why you crying about it?
yep. got to take the cab off a ford super duty to do engine work and cab off and back on is 10 hours alone. so thats $1500 extra on top of repair bill.
@@MH_6160 the fact that it's increasingly difficult (or again, in some cases impossible or effectively impossible) to actually *do* that.
@@MH_6160 Sometimes now, even on a relatively easy fix, you still need a dealer specialty computer to reprogram the part you are installing. It happened to me. I did all the work part was less than $200 but I had to have it towed to the dealer for them to hook their computer up and push a few buttons to program the part. The dealer charged me $500 for less than 5 minutes of work plus $200 for the tow. So they still made $700 off me basically doing nothing. If I had let them install everything $5200 on a car that is over a decade old.
After being told by the Toyota dealership that the transfer case on my 4Runner was gonna need to be taken out and rebuilt (it wouldn't shift into 4Lo) I found a RUclips video that showed how to fix the problem. I got under the vehicle, smacked the transfer case in just the right spot with a dead blow hammer a few times and problem solved. I then changed the oil in the case myself and drove it for several years. God bless RUclips videos. That video saved me roughly $2500.
The video should have talked about used car extended warranties. My friend got her 2016 honda HRV(under 100k miles) transmission replaced for free with an extended warranty she purchased.
My Tacoma T- case got stuck in 4 lo. Same issue I bet.
@@elementsoflife000 its not free if she payed for the warranty. She just payed for that transmission up front.
you can actually split the actuator and fix that for a couple hundred. Mine was a bad pin and I was using a hunk of AL.lol
if it was a ford GM or dodge it would have been a $9000 fix haha
The bad thing is nowadays the quality of everything is going down, while the price of everything is going up smh.
The answer to that equation is that consumers are zombies
Exactly!
This is the first thing I noticed after returning from being stationed in Japan. Quality has dropped like an anchor within the last few years.
That is the exact description of inflation.
What quality is going down?
Glad I'm capable to do 70% of my own repairs. Have saved $1,000's in repair bills. Very Grateful. You Tube played a huge role in helping me learn how to do repairs.
Exactly, I'm always looking up things about how to fix on my truck even though it doesn't need fixing at this time.
And chances are you're both doing it wrong. I fix "DIY" jobs daily as a professionally trained mechanic, literally.
@@COBRO98 Yep, there's "Just Rolled In" showing some idiots who claim "done by another shop". But some guys (maybe 1/3) can do work as well as those in the industry. The key is knowing what you don't know and letting a pro handle those jobs. Then there's the majority who don't know how to check tire pressure or safely fill their washer fluid who try to "improve" their car.
@@COBRO98 I've seen tons of botched jobs by so called "trained professionals". The more people who diy, the better
@@COBRO98 Also don't forget all those shops and mechanics who just straight up rip the customer off.
A 2023 F-150's headlamp assembly is over $700 on RockAuto. A 2003 F-150's headlamp assembly was less than $20
Can't help but feel like this is all by design.
Because it is!
@@daughterofsekhmet81
That's precisely why I'm driving my 2006 until it won't go anymore.
@@TheSkete I'm with you. I have a 2005 Chevy pickemup truck I am going to drive to the grave.
Everything I own is 20 years old. I love it
There are no real supply shortages, my family is in the business, and I can assure you we are able to get any part we need. The big change is manufactures have made it increasingly difficult for owners and independent shops to make repairs. They force you to go to a dealer by not allowing access to the software on their vehicles unless you have their equipment. You used to be able to change out a part, and drive off. Now, many manufactures are forcing you to program the part to the vehicle, and it can't be done unless you have their specific programmer. Mercedes was the worst, started this over 20 years ago with their STAR programmer. Without it, you can not replace most parts on the cars.
This is cap. The STAR system sure is proprietary but you don't need the scanner just simply to repair it or replace things.
Yes you do, we have to use STAR to program most parts which are replaced.
@@wm9904
While I agree I am able to get my hands on a vast majority of parts I need (something like 99%) within 24 hours, there is an occasional difficult part like the C6 Corvette fuel pipes one of my customers currently could use. We just take our time with it and charge accordingly.
You're a $4,000 high end scan tool away from doing almost everything you could ever need software wise. My current shop has three different scanners with various programming, third party linking, and miscellaneous diagnostic add-ons. Between all three we can service practically any car and service well into supercar territory depending on the brand. You're a PIWIS and an Autel away from doing anything Euro related you could ever have the time to do.; every shop I know operating in this space always has work. Total initial commitment in scan tools is like $10,000 with an annual cost about a quarter of that in software.
We can service 99% of cars 100% in house by utilizing our current tool set and it really doesn't cost that much in the grand scheme of things. Our labor rate is lower than local dealers..
TLDR: This poster's family is either an oil change shop or an auto parts store. What you're describing isn't reality.
My mom’s car sat at our local Subaru dealship for 3 months waiting on a back ordered part for the emergency break.. she ended up going and getting her car, the part is still on back order.
I have a 2012 Fiat Panda. My local garage repair shop can service n maintain & MOT my car. HOWEVER the REAR windscreen wiper can only be bought n replaced by the dealership I got it from. I let it fall apart until my repair shop found something comparable n now i use that. Refuse to go back to the dealership just for a damned wiper that will cost 3x more than it should.
I've learned to be a RUclips mechanic; over the past 5 years of maintaining and repairing my 3 vehicles, I've probably saved 6,000-7,000$ in labor costs.
Bravo, same here
You could have saved even more if you didn't own 3 cars.
Same here I saved a thousand dollars easy by doing it myself with the help of you tube too
Awesome! I saved thousands myself by getting help from people with mechanical backgrounds for way less than what the chain businesses would charge.
My '10 civic wouldn't survive at the dealership.. repair it yourself and you'll be endlessly rewarded!!!
I hate that the pandemic is still being blamed for price increases today when it is very clearly greed and price gouging.
How this for price gouging. The vidy suggests labor rates are 60.00 per hour...even in So Dakota rates are above 100.00. In Brooklyn/NYC where this was filmed 200.00+...price gouging is a term used by govt to point the finger away from the real culprit - govt policies and it's huge deficit spending...
Pandeminc is the indirect reason, the root cause is the greed, the monopolies formed and no action against them, and the losing of democracy. And all of these caused the pandemic response too, aided heavily by the greedy media. And this in turn caused the whole world shutting down for 2 years. And imagine what that can do if only one ship blocking the channel hurt the global economy so bad as we saw.
And the economic effects of that lost 2 years is just one thing, not even the most severe.
It totally worth it staying home.
Bidenflation
Greed and price gouging have nothing to do with inflation and the increases in the cost of living. You didn't watch the video, did you? The guy literally just said what's driving the increase. What he didn't say was anything related to greed or price gouging.
@@spartakos3178Inflation has been declining for months. The sitting president no matter what party they’re from cannot influence inflation that much. Pick up a book and stop watching manipulative and generally false mainstream media. You’ll be a lot happier.
Because to change a headlight bulb in modern cars, can mean removing the front bumper, a tire, and maybe a fender liner. The fancy bulbs can cost over $100 just for the bulb. And if you have LED lights, you’re going to have to buy the entire housing. It’s nuts.
A woman my friend worked with came in one day and asked if he could change a headlight bulb for her, he agreed until he realized it was one that came standard with HID's, she had to go to the dealer and it cost ~$400 to replace it. New Volkswagen, I believe. He said she got rid of it shortly after. Another reason I'm keeping my 07 truck, I can add LED's if I want for ~$100 bucks, and if I have to replace them I can still use standard bulbs.
i had a cadillac which was like this.
My 08 Acura was like this. 😒
It should be against the law as to what the car manufacturers have built and done to us.
Most people don’t know you can change an headlight bulb so easily. Not even a 10 min job. What modern car are you basing this on? Most cars headlight bulbs can easily be replaced by removing the cover behind the headlight housing. Removing a headlight housing isn’t difficult either. Usually 2-4 bolts. Quality bulbs are also at minimum $70 so I got no clue what bulbs you’re buying unless it’s some ridiculous brand. Idk what you mean by if you have led lights you’d near to buy an entire housing. If you have reflectors you have to change them since LEDs are meant for projector based headlights. Otherwise stick to halogens or mind warmer tone LEDs. LEDs in Reflectors are too strong for oncoming drivers
They failed to mention that all these rising costs are now causing insurance companies to raise their rates too, sometimes substantially.
Exactly, mine has gone up $40 in the past year and when I called about a sudden change they gave me a response "oh inflation".
@Rikidybones it's greed
@@Rikidybones If your rates only went up $40 annually, you are very lucky.
They want to increase home prices and cars. Remember the WEF slogan - you will own nothing but be happy...
Insurance generally doesn't cover standard maintence parts. Mostly just body repair and windows. If yout car takes a big enough hit to damage the engine bay or subframe its a instant write off as being totaled.
I own an auto repair shop in Los Angeles, and despite having a 5-star rating and filling up our work schedules a few weeks out, we still struggle to meet our overhead because we have been pushed to acquire and maintain various tools and equipment for even your basic servicing. People don't understand why their car repairs are so expensive, and yet they opted to purchase a vehicle with heated cup warmers and complex exterior lighting (such as your headlights, tail lamps, etc.), each of which has it's own control module on even your standard economy car. They also don't understand that their vehicles boasting a much larger MPG range is due in part to the very little clearances between internal engine components than call for the thinnest weights of oils we as mechanics would have never imagined nor agree with. You waste less gas because they designed your engine to have the least resistance by using thinner engine oils which in turn causes premature engine failure, often well before 100k miles. Transmissions that you cannot rebuild and cost the same as the value of the vehicle. Cheap plastic and aluminum parts that used to be made of metals, steel and cast iron. This is the future, and our struggle to provide our work is just as expensive for us as it is for the general public to maintain and repair their vehicles. We are not crooks, we are tradesmen/women trying to keep up with the stupidity of modern automotive engineering.
Amen
It's the CAFE requirements. No one runs for office on dismantling the CAFE standard, though they should.
Ignorance is rampant among consumers who don't know anything about CAFE much less anything about the car they're driving now.
If you think education is expensive, TRY IGNORANCE.
Quote of the decade "stupid modern automotive engineering"!
@@user-pe8il6pd2v thank you! ~*verbal artistry*~ lol
I was in the automotive service industry for over 35 years. After the Navy, I was offered a tech job with Volvo (1971) After a year I was offered a job with Porsche. I was a Porsche tech for over 10 years until I reached the point of disgust at how so many customers were unfairly treated at the dealerships. I opened my own shop doing European autos only. Within 6 mo. I was on fire with work. Even from shops that couldn't do what I knew/did. In town, I was treated like the Mayor at times because I was honest and professional and explained everything that was done.
Recently my GF took her Honda to a shop for some repairs that I couldn't do b/c of my health. I was astounded at the overlapping labor charges and the use of "OEM Parts" which were clearly aftermarket. I called that creative writing. Creative for profit. Finding an honest and forthright repair shop is like gold. And when you do, spread the word.
You sound like a good man. I was lucky to find a shop with honest owners who are also very transparent with the costs and repairs. Seems like most mechanics either don't know what they're doing, or they're just lying to you.
I am not a mechanic. I am a small business man who has resold various things (gold, silver, sports memorabilia, advertising, pop culture and mens clothing ) for 42 years. Your words ring true like gold. Honesty and integrity are where it's at. A good name and reputation is money in the bank.
I take my car to a tuner shop they seem more honest
Lies again? Expensive Car Ezlink Card
It's true. Honest and competent mechanics are worth their weight in gold.
I wish all repair/maintenance places were owned by someone like the guy in the interview. He seems like a genuinely nice guy who cares about his workers and the customer.
Most of them are. Most of them are genuine but their patience is worn thin by everyone constantly throwing a fit over costs. I am one of them.
They all sux. Find one that don't screw you
And one that don't charge for hour
You can tell that by one video. You judgemental POs
lol all of them are, when on national TV.
He's got to somewhat rip people off to pay his techs and other overhead while still making a profit.
I'm a master technician who has been in the business for about 20 years and I haven't seen anything like the last couple years. Parts have nealy doubled, no matter if it's aftermarket or OEM, not all parts but a good majority of them have, I have many different suppliers that I use to try to get my customer's the absolute best price I can for them on quality parts. The pandemic also caused a LOT of third party manufacturers such as Dorman, Behr, Nissens, Mahle, etc. to completely STOP manufacturing of some parts for some makes and models with no word on whether or not we'll see them produced again. This has caused a drastic rise in parts pricing, there is a LOT of scalping going on due to supply chain issues even at direct factory buying, it's actually insane. This is just ONE of the things making prices go up, labor rates have sky rocketed due to MASSIVE rent and insurance increases, techs are FINALLY starting to get paid what they SHOULD have been paid 10 years ago, most shops were taking advantage of seasoned tech at $17 an hour in California, techs with their own tools should be making at minimum about $22 an hour but should be near $25+, I've finally seen techs getting $30 an hour, also a few misconceptions in this video but electric vehicles DO still have oil changes and should be performed regularly, their drive units require ATF and filter replacement and Tesla themselves have fumbled the numbers multiple times as to WHEN you should perform the maintenance but like with any transmission or differential component you should probably stick to doing it about every 36K miles, EV's also still have cabin air filters and require AC system maintenance and brakes and tires and alignments and suspension components just like any regular ICE vehicle, the biggest caveat of this "lie" EV makers feed their customers is that there is no maintenance and nothing to replace but on average an EV battery system will only last about 8-10 years depending on charge/discharge cycles and temperatures and mileage.
Thanks for your perspective about this. I shudder to consider the replacement cost for an EVs lithium battery pack!
Go off fam! 👏👏👏Thanks for sharing. I truly don’t think EVs are the future. They’re just reinventing the wheel. Maybe EV buses and EV tractors, but everyone owning an EV CAR? The roads can’t take it, the grid can’t take it. They have so much intertidal it’s a recipe for disaster. They aren’t the future IMO.
Well said
Yep, even simple car maintenance has been lost on much of the current generations. Being an old school boomer, I still do all of my car maintenance short of those requiring special tools or diagnostic equipment.
The best price for a part, that you then mark up 40%? LOL, okay then...
As a former automotive technician, one of the biggest reasons why I left the automotive industry was flat rate pay and the way dealerships raised the cost of labor rate. For example service writers, who only deal with the clients and warranty companies. They don't work on the cars, get paid more than the people that work on vehicles? Automotive technicians who are paid on a flat rate system are the ones that are short-handed the most in the automotive industry.
I was an auto tech for Toyota 25 years and don’t forget salesman get paid more than techs also.
100% and warranty work paying half on what it would be normally.
You got that right! as for me back in the 80's working with Maserati, Alfa Romeo and Peugeot and other European used to make more $$ than now, these days with all of the stuff loaded in any vehicle is like one loses more than one actually makes
Hi 20 year mechanic here. Worked in dealers all my life. I’ve watched labor rates 2-3x but tech pay has been relatively flat in the same time. This pushes techs out cause factor in inflation we make less now than we did 20 years ago. Tools that we have to buy are insane now for any new tech entering the industry.
Why you Amercans have to buy the tools? I worked in Sweden as mechanic and every worksstation is set up with tools, special tools are stored separte and are used by everyone. When I started the boss asked me to make a list of what more I needed and they order it.. But maybe you guys get payed more? We don't get payed 60 / h maybe 17 - 25 / h fixed month sallary.
@@mrm1885 wages very around the country. I’ve seen anywhere from 20-60/hr for techs. If you find a good shop here you’ll make lots of money. But bad shops tend to put most techs looking to leave the field. I’ve also seen techs spend 100k on a box and tools so it’s not an easy answer.
Dude I put in 40 years, that's right 40 years.
When my service advisor, with the green hair and the nose ring was chastising me for not selling enough wallet flushes, I told him what to do with them. He took offense and started an altercation and one of us ended up not being able to breathe right through their nose.
I retired the same day.
For the amount of a time and money that is required by technicians to invest, the return is laughably small
A plumber or electrician makes twice the money and has one tenth the headaches.
You would have to be a financial full to enter the field these days
I know. My shop last year raised the rate on the wall from $140 to $165 last year. We the Technicians only got a $2 an hour raise out of all that.
@@mrm1885Hollywood movies are not about reality, so mechanics job too.
Another problem is the quality of parts. Parts store like autozone, Napa, O'reilys, etc, are all seeing brand new parts with horrible quality control. The rate of bad new parts the companies are seeing has jumped
because they are all made in china!
Blame China… literally! I follow a lot of car review channels as well as car repair channels on YT… they all basically say the same thing… A lot of non-OEM parts come from China but are made with substandard materials or are poorly put together and don’t last or just break shortly after installation.
Headlight from Autozone was a Sylvania HID blah blah blah for $105, while the stock/factory part is $45 on Amazon. Something is amiss.
One of my sparkplugs failed after 2 month. 25% fail rate is Poor quality.
Chinese subsidized junk.
I always love how they interview one of good shops, that takes care of their techs and customers. Maybe they should talk to actual techs who have left the industry and the average shop who looks at tech as a body.
Yes i and my work mates were told by our Manager how we were dime a dozen because he had many applicants for a job he had advertised for
12 came out and saw the shop and left never to come back we Laugh so loud at his expense True story
I left 8 years ago. They just kept cutting the labor times and it was hard to get a raise. Then they started cutting benefits. They always wanted to see growth no matter what. When they couldn't sell more they started cutting cost. Infinite growth beyond normal inflation is unsustainable. They did offer me a raise when I put in my notice but I'm in a union now and they did not even come close. I'm really happy I left.
Its BUSINESS channel so the view is always from a business standpoint
@@Karl-Benny I will leave shop in a HEARTBEAT because some of these managers have that 1970s attitude as if techs are some sort of objects you can treat like hhhit. I told my last manager...without technicians a shop is just a building with a pretty name on it.
Yes they want good mechanics but don’t want to pay for them
They don't pay their mechanics. They charge $140+ for "labor" and pay those people 13-16/hr. Why do you think they can't find "skilled" mechanics?!
Exactly
Yep, why I left the garages 24 years ago? With my own business I could afford new vehicles
The problem is price and cost of maintenance for a personal vehicle has kept up with inflation over the past 50 years, but wages and salaries have not
Lier greed is the problem
Actually salaries have and have exceeded. You are comparing a mcdonalds salary with mechanics
@@SgtJoeSmith I am not educated) but I did get a 38 cent raise) now I am up too 12.98) an hour) what do you think can I take a vacation or retire early) I am out of debt) an I have all I need but not what i want) to be fare) work two days a week sat an sun) 500 pm to 500am) an the rest of the days sleep in an jog when I get up) after taxes 14000 a year)I am a security guard) going on three yrs)
@@Johnny-um6sd I can tell. It's "liar" and there should be a comma after it. A 5th grader should know that.
The mower repair shop I work at 5 minutes down the street from the Walmart home office is starting people at $50 an hour. I been there 25 years and get $100 an hour. Maybe you should go into mowing and landscape.
@@Johnny-um6sd BTW, over the last 6 years I got a $50 an hour raise with 3 to 4 raises a year. Supply and demand. Shop can't find anyone else. No other shops around. Shop kept raising prices 3 or 4 times a year and paid me more. Population here is increasing 7000 a year.....25 years in a row average. Want to make money? Find a $h1tty job no one else around will do. cut grass, pick up dog poop, etc
It really wasn't that long ago that high schools had shop class and anybody could do the basic maintenance on their own car.
Yeah! Similarity, across the pond, we used to learn how to wire up electrical plugs in primary school. (Elementary school)
Nowadays, they teach some of the most useless bollocks they can come up with in these schools.
The idea was to get the HS students ready for college. A lot of boys coming out of HS don't know the difference between a box and an open end wrench.
Yes. I took Auto Shop my sophomore year in high school (1992-1993,) but now the auto shop is long gone. The shop itself, and the bay that had a in the ground lift, is all used for storage, now, including the yard where the cars ware kept.
My high school still has one. But hte shop class in my middle school was disbanded long ago. Why teach kids to fix things when you can just buy a new one? All this amidst a move to go green - what a load.
RUclips is actually a great place to find out how to do some work if you have tools.
Prices going up yet the quality of work is going down. So frustrating.
it is the history af amercia lol... defetaed in his own game by china and russia
Hello inflation and living costs
Socialism (democrats) policies at work
Reagan capitalism at work. Competition now so consolidated that low taxes and regulations alone no longer keeps costs down.
@@doujinflip no one pays more than 50% income tax in a real capitalist country.
RUclips has saved me a lot of money by teaching me how to do minor to major repairs on my own. The only time i go to a mechanic now is if I'm being too lazy or if I'm pressed for time.
there is a thing called a service manual as well. its far far better than some yahoo on youtube.
So glad I payed attention when I worked on cars with my dad and took shop class, I can fix just about anything on my basic car, fluid changes, brakes, alternators etc. Not a mechanic but I've saved a bunch with no car payments or ridiculous car repair bills, they are robbing people out here, I've seen it.
Same. And You Tube was a big role in that as of the last 18 years. However I learned a lot as a kid, since my dad worked for my grandfather in the 60's when my grandfather owned a Standard gas station.
Same here. I was always afraid to touch my car but I learned how to fix few things. I now replace my brake pads & rotors, oil change, spark plugs, tranny fluid, alternator, installing battery. I learned by watching RUclips videos & invested in a lift & tools. Saved lot of $$
@sudha4128 Someone has a car payment..
I can fix just about anything but unfortunately my kids haven't been interested. They are fine while I'm around but someday it's going to come back to bite them hard
I once did the math on how much I've saved in labor and parts on an old car of mine by doing work myself. The numbers were mind boggling. It was thousands and thousands of dollars. The only thing I can't do is alignments and tire mounting/balancing, and I'm going to get the machines to do that some day.
Fortunately I taught myself at the age of 15 how to do basic maintenance on my cars. I am now 33 and probably saved thousands in repairs. Also smart to buy Hondas and Toyotas.
I had a Ford when I was 16 - I HAD to learn to fix it if I wanted to use it.
@@the_kombinator My 2009 Ford Escape has been extremely reliable, almost like my 2002 Toyota Corolla, and I've only done basic maintenance on it. Very easy to change the fluids, too.
Great, however, most folks actually work for a living and don't have time or don't want to be working on their cars on their days off.
@@tom11zz884 I also work for a living. Actually a military officer now in the RCN here in Canada. Fixing cars is also a hobby of mine, but saves money too. To each their own. Cheers.
@@tom11zz884 We all work for a living, but we have weekends, that can be used to replace the brakes, the suspension and so on. Don't be lazy.
RUclips has saved me thousands as I do most of my own work on my cars now.
Exactly, if you already know how to do something it's also good as a refresher.
Not everyone is adept at DIY car repairs. But yes RUclips helps.
Same. RUclips university.
The only repairs I don't touch are extensive engine repairs and stuff that needs a full shop lift.
Anything else I do myself.
Right
For now
I started off as a GST at pepboys just changing oil, rotate tires, alignments working in 100 degree shop. I had to take a loan out to buy my tools. GST are paid $7hr plus $6 flat rate, iI barley made enough I was “promoted” to a tech B, a parts changer, and made even less money. I left the trade when i found out the service advisors where making 3x more than techs while there sitting in cool ac talking to customers all day. Im sure SA are highly skilled at selling to customers.
Fast forward today, i took up a course at my local college studying the IT industry, got my CompTIA certs and now working in the IT industry as a computer mechanic. Best decision ever made for myself
I now use my tools to fix my own cars. I no longer work for people. I buy non running cars and repair and sell them as a side hustle.
The automaker is gonna be motivated to get these costs down. Thats the funniest most absurb shid Ive ever heard.
Why would automakers get "costs down: when SERVICE is the number ONE PROFIT maker in a dealership!! Lol...hilarious. Remember this IS a "business channel"...this message is approved buy the manufactures so they can PRETEND not to be the bad guy...lol..who are the ONES who SET the labor rates, warranty rates, etc...hilarious!!
It’s the classic gaslighting.
The automaker is only motivated to get costs down for the first owner under warranty. Low cost of maintenance and fewer inconvenient trips to the service department are great marketing. But for the used car buyer after that, who is out of warranty, the service department is ready to profit!
Well, most car manufacturers do not in fact own their own dealerships (dealerships have a lot of favorable legislation protecting them from carmaker selling directly or vertically integrating that Tesla has fought hard to find loopholes around). So all of those servicing department mark-ups and fat margins aren't actually benefiting car manufacturers.
I think there is fundamentally a market failure where they aren't really incentivized to reduce repair costs except to the extent that it becomes so egregiously worse than their competitors that it drives them to other brands next time (e.g. the $60k Hyundai Ioniq 5 battery replacement problems that grabbed headlines a month ago).
people will be more inclined to buy on the used market because newer cars are more costly to repair. Older cars are less costly to repair, and buying older used cars don't really help the car manufacturers.
Hell, insurance is out of control.
Part of the problem may be greed by the insurance companies, but driving practices in general are getting worse. For example, I have been tailgated more in the last two years than I have in the last 20 years, and I am living in the same area. In the last few months alone, several drivers have made dangerous left turns right in front of me, forcing me to take evasive action in order to avoid a collision. I have also witnessed several near-collisions from vehicles in front of me. Furthermore, I receive text messages from the county sheriff department about road closures due to automobile collisions, and these messages have increased in frequency after the pandemic.
It seems that the extended lockdowns caused many Americans to suffer mental health issues, which appears to be affecting their driving habits.
All of you guys are right! Rising costs of vehicles, rising costs of repairs because newer cars are a lot more complex, shortage of blue-collar workers (body shop workers in this case) rising costs of treating injuries sustained during crashes, and at least 25% of drivers are on their phones.
By 2030, you'll own nothing and be happy.
@JDns-we4fw per the World Economic Forum.
Two things drive that...cost of repairs are up and people not insured. I work for a big insurance company out of California...they just got approved for another like 20% hike in that state.
It's not just a matter of cost, either. It has just as much to do with quality and expertise...or the lack thereof. Example: I worked in the automotive industry, until recently. I know my way around, mechanically. Recently, I purchased a NEW transmission from my local Lexus dealer. $3500. Ouch...but new...so ok. Installed it (correctly) myself. After about 300 miles, it threw some warning lights and began shifting erratically. I brought it to the dealer, ONLY FOR DIAGNOSIS. They charged me $205 to tell me shift solenoids were stuck closed and that the transmission was shot and required replacement. Offered to replace the transmission, itself, under the parts warranty and quoted FOUR THOUSAND DOLLARS just for the labor to install...which equates to about $300/hour. CRAZY!!!!!!! I decided to look deeper and not trust their diagnosis. Turned out is was just under 1 quart low on fluid, after some air pockets had released. Topped the fluid off, cleared the codes and voila...no...more...issues. Had I trusted them, I would have been out nearly $4K extra. Called them, told them what had happened, and insisted they refund my $205...which they did.
In the same vein, electric seat didn’t move forward or back and dealer wanted 4K to replace the entire seat. Luckily, I diagnosed myself and it turned out be a $40 switch.
🙋🏾♂️ ahhhhh!! I had a similar issue 4 months ago. My Mercedes wasn't shifting right. I took it to my favorite Euro specialist who told me my transmission needed a rebuild for 3.5k. Me and my buddy didn't believe as we know this particular tranny to be almost bulletproof. So we took it back home and just started doing basic checks and discovered the oil was low. We filled it back up correctly and the transmission shifts perfectly again. They almost got me.
this is accurate, they misdiagnose cars and just wanna replace the whole thing.
Stealership.
Bro what Lexus model is this? Dang that sucks :0
I been a mechanic most my life and most people who buy a car are not thinking about repairs down the road. No one is thinking how much is this blend door actuator going to cost when it goes out or the heater core,etc. I kinda do cause I’ve always had to replace them. I drove a 1990 Silverado for 15 years, when it became so rusty I bought the identical truck 2 years ago to replace it. These old trucks rarely have any issues and are crazy easy to work on when something goes wrong and parts are everywhere and cheap. Ill never buy anything new, glad I got out of that job field 6 years ago
W-w-what do you mean I have to change all 4 tires in my Subaru y'all are scam artists
-subaru owners
People do not pay any attention to maintenance costs, they only worry about how good they look behind the wheel
@@Shuturulsdad yeah the joys of all wheel drive
@@coache1nine pretty much. I always figured that’s why Chryslers are so popular. Great looking vehicles just poorly made but i guess pretty much everything is now
I wish I could get a basic 4x4 truck with not all the fancy electric things in it I just want to drive to point a to point b an make it with device that don't allow cell phones to work inside we are driving not here to play on phones
Did 7 years in small engine work before going to school for automotive. When I got out they wanted to start me at $11-$13 an hour. This was in 2019. I said screw that and went to work in a glass factory starting out and more than double that with no experience required. After a year working there I was making over $30 an hour doing production. I know diesel mechanics with 10 years of experience and don't make what I make. I still have my autel scanner and a shop full of tools and do 90% of my repairs myself. In 3 years the school paid for itself and I don't even work in the field. The car business has a high turnover for a reason.
It really sucks when the job pays 1.5 hours, but you get to deal with broken bolts or cleaning up someone's mess who was in there before, and deal with rust and blah blah blah, and it takes you 1.75 hours to do the job. Then you are effectively working for free.
A person can REALLY do well by working for himself in the industry.
@paulstandaert5709 I was pretty good at beating book time on most jobs on the classes. We were told for service management that you should be charging 1 hour for every broken bolt regardless of book time, and it should be agreed upon when the customer drops off the car. I was self employed doing small engines and it was good money, automotive get almost double the labor rate here so I agree 100%, that's if you have the patience to deal with the public. My patience with people wore pretty thin after awhile.
@@johnjohnii5849 It is always good to be able to dismiss a customer. If you are your own boss, you can do that. There is plenty of work out there. I tell customers that they can go right ahead and check out that other place right down the street and deal with them. I know its more expensive. I know they eff stuff up constantly.
h0ow long did it take you for that? id love to learn about cars and stuff ive been gradually teaching myself i think itd be such a handy thing to know.
@@sonnyc3826 At worst, this is a skill that will save you many hundreds of $$$$ per month over the course of your entire life just on your own vehicle(s). Working as an employee in the automotive repair field kinda sucks. You are paid by the job, and not by the hour. You miss just 1 bolt and you won't be able to get the job done in the amount of time that it is claimed to take, thus you work for free or at a lower wage. On some other stuff, you can do really well, but overall, it kinda sucks. I only do the work if I work for myself. Do good work, and treat the customers well, and they come to you like flies on fecal matter. The work requires a mechanical and electrical aptitude and patience above all else. The people who just replace parts without actually thinking about what the problem could be are the most common, and don't end up actually fixing anything. You'll need a minimum of $10,000 worth the tools and equipment to be able to do a lot of stuff.
I started out as an auto mechanic and switched careers after struggling to get by for several years. The “labor shortage” is no surprise. Getting paid by the flag hour, especially on warranty jobs, was a joke. Changing industries was the best decision I ever made.
What is it you do now?
That’s where most of my coworkers came from for the same reasons. I assumed things got better though since we can’t find anyone to hire.
@@TheIncredibleJumpman I’m in the food processing industry now, mostly sales and support of automated equipment.
That just sounds like a skill issue, I have a friend who just got out of school clocking in up to 100 hrs a week, the money is fine imo.
@@gamechip06 it can be, however when working flat rate especially at a dealership, you have high and low margin jobs. In other words, some jobs will pay 1 hr that take equal or more time to complete while some can be easily completable in only 15 minutes. If you consistently get the high margin jobs you will do well for yourself. The opposite is true if you get stuck with most of the low margin jobs. Typically, the senior employees get most of the high margin jobs because they're the most desirable
I stopped fixing my car at the shop two years ago after I realized I'm racking up credit card debts because of repair bills. I thought my self basic mechanic skills and I buy parts online. I drive my car to the ground, scrap it and buy a newer used model from a private seller. I'm 50 and Im not expecting to set foot in a dealership to buy a new car ever, not even or any other car. Bottom line it's greed, cost of doing business. It's unsustainable
I can tell you exactly why car repairs are getting more expensive. The first 30 years of my life as a mechanic was with Mom and Pop dealerships. Every dealership I worked for cared about the technicians well-being making sure we made money and kept the shop hourly rate competitive for the community. Then corporate America moved in and in my case that was the nation's largest automotive retailer. The first words out of their mouth were "we're shocked at how much you people make", and from that point on it was downhill. Wages stagnated and the shop hourly rate went through the roof. There was a constant reminder that the shareholders were the top priority even suggesting us technicians weren't there to make money for our families, we were there to make money for the company. There's so much more I could say but If I could sum it up in one word it would be GREED. They taught me the meaning of worshiping the dollar.
This is why I am staying with cars around 95-2010....I can't afford much of anything after that especially adding in maintenance costs nowadays. These new computer screens and comforts they put in these vehicles are going to be insane to repair and replace when this stuff starts going bad in 10-15 years.....people have no clue how expensive this stuff is and most of the time you won't even be able to start your car without those huge touchscreens.
Currently have a 2003 Chevy Tahoe and it's everything I need.
I totally agree. I have a 2008, and it is the newest car that I will ever own.
Couldn't been any more correct than that. I went from a '98 F-150 to a 2000 Silverado 1500 for easier maintenance, gas mileage, and a far more accessible engine.
Unfortunately there is only so much going around. A lot of late 90s and early 2000s are gone/crushed. Finding them would be like finding gems after 2030.
I 100% agree 😎👍
That's the sweet spot for cars....modern enough to have variable valve timing and 21st century design, yet also easy to repair and get parts for.
I have a 2006 Nissan Xterra...has 225k and it's the last car I plan on having.
20 years professional technician and shop owner 4 years I literally opened 6 months before Covid. Just in the 4 years I’ve been open the cost of everything has gone up like crazy and unless u own a shop you don’t understand how much it really costs to run a shop people would be shocked to know they have an employee that makes more.
Not a auto shop owner but have a small business nonetheless. I know where you're coming from. Most people don't understand the cost of business.
Been repairing my cars for yrs. Even went as far as buying a manual transmission forester. I can't stand all this complexity and modernization that just adds losses to the owner.
The best way to go, repairs and maintenances your own cars, you know what exactly what happened and cost much less by do it yourself. I have repaired my own cars for years as well.
I put 237k miles on my old Forester and did most of my own repairs and maintenance. It was pretty much trouble free the entire time I had it and when something did go wrong I could usually get parts cheap over the internet and do the repair myself. Can’t imagine wasting thousands of dollars a year on an unreliable car.
Nobody mentions the fact that in 1975 you could pull a bumper out in a relatively low speed accident and keep going down the road whereas today if you hit a front bumper the bumper itself is made to absorb the energy by breaking into pieces and now with radar and cameras molded into the bumper as well you're looking at astronomical costs associated with low speed accidents vs. 40 years ago. Cars began to lose "real" bumpers in the 90s and it's just a piece of plastic/rubber with a steel reinforcement behind that many times also bends out of shape.
Do you know that most people can not do the same that you do? Do you know that some people have health issues and they cant lift weight etc?
@ricnyc2759 I am not saying everyone should. At the very least even if you can't, then common sense should tell you to get an easy to repair car. Perhaps a Toyota Corolla, Civic, Sonata etc.
But really, the problem today is a lot of people got used to swapping cars over new cool features and stuff. The automakers noticed and started updating cars every 2-3 yrs. Now there's too much dependency on cars with collision tech, and if you dont want/have it your insurance is penalized. Its a ridiculous industry at the moment.
A few months ago I went to one of the largest Nissan dealerships around to get a quote on changing my transmission fluid and both transmission filters. First they argued it's lifetime fluid and doesn't need changed. I advised them there is no such thing as "lifetime" trans fluid. Second they argued there is only 1 trans fluid filter when there are definitely two. Finally the price. For 5 quarts of Nissan trans fluid, a new trans oil pan gasket, filter, and labor was just a little under ONE THOUSAND DOLLARS!
I got all the parts I needed and did it myself successfully for about $85. I feel bad for anyone that isn't financially well off and doesn't have the capacity to repair their own vehicle.
smart move. the only people who promote "lifetime" fluids want to sell you car parts in a few years.
Was rebuilding small blocks in our high school shop class late 80’s. We had welding, woods, fabrication. Those type of classes are largely gone due to the big push trying to get every kid to college. Adults can’t even change their wipers now or their pouring engine oil into the radiator. All this higher education for nothing
My oldest stepson took welding and he has interest in mechanics too. I don't think it is eliminated everywhere.
There are warnings on batteries indicating that you should not consume the contents of it. When did we go from "sure I can give you a boost " to ingesting acid?
All of those classes still exist at many high schools.
Sure, but windshield wiper changes aren't keeping collision and body shops in business. Sometimes, there are bigger, systemic issues that don't have a local solution
Fatherless households my g. Lucky I had a grandfather. Men doing right by their families would have kept a lot of this bs from happening. Plain and simple
Imagine how expensive it will get for repair shops and customers when every shop has to have manufacturer specific tech to repair brand specific proprietary software. Costs will put the smaller garages out of business, forcing customers to go to dealerships with much higher prices
Hence, locking you into a dealer brand and limiting your alternatives. Thinking ahead of the curve, nice! 👍
I remember when this was anti consumer practice and got stroke down (check what happened with OBD ports )
then that should be included in the overall cost of your vehicle and should free updates and repairs on these sorts of cars in the future.
It's their plan.
Some of them just use computer CNC and 3D print. It's not that hard to make.
Not included in this video, is how car manufacturers are making dealerships the only place that they can have their cars repaired. This is essentially controlling the market and forcing consumers to pay whatever they feel like charging. This will squeeze out the already stressed independent repair shops and basically negate any cost savings that could come from the lower complexity of an EV. .
Please contact your local county and state and federal representatives and urge them to support right to repair for motor vehicles!
Your statement is half true. Issue is there isn't enough Mechanics who are willing to open a shop to repair cars. The Informations to repair cars and parts purchasing are not exclusive to Dealership. Anyone can Open a Shop and buy the repair equipments neccary to repair any cars, just like the shop this Video Interviewed.
Question for the shop owner is, at what point to you stop because the expenses simply exceed the profit to do certain jobs?
Do some basic math, Rent a certain Square Footage to open a shop, you have X amount of repair Bays, how much do you need to charge people just to cover the expenses?
@@steak5599 And who is the first order influence of these higher costs? The manufacturers dictate the repair equipment specs and make the certification process as onerous and costly as possible... because if they run the shop... they don't have to account for any markup.
This is all about forcing the market into a position where nobody can afford to be cost competitive with the dealer repair shop... and then they can control the market. They have been moving in this direction for years... but EVs and generally more tech in cars has accelerated it.
@@paskowitz right to repair only dictate whatever manufacturer sells to dealer also needs to be available for aftermarket shops and general public, it doesn't say manufacturers are giving them away for free.
They are certainly NOT free for dealerships.
Dealership also needs to pay a lot for subscription fees and tool cost. The difference is Dealership can make the money back on the investment, and general public most likely can't.
@@steak5599 Right to repair laws in certain states have had language similar to "reasonable" in regards to the costs of obtaining the necessary documentation to make repairs. IIRC I think is was MA, but I could be wrong.
@@paskowitz that's the issue with these Laws, what is reasonable is always up to interpretation.
So you have to use the car makers Everytime when price is reasonable?
Here is the Price I found today. For brands like GM Ford, or Toyota, if an independent shop wants full access to all their repair information equivalent to a dealer is about $600-1000 per year, IIRC.
Problem is, if you buy sub for every manufacturers, your shop would be losing money. But if you focus on like 2 or 3 major brand is doable.
But now u are back the the problem the shop owner said, he couldn't find any Technicians to work for him despite paying like $40/hrs for a Seasoned mechanic. There are simply lack of people want to work on cars for a living today in the independent repair industry.
Consumers keep wanting more technology/features/wants/desires of modern tech and have zero understanding on the costs associated with these systems.
Nobody wants/cares about them
I have something called a phone…
I have a 97 Tacoma. Spark plugs are $3, air filters are $15, and brakes are $35. I fix and maintain it myself. I stopped going to mechanics years ago. I saw the writing on the wall that this was going to happen.
YOU MUST GO TO AUTOZONE
CHEAP CHINEESE PARTS
I WENT THERE
SCREWED UP MY 97 DODGE
If you are paying $3 for plugs, you are probably buying knock-offs that could destroy your engine.
@@mikep490
Fake news. Bosch Iridium Spark Plug 6707 $4 at autozone. $3 at Rockauto. If you’re feeling froggy or got some extra $ you can go all out at $6 for the Double Platinum w Unicorn Tips.
@@mikep490Napa sells ngk for 3$ a piece so no your wrong.
@@mikep490 whats the danger in cheap plugs
Inflation is a factor, but the primary factor is the shop owners. They will charge 200 per hour, but the mechanic gets 20-30. Also, the service department is now the primary profit driver for the dealers, not new car sales.
After being a mechanic for many years, I don't know a single mechanic making six figures, most make 30-50k/year. They also have the additional expense of buying tools. I won't even get into 'flat rate'. Who wants to work in an industry like this? So glad I quit and went into a field where I am compensated FAR better.
Well this is what you get when you are TOO LAZY to work for yourself..with technicians a shop is just BUILDING...with a pretty name on it. In this day and age there is NO REASOn for a skilled technician to be working for anybody when he can just have his own clientel charge less than the dealer, have a personal relationship with his clients...stop being lazy
@@HuChing-ob4kk 'a shop is just BUILDING' yeah how about talking to customers and figuring out pricing and making sure the building has all its permits and keeping up on ordering and inventory.
theres NO way a technician can go solo, there has to be at least a 2nd person to talk to customers and suppliers
At my dealership we have one master tech that does get paid extremely well, pretty sure it's in the 150k+ range from what I've heard from multiple people. But he's been there for 15 years and is also super freaking smart, which I guess you need to be if you're a master tech. Becoming like him is basically my goal, but I definitely don't want to wait 15 years for that and also I feel like there are other avenues of similar work that will pay better a lot faster/instantly with the right certifications, which I am slowly working towards.
@@TheIncredibleJumpman i have no certs and make an easy 50k/year, only downside is i travel. upside, thats only working half the year. other half i do what i want. most of my supervisors make around 150k, easily 100
And don’t forget the dumb ass Warranty time pay
Refering to the problems of tech bloat, that's an area where governments and automakers have failed to think realistically. Not only has it made cars heavier and more complex, its made them harder to diagnose and more expensive to repair or replace so many of us have to leave a damaged or faulty non-essential system dead or have it disabled.
Yeah... That's one of the reasons why I would personally avoid cars made after 2008.
@@StephenBanyar fort me it's anything after 1975! older engines did not last long but their overhaul is easier than changing starter on modern car
Automakers are just responding to consumers who want the latest "high tech" gadgets on their cars.
Using periods is a non essential system too, it seems.
@robertlogan7691 It's a balancing act. If the automakers take it too far, the price of the vehicles skyrockets and few if any can afford them.
Haha just recently my sisters windshield wipers were not working well, so she took it to Firestone. And an hour later they quoted her $1,300 to fix them! Like seriously? Hell no!
grew up overseas, and have said it for a long time, owning a car is a luxury, but I do not believe many people in America see it that way. The poor public transportation infrastructure outside of a few major cities is disappointing and I believe it is intentional.
America had the best public transportation system in the world before WW 1
It is intentional. Our infrastructure is quite literally designed for car culture and the boomer generation completely bought the propaganda of rugged individualism and personal freedom. Sidewalks are a rare relic where I'm from and if you're seen walking down the street, you're viewed as poor, classless and a hazard to drivers.
You could have the best public transportation but if the government won't do anything about the thugs, homeless and drug addicts riding these buses and trains everyone who has the means is going to get a car.
@daveh71 size is irrelevant. Petroleum industry stood in the way of public transit and 15 minute cities since the automobile became mass produced. With exception to the oldest and densest cities, EVERYTHING is designed with cars as the main mode of transport in the U.S.
@daveh71approximately 5 million people take the NYC subway each day and the vast majority of days have no zero incidents whatsoever. Each year over 40,000 Americans die because of cars. Maybe you’re less “afraid” of being hit by a car, but trust me, it won’t feel any better if the car didn’t mean to hit you. The bottom line is that anyone who lives in an area which requires a vehicle to do basic everyday errands is living in a more dangerous place than the vast majority of city dwellers.
I have been in the industry for 35 years and have to say this was really spot on. People need to understand that when you make something very complex it’s going to cost you to fix it.
But they don't make any simple cars. Cvt, and so many other things. And 10% annual increase in new car stickers. What a joke .
So what about to older cars that mechanics are gouging ppl to fix also explain that? I have a 2008 Nissan altma and they want $800 just to do back and front pads and the cheapest I can find
Inflation. Rent, labor, utility, everything is expensive.
Well, everyone is going to keep voting for the party that keeps wanting to print more and more money...
Yep, I don’t know why most people can’t understand that, I guess cuz they are dumb as rocks
Profit margin increases (sometimes called pricing mix), excessive executive compensation packages, stock buybacks (fluffing stock prices), etc.
35 trillion dollars debt ☠☠☠☠
Nit really..the automotive industry the past 10 years has become the like HOUSING MARKET with COPORATIONS buying up all the family homes...big corporations have figured out there is PROFIT in automotive repair and Wall Street has moved in...
FAMILIES cant even afford to own dealerships anymore..."Dealership Groups" like GroupOne who own over 1600 dealerships in America have figured ou tthat a majority of dealerships profits come from SERVICE....and have swooped because....and ALL They see is PROFIT...these are the people who hire "sales gpeople" as service advisors give them targeted numbers to reach and fire them if they dont..THSI is what makes guys "cheat"
Minor accidents in an Ev can easily write off the battery which will cost tens of thousands, that is a huge failing of this tech
OOps my EV "suddenly caught fire_"
It’s not just EV’s. I have a Telluride and I’m in a Telluride group and I see brand new Tellurides getting written off all the time with very little damage that would have been repaired in the past. Repair labor and parts have become so expensive, it doesn’t take much damage to write off a car.
3 second 0 to 60 family EV is also a bad idea. My coworker's pickup truck has 800 hp. My other friend wrapped his monster truck around a pole. No wonder insurance rates are so high as people can literally fly.
Been doing my own maintenance that doesn't require a lift, and feels good saving hundreds even thousands.
What paid me big dividends was taking an auto shop class back in high school in the 1970s. When it comes to doing basic maintenance from oil changes, alternator replacement, tune ups, and brake jobs I can do it myself.
Yeah, pretty much every guy took auto mechanics in my high school in the 80's. Problems is they make zero cars that can be worked on like 80's vehicles today. You can get a basic diagnostic reader for $50-100 but some of these new cars have such complex coding and systems that you need a $10-40K diagnostic unit like a dealer has (plus specialized tools). Still even then, many honest dealers service shops have trouble finding the exact problem.
Do you have that kind of equipment at your house? I don't, some of that stuff costs more than my HOUSE originally did.
@@waynepurcell6058 You are right about not having the right diagnostic at home and not being able to find out everything quickly, but there are a lot things in the today's cars today that haven't changed a lot since the 80s or 70s when I took auto shop. Think about what dealers charge drivers taking their cars in for the typical 30k check up. The higher end cars like Mercedes, BMW, Audi, etc. charges $800 or more for the service and the cheaper cars like Honda, Toyota, Hyundai, etc. are not too far behind. Nearly all 80's backyard mechanics can easily perform these checks. The typical cost to change the low cost items like oil, coolant, trans fluid, air filter, light bulbs, wiper blades are over priced. The sad part is can you really trust the dealer to do the check they are suppose to do.
I do almost everything myself, the shop down the street takes care of the rest.
And u see they got rid of classes like that in school
In my last year of high school in my auto shop class my partner and I were required to dismantle a slant 6 engine, measure bearing clearance etc. reassemble the engine and run it. We also were allowed to to bring in private vehicles for routine maintenance, for me that was a 69 Buick Skylark with a 350 and a Corsair. Kids should learn to work with their hands to fix things.
$78 for an oil change on a 1.8 liter 14 yr old car is enough for me to start doing my own oil change from now on.
The major problem with repair costs is parts markup. My wife had a quick strut replaced under her extended warranty and the dealership charged the warranty provider a 200% markup. I was shocked to learn that the part replacement wasn't even OEM, but rather the least expensive aftermarket brand available. In retrospect, if I bought the part through a retail wholesale provider and did the work myself, it would have cost me $100 and around 8 hours of my time.
It helps to know your way around a vehicle if you're poor or didn't pay for an extended warranty.
I worked for a major auto parts supplier in the early 2000s. We were directly across the street from a well known brake shop. One of the selling points at this company was to tell their customers that their brakes were better than ours. What their customers did not know is that this company purchased their parts from us. These parts were delivered in an unmarked delivery vehicle, and we were required to deliver behind the building so their customers would not see us. One day we had a customer coming in to purchase brake rotors. We had two options available. One was $18, and the other was $38. He purchased the more expensive ones and left. A few minutes later, this company called us and began screaming at the commercial manager for undermining their business. Though we were unaware of it until they called, our rotor customer's car was in their shop. They had purchased the cheaper rotors from our commercial department at $9 each, and they were charging him $83 each plus $90 an hour in labor. He bought both of the better rotors for less than they were charging him for one of the cheap ones. Greed is a very large component of the problems that the industry is currently facing.
Multiply the price of the part by the eight hours it takes you, and you lose money. It takes less than two hours, to replace a strut, including swapping the spring. You wasted an entire work day
@@coache1nine the invoice was $1363.21. I'd be more than happy to sacrifice a Sunday working for $157.90/hr.
@@JohnEboyee to spend $157/hr for eight hours vs. 2 hours @ $140/hr. doesn't make you smart, don't quit your day job.
The same goes for being a homeowner. You absolutely must know how to do maintenance and minor repairs yourself or it will be unaffordable.
Im starting to do maintenance myself. Changed a strut. Saved $400. This summer im going to learn to do my own brakes.
brakes are WAY easier than a strut. just make sure not to go cheap on the pads
That is small and easy maintenance. When you face a bolt that wont budge and you gotta use the acetyline torches.. thats when youll see it cost less to pay a real mecan8c.
@@RideOrangeKTM i would not suggest using heat unless you know how. especially acetylene you need skill to use properly, and its easy to make things go boom with it
@@bradhaines3142 exactly what im saying... not everyone is a real mecanic.
I have done about 60 brake jobs and have never had to use heat to loosen bolt. If I had to use a torch I'd probably use mapp gas I use for quickly soldering plumbing.
I've been in the industry for 20 years and the past 3 years has been devastating. I had 3 carpal tunnel release surgeries (two surgeries on my left wrist 2 years apart and one on my right this past year) and a torn rotator cuff tendon last year. I'm reluctant to get back into an industry that does nothing but use me up and throw me away.
Look into thoracic outlet syndrome it can be misdiagnosed as carpel tunnel and can be common in mechanics, there are at home tests you can do to see if tos is what's actually causing your issue.
@@tearsofjoyforallthispain thanks, I'll look into that.
This is why i learned how to repair almost my entire car.
As a automotive mechanic/technician that I see is vehicle owners do not take care of their investments. I seen customers that goes way over oil changes and tire rotations and just basic maintenance. And instead of paying 100 bucks every 3 months they end up paying thousands of dollars on a repair for a year of neglected care.
Let me guess you the type to assume that 😂😂
@@Rich-z8c I know it as a fact.
Fraud is another factor. I was charged 90 dollars for labor for replacing a bulb. Later I found out Walmart does it for 10
Dude someone quoted me $250 to change a headlight. Parts not included 😂😂😂 f that
The fact that you can't change a lite bulb is shocking.
You can decline the repair... i dont see how thats fraud.
Just Google how to do it, parts are surprisingly cheap if you can do your own labor
Fraud is either not needing it in the first place or them not performing the work but making you pay for it. That's just being gouged, whether it costs 90 or 900 and the identical product is much cheaper elsewhere. Walmart Auto Care does a ton of stuff 50% or more cheaper (often not really charging for labor) than the major chain shops. Although you just have to be smart about the time of day or location you go there to avoid a 2-3 hour wait if they are backlogged.
The real problem is that even basic maintenance is getting outrageous. Used to get a full synthetic oil change and tire rotation for around $100, now it’s over $170. Front end alignment…used to be $86 only two years ago, now it’s $150!!!!
Absolutely, I went in for a diagnostic because of all the lights on and they charged me $200 just to look at the thing! Found out squirrels tore up 2 wiring harnesses which costed 8k.
I just paid 99.98 for synthetic oil and rotation at Pep Boys.
That's crazy. Get a jack, wheel chocks, 2 jackstands, an oil filter wrench and an open end wrench kit. Get a drain pan. Open the drain plug and drain oil. Replace drain plug. Get 4-5 qts synthetic oil and the right filter. Make sure to oil the filter gasket before installing. Hand tighten the filter. Refill oil, etc, etc.
Yeah it's kind of a PITA and you get a little dirty, but either you do it yourself or pay a stranger $100 to do it or be good at making friends who can!
@@victoria.galvin
People also dont treat their car well these days. Preventive maintenance would solve a lot of big issues.
Part of the problem with modern cars is that they're putting parts INSIDE other parts. I recently had to take in my Prius because I ran my front bumper up against a gate, and it ripped just the right corner of the bumper off. I saw the bumper part on a dealer site for only $100, but the problem was there were like 10 sensors and the AC motor mounted INSIDE the bumper, and they needed either fixing or replacing. What should've been a simple plastic piece replacement turned into an entire revamp of the front end. The Toyota dealer wanted almost $9k to fix it and couldn't promise me it would take less than a month, the place I ended up going to charged me half and took just over 3 weeks (it took a week just to get the parts).
This is why I stay away from all these assistive technologies. The value they bring to me personally aren't worth it. Blind spot monitoring, lane keep assist, etc. Most of these new technologies are because people now more than ever are distracted driving. Keep your hands on the wheel and your eyes on the road and buy a reliable used in decent shape car and not pay the absurd repair prices of modern cars.
You can’t put an air conditioning compressor in a bumper dude😂😂
@@DaN3xtSlimShady I don't know exactly what it was called but my AC no longer worked. It looked a like a large plastic can with a tube that was ice cold to the touch. It was definitely for the AC, I saw the parts list.
Wow that sucks and i always thought toyota was easy to work on but i had a 98 camry
@@buzztrucker if you want to save on fuel costs, you don't have a choice (plus I got a rebate from Edison too). My previous car was a 2017 Nissan Versa, very efficient and easy to repair, but doesn't come anywhere close to the fuel efficiency of the Prius.
Don't forget about "add-ons" like fuel additives, engine oil additives, etc. Dealership service centers will just put these aftermarket items on bills without asking and most customers will never notice.
Just like how almost every car dealer now sells every car with *mandatory* paint protection, key insurance, pinstripes, seat fabric protection, etc. Dealerships around where I live charge $5,000 for this list on every car on the lot.
No wonder so many Americans come to Baja California to get their car fixed. We have great mechanics here at a fraction of what the U.S. charges.
They're probably unlicensed and illegal. That's called being a backyard mechanic. You can find those anywhere.
@@hoflungdung111 Illegal? How so? I'm in Baja California, Mexico. Baja California, not California. And my mechanic for my two Jeeps is licensed with his own auto body shop.
@@edyannwell you said, “ WE have great mechanics. “
Then you say , “ MY mechanic “
So, there are some without licenses but not the one you go to.
Just like here.
@@Dmatis-n4z My mechanic is just one of the many licensed, legal good mechanics that we have here in Baja. At a fraction of the cost of what the USA charges. Now you know and it's heavily raining here in the two Californias so have a great one and bye!
@@hoflungdung111look buddy we didn’t ask for your negative opinion… she’s just speaking the truth .. 🇲🇽
Having been directly involved in the repair side of the automotive industry since the early 80s, I can tell you that the #1 problem by far is a lack qualified mechanics/technicians and its only going to get worse.
This is why despite my 30 year old Honda Accord being down for repair until spring, I'm not getting rid of it because the issue is a cheap fix and once repaired, it'll run another 300k miles before needing another overhaul.
This is me with my early 2000s New Beetle. She’s showing her age a lot lately, but I’m going to keep her going for as long as I can.
I learned a lot from RUclips. Oil, Transmission Fluid, Coolant, Disc Brakes, Drum brakes, Alternator. People have to start doing this stuff by themselves !
It’s to the point you can’t even buy a gas car anymore
@@waterloo123100 In theory EVs should be even easier to work on.
But as they describe in the report: most on the market are essentially luxury vehicles.
The ones actually "designed for manufacturing", like the Leaf, are essentially compliance cars. It lost the fast-charge format war twice over (CHAdeMO < CCS < NACS). But also: Nissan refuses to sell you newer 40kWh batteries for the older 30 and 24kWh leafs (only the 63kWh battery does not easily fit).
@@jamesphillips2285Apparently You can’t even disconnect the battery in modern gas vehicles without risking “malfunctioning” the system. So I’m sure it’s worse in EV’s. I firmly believe manufacturers are pushing EV so you can’t work on your own vehicle. They’ve been trying for years for ways to force you back to the stealership.
Removing the transmission oil dipstick is beyond me. Supposed to be one of the easiest fluid changes. But now you need to take to the dealer. Not to mention you don't know if they actually did the fluid change because there is no way to check the fluid color.
You can just get under the car
@@james-wx6jh You have no idea, do you? How do you know your fluid limits?
@@james-wx6jhand what? Uncrew the drain plug wasting half a quart and having to refill? They should have kept the dipstick. Sealed transmissions are a joke
My nissan pathfinder transmission is sealed and my mechanic refused to do an oil replacement. Wtf. @@JohnS-il1dr
All by design. They know they can make more off of you for service, even more than the profit of selling you the car. It's a purposefully designed scam.
Shops paying mechanics $23-$26 an hour and the customers are paying $120-$160. Mechanics have to buy expensive tools and bring their experience and education to the job only for the owners to make $100-$150 an hour off them
One of the BIGGEST things this article skipped over was the general shop rate per hour. We now see both small shops and dealers charging upwards of a $150.00 per hour to work on something. Now I don't know about you, but when people are only earning15-30 an hour, a small repair is a huge hit!
The people doing that $150 an hour repair are also only making $15 an hour. And there ain't 10 people working on your car! Something's fishy.
*Year 2077*
"MAN THAT PANDEMIC REALLY MESSED US UP"
The biggest problems are preplanned obsolescence and no right to repair.
Preplanned obsolescence is nothing more than people complaining about their cheap stuff breaking. If manufacturers made things last then people would just complain about the price.
Right to repair is a joke. I agree for companies like Apple and John Deere it's bad business practice but it shouldn't be a law.
It has to be mandated to take effect. No corporation wants to add complexity of after-sales service compared to a simple scheduled purchase. If hindering easy repairs was some corporate cartel conspiracy, we'd have all heard of artisan manufacturers like Fairphone by now.
There is NO SUCH THING as "No Right to Repair" in the automotive industry..stop with the BS.
In 2011 Congress mandated at all Manufacturers: (1) provide to the vehicle owner and service providers all information necessary to diagnose, service, maintain, or repair the vehicle; (2) offer for sale to the vehicle owner and service providers any related tool or equipment; and (3) provide the information that enables aftermarket tool companies to manufacture tools with the same functional characteristics. Exempts trade secrets, so long as the information is not disclosed to authorized dealers or service providers.
The biggest problem I see in these comments are peoplewho say things that are EASILY checked by using the internet with LESS energy than it takes to type false, misleading comments
@@doujinflip It HAS been mandated..he doesnt know what he is talking about. There was a "Right to Repair" Bill passed in 2011 that REQUIRED manufactures to make available all information and tools needed to fix car
@@doujinflip Introduced in House (04/08/2011)
Motor Vehicle Owners Right to Repair Act of 2011 - Requires the manufacturer of a motor vehicle sold, leased, or otherwise introduced into U.S. commerce to: (1) provide to the vehicle owner and service providers all information necessary to diagnose, service, maintain, or repair the vehicle; (2) offer for sale to the vehicle owner and service providers any related tool or equipment; and (3) provide the information that enables aftermarket tool companies to manufacture tools with the same functional characteristics. Exempts trade secrets, so long as the information is not disclosed to authorized dealers or service providers.
Authorizes enforcement of this Act by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and civil actions by state attorneys general.
There's an old saying that goes something like this: those who have it, dream of getting rid of it, but those who don't have it dream of having it. The car.
I have an audi s5 as a company car which I can use privately. Recently someone scratched my car while getting out of the parking spot. He lightly scratched the bumper and a tiny bit of the headlight glass. The scratches were so light they were barely visible and the light was still working. You used to be able to just switch out the plastic/glass cover, but I had to switch out the whole headlight system. The bill for that guy came out as 7k$ total, out of which 4k was just the headlight. I couldn't believe my eyes, I thought it would be like 200$ for a new glass cover including the service fee. And then we wonder why insurance gets more expensive.
Every time someone asks advice on the best path into and through the automotive repair career, mechanics and technicians overwhelmingly say “DON’T, it’s not worth it”. They’re paid crap but have to spend so much to stay competitive. They say the Heavy or Industrial sectors are the only ones worth it. That’s pretty sad considering most other trades pay well.
Most other trades don't have to buy there own tool boxes full of tools as well.
Become an AIRLINE tech.Union wages top out in the 60 dollar range.
You wanna know how insane it is? I do my own work on my cars. I was curious one day and decided to call a few shops for a very simple PCV valve replacement which involves pulling off an easy to get to hose, wrenching off the valve and putting a new one on, put the hose back, done. Job takes like 5 mins. Part is about $15. Shops wanted to charge me $350-$400. Basically robbery.
That's because they assumed you don't know, and whatever you don't know you'd be willing to pay up!
When you have to pay others, expect to pay dearly. A shop has so many expenses, their actual profit may not be highway robbery. Think of how many hundreds of thousands or millions in building and equipment they're paying for. Taxes, insurance, advertising, paying the guys. A guy making $20/hr is costing them $30/hr easy. Plus the owner still has to profit, otherwise why bother. Try a mobile mechanic, they are probably cheaper. We did once and he did great work. I do 99.9% of my own work and I'll admit it felt emasculating having some dude wrenching on our car in the rain while I'm sitting in the house watching TV. We just couldn't for the life of us get that darn part of.
@@AmandaHugenkiss2915 The places I called are non franchise. I understand they got to pay for their business and building. That's why i figured it would be about a $50 $60 job they would charge. They also tried to sell me things that were not even needed. One said that the fuel system needs to be cleaned when doing a pcv valve which was going to be $121 (it doesn't). Another said they had to order in gaskets and seals since that was required for a pcv valve replacement with 2-5 hours labor (not true at all). So it was made worse that they were going to charge me for things completely unrelated and unnecessary for the job. I also told them I was supplying the part.
@@WNicole1993 I think the major part of the accidents is not the cars themselves but the divers. Nobody can drive anymore and people drive distracted all the time. I hate it so much. My first, and my favorite car I had was hit 5 out of the 7 years I owned it. Last year it was hit twice, the second time killed it. Some young guy driving a company truck and trailer slammed into me when I was at a stop. Probably to busy hitting his vape.
Thats not how businesses work brother... they dont get to charge you based on the tools they purchase... they only get to charge based on 3-5 things being labor over head which is consisten of labor , rent , diagonistic time, supplies ( rags , fuilds , or other NON REUSBALE ITEMS, and the parts themselves.... IF THEY CHARGE YOU BASED ON TOOL PURCHASES YOU SHOULD NOT BE GOING THERE @@AmandaHugenkiss2915
The only reason I step foot in a mechanic shop is to do my yearly emissions. It’s depressing to see they are charging $79 for an oil change and $150 for a serpentine belt service. Iv done my own work for the last twenty years. When I first started it was just for fun, but now with the prices it’s a necessity to do my own repairs.
Another reason. Some cars you have to remove so many parts just to change 1 something thing.
For instance, to change a cabin air filter, most cars you'll have to take out some or all of the dash. Which can take hours. Which then takes 30 seconds to change the filter itself.
Most Japanese cars are so easy that process only take 2 min max.
One thing that would really help is requiring that you can run diagnostic software and reset a cars computer with no extra tools. Like everything has to have a mode that shows all codes and resets them, including emissions. I can’t even troubleshoot my new truck without taking it to the dealer and just paying them to do it because even though it has multiple screens that can show me things, all it says is “take me to the dealer, I’m broken”
How and WHY would a car be designed to check codes without a scan tool?!? You want to be able to change flats without a jack or socket?! Or replace parts on the car without tools?!/ Sometimes people can just be silly.
@@HuChing-ob4kk There are some cars that will show what the codes are on the dash. With analog displays being replaced by digital screens there's no reason the car can't show you all this information itself.
@@HuChing-ob4kk do you sell scan tools for a living or are you just really old? Trying to understand how one makes such a comment
@@HuChing-ob4kk How dumb can you be? Why do you need a scan tool when most cars have computers in them and could have the ability to put this info on the car's computer monitor. If X breaks in my car the cars computer should be able to tell me "X is broken and needs repair or replacement" with no scan tool needed.
I'd have no problems driving a car less technologically advanced so that I could fix it myself. The problem is, at some point, manufacturers stop making parts for an older car and then you're struggling to find a specific part when you need it.
it's easy to find an old part you just have to know where to look and I do but I'm not telling any a dam thing.
Don't buy domestic and you won't have this issue. Domestics constantly redesign the cars with non-interchangeable parts which automatically makes for a very small parts market. I can still source parts for my 34 year old Nissan and my 20 year old BMW. Heck, I can get an entirely new engine and for less than half the cost of fixing that guy's broken radar module. New cars and especially domestics are money pits.
@@dancox3251 amen
My newest car is an 07 Accord with 180,000 miles. I can find parts for it everywhere
junk yard
I was in the industry for a few years. But what I saw made me realize how hopeless it is. Mechanics are getting screwed on wages only making 15-25 an hour, but the dealerships are charging customers 160+ an hour. Mechanics need to unionize.
Former technician here. One topic the video did not bring up, nor was it mentioned by the shop owners, is manufacturers recommending excessive times between maintenance. Stating turbocharged engines can go 7-10K miles between oil changes and transmissions up to 150k before the ffirst fluid service is ridiculous and Im certain is adding to the increased repair bills motorists are seeing.
Consumer Reports and other rags have advised to never buy an extended warranty. Given the cost of repairs today, its almost mandatory unless you're leasing the car.
Cost of auto repairs have always been off the charts.Parts are relatively affordable but the labor cost is though the roof but wages aren’t though the roof!!!
Dealer charges $110 for labor yet pays the Mechanic $20-$30. He also has to use his own tools.
@@Alumnikiid It's worse where I'm at. Dealer charges $200 an hour and I'm only getting $20. I've spent about $5000 in tools so far
The video should have talked about used car extended warranties. My friend got her 2016 honda HRV(under 100k miles) transmission replaced for free with an extended warranty she purchased.
Wait till you have 40k in tools and they want to pay you 15/hr and your have all 8 ASE certs and they say we can't afford to pay more as they charge the customer 155/ hr
I worked in the automotive field once when I was 20 and a few years ago at 25,26. I loved fixing cars but what makes it not worth being a mechanic is the unrealistic work expectation/flat rate compensation. You always get screwed over by service advisors. Not worth it. All my automotive classmates didn't stick with it either. Warranty work screws techs over.
The overhead to run a shop is high.
Insurance has gone up, property taxes and rent have gone up.
Newer cars are more complicated to work on and require more expensive tools and diagnostic equipment.
Having been a bit of a gear head in my youth, I've never regretted acquiring the skills necessary to do ALL my own vehicle repairs.
I bought a manual transmission car in 2017, I was told that when the clutch goes it “will cost between $600/800” in 2022 it cost me $4,500 to replace the clutch. That was after calling about 5 different shops to get the best price.
what kind of car?
id buy some tools and a floor jack not a terrible job you have a few hours and an afternoon
I don't know where you live dude, so I don't know the specifics of your vehicle either, but I had my clutch replaced for 800 bucks labor. I had already bought the clutch and flywheel kit for just under 200. This was last summer
I have a 90 Honda Crx Si for reference
@@rickyhernandez7681 he is probably lying, he wont answer what kind of vehicle he has
Another part of the issue, for new vehicles, if you can afford one are the stealerships adding BS like $199.00 for nitrogen in the tires. Give me a break!
Nitrogen is a scam.
Go to Costco. Free self-serve nitrogen pumps.😊
Yup, i moved right next to where i work and save 1000 a month by not having or needing a vehicle, thats not including repairs
From a technician who has been working on them for the last 2 years, it is definitely nowhere near cheaper to own EV’s.
Yall failed to mention that manufacturers also intentionally make it harder to repair to force you to bring it in to dealerships that have the crazy tools required to do it. It's a pure scam. Ain't stopping me though. Example is removing dipstick for transmission fluid. It used to like doing an oil change. Now for my Tundra truck I had to lift the whole truck in the air, make sure it's level, drain like normal, the manually pump the fluid in, then turn the truck on to get it to a certain temperature, then remove drain plug to let excess drain out until it was level. I did it successfully last week. Also some dealers are saying you're not supposed to change it at all. LIES! If you don't change it, the transmission will go bad! And then you'll have to buy another one or another car, and that's exactly what they want! Don't fall for it. Crazy how this video failed to mention that.
Just measure how much comes back- replace same amount...but I hear you. Annoying.
@@MOAB-UTYeah, that's only IF it was the right level before. I like making sure it's the proper amount to be safe
At this point im riding an electric bicycle or getting a motorcycle license because this is getting ridiculous putting money into something that expensive and be a necessity for everyday living.
I typically drove just under 3,000mi/yr. Since I got an ebike, especially a cargo ebike, and a Costco opened up within ebiking distance, I put over 2000mi/yr on my e-bikes and
That's limiting. You can't ride an electric bike or motorcycle in the rain or when it's cold or when you need to carry stuff/people. You can't ride much beyond your town.
@@bwofficial1776 Did you not see I still drove almost 600 miles after using my e-bikes for most of my previous car? You don’t have to go car-free, car-lite is just fine. I don’t feel limited in the slightest, especially when I cruise past congested traffic.
I ride in the cold a lot. Done it as cold as -10C (14F), which is the lower limit anyway for the batteries when they’re cold. A lot of people do. Simply dress for the weather.
I don’t like riding in rain though many people don’t mind it. It’s more fear of bad drivers due to reduced visibility and traction than my own comfort. Were safer infrastructure available, I’d ride in the rain too.
@@chow-chihuang4903awesome! I’ve been using my e-bike for running errands. It’s not a cargo e-bike, but I strapped an old milk crate to the back rack. It’s good for grocery store runs.
@@bwofficial1776who said you cant ride in the rain and cold on an ebike? Plenty of ebike riders do both and their ebikes can handle it. Dress for the occasion.
Also if you need to carry stuff, you have to get the right bike for the right job. You dont get a road bike for a cargo bike job just like how you dont tow 10,000 lbs with a prius when thats a truck job.
My cargo ebike can carry people and/or cargo. It can carry a combined weight of 450 lbs (rider and cargo/passenger) and 300 pounds of that can be on the cargo rack alone (Thats ignoring the fact i could get a bike trailer to expand that capacity further).
Put it simply, i can carry a week worth of groceries and still could add more stuff if i needed to.
What's even worst is nowadays, the shops blatantly tell you they don't want you to supply your own parts. I was quoted $295 plus tax per shock absober , $110 plus tax per link kit, $150 plus tax for one ball joint, $500 plus tax for labor cost. I went online I found the pair of shock absorber cost $235, pair of link kit $75, ball joint $46.
As a car owner, it’s important that you learn to do the most common basics maintenances like oil changes, air filter, spark plugs, etc. Save the heavy stuff for the pros but do the basics. Also helps to buy a reliable car from a reliable brand!
also an older car with less electronics.. they are still amazing. i have a 1991 toyota pickup and it runs like a top. the transmission and engine run like new with 156k miles