Question for all you veteran techs...
I've been a dealership tech for over 25 yrs. now and all I can offer is this: Want to make money? Do your job as fast as possible with no come backs. And NEVER complain about what is dispatched to you. The cry-babies will be chasing rattles or electrical gremlins while the guys whom are always smiling and suck up the crap work will earn. Your environment will dictate how much you'll make. I worked for a Nissan store where the service manager would rape & pillage EVERY customer whom came in. I left there rather quickly.... 2 yrs. ago I went to work for a friend at an Infiniti store in one of the wealthiest areas on Long Island. Bad move.... he wanted me to be his heavy-diag. tech EVERY DAY. I was earning between 40-45 hrs. a week while idiots were making 65+ because "all they could do...." was easy stuff. This past August I threatened to leave and I did. I finally found my home on the South Shore of Long Island at one of the original Infiniti stores to open. Point is, when your ready to move up, you might have to move out. Nature of the business.
But basically follow this advice:
Be on-time EVERY DAY. Stay late when possible.
Grab every job like it's the biggest money-maker in the shop. No sour grapes when a co-worker gets fed. Get on your game and it will be you.
Work CLEAN. Don't hack stuff together. Make a mistake, man up and approach your manager to make it right.
Up-sell within reason. Don't go up with 10 items to up-sell on a car with 12K miles. You know... injector services or transmission flushes. Save that when it's needed....
Get your ASE's. While it's no guarantee you'll make more money, it shows your willing to invest YOUR time & effort.
And make sure you smile and act pleasant. Some days it's hard.... but attitude is everything. And remember: Your at work to make money, not friends. Get along with your co-workers, but don't make it a play ground. If you don't know the difference, watch the guys who make money.....
Good luck. It can be a very profitable career if you do your part & your working for human beings.