I dont care what you call me. Just don't compare what I do to the guy in the coveralls on the commercials who they potray to be a "grease monkey" like Gruber on Andy Griffiths. I don't mind being called a technician or mechanic if you respect what I have to do to be good at it. I can fixt the 50 year old stuff as well as the 2012 models because I have applied myself at my work & rose to the challenges put in front of me. Keeping up w/ new technology instead of fearing it. Learning from mistakes & knowing what my weakness may be & dilligently working to get better in those areas. I have worked mostly in dealerships my carreer, but have worked in independent shops & now own my own shop. The industry has changed from what it was for our fathers. It is way more specialized now than ever. That's also why you have a Service Advisor in the white shirt talk to you & not the technician. And the SA's job isn't easy either! I fix cars from the dealers & other independants who couldn't figure it out or more often then not, were just too lazy to go through the necessary steps to properly diagnose a problem.
It comes down to this: The quality of work you will get doesn't matter if it's from an independant or a dealer, only if the individual who is working on your car that day cares enough & is knowledged enough to do the job right. Flat rate pay systems force time & money to be a major consideration to most technicians(or mechanics) when job quality & customer satasfaction should be 1st priority.
I'm a Factory Trained & ASE Master Auto Technician w/ 30 years exp. & I'm proud of it because I know what it takes to be good!