Question for all you veteran techs...

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rmchrgr

rmchrgr

Skate And Destroy
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So, I have a year experience working at a high volume dealership on salary as the shop foreman's assistant. Recently, Ive come to the conclusion that I may need to go somewere else if I ever want to make any money. Even though I can do a lot of different jobs pretty well and generally work independently, I am still low man on the totem pole. There actually is another kid who went on comission last year and as been getting killed every week, he rarely makes hours.

Anyway, I was curious if any of you guys that have worked for a dealer went on to work at an independent shop. If so, what is the learning curve like? Meaning going from working on one or two makes to all cars.

Before I worked for a dealer, I helped out at a small shop near my house a few years ago but I was just there to watch and learn. It was a totally different atmosphere and way of doing things. Owner was always hovering and over bearing, not a great situation. Dealerships can be a grind though, just get em in and get em out. Some days I would do 12 cars.

Probably cant go on commission just yet but am thinking about it for the future. Dealer provides factory training but the knowledge can be narrow. Kind of want to go to an independent shop if I can find one that would be willing to let me learn.

Would like to hear some input.

Thanks,

- Greg
 
yeah I was in the same boat as you. had to move to another state in a larger dealership to make more money, gotta do that sometimes.

I was with Mercedes benz, and after two many years of working for someone else I decided to go out on my own and do it mobile.

Most people end up going on their own with all the skills they learn from their job once they hit a pay ceiling and get burned out making other people money.

It's not too hard learning other makes as all systems are pretty much the same, just have to learn the different products/test equipment and keep an open mind and good work ethic.

My advice is to learn all you can, don't cut corners, lie or do half assed work.

Flat rate will always kick your *** and encourage you to rush through jobs to make money that's why i like being on my own, setting my own schedule, choosing the work I take on and taking my time to do it right and not answering to anyone but my customer's and my Wife. ha, ha.
 
Well here is my two cents worth. During this economy its a dog eat dog world. I have been a master tech for 15 years. I have always worked for a private type or volume tire and auto stores. The dealer is great for training and working on that brand of car. I feel I am more rounded by working on all types including diesels. You need to get hooked up with a master tech somewhere. Learn all you can from him. Thats how I did it. Dont be a slacker. Always be interested in helping that tech. He will teach you more than any school ever will. Hands on is where its at. Dealerships are notorious for feeding certain techs. If you make your mark somewhere stick with it.
 
Slappy said:
Well here is my two cents worth. During this economy its a dog eat dog world. I have been a master tech for 15 years. I have always worked for a private type or volume tire and auto stores. The dealer is great for training and working on that brand of car. I feel I am more rounded by working on all types including diesels. You need to get hooked up with a master tech somewhere. Learn all you can from him. Thats how I did it. Dont be a slacker. Always be interested in helping that tech. He will teach you more than any school ever will. Hands on is where its at. Dealerships are notorious for feeding certain techs. If you make your mark somewhere stick with it.
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Feeding certain techs is right..they will feed the asskissers more than the guys that actually bust their *** which is why I got out.
Plus I did not want to sign my name to certified inspected cars that I never looked at just so the salesman could put them on the lot as certified right away.
 
.........A couple of years ago i got fed up with flat rate, mainly because most service writers have their head up their ***'s...........i work by the hour now.....works out pretty much even.............kim...............
 
The fellas are right on the mark. The dealers are nuthin more than a warranty service department now. Also, as labor rates increase through the years, the techs salaries do not. It is not a fair tradeoff. Usually when you inquire about it management's response is somethin like, "you want more money, then do more work." Warranty work is a ripoff to begin with because somethin under warranty will only pay about one third of that same job if it were a customer pay ticket. It's the same job, yet because the auto maker gets charged back for warranty repairs, they think they should get a break at the technician's expense. The techs just get the shaft comin and goin and people wonder why mechanics can become dishonest. Slappy has it right. Independants are a far better source of a living than dealerships. I would look around for one that's been in business a long time and with a good reputation.there are plenty of independants with bad reps. We have a fine example right here in Macon. It's a family run tire store chain and they claim to be all big Christians and such and yet they are some of the biggest crooks you'll ever see. They have been in business like 40 years. I was their alignment man for a long time at one loacation. the manager came back to me one day and put his arm around my shoulder and we walked out back. He looked at me and said "I need more of a tire wear problem". I knew then and there at that exact moment that I had to get out of there.......but fate stepped in and I got hurt on the job about a week after that and I have been disabled ever since. It is incredible what the love for money can do to people.
 
I switched from auto to heavy truck and trailer and never looked back. There is more money to be made fixing diesels.
 
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.
 
ya after 35 years at tire stores i.ve never been to a dealership. i,ve always tried to do the best at what ever i worked at be it was alignments brakes tune up,but in the end the onwer has the last say.if you move it may take 2 or 3 tries to find a shop that likes you are that you like. i,ve made money and i,ve got by so it,s tough to say whitch way is the best.i like my job now we work on anything but hard to make a bounus when it the first time doing that job.just keep learning and hope thing work out.:read2:
 
Go back to school and learn a new trade. There's no future in auto repair as long as there is flat rate pay. I've been doing it for 27 yrs and make less and less every year due to someone else controlling the tickets. Go out on your own or get a new career.......seriously
 
Well, I started turnin wrenches in 1974. When I was NINE. That's all I did for a livin until I got hurt. I'll add this.....The work environments and pay say around New York for example are a lot different than say Atlanta or Macon. Depending on where you are can make all the difference in where you need to work. Different parts of the country have different costs of living and different levels of income. Down here, you're doing good to get 20 bucks a flat rate hour. Up north it's a lot higher. As stupid as this is gonna sound to some, the south is still poor. There really was no reconstruction, and that effect has lingered with the south's economy even today. FASTBACK340, GREAT post, btw. Attitude is everything. Whinin about other people will do nothing for you but get you in a downward spiral. You're wherever you are to make money. That's all you need to remember.
 
Aeromonte said:
Go back to school and learn a new trade. There's no future in auto repair as long as there is flat rate pay. I've been doing it for 27 yrs and make less and less every year due to someone else controlling the tickets. Go out on your own or get a new career.......seriously
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This ain't bad advice, either. You know how much a GOOD certified welder makes, for example?
 
No kidding about the South.
This economy is terrible and most 100 hour a week techs are struggling just to turn 30-40 hours a week.

fastback340....good post BTW.
 
The good money at a dealership is in their used car/truck department.
With the right strategy a fixed weekly salary can be had.
You have to love hunting down those electrical gremlins.
 
...........I too am seriously thinking its time 4 a change...........i can honestly say change is 4 the better...........been pulling wrenches since 1980...........kim.......
 
get a government job turning wrenches. go apply at all the local school districts, dot, or different city's to work on their fleets. that's what i did, after chasing the dollar on flat rate in independent shops for 15 yrs.

now i work 40 hrs. a week as a ase master bus mechanic get 21 days paid vac. a year, 8hrs. of sick time a month, retirement, and all my weekends off. takes a while to get in, and u need experience of at least 3-5 yrs. in pretty much everything, esp. med duty truck....and u take it in the shorts first couple of years, but if u stick to it and do a good job it will pay off.

at least half the mechanics here came from dealerships.....tired of the bs.

hope that helps u.....
higgs
 
b5demon said:
I have to agree i've been turning wrenches for 20 years and am currently thinking about a career change
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Not gonna happen. As dumb as it may sound to some of you, I CHANGED CAREERS to become a tech. Talk about a dying industry, it's the printing business. I was beating my head against the table every day in frustration, so happy to be FAR away from that line of work.

Anyway, I appreciate all the advice. Just to make sure that everyone knows where I am coming from - I am a good worker and mostly pleasant to be around, though like everyone else, I have those days. There are plenty of surly people around and I am definitely not one of them. Service manager said I am the guy who always gets it done for him. I could have an entire front end apart on a car but when asked to hustle out an oil change or tire rotation I drop what I am doing and bang it out.

The main point of my post was to see if it would be difficult for me at my lower level of experience (I am between a C and B tech) to go to an independent shop and be productive. I like the idea of a smaller shop where people come in actually wanting their car to be fixed. I also like the idea of working on a variety of stuff. While I was not bored working on the same cars all the time, in the end I think it would be better to have a more broad knowledge base.

I am leaning towards finding an independent shop but I hope to find a situation where I would be allowed to learn. Not a great way to make money at first but at some point I plan on being proficient.

- Greg
 
Been there done that. You can't make any money working for someone else. Work for yourself even if you have to work out of your house. Before long you will have more work than you can handle and you will be able to pick and choose your jobs. Good luck.
 
Slappy said:
Well here is my two cents worth. During this economy its a dog eat dog world. I have been a master tech for 15 years. I have always worked for a private type or volume tire and auto stores. The dealer is great for training and working on that brand of car. I feel I am more rounded by working on all types including diesels. You need to get hooked up with a master tech somewhere. Learn all you can from him. Thats how I did it. Dont be a slacker. Always be interested in helping that tech. He will teach you more than any school ever will. Hands on is where its at. Dealerships are notorious for feeding certain techs. If you make your mark somewhere stick with it.
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Well said. I agree. Hunky
 
While I am not a tech I have worked closely with them for years in a few different environments. Now I dont know anything about dealers back east of the US... but out here where I am at I dont understand some of the comments made. Dealers are only warranty repair specialists. Thats crap. The only reason a dealer does warranty repairs and not enough customer pay jobs is poor marketing and advertising. I have been in a dealer for the last ten years and we have cracker jack techs and even better people marketing the service dept. Are we slammin busy ? No. But the customer pay jobs are still rolling in... matter of fact Since I am the warranty manager here I can tell you that warranty repairs has dropped massively in the last 3 years. Like my techs state.... " Sure am glad were not living off warranty repairs" .... Yes Warranty pays less..then customer pay jobs.... but wanna know something funny ? My techs get a HVAC door replaced in the same amount of time wether its Warranty or CP. They just get paid more time for CP. So basically W isnt screwing them. They just dont get the gravy off the top. I see lots of complaints and such but in MY opinion... the dealer is the best place to work. I personally have good freinds in the independant world that are starving to death for work. Stick with the dealer and become the best tech you can.

Good luck either way

-RPM
 
Old timers tip.....

When you realize that the guy that is changing a big block, non A/C water pump is making the exact same money as you changing a small block, A/C and power steering water pump... and it seems like you are doing all the small block pumps..it is time to move on.
 
around here we had the old boy owner set up. all the owner knew each other and was motor home buddys so they would not pay more than there friends payed so it kelp the pay low and the moving from shop to shop down. there was a few 1 or 2 shop that did not get in to the group but most of them did. lot,s of guys when out on there own had had ok luck.we the tec. don,t have a lot of rights as far as the way they treat us but there are some ok owner out there but you will have too look around.someday i will find a onwer that pays good and is friendly too the workers too. good luck.p/s make sure the wife has a good paying job. cause it, seems to be the way around here the guys with the high paying wifes have the bigest tool boxs.make sure you inheirent so famly money too that helps . lol
 
Years ago in the 70's when I worked in a Chrysler dealership as a line mechanic when I was the new guy instead of grumbling about getting the bottom of the barrel jobs that no one else wanted, I did them with a smile on my face and asked for more. Pretty soon because of my can do attitude and willingness to "do anything" or "do whatever it took to get the job done" I was getting more good stuff. When I left for college I was on top of the heap. I have always used that same formula in all my careers and it has worked wonderfully. In fact at the end of every job interview I have said that "I would be willing to do whatever it took to get the job done". Several of my employers said later in casual conversation that particular line was what clinched the job.

Hunky, I really like what you said about finding a "mentor". The oldest and most experience tech took me under his wing and taught me an unbelievable amount.
 
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