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2010 lexus LX570 came in with nav screen saying audio off and no sound. Code 74-40 amp. circuit malfunction.Repair manual says to check muliplex wires between radio, amp and rear entertainment system.So remove these componants and check wires found no short or open. so it is a bad amp.I have spent 4 hours and the manager does not want to pay me any time for diagnosis just 0.7 for for replacing amp. when part and vehicle come back in. Why does warranty and management think this is ok ?
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They can get away with it cuz we all let them get away with it. I don’t think that will ever change either.
I moved to a different city late May to work for a Toyota dealership. My first time doing the flat rate thing. I told myself when I quit the independent side, that I’d only be happy as a tech if I was working for Toyota. I have confirmed my suspicions: I no longer enjoy working on cars and am looking to try something else. I am making better money for sure, but being a mechanic is stressful. Being a flat-rate tech is twice as stressful, and I think I’m done with this shit.
There is ONE good thing about being flat rate, but so many other things wrong with it. I’m glad for the experience, even if I had to spend over ten hours once on a totally crappy job that paid 2.8 hours.
Well written, Johnny… I’m sure many techs feel the same way as you do. I know that I do. It took me 45 years in the trade to come to those conclusions. I think you give up too easily. :dry:
I give up on stuff that make me miserable… or if it conflicts with my principles. I gave up a job I loved (in the army) after eleven years, because I suddenly realized my government wasn’t worth serving anymore.
As for dealerships, I don’t know. I LOVED working for Lexus and was proud to work for the one in Calgary. Not sure if I’d be so happy now, but it was a very positive environment and good techs were respected and rewarded.
Being flat rate, you have the chance to reap the rewards, but you will always be at risk to get some nasty jobs. And we’re not all perfect, so comebacks are just a part of the job. It’s a part of the job I can’t hack anymore, though. I don’t have a lot of comebacks, but I worry that every car I touch will come back. I am being overly paranoid, but I just don’t know how to relax as a mechanic.
[quote=”JohnnyC” post=72190]I give up on stuff that make me miserable… or if it conflicts with my principles. I gave up a job I loved (in the army) after eleven years, because I suddenly realized my government wasn’t worth serving anymore.
As for dealerships, I don’t know. I LOVED working for Lexus and was proud to work for the one in Calgary. Not sure if I’d be so happy now, but it was a very positive environment and good techs were respected and rewarded.
Being flat rate, you have the chance to reap the rewards, but you will always be at risk to get some nasty jobs. And we’re not all perfect, so comebacks are just a part of the job. It’s a part of the job I can’t hack anymore, though. I don’t have a lot of comebacks, but I worry that every car I touch will come back. I am being overly paranoid, but I just don’t know how to relax as a mechanic.[/quote]
A lot of techs feel the way you do. Trust me, they tell me all the time. To be honest, I can’t blame them. In fact, I was just telling my wife today that I would never go back to work as a technician. I LOVE working as ETCG way too much. If I had to leave ETCG, I might open my own shop, but I would never work for a dealer ever again. Don’t get me wrong, I was able to make good money there, more than I would have in an independent shop, but it somehow left me feeling ‘dirty’. And not ‘dirty’ in the ETCG sense, but dirty in the sense that I saw a lot of my fellow techs taking advantage of not only the customers but also the dealership. Management knew it too and as a result didn’t trust ANY of the techs, me included. Being grouped in with those ‘types’ made me angry in a way. I hated working with some of them. There were a few times these disagreements almost turned into physical confrontation. This is referred to as a “hostile working environment”. As for customers being taken advantage of, management looked the other way for the most part. Heck, they stood to benefit form the work the technicians sold, why should they rock the boat? Sad thing is the more I see as ETCG, the more I realize that my situation was not unique. I think that’s sad. Sad for good technicians who want to do honest work, and sad for the industry because it perpetuates the stereotypes we’ve all had to deal with.
I wish you all the best. As ETCG I’ll do my best to call attention to these issues. If nothing else, a dialog can get started about it. Perhaps some positive change can come from that, I honestly don’t know. If nothing else, know that ETCG is in your corner and I’m ready to go to bat for you. Good luck with whatever you decide to do. SD
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