Should I or shouldn’t I take this new job?

[Anthony]

So, to make a long story short, I work at a dealer as a lube tech and I’m fed up with my job. I have been pigeonholed as a lube guy and I deal with a bunch of shitty “you’re here to do oil changes” attitudes whenever I try to do bigger jobs. Pretty much, I am boxed in as a lube guy there because there is nobody else to do the LOFs; all the guys who are in any way higher up than me are a bunch of primma donnas who insist they are “real mechanics” and think they are too good to do them and scream at the service manager whenever one lands on their bench, and the hourly relief lube tech who is supposed to be me and the other lube tech’s backup just wants to bullshit with the line techs and work on his own truck all day. Whenever the lubes back up he scatters and I always wind up picking up the slack. Anyways, I was making some decent money doing used vehicle safety inspections and repairs, but this week, after the lubes backed up really bad because Mr. hourly scattered, the writers decided that the solution was to cockblock me from any future real, hourly repairs so I can stay open and be free to take oil changes. Did I mention I’m paid flat rate? So needless to say, that pushed me over the edge and I started passing around resumes that night. (BTW did I mention that we don’t have a dispatch system of any kind, the writers, who all carry the title of “assistant service manager” dispatch the work themselves?). I also find myself concerned by how I feel the dealer is overexpanding on the expectation that they will get a huge surge of new business which I am afraid will never come due to the rather spotty area it is located in. I have lived there all my life, only moving out last year, and all it has been doing during my lifetime is decaying. Its not exactly Prypiat, but at the same time it has decayed enough that I think management must be on drugs to think they can expand the shop being in this area with an increasing low-income clientelle. Management is bringing in new techs to staff up for this expected surge but all that is coming from it is that there are way more mouths to feed than there are cars coming in. The writers have been robbing Peter to pay Paul to keep these new guys busy by giving them work that would usually go to the tenured guys, who have subsequently gone from turning 40-50 hour weeks to 20-30 hours.

On that note, I just wanna say that on the often debated topic of improving technician’s pay, I strongly believe being paid hourly is not the solution, because the majority of hourly guys at both my dealer and the dealer my best friend works at are a bunch of bums who spend all day trying to get someone else to do their jobs for them. If all techs were paid hourly, I’m afraid that nobody’s car would ever get repaired.

So anyways, I dropped off an app at an independent shop looking for a lube guy with suspension and brake certs, and the manager there was impressed enough with my resume that he took me in for an interview as soon as I finished filling out the application. The interview went well and he said that I was his favorite candidate out of all the other people who applied, and he said he’d call me Monday to tell me whether or not he wants to bring me back in and offer me the position. (He had a guy he had scheduled an interview with coming in on Friday, I just showed up randomly Thursday evening without any prior contact and dropped off an app). Judging by how things went, I believe I have a very, very good chance of being offered the position. I am just nto 100% sure if I want to take it and I thought I would get your opinion.

So, this place is an independent shop. They used to be a Chrysler dealer, but they lost their franchise during the bailout/government bankruptcy so they are now rebuilding themselves as an independent selling used vehicles and servicing all makes and models. I see that as a good and a bad thing: They will have dealer-quality equipment, but I am afraid that a lot of the dealer politics may still exist there. He admitted straight up that business has been up and down lately but he promised me plenty of room for advancement and said they still have an established clientele of repeat customers. I imagine most of them are Chrysler owners, and I find that appealing since Chrysler has been my lifelong favorite manufacturer. It is located in a pretty nice area, so I don’t scoff at the idea of them expanding like I do my current shop, since I believe this area’s population has the money to make that possible. Also, I really like the idea of a change of scenery, the people at my current dealer don’t seem to take me seriously since I was hired fresh off the boat with no certs and no experience. I think I will be treated with at least a tiny bit more respect somewhere else now that I have built up a decent resume for my age and experience level. However, the most appealing part of this new shop is that while I’ll be flat rate, they have a hybrid pay plan that guarantees all the techs 30 hours regardless of what the shop turns that week. I have no such thing at my current shop; if I spend more time sitting around than working, I take home a shitty $220 underemployment paycheck and that’s that.

Really, I am just concerned about this shop’s workload and long tem viability. What do you guys think though? Do you think this is a good opportunity if I am offered the position?

Topic

[celticbhoy]

It sounds like you have already come to a conclusion. Sounds like a very good opportunity to me, and something that I would take up for sure. Yeah you’ll be doing lube jobs still, but the fact that they want someone with brakes/suspension certs means you have a good chance of doing a variety of jobs. Also, 30 hours guaranteed seems like a good deal to me.

[dave]

I think that there is a reason that you are the lube guy and the other mechanics are ‘real mechanics.’ You need a piece of paper that says you are the go-to guy. This piece of paper will probably come in the form of of state, ASE, or an accredited college. Once you have this, you will no longer be a bottom feeder.

But this gives you some options; you can continue to work your shit job (which is what i did at autozone) until you meet the ASE requirements for on-the-job experience… which is 2,000 hours without a college degree, or 1,000 hours with a college degree. As soon as you hit your hours, you can walk immediately. Or, you can pursue the other option of working at the independent dealer which will also fulfill your ASE requirements.

In either case, you will end up going no where until you get the credentials needed for your employer to trust you with high liability repairs.

[Anthony]

I definitely don’t have a blank resume. I have nearly two years experience at my dealer and I am state certified in brakes, suspension and electrical. Additionally, when my dealer had me doing used vehicle inspections I diagnosed and repaired electrical concerns, did four wheel alignments, replaced tie rods, swaybars, control arms, etc. All with no comebacks. Then one day they decided that I am not going to get these jobs anymore because they are tieing me up and preventing me from taking lube jobs; they specifically said they want to keep me open in case I’m needed to do oil changes, even though I’m flat rate. We can all agree that’s bullshit. And that is why I’m looking for a new job.

[Anthony]

In my case, I’m stuck as a bottom feeder because everyone else thinks they’re too good to do lube shit.

[Nick Warner]

You have nowhere to go but up. Take the job. Tell your current boss to look under your toolbox. When he does, tell him he’s seeing wheels under it for a reason.

[steven jacobsen]

I would take the new job, I went through several shops that treated me like crap and a couple that sound like yours, finally found a great shop to work in and now with more experience I have my own shop. As for LOF, even before my shop I had 20 years in the field and it doesn’t matter what a car needs I am not too good to do it. I have no complaints about oil changes or replacing a light bulb, or any other “small” job, it is all about the cars and the happy customer for me.
Stay positive and you will find the right shop for you im sure.
Remember the opposite of what you have seen so far, you are NEVER too good to do any job in a shop and there is always more to learn.

[Nick Warner]

I also do plenty of LOF jobs and used to have my own shop for a few years. One thing I never get is why they throw LOF to the rookies always. For me, I charged $20 for one. I made about dirt on it, but it was a way to meet new customers or catch up with the regulars. I’ll tell you what though, oil changes are any shops BIGGEST income generator. You spot brakes going out when the squeal tabs are broken and the driver can’t hear anything, you see broken sway bar links, bad shocks, worn tires, rusty brake lines, CV joints, leaks of every kind. You get to see them every 3 months even when they think nothing is wrong with their car. So many of my tickets were written up because of what I found on lube jobs and I managed to sell a good part of that work the same day. If anything, you want your best techs doing them because they have their eye trained to see it right away. So much revenue rolls out of the door without being noticed when the new guy does it. I know you must’ve seen a difference in yourself as you’ve gotten more wrench time in. You see things out of the corner of your eye now that you used to have to go out of your way to look closely for. Thats why there is no substitute for wrench time.

Do those LOF jobs with pride and let your attention to detail speak for itself. This other shop seems like it will give you the shot this one won’t if they feel comfortable with you. Good luck to you on this.

[jeep72]

Your luck that you even have a job alot people are out of work.

[Nick Warner]

I would disagree with that. That’s an excuse some managers like to use as a way to justify treating employees like crap and holding them back from their true potential. The truth is that auto repair has a lot of openings for skilled technicians. So many are leaving the field and too many younger people these days absolutely refuse to do anything that isn’t an app on an iphone. They will not physically exert themselves or take a chance at getting dirty. Cars are costing more and get more complicated every year, as do the regulations about them instituted by our government at federal, state and local levels. A motivated technician who does quality work can and does have options.

Never settle for a place that holds you back or mistreats you. Do not allow an employer to starve you out. That is doing yourself an injustice. On the flip side of that coin, you need to be worth it. You need to be constantly striving to get better at what you do. Take pride in your work and verify your diagnosis. If you want to command premium pay, you need to be a premium tech doing premium work. This requires an investment in continued training and in your tools.

[jeep72]

I didn’t mean he should stay at a job that treats him wrong. Just saying lucky that he has a job that’s all. some places won’t even give tech who are just starting out a chance.

[kevin]

[quote=”nickwarner” post=56234]I would disagree with that. That’s an excuse some managers like to use as a way to justify treating employees like crap and holding them back from their true potential. The truth is that auto repair has a lot of openings for skilled technicians. So many are leaving the field and too many younger people these days absolutely refuse to do anything that isn’t an app on an iphone. They will not physically exert themselves or take a chance at getting dirty. Cars are costing more and get more complicated every year, as do the regulations about them instituted by our government at federal, state and local levels. A motivated technician who does quality work can and does have options.

Never settle for a place that holds you back or mistreats you. Do not allow an employer to starve you out. That is doing yourself an injustice. On the flip side of that coin, you need to be worth it. You need to be constantly striving to get better at what you do. Take pride in your work and verify your diagnosis. If you want to command premium pay, you need to be a premium tech doing premium work. This requires an investment in continued training and in your tools.[/quote]

i had been at a dealership that i had been telling myself to stay and settle but, their attitude is really moving toward “i can find same quality tech on the street or even better train someone from detail shop into mechanics…ahahhaha”
that might be when everything was old school, points and condensers, old carbs…they are really applicable to understand fuel injection and ignition but, these days unless you have drive , you can’t keep going…at least in my opinion…

it’s better to keep trying to get better and go to better place..
what a nice trade most of days…unless you end up with everyone’s disaster.

[Paul R]

Lube Tech a waste of time at most shops. I can not understand why shop pay the lube/GS guys so bad. These guys have the car count. Train them and pay them well. A trained lube guy can find huge amounts of work just by knowing how to check over the cars. Oil changes are the loss leader and also a huge profit center so why can’t everyone make enough to live on.

[Author]

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