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I’ve been a tech for a while now. Unlike most people I started this field in my 30’s. From what I understand that is actually quite normal. I see very few guys start this field in their 20’s and stick with it. Many seem to get burned out and move on to something else.
For the most part the guys I work with, and have worked with in the past have all been really good people. There are some douche bags that literally just passed all their ASE test and think they shit rose petals, but can’t tell you where the water pump on a 07 civic is.
Don’t get me wrong there are some real scum bags in this field. However it’s been my experience those guys are typically service writers, and parts managers. The people that resent techs because they don’t have the grit or intelligence to do our job.
Our ASE master tech that’s all of 20 years old and literally has 6 months working on cars was told to shut the fuck up and find some oil to play with by our master tech. Poor kid looked like he was going to cry. I don’t see him making it much longer in this field.
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A couple thoughts on your post Pitt. I started when I was 19 when I took a job at a Big 10 Tires rotating tires and such. Somehow from then I ended up at the local trade school, and eventually as a GS at a local independent. I have left the field for short periods a few times, and somehow wander back. I love the field, just hate the politics.
I agree, most of the good techs I have worked with are all well spoken, educated, intelligent, and decent guys and have no problem helping others learn and all. It’s the half- techs that have the attitudes, who are intimidated by the newer guys coming up, who have to be a douche and make others feel bad. I remember some of the out right bullying that took place when I was just starting and looking back, none of them were good technicians, most just guessed based on experience.
This job is based on experience. Your 20yo master tech has competent knowlege but not the experience, nor probably the maturity. He needs experience. I honestly think the best thing for a guy like him is to go to a dealership and learn one platform of vehicle, and master it, then go on to independent shops if he wants to from there.
About the ASE thing. I think if you had to pass with an 80 instead of just a 60, it would change things.
I started when i was 18, and am just about to complete my 4th year at a dealer, i can see why people get burned out, but its really about what you put in to the job is what you’ll get out.
And yeah there are some real crap techs around but no ones perfect. As has been said experience is the key, you can have all the schooling in thr world but when it comes down to it not know how to put it into practice.
The thing i personally hate the most is the directors of the dealer i work for only care about money, not that the staff are getting worked off their feet trying to push through 26 cars with 2 qualified mechanics and 4 apprentices
Thanks for the input guys. From personal experience Jasonw1178 when I was in my 20’s I did the same job for many years and hated it thoroughly for about the last 7 or 8 I was in it. Then found auto repair. It sounds like you were able to find other things then come back to auto repair because you knew it was a field you wanted to stay in. For the longest time I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do so I did engineering for a long time. I envy you fore sight.
I felt bad for the young kid in my shop. He’s a really good guy he just tries way to hard to prove he knows things and it rubs a lot of guys the wrong way. He tried to tell our master tech how to do different things to get something done better and easier. The master tech is also a really good guy, but got frustrated after several days of this young guy telling him he was wrong, and doing his craft wrong. I want to see the kid make it, I just hope he learns how to humble himself before it’s to late.
I’ve found a surprisingly high number of veterans in this field. Many seem to come to this because they hated what they did in the military or have a skill set that doesn’t translate to the civilian sector. Even the guys that never served just honestly strike me as really good guys.
Don’t get me wrong out of 100 people probably 40 are real shit bags. But for this field, and the reputation we get as crooks that would sell our own mother for flag hours, I think as a whole we are actually just working class blue collar good people.
Austac my dealership also puts money above people. Our lube techs do as much line work as we can give them, which I partly disagree with. But our shop foreman is a really good guy that is getting burned out on pushing people to get more flag hours and less quality in repairs.
Pitt, yes I do love what I do. Always had a love for cars as far back as I can remember. When I was about 3 I learned to tell how many cylinders a car had by the number of spark plugs, which isn’t much but showed my interest. My father, although I never knew him was/us a technician. In HS, all I took was Graphic Arts, and although I know about the operation of printing presses I was always more interested in the internal workings of them than actually what they did. Turned 16 and obsessed with my first car. To this day I love it, and I enjoy learning. Right when I think I know it down pact, I learn that there is so much more. I honestly think that if I had not allowed these jackwagon half techs in independent shops limit me I would be much further ahead. I drove a semi for two years, just to get out and see the country, and I’m glad I did it, but wouldn’t do it again. Oh, and the average truck tech is a complete JOKE.
Most mechanics are guys that are too dumb to even complete HS. They put down ASE because they can’t pass the test because “they aren’t good at test” but can’t get 60% or better on a test based on general automotive questions. They are good at working with their hands, but that’s about it. Mr. FixIt mechanics, no real knowlege, just everything is based on their past failures. Oh, and this is a field where they can still be grimy all of the time and even smoke while they work, at least in the low end shops. They are too dumb to go to school and learn anything else, but if they are to ever start again in any other field, they would be at min wage at best.
Your 20yo tech, having all his ASE’s that young is better than 98% of guys his age. I think him challenging the older tech is his way of picking their brain, but he needs to go about it differently so he doesn’t just tick him off. If I see another tech with a problem, I know how to go about it so I can help them without damaging their pride. When someone makes a suggestion to me, I always thank them even if I disagree because it shows that they are trying to help. If they say “you should do it this way” and I’ll say “maybe next time” or say I will. Sometimes I even try it because sometimes they are right. I think with your younger tech you should give him a positive criticism, because it goes much further anyways, and also try to aware him he is rubbing others the wrong way.
This is a profession. I think beyond a trade, beyond just a job, beyond just labor. However, it does not require any degrees or formal education, or really even any standards of reconition. Yes we have ASE but it’s not required. Therefore, Therefore ANYONE can at least try the job, which drives down the cost on labor. So, if you want to make professional money, you have to be a professional.
Honestly, if we made it so you had to have a education, and certification just to be employed at a mechanic, the changes would be positive. First it would clean out the shops of these idiots that just do a good job of faking it. Then it would bring integrity back to our profession because we wouldn’t have these grimy one’s tarnishing our reputation. Finally, it would bring up our pay because the shops chould not just hire anyone to do even the simple work.
i come from CAN, true north,…where i am we have formal apprenticeship…which account for 4 years of ongoing training…we had to have hs diploma and life long learning….to techs…we are what we are…
to dealerships. we are just “helpers”…., “necessary evil”….they are anyone can do it and without experience…flush everything means you know something.I am a HS drop out. But I’ve always had an understanding of auto repair. I started working as a pump jockey, then went into Fast Lube. 4 years later I started working for an independent garage. From there a national tire shop. Got my first ASE. Moved to another national repair shop. Got the rest of my ASE’s A few more shops later. I’m now ASE Master, L1, under car, exhaust, emission, and hybrid specialist. NONE OF THAT MEANs JACK. What maters (once you get an grasp on how things work) are experience, and common sense. I’ve seen too many techs get bitten by their own stubbornness. By the lack of respect for the task at hand.
I have to say the part that gets me upset the most is seeing a young tech get teased, or shot down but a seasoned tech. In the beginning I hated working with some guys. it was a non-stop “your too dumb to do this” There is no need for that. I paid my dues. But I will never look down on an entry tech. Who wants to put up with some guy flipping you shit. when you’re getting paid 10-12/hr and half of your pay is going to a tool truck. Their job is bad enough as it is, we don’t need to add to the headache.
Always remember unless your the owner of the shop your working at. You are there to make the owner money. Sometime decisions are made for the best outcome FOR THE SHOP. As a tech you need to respect that it’s a decision for the greater good of the picture. you may not agree with it but remember your not the owner. I’m now working for myself. and It’s been a struggle to say the least. Sometimes I ask myself why did I decide to do this? The answer is always the same. I decide what I want to work on, and how much I will get paid. No more will I work that extra hour, when I KNOW it’s useless. we’ve all been there…”just do another hour and see were your at, then I will call them” You know that just translate to free work. But sometimes that is required. But it’s much better when yourself makes that decision,
So take the punches,.. take the long hours, take the life long debt for tools…. When you make the owner of the car jump and clap for your services…just that one action makes the struggle worth it. We help people,… fixing cars?…. thats a bonus.The lube tech that was told to fuck off had it coming. Allow me to clarify.
This lube tech constantly runs his mouth. “I know more about cars than any tech in this shop.” “I turn more flag hours than any tech in this shop” “I make more money hourly than any lube tech in this shop” “I run my own shop I’m just here because I need a legal income”.
The Master tech told him to fuck off because that master tech can do a long block in 4 hours. A timing belt in 45 mins. And this lube tech was bugging the master tech for three days straight telling about how he was doing something the wrong way.
This same lube tech did an air bag recall. The car came back 5 times in one day. The lube tech not only damage the dash board. He didn’t hook up the wires for the air bag. The service adviser gave the car to a flat rate tech the 5th time it came back. The flat rate tech discovered the air bags were never hooked up and had no way of deploying had their been an accident.
The owner of that vehicle would own our dealership if he had been in an accident.
Magically that lube tech still has a job.
I’ve told that lube tech to stay away from me and out of my face, or we can knuckle up in the parking lot after work and he can learn some humility.
We have about 23 techs in our shop. 22 can’t stand the kid and are demanding he be fired. The only thing saving the kid is the dispatcher loves him because he does all kinds of work and the flag hours go to the dealership and the management get a bigger bonus.
Now that we have a law suit against us for the air bag that he didn’t install correctly 4 times, and didn’t connect the power cables I’m pretty sure he won’t have a job much longer.
[quote=”Woody44x4″ post=149816]I am a HS drop out. But I’ve always had an understanding of auto repair. I started working as a pump jockey, then went into Fast Lube. 4 years later I started working for an independent garage. From there a national tire shop. Got my first ASE. Moved to another national repair shop. Got the rest of my ASE’s A few more shops later. I’m now ASE Master, L1, under car, exhaust, emission, and hybrid specialist. NONE OF THAT MEANs JACK. What maters (once you get an grasp on how things work) are experience, and common sense. I’ve seen too many techs get bitten by their own stubbornness. By the lack of respect for the task at hand.
I have to say the part that gets me upset the most is seeing a young tech get teased, or shot down but a seasoned tech. In the beginning I hated working with some guys. it was a non-stop “your too dumb to do this” There is no need for that. I paid my dues. But I will never look down on an entry tech. Who wants to put up with some guy flipping you shit. when you’re getting paid 10-12/hr and half of your pay is going to a tool truck. Their job is bad enough as it is, we don’t need to add to the headache.
Always remember unless your the owner of the shop your working at. You are there to make the owner money. Sometime decisions are made for the best outcome FOR THE SHOP. As a tech you need to respect that it’s a decision for the greater good of the picture. you may not agree with it but remember your not the owner. I’m now working for myself. and It’s been a struggle to say the least. Sometimes I ask myself why did I decide to do this? The answer is always the same. I decide what I want to work on, and how much I will get paid. No more will I work that extra hour, when I KNOW it’s useless. we’ve all been there…”just do another hour and see were your at, then I will call them” You know that just translate to free work. But sometimes that is required. But it’s much better when yourself makes that decision,
So take the punches,.. take the long hours, take the life long debt for tools…. When you make the owner of the car jump and clap for your services…just that one action makes the struggle worth it. We help people,… fixing cars?…. thats a bonus.[/quote]In my shop we have quite a few young techs. If they ask to be shown something or learn something new we are happy to help them and teach them. If we see them struggling with something we try and give them a hand.
Almost every single tech we have let their ASE’s expire. Honda, Hyundai, and Ford are places I’ve worked and none of them give a shit about ASE. I get that some people think ASE mean something. I went to engineering school for 3 years. One thing I learned, passing a test doesn’t make you an engineer, or a mechanic.
Don’t get me wrong experience and certification are good. But I’ll take wrench time over book knowledge all day.
I full agree with all of your comments Pitt.
As to…..
Magically that lube tech still has a job.
The service manager must be very suspect if he did not can that guy on the spot.
Some years back I worked with a guy like that. He had about 2-3 years in as a Subaru tech in CO before moving here. His mouth and the BS he spouted caused the service manager to fall in love with him and who then promoted him to shop foreman in a few short months.
My attitude was he can stay away from me because I had no need for his advice or help in any way.Not long after, his mouth got him in trouble with me at lunch when a number of us carpooled in 3 cars and he ended up across the table from me. He lipped off something at me and I went over the table at him with a knife to his throat.
You have never seen anyone go through a drastic personality change so quickly. His name was Humble after that and he tried to suck up with me starting a few days later but my attitude was go the ______ away and die.
Condescending jerk to brown nosing Eunuch inside of 3 seconds…… 😆The kid has stopped running his mouth and threatens to quit just about everyday.
Every tech in the shop encourages him to quit and go somewhere else.
He barely speaks to any of us and every time one of us quit ignoring him he tries to be our buddies. Sadly he has burned literally every bridge in the shop except the shop foreman.
[quote=”Jasonw1178″ post=149263]A couple thoughts on your post Pitt. I started when I was 19 when I took a job at a Big 10 Tires rotating tires and such. Somehow from then I ended up at the local trade school, and eventually as a GS at a local independent. I have left the field for short periods a few times, and somehow wander back. I love the field, just hate the politics.
I agree, most of the good techs I have worked with are all well spoken, educated, intelligent, and decent guys and have no problem helping others learn and all. It’s the half- techs that have the attitudes, who are intimidated by the newer guys coming up, who have to be a douche and make others feel bad. I remember some of the out right bullying that took place when I was just starting and looking back, none of them were good technicians, most just guessed based on experience.
This job is based on experience. Your 20yo master tech has competent knowlege but not the experience, nor probably the maturity. He needs experience. I honestly think the best thing for a guy like him is to go to a dealership and learn one platform of vehicle, and master it, then go on to independent shops if he wants to from there.
About the ASE thing. I think if you had to pass with an 80 instead of just a 60, it would change things.[/quote]
The same in most fields , jack offs will always feel inadequate if a better , more experienced person turns up and shows them up
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