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I am a Lube Tech working for Nissan dealership. I have been there for about 10 months now. I do not have any tools although I do plan to make this my career and progress with time. Although I have been thinking, is it better to show employers that you are certified to do the jobs or to show employers that the job is all counted on you because you have the tools to do it. Now for someone like myself, I came long a way to get to my foot in the door to start off working in a shop. I have been really thinking about investing my money on certifications first rather than tools. I would really like to hear some of your opinions.
I forgot to mention, I am originally from Brooklyn New York and I decided to leave the city for a while and chose California to be the place for education. Soon after that I decided I wanted to get a job working or a dealer. Opportunity came up and bam, here I am today working for Nissan in California. Although I do make plans to go back to New York. As I was saying, since I have a lot of spare time, I figured I get started on my certifications first and then tools second.
What is your opinion on this guys?
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tools are much more important than certifications. Get your tools first. The fact that you’ve been able to work as even a lube tech for 10 months without buying ANY tools kind of astounds me TBH.
I did buy some basic stuff I needed such as sockets and impacts sockets to do tire rotations. Sorry, what I was trying to say that I did not invest any money in actually buying a toolbox with a set of tools to do my job. I feel that certification are just as important as tools.
get all the certifications you want. You won’t be able to actually do the work that you’re certified to do without tools…
Knowing myself, I would spend hundreds of dollars on tools I think I will need and sometimes not end up using them. What would you recommend for tools that I may purchase to get me through for the time being while I wait my chance to move up?
You are going under the knife for surgery and you ask your dr. the same question, “tools or certification” what respose would you want/expect from this individual…
We get a lot of auto students come through the shop working as lube techs on their way to learning to become a tech. They generally ask me the same question, “what tools should I buy?”. Luckily for you, I actually have a solid starter list put together:
FLASHLIGHT: anything that fits in your pocket and shines really bright. a good headlamp isn’t a bad investment either.
master gearwrench metric set:
http://www.amazon.com/GearWrench-9416-Metric-Master-Ratcheting/dp/B0002NYD1W/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1403141860&sr=8-1&keywords=gearwrench+master+metricmaster 1/2″ drive metric impact socket set:
http://www.amazon.com/Sunex-3329-8-Inch-Standard-29-Piece/dp/B000LQDB86/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1403141952&sr=8-1&keywords=sunex+master+metric+impact+socketingersoll-rand 1/2″ impact gun:
http://www.amazon.com/Ingersoll-Rand-231C-2-Inch-Super-Duty-Impact/dp/B0002SRM3I/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1403142017&sr=8-2&keywords=ingersol+rand+1%2F2%22+impactMechanic’s tool set:
http://www.harborfreight.com/professional-301-piece-mechanics-tool-kit-45951.htmlgenius 9 pc. Extension set: amazon
4 lb drilling Hammer: harbor freight
4 piece channel lock set: harbor frieght
Rear disc brake tool: Harbor freight
harbor frieght 5-drawer Tool cart: harbor freight
All together it’s about $800 bucks. Just these tools should easily carry you through any entry level technician job you could find and then some.
edit: most of the links don’t work anymore. So I’m just putting the name of the tool/set to get and where to get it from.
Some other tools to consider:
23mm, 25mm, and 26mm ratcheting wrenches: They don’t come with the master wrench set, but you’ll need them eventually once you start doing alignments.1/2″, 3/8″, 1/4″ universal impact joints: super nice to have
Decent multimeter: This shouldn’t need too much explanation, but you won’t actually need one until you start getting into diagnosing things.
pry-bars: an absolute must once you start doing suspension work.
axle nut set: 30-35mm impact sockets. You’ll eventually need these to take off axle nuts for a range of repairs.
O2 sensor socket(s): for replacing O2 sensors
3/8″ and 1/4″ pneumatic ratchets: I’d actually recommend at least a 1/4″ pneumatic ratchet to even lube techs. They’re great for opening air filter boxes, removing underbody plastic, etc.
pneumatic die grinder and an assortment of wire-wheels, wool/sandpaper attachments: great for cleaning gasket surfaces and putting multi-directional finishes on machined rotors. Get some carbide bits and you can do things like open strut bolt holes for alignment purposes or port-match intake/exhaust ports when doing head work.
I could go on for days telling you what tools to buy for what reasons, but that should be a good start to say the least.
In addition items to the list above: a magnetic parts dish, a soft blow/rubber hammer, and something like the Blue Point filter socket set. You will soon tire of the rubber handle slipping on your strap wrench…
Wow, I did not expect that much. Yes I will buy tools, although I really wish I can have my own stall with my set of tools. I like to work alone. Although at my level and experience, well I really do not have much saying on that nor do I have the senority.
Question for you, do you know if you are allowed to ask for more money when applying for a job and getting interviewed when you invested time to get all your ASE’s? That is honestly one of biggest goals right now. First get certified through ASE and then get certified with whom ever I work for. I can be patient with moving up positions.
Just like any other job when you’re interviewing and talking about pay pretty much. It always depends on the person who’s interviewing you or whoever is in charge and it also depends on how you approach it. You’ve got to have a bit of tact and that sort of thing, and know how to appropriately and professionally discuss pay and things of that nature. If you’re just starting out with no experience you don’t have as much clout as say, a master tech. With a really good master tech, he’s going to have the upper hand and be grilling the shop and asking them a lot of questions.
There are a lot of terrible jobs out there, I’m talking about pyramid schemes and door to door sales and places with incredible turn-over rates because maybe the boss berates all the employees and the checks are always bouncing or the employees are not getting paid what they’re supposed to or whatever. People have to be able to ask the right questions and talk to the right people, namely the current employees, and try to get a feel for what’s going on. Questions like, “Why is this position open? What happened to the previous employee in this position? What’s the company atmosphere and culture like here? What’s the best and worst part about working here?” A lot of times they’ll dish out the dirt, and you can run as fast as you can the other way.
As for the automotive industry, you can check our Eric’s video on flat-rate and dealership politics to get a bit more of a feel of some of the issues of working in this industry.
If you’ve got absolutely no experience, you’ll be applying for lube tech jobs. The question is do you want to work for an independent, a dealership, or a chain, or if things in your area are really stark, any place that will have you so you can at least afford mustard and cracker sandwiches at night. Personally, I prefer independents, and I think Eric does too.
Having a few ASEs will definitely help you get your foot in the door, and that’s highly recommended to do so. But that’s all they are really, like college degrees, piece of paper, doesn’t necessarily mean you can perform the job better than someone without a college degree. And if your place will give you a raise if you get another ASE, that’s more than a good enough reason for me to get some ASEs. Well that’s really the only reason, lol. Some places even care if you have that ridiculous ASE A/C Refrigerant and Recovery handling license. It’s a joke of an open-book test that takes like half an hour and the EPA and the ozone layer and whatever sure, get it, or don’t, who knows.
Read, read, read. Read all of those books and magazines. I read this thing in a magazine after the fact on a nightmare car we had and if only I had seen that article a month earlier sitting in the shop it would have saved us a nightmare. Oh man, that was one of the biggest nightmares and it all could have been avoided if I had just skimmed through that magazine.
It’s hard to find even half-way decent techs where I am, so I feel like we can be paid a bit more. My place has been desperate to hire another decent guy or two, and it’s been slim pickings. Had to let go of one guy after his second week or so because he was not good. So a little bit more in our favor where I am, but other places may be saturated with techs looking for jobs, and if your place is like that, maybe consider moving. Some places pay techs much differently than another region, and all of that kind of stuff, like any other profession I guess.
Well I am new to the automotive industry. I really want to do this as a career. I currently work for a dealership and want to stay dealership. That is why I was asking, if you have your ASE’s, can it be possible to ask for more pay? But thank you for pointing all of that out for me. It opened my eyes and now I have an idea what to ask on my next interview when applying for dealerships jobs.
I feel like there’s no direct answer to the question you’re asking. Yes having certifications can help leverage you into better paying positions but at the end of the day nothing beats experience and having your own tools.
Besides all that you’ll need to fill out a work experience form to get your ASE’s (most of the regular tests require at least 2 years of experience in that area to actually get your cert). This form will be cross referenced with your boss as well.
Having an ASE certification is kind of like putting a guarantee on a part. It makes you marketable. Just because a part has a guarantee doesn’t mean it won’t fail, same as just because a tech has ASEs doesn’t make him a good tech.
Get your wrench time in. Shadow the more experienced techs. Put yourself in a position to where you can start doing more advanced work (which most of the time includes buying the tools necessary to do the work). Give yourself a reputation as someone who knows what he’s doing around the shop. These are the things you need to focus on if you want to advance. Getting your ASE’s helps with this to an extent and I would urge you to complete the tests but you need to prioritize what’s really important.
You should also feel it out and see if there’s even any room for you to advance at your shop. Try to get a feel for the work flow and how the current techs handle it. If the techs are bogged down most of the time then there might be room for another tech to come in. Maybe one of the older techs is getting ready to move on or there’s a tech there that’s not performing so hot. Maybe your shop is lacking a tech that’s proficient in a certain field. Hit the books in that area and slide into a position as the go-to guy in that area. If there’s barely enough work to feed the current techs and none of them are going anywhere soon then it’s probably a better bet to start looking into other opportunities.
There’s really no way to put the info I need to give you into text. You’re the one who needs to read your surroundings and do what you need to do to advance your position. Just going out and taking a few tests isn’t going to cut it man. Wish it was that easy but it’s not.
No and I understand exactly where you are coming. I mean I work in small shop with only 3 master techs there. There is a few old timers and for the rest are about in their 30’s. It is very hard to advance there as because the shop is small for one and also because they only way to advance is to wait on someone to leave or retire.
Personally me, I am very green as it is. Never had prior experience working in a shop till recently and I have picked up the idea of how the system works. I did go to school, but I felt that it was not enough to help be prepared to work in a shop. I know the best way to learn a job is to just do it and see how you performed. I tend to sort of hesitate and back away from something I cannot do or never done. If I am going to make the effort to do it knowing I never did it, I am constantly asking others for help and asking them questions to be sure I am doing it right.
I know shadowing the experience technicians is the best way to learn but I try to avoid bothering the technicians to help or ask if I can be taught. On top of that I am can be patient to learn and move up. I am more focused on getting what I need such as tools and certifications.
Yes I agree wrench time is everything, you cannot go any better than knowing how to repair things.
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