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There are some trends in the industry that have tilted the supply/demand balance against technicians and shops.
1) As Eric points out, there is a lot more warranty work and a lot less service work. The reason for this is, to a large extent these two things are opposite sides of the same coin. If 7 year, 100k, bumper-to-bumper warranties are the norm, and they seem to be, then that is 7 byears and 100k miles of service work out the window. Warranty work is allotted fewer billable hours, hence the technician spending more time on warrany work sees his paycheck go down.
2) The internet. The internet has educated millions of car owners that there are many things beyond the basic oil change that the owner can do for himself. An owner can spend $750 at a shop getting a radiator replaced, or he can spend an hour on the internet, at places like ETCG.com, and learn to do it by himself. He can then buy a $250.00 radiator and spend a couple hours in my garage replacing it himself.
The impact here goes beyond saving the $500.00 savings. The fact that a DIYer, say, successfully replaces his radiator makes him realize there are a lot of other things he can do on his own car. No more $500 brake jobs, he can do his own, using a myriad of quality internet resources, often for a little over $100. Ball joints? The most a DIYer has to have a shop do now is maybe press the old ball joints out of the knuckle and press new ones in. The rest an average DIYer can do himself. Then of course he does need the shop to do the alignment.
The point here is the internet has really changed the landscape of car repair. There are millions of billable hours now being done by DIYers at home.
With these two megatrends in mind, what is the shop owner or technician to do?
First, I belileve he has to think of himself more fo a consultant to the large and increasing segment of the marketplace that does their own car repair. AS a DIYer, I started out 30 years ago just doing oil changes, then progressed all the way to swapping out motors and transmissions. But I still need my independent mechanic and his shop. There are some things I can’t do, like alignments, and some things I just don’t want to do (like most exhaust work), compressing strut springs, pressing ball joints, etc. I am also thankful that my mechanic is willing to sit down with me and give me advice on my own projects, something I am glad to pay him his hourly rate for. 15 minutes of his advice, or even paying his rate plus travel to come out to my place to help me get un-stuck on a project is well worth it to me, and to him. Then there are times when I am in a time crunch and I hire him to do projects here and there that I could do but don’t have time to do. Many technicians don’t like to work with people like us, but the problem with that posture is we DIYers are here to stay, and we are a large segment of the marketplace. We look to you shops and technicians to be more of a partner on our efforts, and we will gladly pay you your rate for doing the things that we can’t do but you can.
Also, with respect to the internet, I think that shop owners and technicians should consider using the web to become more transparent to their customer. Maybe it makes sense to make videos and digital pictures of the diagnosis of the customer’s mechanical problem that they bring their car into the shop for; and top provide those videos to the customer to help them decide whether to accept or decline the work.
I really think the internet can be used to make the technician/customer relationship a more interactive one; one in which trust can develop better and faster.
One thing passes and another takes its place. What do you tell the pony express rider when the railroad comes along?
But look at your own story…you adapted beautifully. When the dealership gig went away you invested in a video camera and created something that never existed before. You can keep reinventing that paradigm…”ErictheCarGuy learns how to service electric cars and takes his viewers on the journey”…kinda like the guy on Dirty Jobs, who doesn’t actually know the jobs but learns them and explores them, sharing the knowledge.
Those 90s model Hondas will pass away, but because of the economy, they’re probably going to have to be kept on the road quite a bit longer than expected. That allows room and opportunity for old school knowledge to flourish. Ever wonder why maybe your ‘do it yourself’ videos are so popular?
Of course the Jetsons flying cars are coming and what’s that going to mean? Hhmm, tough call. The shade tree mechanic with probably get broken up into levels of sophistication. Technology usually makes things easier. The computer will probably eventually tell the tech. every move to make (or the robot) and all he does is replace components. It will probably become more and more specialized. Computer guys, battery guys, solar power guys, ..who knows? The key is to be able to adapt, because guaranteed, things are always going to change…thats just Darwinian. But when they change doors open that never existed before.Well as someone who has passed all his classes a my college automotive education and with A1 A4 & A6 certification test I walk into some places and ask about entry level technician positions sometimes I get turned away without showing my resume and sometimes I get people asking me about my toolbox (after showing resume) and I can show pictures of what I have. I know that when I start its gonna be hard and my family knows that too. The teachers that have taught me that when I get out there in the real world that I’m not here to put on custom turbos and NOS. I’m here for general maintenance and problem solving with electrical and electronics. I went to a four year college and got a degree in Theatre Production in sound design thinking I’m going to work in theatre production and not looking back. After sending resumes and realizing that I was a dime a dozen my girlfriend said that maybe at this economical climate I should look into automotive since I was looking at car mags and working on my own car. My parents saw this as well and supported me which I was thankful for. Now since I am done with school I’m hitting the gound running with looking for a job. A lot of places say that its slow but that doesn’t faze me. I look in my home town and my girlfriend now fiance and don’t look back. As I study for more ASE cert. tests I help family with what I’m certified in like suspension for my brother and electrial with my moms Honda battery not lossing a cell from just sitting around in her Fit not being driven because she is disabled and if I’m not taking her to an appointment then the car just sits. Sorry run on for sentances). If anyone wants to see my resume I have attached it Minus contact info for privacy purposes
Since I failed at math at senior year on high school, I wanted to get the same degree (here in Portugal a professional degree of a certain level is equivalent to high school and I can go to college) while learning auto mechanics. I figured what the heck, I will learn something that I love and then I can work on my cars with confidence and save a lot of money!
I signed me up, been there for 6 months, then left… why? For starters, only 2 of my 6 teachers knew their stuff. I teached the other ones sometimes (always been curious on how a car works, so I already knew a big deal of theory before going there). Second, almost all of my colleages were far more interested in getting high and disrupting classes and arguing with the teachers than learning something. And third, there are no jobs in Portugal nor there will be in some years… even if I got a job as a mechanic I would earn about the same amout of money as working on a supermarket, not much of a life prospect… so I went back to high school and I’m currently repeating math, along with a few other subjects!
I’m confident that I made the right decision. I just wasn’t happy with the degree and with my life prospects if I went through with it! Now I’m stuydying hard to get into college and someday go live somewhere else… because in Portugal for a few years there will be no future… 🙁
I’m sorry if this is a little off-topic, but I just wanted to share my experience! 🙂
Take care everyone!
PS: Eric, is that an Integra GSR? :cheer:
As a former radio engineer I can tell you one of the things that worked well for us: service contracts. Get 100 good customers, give them perks maybe like drop off and delivery service while they work, and they’ll stay loyal.
I know my opinion is not popular with Eric. However, I have to say it.
What do I say to the people who want to get into this industry? Don’t. Turn back, find something else for a career.
Yes, I agree, more and more old timers are getting out of it, and it is leading to a void in good technicians. Well this void is needed. Dealerships need to stop looking at the service department as a money maker and start looking at it as a business expense. You need us there to fix the warranty cars, and as such, you should pay us hourly. Flat rate has to go. It’s a broken system in this day and age.
Until the newbies stop taking crap flat rate wages and deal with 15-30 hour paychecks for 50+ hours of their time, nothing will change.
Why should us good techs stay? We have families to provide for and flat rate isn’t doing it and the dealership doesn’t care, because to them, they have a limitless supply of people willing to beg them for a job that pays crap. The only way they will be forced to change and take care of their techs, to keep the good ones, is to make sure we have a consistent and fair check every week.
[quote=”SpawnedX” post=37025]I know my opinion is not popular with Eric. However, I have to say it.
What do I say to the people who want to get into this industry? Don’t. Turn back, find something else for a career.[/quote]
I’d agree with this piece. Much as Eric might wish to hurl things at me, and there are many factors into the mixture as many have already stated, but this site on it’s own does reflect a few of them.
In addition to those, the list of beaters and cars that need major work in many cases continues to shrink due to government programs(cash for clunkers), and the metal combined with take-off parts being worth more than the car in most cases. Many tend to go in the same vein as current electronics, anything major breaks down, buy another. While I don’t see vehicle repair going the way of the dinosaur completely like TV repair shops, or electronics repair shops in general (which I was actually doing part-time in my youth 20yrs ago), it looks like it will get to be damn close. I don’t see the majority that would wish to get into it making any really good living at it.
Well in my opinion of the cars in the making will be more computer detailed.Like many cars with locks on tires so thieves cant steal,so will parts and computers on newer cars have locks to prevent DIYers from taking money from dealerships.Including special made parts banned from reproduction for it will have patents pending.The DIYers will always be around.So will the dealerships and have the upper hand,sadly the techs working for them will suffer.
I have heard of a obd3 interface in the making,and a full lock-out to all without the password,same as the radio on newer hondas.Sadly I dont believe there is a happy medium.Funny to think of a technician strike nation wide because of all the Diyers out there…..heh i can dream right!!!…keep those videos coming eric!power to the people!!!B)
To me the video says if you want to get into the field you should not only go to school but also get as much experience as possible with new AND old stuff. I’d LOVE to work on cars for a living, if it weren’t for having creditably of some sort I’d probably be doing it as I’ve worked on my own and my family’s cars ever since I could turn a wrench. But then again it’s the backing that’s killing me. Round here least if you want to be a mechanic you pretty much have to have ASC certification AND a little experience, or at least in school for it.
I had a look on your flat rate video and I was pretty shocked about this group flat rate system…. unavoidable that there will be trouble inside the group because someone will always be disadvantaged.
I could only tell for the e-Drive industry, which I believe the trend will go straight upwards… on those parts of the vehicle no repair technician will put his hands under the housing cover… in other words these parts will be big replacement parts…. if there is a HW issue
i just got in the business and there’s alot of stuff i agree with Eric ….we need better tech but also we need to get treated better even the sale department people get treated better than us …basically the automotive business has become a retail business doing deal with the customer $20 dollar oil change that barley even pay for the oil
Hi Eric….I have a question I am trying to decide on a school for automotive I was planning on going to http://www.MTTI.edu for auto I was wondering what your thoughts are on this school. I was computer science major at the community college but I am not very book smart and wanted a hands on jobs, I have a mechanical mind and have always been good at taking stuff apart, I have been into car since I was 8 years old. Eric I don’t want go 80,000 in debt in a tech school like http://www.neit.edu. I have some basic skill working on my own car but would like to work on every car, I am looking to get my foot in the door as I just bought $4000.00 in tools. what can I expect ones I complete my training for a job, I would like to make 10-16 hourly pay no flat rate I will only work hourly pay. I am looking to make money, but as your video said its all warranty so there’s no money. I want get my foot in the door at a jeep dealership and start my own shop down the road. I just want know what I can expect ones i get into this field.
I went to MTTI. You will get your basic automotive education, nothing more nothing less. They will teach you theory, you will do skills tests and you will need to bring in your own cars during shop time to do work. I don’t want to badmouth the program, because it is decent for someone who is just starting out, but you will not come out of it as a prepared technician. They are preparing you for lube tech jobs and you can be a lube tech without it.
That being said, good luck finding hourly pay. The hourly pay you get will be $8.00 to 10.00 hourly to change oil. Dealerships don’t really do hourly in New England for techs, it’s flat rate or bust.
Buying tools before you finished school and got into a job was a bad idea. Return them if you can. Do not start off behind the 8 ball.
what do you mean bring my own cars to learn repairs??? lube tech??? I want to fix cars not drain oil all day. should I go to NET instead, I want work at a jeep dealership.
I mean they don’t provide cars for you to work on in the shop. NET follows the same useless logic of UTI, they have the part already out of the car when they teach you how to service it, and I am going to be bluntly honest, that’s stupid.
It doesn’t matter where you go to school, it exists to teach you theory and when you get done you are still starting with oil changes. I didn’t go to NET but I work with kids who did, and like MTTI, the kids from NET are not fully prepared for this industry.
What I am basically telling you, is if you want to work on cars, you are going to start with oil changes and hourly tech positions at a dealership are rare at best.
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