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your are right on the money dude…all I see is complaining on here and no other options, I plan on becoming a tech and working in a mom and pop shop and flipping cars, all I see is negative post about dealerships, which is not very motivating. I like your post!!!
[quote=”jeepguy45″ post=37471]your are right on the money dude…all I see is complaining on here and no other options, I plan on becoming a tech and working in a mom and pop shop and flipping cars, all I see is negative post about dealerships, which is not very motivating. I like your post!!![/quote]
If I was you i’d become a diesel tech working on big 18 wheels & construction equipment thats were the money is now in being a technician, because people who own industrial equipment (CAT Equipment, 18 Wheelers that carry cargo, Construction Equipment) make a living with these items and need them to be fixed ASAP and they normally don’t skip on on any services and say “I’ll just do it next time”. Wether they transfer 1 Million dollars worth of cargo in the 18 wheeler or are working to build the next big million dollar apartment complex.
But as you said flipping cars can be very profitable I did very well doing that this summer. But sadly enough I don’t have a garage for winter so that had to come to a stop.
About tool’s don’t get stuck up like other technicians about only buying Truck Brand tools (snap-on, mac, matco, cornwell ect). Start off with craftsman, armstrong & gearwrench all 3 are great tool brands and I use my tool daily. If you feel like they don’t meet your standards then upgrade to the tool brands. Don’t be one of those new tech’s which i cringe about they come into work the first week and by friday they have over 5k in debt from the tool truck and pay it off every week and at the end there left with a $50 dollar pay check.
I hope you take my advice into thought. I also wish you the best of luck with planning on becoming a technician this is a great forum and you will be able to learn a lot from Eric & other technicians that work in the field or have left there great knowledge here.
[quote=”entryleveltechh” post=37432]All us technicians know that are in the field or have recently left the field that this has become a harder career to stay in because of work hours and lessening pay. All I got to say is, there’s a reason why our tool boxes have wheels if you don’t like the dealership life try working at a “Mom & Pop” shop i’m sure you will be a lot happier with hourly pay & possibly more work because your servicing all makes and models (Even though most dealers service all makes and models now a days).
There are also many ways to bump up your pay or “keeping” more of you pay concerning buying tools. Stop buying from the tool truck and having an extra payment each week thats what eats up most technicians they buy over inflated tools. There are many great websites Amazon,ToolTopia,ToolWeb ect that can save a lot of money from rather buying the tools from the tool truck. I personally own a lot of Armstrong USA tools which are awesome (Also to say they have a contract with the military so they are outstanding tools). Also more great tools Gearwrench are awesome.
I’m tired of hearing technicians complain about the field (I used to be one of them) it’s not gonna change so if you don’t like it roll your tool box out the door or become proactive about it. Do side work, make your own youtube repair channel & add google adsense, start your own blog about being a technician and be an affilate marketer, become an automotive teacher and teach what you love, try out “Mom & Pop shop”, Buy & Sell used cars (Flipping Cars), Get into diesel repair, work as a automotive technician for government vehicles, start your own small business and sell automotive tools.
I hope no one takes my post as disrespect i’m not trying to be, but sitting here on this forum and complaining is not helping you in anyway.[/quote]
Your comment is spot on and speaks directly to my point EntryLevelTechh. There is more than one way to make a living in this industry so if you’re not happy find a way to be happy. Just because you’ve been dealt a crap hand doesn’t mean it’s like that for everyone. The industry won’t change until we change our attitudes, our outlook, and our approach to the problem. My goal is to at the very least get the conversation started so that we can work toward something positive instead of complaining about how much our paychecks suck because that’s not productive at all.
[quote=”EricTheCarGuy” post=37742][quote=”entryleveltechh” post=37432]All us technicians know that are in the field or have recently left the field that this has become a harder career to stay in because of work hours and lessening pay. All I got to say is, there’s a reason why our tool boxes have wheels if you don’t like the dealership life try working at a “Mom & Pop” shop i’m sure you will be a lot happier with hourly pay & possibly more work because your servicing all makes and models (Even though most dealers service all makes and models now a days).
There are also many ways to bump up your pay or “keeping” more of you pay concerning buying tools. Stop buying from the tool truck and having an extra payment each week thats what eats up most technicians they buy over inflated tools. There are many great websites Amazon,ToolTopia,ToolWeb ect that can save a lot of money from rather buying the tools from the tool truck. I personally own a lot of Armstrong USA tools which are awesome (Also to say they have a contract with the military so they are outstanding tools). Also more great tools Gearwrench are awesome.
I’m tired of hearing technicians complain about the field (I used to be one of them) it’s not gonna change so if you don’t like it roll your tool box out the door or become proactive about it. Do side work, make your own youtube repair channel & add google adsense, start your own blog about being a technician and be an affilate marketer, become an automotive teacher and teach what you love, try out “Mom & Pop shop”, Buy & Sell used cars (Flipping Cars), Get into diesel repair, work as a automotive technician for government vehicles, start your own small business and sell automotive tools.
I hope no one takes my post as disrespect i’m not trying to be, but sitting here on this forum and complaining is not helping you in anyway.[/quote]
Your comment is spot on and speaks directly to my point EntryLevelTechh. There is more than one way to make a living in this industry so if you’re not happy find a way to be happy. Just because you’ve been dealt a crap hand doesn’t mean it’s like that for everyone. The industry won’t change until we change our attitudes, our outlook, and our approach to the problem. My goal is to at the very least get the conversation started so that we can work toward something positive instead of complaining about how much our paychecks suck because that’s not productive at all.[/quote]
+1 Don’t forget too Service writers & parts guys make pretty good money and they get Heat & A/C lmao =-p
For if some one want to get in to the business I would tell them work for a company as a fleet mechanic
The advantage is NO flat rate NO politics Just steady hourly work with overtime I put in 18 years at DHL but there is companies like FedX, UPS. caterpillar and so on where I guarantee THATS were the money is today What I see in the near future is a mom and pop shop getting most of there work form small companies and repairing their fleet vehicles
in the last few years I have seen a few do just that and are working out nicelyTHe most money I have seen any technician make was AT airborne express there were some that easy pulled over 100.000 a year For a five day work week and that was 12 /15 years ago Today airborne is not around any more BUT I think you get what I am driving at
Dealerships is JUST way to stress full and just too much B/S In the last few years my family bought five new grand cherokees and I will tell you when it came for a warranty work after the first two times OF B/S
I said bag this I did and still do ALL the work needed myself WHY I was far easier for me to do a repair that to put up with all of the aggravation ( it just was not worth it)
Plus I knew it was done rightIn this topic:
“Let’s discuss how to fix the industry.”
“This is the problem, this is the solution.”
“Stop your whining, if the industry is so bad, then your tool box has wheels, leave the industry.”
Summary: Fix the industry by leaving it. Looks like I was right all along when telling people to stay away.
[quote=”SpawnedX” post=37781]In this topic:
“Let’s discuss how to fix the industry.”
“This is the problem, this is the solution.”
“Stop your whining, if the industry is so bad, then your tool box has wheels, leave the industry.”
Summary: Fix the industry by leaving it. Looks like I was right all along when telling people to stay away.[/quote]
Yep, pretty much. The industry is dying, its being over saturated with bad technicians and the good ones left are being under paid.
It WILL never change most good techs get burned out and walk away leaving the knuckle heads it their place
It been that way for years and I do not see
It changeling any time
So how to
Fix it big business will never change
Flat rate to me is the number One problem that I don’t see going away
it will be the same old thing 30 years form now Why bang your head against a wall
It will never changeWow..This is all very discouraging… I just registered for the automotive program at a local college. Someone tell me it’s at least better than 10-12 dollars an hour full time doing order picking in a warehouse (what i’ve been doing)… The warehouse job was only about $23,000 annual, I would have to make more than that in the auto industry right??
One day you will have an hourly rate higher than 10.00 to 12.00, but it will most likely be flat rate and then hopefully you get into a busy dealership, otherwise 17.00 an hour doesn’t mean much if you only see 25 hours flagged.
[quote]
Wow..This is all very discouraging… I just registered for the automotive program at a local college. Someone tell me it’s at least better than 10-12 dollars an hour full time doing order picking in a warehouse (what i’ve been doing)… The warehouse job was only about $23,000 annual, I would have to make more than that in the auto industry right??/quote]you might make more money BUT do not get your hopes up to high That warehouse job is a lot less aggravation
plus you dont not have a arm and a leg worth of tools in a warehouse job
every day I talk some one out of becoming a tech
two years ago a friend of mine and a very good tech got fred up and walked way The next thing I know he bough a try-axle dump truck and is making 900 a DAY just driving the truck At first I did believe it but he showed me the paper work.
Today he is very happy with his decision and would NEVER go back working at a dealershipI’ve thought about going back to working at Home Depot a number of times. Yeah, the schedule usually sucks, but the benefits are similar, even for part timers, and the wages are virtually identical. More if you factor in the lack of work on flat rate, or the extremely steep learning curve.
Don’t expect to make more than $12 per hour right out of the gate. That’s the typical rate for a lube tech/trainee. A rookie tech on flat rate would probably be around $16 per flagged hour, and around these parts, the top rate is $27 or $28 per flagged hour. That’s if you really know your stuff and are a great driveability tech. Expect to make $25 per flagged hour after ten years.
I’m sad to say it, but it’s not a good idea to get into this industry right now. Too many recent graduates of tech schools with starry-eyed dreams, too many old-timers fed up and leaving, and not enough support from the manufacturers or management.
However, if you love –truly love– fixing cars, and are willing to put up with the bullshit of warranty, inept service writers, and being accused of ripping people off by customers, it can be a fairly rewarding job. Nothing much else compares to figuring out a really hard problem and having it come out fixed.
Though personally, I’m looking into some sort of long-term secondary income, like rental property or something similar.
I won’t argue that it’s all a bed of roses because it’s not. The work can be hard and physically demanding at times and the pay can be all over the map especially when it comes to flat rate. If you want to get into this field now I would strongly recommend focusing on drivability and electrical. If you focus on these areas you will land a higher paying job and a better one at that. Lots of guys can hang parts but not too many can actually diagnose and repair emission and electrical systems. In short if you want it to be a profitable enterprise focus on what I mentioned. If that’s not for you and I know that work is not for everyone then try and find a shop where you can grow and learn. This may be difficult and to be honest it’s probably not going to be at a dealer but if you find the right place to work it can make all the difference in your career. If you end up at a dealer or some other place where you’re not happy then remember that your tool box has wheels for a reason and start looking elsewhere. If that’s not going to work then look into opening your own shop as you might do best that way.
My point is that you have options and choices. Loving to work on cars is one thing, working on them for a living is quite another. Keep that in mind if you decide to pursue a career in auto repair.
One last thing. I’ve done videos lately on diesel programs. In my mind this might be a good thing to consider if you’re looking to do well in the repair industry. There are more jobs and they tend to pay better.
It sounds like there is a lot of different directions I can go with the education I’ll be getting..I’m definately open to any area of this profession, where ever I can make the most money. So, correct me if I’m wrong, instead of getting a certificate and working at a local repair shop I can continue the education and focus on specializing in a particular area, and pretty much count on making more money.
I feel a little bit better about signing up for these classes, it doesn’t seem hopeless just a lot of work with school and tools and finding the right experience i guess.. I appreciate all of your opinions.
We talked about this quite a bit at the LA meet up last night. We agree that it’s defiantly worth looking into diesel repair and heavy equipment repair if you want to make the most money. Look for a job in fleet, the pay is good but the hours are long. Government jobs are sometimes good to get but hard to get into unless you’re a minority. We also agree that the dealership isn’t necessarily the best place to work but if you can get into a good independent shop you will make less but be happier with your work. SpawndX works at a dealership BTW. My dealership experiences weren’t all that great either if I’m honest and if I were to do it again I’d look for a good independent shop to work in. We also agree that as for the future of ETCG it might not be a bad idea to bring more customer awareness to what a technician has to go through to work in the auto repair field. Perhaps if the customer has a better understanding of what it is to work as a technician we can begin change some attitudes and perhaps even the industry as a whole. Perception is a powerful thing.
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