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VW is usually pretty good about supplying dealers with scan tools, special tools, etc. That battery tester is a dealership tool so you won’t have to buy one. When I worked Service Xpress at VW, they provided tools but I eventually bought my own.
I’d get some Torx and Hex sockets, as well as a 3/8 cordless impact and a cordless screwdriver for belly pans. If you have trouble with getting VW wheels back on the hub (they use lug bolts instead of nuts that thread onto a stud, there are alignment dowels that will help you put the wheel back up. Also, get yourself a test light and a set of oil filter sockets (Gearwrench and I think Lisle make a set of the ones you’ll need for the cartridge filters, and there is one for the 2.5 and 2.0TSI engines.
If your dealer has Service Xpress, then you’ll be working on a team with 2-3 other lube techs. Learn both sides of the process (I know, it sucks ass), but get used to it now. Whenever you guys have downtime, go shadow/assist a line tech, you’ll learn a lot more, but make sure when a car comes in for Xpress, that you’re back in your bay ready to get it done. Get familiar with ODIS (VW scan tool), as you’ll be doing a lot of flash updates if they choose to give them to the quick lube guys. A lot of the recalls that came in were able to be done by quick lube, so get familiar with those as well.
Make sure you get access to VWHub as well, there are video lessons and tests for Xpress that you can do, as well as some other learning resources.
Well, after this morning (took me 2 and a half hours to get to work, which is a 30 mile drive), my mind is made up. I’m going to start applying on Thursday to dealers that are within 10 miles from home (there are a BUNCH)
If you don’t mind driving a car with cosmetic issues, it could be a great winter (or any season) beater. Or you could fix the mechanical issues and flip it. These cars can run for a very long time if you take care of them so if you’re looking for an extra car or a project or something, I’d say jump on it.
The cordless impact definitely speeds everything up. The dealer provides the service xpress team with tools, but I’ll be picking one up soon. Are you working for VW itself or one of the other brands like Audi?
UPDATE:
I recently got a position at a Volkswagen dealer on the Service Xpress team. Not a bad job at all, though some of the engineering decisions that were made with these cars drive me up the wall. I definitely feel like I’m getting better at the job with each passing day. Hopefully I can move up from Service Xpress and start tackling jobs other than LOFs and tires soon, but I’m not really in a huge rush. As long as I learn my stuff and show some initiative, I know I’ll get moved up in a reasonable amount of time
I just got hired at a VW dealer in the Service Xpress team with -6 points (47 in a 25 was my violation). I was told that if I get another moving violation I’d most likely end up losing my job. A Toyota dealer I interviewed with told me the same thing. But whenever I’m asked about my record, I do stress that I have no accidents on my record.
If you don’t already have tools, one really good way to get the truck brands without paying those prices is to look at pawn shops. I’ve been able to find some good stuff for half the price or more. Same with Craigslist.
I don’t really see why they wouldn’t, especially if the shop does inspections in house. Just make sure you don’t get stopped on the way lol
I’m really hoping I don’t have a similar experience. I just enrolled in my community college’s auto tech program, and I don’t really know what to expect.
[quote=”CadyTechFL” post=139834][quote=”KeithLG” post=138840]So following up on a previous post, I decided to go ahead and enroll in my community college’s auto tech program. Right now I’m just trying to plan some things out as far as work goes. What in your opinions would be a good brand to work with at the beginning? The goal for the future is to get good enough to work on high end stuff (I was thinking maybe Teslas), or work at/start a performance shop. There have been openings at a couple Honda and Hyundai dealers, but I’ve seen a post on here sayingg Hyundai isn’t a good brand to work for, and Eric himself said working on Hondas will ruin you, lol[/quote]
Curious if you’ve made a decision? I would go for a higher end brand like Audi, Mercedes, Cadillac…. GM’s training is awesome. I find it easy to understand and learn how the different modules communicate and operate.[/quote]
I’m still waiting to hear back from the guy I interviewed with at Lexus, I also sent out a resume to a manager at a Honda dealer, waiting to hear from him as well. Right now, I’m just trying to get a job lol.
Had an interview with a Lexus dealership yesterday. I’m not sure if I’m going to be offered a position, but he told me to take a couple days to think about it and e-mail if I’m still interested. He said that I would start as an advanced maint. guy, so I’d work under a technician for a few weeks at $8/hr for training, then I would go flat rate. He also said he would work with my school schedule which is a huge plus in my book. If I’m offered the job, I’m most likely going to take it
[quote=”kevk62″ post=138959]i had chance to touch almost every pos under sun, work for vw, volvo, hyundai, kia, multi brand dealer(subaru,mb, smart, sprinter, bmw),mopar, gm
european brands are my favorite…but, training wise, volve and gm is one of better brands for that…hyundai and kia training is kind of vague, i was certified with them back in 2013 but, i left because of over warranty crap work with bs employer attitude…
indy shops are fine as long as you can learn proper way…not just hack way. anywhere you can obtain hack technique anyway.
good luck to you.keep learning[/quote]
That’s definitely something I’ve heard about Kia/Hyundai, the huge amount of warranty work.
[quote=”Fopeano” post=138897][quote=”KeithLG” post=138878]…the thing is that if I wanted to move on to a different brand after I finish school, I’d probably would have to start from the very bottom, which means starting from the bottom of the pay scale.[/quote]
Not true. The easiest way to get a raise in this business is to get a new job. Once you are competent and have a few years experience, new employers will normally match (and sometimes exceed) whatever wage you tell them you’ve been getting paid. I’ve never jumped to a different dealer without getting a raise in the process, and all but one time I was changing to a different brand.
Also keep in mind that Evos are the least lucrative Mitsubishis to work on. Nothing’s ever simple with them, the cars are usually modified, and customers bring in aftermarket parts of any quality to put on them. Think a clutch job that pays 10 hours, but then you get in there and have a aftermarket downpipe in the way that’s seized onto the turbo, then open the new clutch box and find out it’s a twin or triple plate setup. The customer never mentions this, is quoted a “stock” price, and nobody wants to hear about charging extra time to deal with such things.[/quote]
I’ll definitely be taking that into account. Thanks man.
[quote=”Fopeano” post=138849]I’ve always felt that the most important thing is to work for a brand whose products you respect. Few things in this business are worse than to “fix” something you believe was junk from conception and should never have made it off the drawing board.
To address you specific interests, I can say from experience that working for Mitsubishi has provided me with the next level of understanding transmissions and engine management. I used to work for Kia/Hyundai, and they are more of a “throw a unit in” attitude and the training reflects that. Mitsu wants you to take a automatic trans apart to change $3 wave spring that’s broken, or replace a loose piston if it’s their warranty dollar. They expect more than average out of their techs. I hear GM and others teach trans/engine stuff work, but I feel like Mitsu is frequently more complicated units that are built more precisely.[/quote]
In that case I wouldn’t work for Mitsu unless it was exclusively Evos lol, or most of the German brands.
[quote=”Pitt” post=138876][quote=”KeithLG” post=138840]So following up on a previous post, I decided to go ahead and enroll in my community college’s auto tech program. Right now I’m just trying to plan some things out as far as work goes. What in your opinions would be a good brand to work with at the beginning? The goal for the future is to get good enough to work on high end stuff (I was thinking maybe Teslas), or work at/start a performance shop. There have been openings at a couple Honda and Hyundai dealers, but I’ve seen a post on here sayingg Hyundai isn’t a good brand to work for, and Eric himself said working on Hondas will ruin you, lol[/quote]
I’ve also worked for Hyundai/Kia and they are trash. They literally took Honda, reverse engineered the cars and made their own version with far cheaper production and quality.
To be honest I would work for the company that offers you the most potential. Ford, Chevy, dodge, Toyota, Nissan all have suv’sm, full size trucks, mini vans and high end versions. Other than dodge.[/quote]
I was thinking going with Nissan, then maybe moving up to Infiniti down the line, it seems like the natural progression, and I guess if you know Nissan then you know Infiniti. Also the school has GM ASEP, so that’s an option as well. I was thinking about applying for this Hyundai opening though, just to have a job while I’m in school (the program actually requires holding a job in the industry), but the thing is that if I wanted to move on to a different brand after I finish school, I’d probably would have to start from the very bottom, which means starting from the bottom of the pay scale.