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[quote=”1979volvo244″ post=133203]So I was having a conversation with my coworker on Thursday and the topic of school came up. I mentioned I get financial aid for school and my coworker went off on me calling me a “system sucking lowlife” among other things. I had only been at this shop a month. The next day he continues by saying “I can’t believe you had the nerve to f&&$$ even show up today, your a piece of s$&@ and don’t deserve this job” I went and told the boss what was going on and two hours later I got fired. Just earlier that day my boss was giving me a pat on the back saying how good I was doing. He took the side of my coworker to make him happy because he’s been at this shop for 18 years
This is such bs!! I’m so lucky my snap on guy was willing to take back the tool cart and another Item I got on my truck account. I’m also glad I put my payment to soc at 16$ a week.. Otherwise I’d be screwed. I still owe 2500$ on my principle.
I think I’m done with this career.. It’s impossible to find a reputable shop that A: is willing to be fair to all employees B: a shop where there isn’t some 40 year veteran making the new guy feel like a dumbass all the time and C: to take the time to allow a new employee get in the groove of things.
This really sucks… I spent years in school for this and spent thousands on tools, took my ASE’s and even bled for it!!! I just don’t have the experience of a 40 year vet so shops look at me like there’s 10 more like you lined up at the door.[/quote]
I feel sorry for you man, I’ve never been fired but due to my previous trade there were times where I spent months without any work. It’s a debilitating feeling. For you though there is hope — you have the tools, you have the qualifications, I’m confident that you can, and you will find work in another shop to work in. There is an old saying even a newbie like me knows “our boxes have wheels for a reason”. I’ve known technicians who have found themselves in the same situation as you only to be rehired in a week or two, including the infamous individual at my work that has been fired and rehired a grand total of three times!That being said, this field definitely isn’t for everybody, even I as a lowly lube tech know that. Politics always play a huge role in the way most shops operate — though politics DO play a role in almost every job you work. You have to decide whether or not its right for you. As you said though, you already have a lot of money, and certainly time invested in auto repair. Just know that riding the new guy always seems to happen with any skilled tradesman I’ve worked with when I was a painter. It was really a right of passage to get your balls busted.
But yeah, politics do seem to play a bigger part in this job than most. I think a good rule of thumb is to mind your own business, and get a good feel for the people that you work with before you start talking much. I know I tried to see who the managers favorites were, and I tried to find out if there was anybody related to the manager, or business owner when I first started. I tried to find out their likes, and dislikes, I tried to make note of what these individuals disliked, liked, etc. I have a notebook where I kept all of this information and I studied it. Messing with the wrong person, no matter who they are can have sad consequences, nepotism is alive and well in this industry.
Somebody that I worked with did not pay attention to the shop dynamics, and I’m expecting him to be canned in the near future. The manager is having him do meager work. He hardly works in the shop, and his hours have been cut dramatically. This all happened because he got in an altercation with one of the shop owners favorite employees (though to be fair my coworker was totally at fault).
Basically what I’m trying to say is that playing politics sucks, and it definitely is not something everyone can put up with, certainly not for YEARS. I would give it another try as you have the tools, and certifications and the time invested. It may be something that you can thrive in, and some people do. Good luck you Volvo, sorry for my ranting.
[quote=”andrewbutton442″ post=132842]Alot of us don’t have escape plans. In my case, no time or money for big changes. Do I Ever plan to retire… not an option. Here is my escape plan, one day I will be working, and just fall over from a heart attack. Then I will have escaped. Not as glamorous and going from a Tire buster to a travel agent, but I am talking real world here. You know, I don’t know if its just sons and daughter of CEOs living in Aspen that decide one day to quit their job and travel to Europe for a year before going home and starting some business with their extra capital or whatever, but others of us are to busy paying bills and surviving to have a plan B so we give up our health, or our Knuckles, or knees, because we have to. Not everybody has a rich uncle or super talent to move forward with. It is very, very hard for somebody who has been successful to understand that others of us don’t have the ability to do anything but we can do and we have to use our bodies up to keep our kids fed or a roof over our head.[/quote]
I really understand your plight, my father has worked years to support us, some years it was hard just to get by — he was the sole provider for a family of 5. I’ve spent years working for him and I understand that he, as well as you, I am sure have given everything to support himself, and provide for all of his family’s needs.When I say escape plan I’m not talking about retirement or some grandeur business plan. My thoughts are using our skills as leverage to enter a new job arena that perhaps is easier on our old aching bodies. I know, and I am sure you know that those that have mastered the art of diagnosing, and fixing modern cars are no idiots. Us technicians may be seen as unintelligent, grease monkeys, rip off artist, and other nasty things to some, but most people have no idea what we actually do, and the skill and the investment that is required to do it.
I want to say one last thing Andrew, I really respect the hell out of you.
[quote=”Bluesnut” post=132797]Having never been involved as a BMW dealer mechanic I can’t speak with any authority about BMW procedures and programs.
However, I recently read of a tech who received an employment inquiry from a BMW dealer. The resume had been submitted over 10 years ago. If they’re resorting to dredging up decade old paper then someone really has to wonder why.[/quote]
I haven’t seen a lot of people that really know how to work on newer German cars… They’re complex machines that seem like they would be a nightmare to work with. I also haven’t seen many people in the dealership that know how to deal with the complex electronics in today’s vehicles. Most of us are either change oil, or are glorified parts hangers (myself included). It’s no wonder that they are digging deep to find technicians.[quote=”evand” post=132423]Hi Eric
I am a great fan of you, I am an Automobile freak- I always wanted to work on cars- open up my own garage.
I always and even now dreaming of using high end tools to fix cars/high performance cars.
Eric what is your opinion about Manufacturer Training Programs in USA.
Please tell me about BMW STEP program. Is it worth studying these courses. Please suggest.[/quote]
Which school is the STEP program through? If its through UTI I might reconsider, it’s expensive, and you can get similar training from other programs. I may be biased though, I’ve never gone to UTI, but I know at the dealership I work at there is a guy that graduated from UTI. Right now he is, and he has been there for one year and he still is the same position as me, a newcomer. He wishes he had never gone to UTI, and he’s in a lot of debt. Right now we’re just oil changers that do oil changes, and other small maintenance items.That being said I don’t know which program he went through at UTI. The moral of this story is: You get out of trade school what you put into it. That is the same for ALL automotive programs you may find. If you float through school, and just do enough to get that piece of paper you will not get very much out of ANY of the programs you go to.
I will say this though: If you want to learn about a specific manufacturer the factory training programs are the way to go. I’m currently enrolled in Toyota’s program myself, but realize that you won’t “know” how to work on cars even when you get out. There will be a lot more to learn once you get into the field. Trade schools just provide base knowledge. There will be a lot more to learn my friend once you start working.
[quote=”andrewbutton442″ post=131815]My thoughts are this. If you want a better handling car, buy one already set up from a manufacturer that way. Modifications always have a downside and generally ruin the value of almost any car they end up on. Back in the 70s and 80s we modified cars because we had to, everything from the manufacturers was slow and drove like junk. That is not the case now you can buy a great handling car with as much hp as you can handle.. Unless you and your after market parts manufacturer have done as much research and development as the factory has, then you are never going to get factory reliability. I will use my neighbor as an example. He has an acura integra of some year, its got aftermarker this and the other thing. Its quite obviously in a terrible state of tune, but does have a big muffler. From the sound of his motor, I have no doubt in my mind that my 100 percent stock Civic D1500 would beat him in a race. People modding that Acura car made it worse than factory, which is more often the case with aftermarket crap.[/quote]
Did your neighbor actually do anything to his car other than lower it and put on a fart can from autozone? The thing is most people don’t understand that modifying vehicles is a feat of engineering. For example, you turbo charge your car? You better have a really good intercooler, an engine with forged internals (depending on boost and the engine) and you better have a GREAT tune in your car. On the newer cars a good TUNE is everything, and very expensive. My experience with modifications is they can be done well and be reliable (even major things), but they can also be done horribly. I tend to see the later rather than the former, and the former is VERY expensive.[quote=”DaFirnz” post=132506][quote=”andrewbutton442″ post=132498]Cars with start buttons I dislike.[/quote]
The whole GM ignition switch debacle has pretty much killed the key in the ignition switch I figure.
Of course it’s ridiculous to suggest that people don’t drive around with 10 pounds of key chain hanging off their ignition key.
The Prius and other hybrid cars are what they are. Basic transportation that’s intended to get better gas mileage. The people buying them aren’t the types of people who really give a crap about their car, other than that it works.
As far as servicing hybrid vehicles, beyond regular maintenance. Owners should be prepared for a little extra tug at their wallet when the inevitable failure occurs.[/quote]
Oh yeah… For some reason the master cylinder on a Toyota Prius failed at 60,000 miles and for some reason WAS NOT covered by warranty. It cost the customer 3,000 dollars to get the repair done, which I believe was because of the regenerative brake system. Head light goes out on a new Prius? Lolz that is going to cost you around 500 dollars just for a freaking headlight bulb. I think that is the Prius with the HID.[quote=”Chevyman21″ post=132473]That’s one car I would never touch, nor sit in. If a girl has a Prius(not common round here), that would be a dealbreaker. If I got offered one for free, I’d take it and sell it and buy a second truck. Even enviorimentallywise, they are a lie. Manufacturing one will pollute more than a Hummer will in it’s lifetime. Getting the metals for the battery also harm the environment AND Hondas from the 90s got better mileage than the Prius. All in all, it can’t do anything right, other than being a nuisance. Most car guys have strong feelings against the Prius for good reason.[/quote]
You would love my job! I have to touch and drive a Prius every day and it makes me very sad 🙁I see a lot of Prius’s being repaired at the Toyota Dealership I work at. I’ve never personally worked on one, aside from doing inspections, and basic oil changes, but they seem to be the most common car I see getting repaired at my particular dealership. These, however are all newer Prius’s, also their repair bills see, extraordinarily high. Parts prices on these things make me cringe.
That being said I’ve seen a few older Prius’s come in with around 200,000+ miles that worked just fine.
[quote=”Rhynorock” post=131580]The garages usually aren’t the problem, it’s the backyard knucklehead that makes this job so miserable. Almost every single day, there’s some rotten schmuck who doesn’t know a lug nut from his rectum, trying to have me fired and harassing our district manager to get something for free. I wish everyone saw it the way you do, bro. It’s no longer about the people and the art of good wrenchwork, it’s customer service for the almighty dollar. Somehow along the trail, american big businesses deemed it a good idea to allow the public to act like spoiled little kids and throw tantrums at their employees, and telling us to “see the big picture, or be fired”.
I should start a “parts store horror stories” or “life behind the parts counter” thread.[/quote]
I know all about this craze as well… I’ve done retail several times in my life and I’ve seen it all. Customers have found out that if they complain enough they can get things for free or get things heavily discounted. Granted there are some situations where they have a reason to complain, however most of the time it is some guy trying to get something for free, and he does this by yelling at you for 20 or more minutes until the manager is available. The manager comes out, gets yelled at, apologizes and then gives the complainer something for free.At one of my retail jobs we had to sell extended warranties, they last only 1 year. We were required to tell the customer about the length of the warranty, and we even hand out a giant brochure that tells you everything it covers, and for how long you have the warranty. That brochure also has the length of the warranty right on front, and the receipt physically tells you that you bought a warranty and that it lasts one year. So there is no reason why you SHOULDN’T know that you warranty lasts one year.
A customer comes in with a broken set of 100 dollar headphones, and he says he wants to use his warranty. Well.. I look it up and he bought those headphones THREE YEARS AGO. I tell him his warranty has expired, and he starts going ballistic. He goes on a rant about how he was never told that the warranty lasted only 1 year, I was told that it lasted forever and that we’re a deceptive, and manipulative company, he also told me that I was being faceless for saying that my hands are tied. I was yelled at for what must have been 1 hour until my manager came back in. It turns out that we didn’t carry that particular headphone anymore, so my manager ended up giving him a more expensive set free, just because he was throwing a fit.
I’ve got way more stories like this, but I assume this is what you get practically every day, probably even worse. My company gave away so many free services, and products just because we got angry customers that were trying to get free stuff. I don’t know how companies stay open when they reward people for this kind of behavior. Being a manager you really have it the worst with customer rage.
[quote=”Rhynorock” post=131567]^^^+1
Hit the nail right on the head, man.
Just today, a “regular” customer blew up at me because he received the wrong parts from a very new co-worker, for what he says “the last time” (although I don’t recall this prick ever stepping foot in the store). But he was the unfortunate victim of dealing with a counter person who had been on the job for a single day when buying his parts. The sale must have happened during my day off, but the customer brought his receipt for the return, so I could get info from the transaction number and the employee number who conducted the sale, and sure enough, the kid who sold him his parts was on his very first day working at my store, coinciding with the date of the transaction, The kid apparently wasn’t aware that a late 80’s C/30 rear shocks differ between single cab to crew cab. It also didn’t help that only one part number was actually on the shelf, so he sold the guy what was in stock, not realizing the difference, despite being right in front of his face on the computer screen in plain english.
Auto manufacturers create far too many differences and subtle details to train for everything (ahem FORD), the only thing alleviating that is extensive experience. And going back to what Radish was speaking about, unless you get lucky and get promoted, being a parts guy is a dead end, low paying job, normally not worthy of putting forth effort to keep. Honestly, if I hadn’t gotten lucky to be promoted, I’d have left months ago.[/quote]
Let me tell you man, a good parts guy is worth his weight in gold. I understand this because I have to deal with them every day at the dealership I work at. These guys I work with are good, I’ve only seen them get a technician one wrong part and that was because somebody messed with their storage system. They understand which part each vehicle uses, and if they don’t have the part in stock they know where to get one. These guys have been doing it for years, and I’m very impressed with how they just know which each car uses, and most of the time they are right.I understand that it is a hard field, especially when you’re dealing with almost every common place car make, and with cars that are 20-30 years old, sometimes older. Today all of the experienced parts guys have been replaced by minimum wage workers that are most likely just out of high school. They don’t have the skill, nor the experience needed nor do they stay long enough in these shops to pick up the trade.
Personally I think you’ve got it pretty hard man. You have to deal with the company cheaping out on coworkers, and dealing with their inexperience with anything car related, and lack of training. Naturally this means pissed of customers, you probably get all of their ire. But… Keep it up man, we need good parts people out there. Our industry would not function without you guys.
[quote=”andrewbutton442″ post=126029]Ok, so its icy and slick here, typically crappy weather for this time of year, so I don’t have the ability of go across town to the race shop I usually go to, so I thought I would stop by the local autoparts chain to get, are you ready for this super complex part. A distributor recurve kit for a Gm distributor…like an 8 dollar common part. Mr Gasket makes it, probably others too. same part fits any chevy from 1957 to 1974. Anyway, not one, but two different stores gave me the deer in the headlights look when asking for this. They were clueless, plain and simple. One of them even tried to google on his phone, still couldn’t find it. I looked up the part number a few minutes ago and its a Mr Gasket 926G. Ok not rocket science here. and so one of these stores (one with 3 guys on the sign) actually pitched me their performance line about a week ago and said we can price match. The have chrome plastic skulls, Hello Kitty seat covers,fart cans for Slowyotas and all sorts of other garbage, but no springs and weights for a Chevy distributor. WTF moment there. I have to ask this question, does that seem like such and obscure part ? Its not like its a crankshaft for a 1933 Rolls Royce or something. Next time I might just ask for a distributor cap for a 1960 Facel Vega if they want obscure. Even that crosses over to something really common, but they wouldn’t know it. Has anybody else had this experience with older parts ?[/quote]
I can tell you what is going on with them. I worked for an electronics supplier for awhile, our whole purpose was to supply tools, components, and such to DIYers, curious shopers and even professionals. When I was hired to this specific store I knew nothing about electronics — in fact back then (many years ago) I didn’t even know what a transistor was, or even did. For my coworkers it was the exact same thing, none of us knew anything about the product we were selling.We were all paid minimum wage, and we all had specific products that we had to try and push on customers. We all had quotas that we had to meet for those products that the business wanted us to push. Most of our training was centered around those items that the business wanted to sell the most of, and of course these items are not what most customers were looking for when they visited our store. Training lasted only a couple of days before they threw me onto the floor, and of course me and my coworkers were not able to provide anything resembling good customer service. I had to look everything up on the computer, and our data base didn’t always cover everything.
It was easily the worst job I’ve ever had. None of us knew anything, and we even had a hard time finding specific parts for customers when they requested it. We were reliant upon a flawed data base, and aside from that data base we couldn’t help you with anything. Whenever I have gone into auto parts stores around my area I have always gotten the distinct feeling that they were ran in the same fashion as the electronics store I worked at.
The people that work at these stores near me are nothing more than mere warm bodies, just like I was with maybe one or two guys that are actually competent parts guys that actually have a working knowledge of vehicles. Most of the workers seem to be teenagers or college kids that really don’t much training nor do they know much of anything about automobiles. Heck, not to long ago I was looking for a distributor for my fathers old Toyota Celica from the early 90s, and the gentleman that was helping me was not sure what a distributor even was. He thought I was asking for a tool… I went into another local auto parts store, because I needed a tread depth gauge. I asked the employee if they had one, and he said “let me see”. He spent 20 minutes in the back where they keep the parts, and he came back out again and asked me “what part are you looking for again? I can’t find it.”. I had to tell him “I’m looking for a tool, not a part”. Poor kid looked like he wanted to die when I said that.
The issue here is when you pay your employees minimum wage and don’t give them proper training, this is what you end up with. I was one of these kids once at the electronics store. I was that random high school kid at the counter that was ignorant to the particular object I was selling. This is what I believe is happening to the parts guys er… sales clerks at these stores. They’re trying to keep the store running, for the smallest amount of money possible…. What usually happens in this scenario is customer service takes a huge hit. That is what is happening at the parts store.
Now.. if you really want some terrible customer service — try dealing with Verizon, Sprint or AT and T… :silly:
[quote=”andrewbutton442″ post=131287]Its absoultely sucks to find a decent CRX or bubble these days. Most are thrashed, and the last civic worth owning was 15 model years ago. Neat cars, rare now.[/quote]
I’m glad somebody else shares my irrational love for CRX’s. Most of them definitely have been ruined by the “JDM” craze. A CRX SI that has been unmolested is very hard to find. I’ve found a few and I’ve been very tempted to buy unmolested ones when I’ve saw them.[quote=”Pitt” post=131232][quote=”Pithy Radish” post=131206][quote=”andrewbutton442″ post=131205]when you say electronics, how much knowledge do you mean ? Are you talking about somebody that cannot find a short, or somebody than talk in depth about microfarads and transisor function ?[/quote]
Most of the guys at my shop have a hard time diagnosing simple electronic problems. This particular guy can talk in depth about anything related to electronics, and explain how they work and WHY they work. He’s also very adept at chasing down complicated electrical problems that nobody else in the shop can figure out. He also has a lot of money invested in diagnostic equipment. He could pretty much do most of what scannerdanner does. He is generally the guy who gets automobiles when nobody can figure out what the hell is going on with them.It’s just that he doesn’t care about anything at work. If the store is slow he’ll pull in his own car and work on it, if the shop gets busy and there are waiters, he’ll ignore them and continue working on his own car. He does whatever he feels like and only takes on specific jobs, that is why he keeps getting fired. The dealership has tried to get rid of him, but they haven’t been able to replace his skillset.[/quote]
Has your shop looked into hiring a “field service tech”? Basically the same thing you described but comes in when needed and go other shops that need him for their electrical issues. Kind of a electronics booty call guy.[/quote]
Never seen my shop even entertain hiring a field service tech for difficult problems. They normally just lean on this guy or the other techs that are good at diagnosing electrical problems, though this guy is easily the best in the shop. They even schedule it so at least one of these guys are in the shop each day. They understand that only a few people can do what they do, and it makes them uncomfortable. In my opinion they might have to start hiring a field tech, especially since at least one of those guys want out.I would go with the Honda CRX. Engine swaps are relatively easy, you can throw the car around corners at insane speeds and due to its weight you don’t need much horsepower to have an insane amount of fun. It’s an economical car to own, and a blast to drive even in its stock configuration.
[quote=”Pitt” post=129780]I went with Acura. They had way more work, and seemed to have more structure. I spent one day at the Chrysler dealership as an apprentice under the shop foreman. He told me they have plenty of Dodge training they can send me to, but they don’t see much business. Very little actually. Even when other shops are ramping up for the busy season of tax returns and summer time.
I’ll keep everyone updated. Everyone keeps talking about making me a line tech as quick as possible. Makes me nervous honestly.[/quote]
Congratulations Pitt, I’ve heard Acura is a good car brand to work for. I understand what you mean about being nervous about being made into a line tech early on. My dealership is trying to push me there as well. If I were you I would try to negotiate into being a line tech at an hourly rate first if you can. The new line techs at my work really depress me… One guy just finished tech school and turns 3 hour jobs into 9 hour jobs. He just does not have the correct tools, or the experience to beat the system. Every time the guy leaves work, he leaves with his head sagging. He’s not lazy or anything, he just is not very efficient — that kind of scares me.