Hi guys, I'm thinking about enrolling in my community college's automotive program. My intro to DIY auto repair was through electrical and diagnostics. Bought build-yourself electronic kits/books to gain a better understanding of electronics, along with a ScannerDanner premium sub. Bought a used snap scan tool with the latest update and vantage pro with scope accessories. I diag my own cars after several bad experiences with local shops. Every car teaches me something new and it's a humbling experience with tough cars. Sometimes friends and relatives bring their cars over and this gives me the opportunity to learn.
I'm approaching my mid 30's so the UTI ads and "make up to $100,000/yr as an automotive tech!" claims do not fool me. I'm also aware that when you start a new job, you start from the bottom. For those of you who are currently in the automotive field, what's your experiences, advice, or opinions? I've been hearing A LOT of negative feedback. A local mechanic told me that there's a shortage in mechanics. I don't have a career or "profession", so I'm looking into going back to school. I'm from California, by the way. Thanks guys.
Last edit: 6 years 3 months ago by jm_460. Reason: Spelling
There has been a shortage of good mechanics/techs for a while. And I don't see it getting any better. One of the bigger problems with this field is most shops expect you to have all your own tools, which can be expensive. Best advice I can give there is stay off the tool trucks for most things that you need. With that being said it can be tough but it can also be very rewarding. I can't see myself working in any other industry.
As far as going to school it really depends on what you know, what you need to learn and what school you go to. Does that school teach what you don't know? I never went to school for auto repair so I don't have any personal experience there, but it does seem like some schools only teach very basic stuff. If you have a decent amount of tools and decent amount of knowledge it might be worth it to just go out and talk to some shops.
The world is changing the trouble is society's value of the skills of those who keep scociety's wheels turning hasn't kept pace with the changes in the complexity of the technology. In the longer term we are headed to a world where car repairs will not be permitted outside the dealer network, in fact a world where dealers have to return cars to a regional repair repair centre for anything more complex than minor repairs.
" We're trying to plug a hole in the universe, what are you doing ?. "
(Walter Bishop Fringe TV show)
One thing I notice is most shops and mechanics who have years worth of experience ahead of you only have old school knowledge. The advanced diagnostic side of things is today and will be more warranted more in the future at the proper shops. I landed a job at a small shop who was willing to give me the chance to prove to them I know what I am doing unlike other shops I worked at or applied too, their loss. I asked for 18-20/hr, the owner said if I can do 3/4 of what I say I can do, he will raise me to $17 from the starting pay of $15 in 30 days. Still not what I was looking for but it will do. Considering all other offers were $12/hr. 30 days after my first raise and proving myself more, giving confirmed diagnosis in 15-20 min for some very complicated vehicles which were thrown away by other shops and the other techs in this shop. They raised me to $18. In reality I need $25+ and I will be requesting raises, I have the knowledge. I can do everything the big guys can do PLUS more (I set myself apart from them - Knowledge wise)
I will not work flat rate, I don't think its fair at all. Dealers higher so many techs so they can help any walk-in customer but don't give two shits about your pay check. I tried this once, 1 oil change a day, I quit after 4 days and requested hourly pay as we discussed before they switched me to flat rate. Never Again
My problem is I don't have ASEs other than the G1 which is useless to me. I'm all self taught. I don't care about getting a "Master" desgree but I do care about ASE A6,A8 and L1. I need A8 before attempting L1.
Make yourself invaluable. If you can, grab a good 4 Oscilloscope. I would say that 29 out of 30 shops don't have one. Build a really nice presentable and professional resume and make a book of case studies with pictures and scopes of the problems and evidence of the fix. I've been working on one myself. If the shop doesn't want to pay, don't get discouraged. Try other shops.
$100,000 a year is a big stretch when starting out. Don't be the "basic everyday mechanic". Be different than everyone else. I call my self an Advanced Automotive Performance and Electrical Diagnostician. I don't label myself as a "mechanic".
One thing I notice is most shops and mechanics who have years worth of experience ahead of you only have old school knowledge. The advanced diagnostic side of things is today and will be more warranted more in the future at the proper shops. I landed a job at a small shop who was willing to give me the chance to prove to them I know what I am doing unlike other shops I worked at or applied too, their loss. I asked for 18-20/hr, the owner said if I can do 3/4 of what I say I can do, he will raise me to $17 from the starting pay of $15 in 30 days. Still not what I was looking for but it will do. Considering all other offers were $12/hr. 30 days after my first raise and proving myself more, giving confirmed diagnosis in 15-20 min for some very complicated vehicles which were thrown away by other shops and the other techs in this shop. They raised me to $18. In reality I need $25+ and I will be requesting raises, I have the knowledge. I can do everything the big guys can do PLUS more (I set myself apart from them - Knowledge wise)
I will not work flat rate, I don't think its fair at all. Dealers higher so many techs so they can help any walk-in customer but don't give two shits about your pay check. I tried this once, 1 oil change a day, I quit after 4 days and requested hourly pay as we discussed before they switched me to flat rate. Never Again
My problem is I don't have ASEs other than the G1 which is useless to me. I'm all self taught. I don't care about getting a "Master" desgree but I do care about ASE A6,A8 and L1. I need A8 before attempting L1.
Make yourself invaluable. If you can, grab a good 4 Oscilloscope. I would say that 29 out of 30 shops don't have one. Build a really nice presentable and professional resume and make a book of case studies with pictures and scopes of the problems and evidence of the fix. I've been working on one myself. If the shop doesn't want to pay, don't get discouraged. Try other shops.
$100,000 a year is a big stretch when starting out. Don't be the "basic everyday mechanic". Be different than everyone else. I call my self an Advanced Automotive Performance and Electrical Diagnostician. I don't label myself as a "mechanic".
Sounds like the pay scale is pretty similar in your area. Keep trucking brother! Go get that a6 and a8! Seriously, I work at a junk yard and I have them. You'll do great. It's been a morale boost and has opened up opportunities for me.
What I find funny is my boss says ASE certs don't matter to him, which is why the ASE master techs make $23/hr and I have years of experience in the field with no ASEs and I start out at the bottom.
I plan on starting my own Diagnostic Business anyways, I have a few people who would work for me too but need to plan it out more. It was going to start this year but having to move to another house put a damper in that plan. O well. Next year maybe.
Confirm what it's not, and fix what it is!
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graywave wrote: What I find funny is my boss says ASE certs don't matter to him, which is why the ASE master techs make $23/hr and I have years of experience in the field with no ASEs and I start out at the bottom.
I plan on starting my own Diagnostic Business anyways, I have a few people who would work for me too but need to plan it out more. It was going to start this year but having to move to another house put a damper in that plan. O well. Next year maybe.
If you plan on opening your own shop or buying an existing shop I suggest you start listening to the Remarkable Results Podcast now. He has all his podcasts on YouTube as well as an app. And start taking shop management classes. My wife and I plan on buying an existing shop soon. I am taking an all day management class at Vision next month. I listen to the Remarkable Results Podcast religiously, lots of good info.
I'm in a similar boat right now. 10 years of HR experience hating desk life. I'm starting at a Nissan dealership next month as a lube tech. I'm 36 with a wife who works part time and two kids. We will make it work because we want to.
I will not pay for school. Even in my current industry, it does nothing. Masters degrees and certifications up the wazoo and some of them don't know Jack and are unteachable.
I'm just going to work hard, listen, and move up on my own. You could probably out all of the numbers on paper, as far as schooling goes and see how long it would take for you to make that up vs not going to school.
I'm planning on doing a video channel on YouTube documenting what the career change is like for me.
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Tutti57 wrote: I'm in a similar boat right now. 10 years of HR experience hating desk life. I'm starting at a Nissan dealership next month as a lube tech. I'm 36 with a wife who works part time and two kids. We will make it work because we want to.
I will not pay for school. Even in my current industry, it does nothing. Masters degrees and certifications up the wazoo and some of them don't know Jack and are unteachable.
I'm just going to work hard, listen, and move up on my own. You could probably out all of the numbers on paper, as far as schooling goes and see how long it would take for you to make that up vs not going to school.
I'm planning on doing a video channel on YouTube documenting what the career change is like for me.
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Let us know when you start the channel. Should be interesting. But I hope you plan to get some sort of training. If you are going to be successful in this business you need training
Tutti57 wrote: I'm in a similar boat right now. 10 years of HR experience hating desk life. I'm starting at a Nissan dealership next month as a lube tech. I'm 36 with a wife who works part time and two kids. We will make it work because we want to.
I will not pay for school. Even in my current industry, it does nothing. Masters degrees and certifications up the wazoo and some of them don't know Jack and are unteachable.
I'm just going to work hard, listen, and move up on my own. You could probably out all of the numbers on paper, as far as schooling goes and see how long it would take for you to make that up vs not going to school.
I'm planning on doing a video channel on YouTube documenting what the career change is like for me.
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Let us know when you start the channel. Should be interesting. But I hope you plan to get some sort of training. If you are going to be successful in this business you need training
Yeah, in excited. It's all manufacturer training through Nissan. I'm interested to see the range of knowledge there. The foreman has been there for 32 years and is still motivated to keep learning, so that's cool. The only one certified to work on the leafs.
I'm hungry and motivated so I'll soak up as much as I can.
Tutti57 wrote: Oh yeah. Super different pace. I'm flat rate too. I got in 9.4 hours today which I am happy with but had a couple of 6 hour days earlier this week.
You really have to be working efficiently.
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Flatrate already? That seems crazy, this is your first job in automotive repair? How many bays do you have? I'm guessing just 1.
Yes you definitely have to learn how to work efficiently to make hours. Some guys just don't know how to work efficiently. Don't stand around. If you are waiting on parts, authorization, or some machine to run through it's process find something else to do. And stay off the tool trucks, I wish I had when I was younger.
I know. The thing that threw me off is all of the steps the dealership requires you to go through on every car. It's not just an oil change and rotation, it's filling out the paperwork, going through the multipoint inspection.
I have the process down now but I felt like I was just scrambling around the first couple of days.
I am limited to only doing certain types of jobs because I have to have passed the trainings to do certain things. I can't even pull codes until I go through the training and pass the tests on it.
For me to make money I have to pull air and cabin filters for service to sell.
I am lucky that they started me at $17/hour with a monthy $500 bonus based on survey scores which appears to be pretty easy to get from what everyone has told me.
It sounds like there are only 2 or 3 techs who do any electrical work at all. Many are limited to brakes and suspension.
Ive been setting progress goals as I go along, like to have the process down in week one, check. Next is to finish all of my orientation training modules this next week, then I can start doing warranty work, whatever that means.
Not having an inspection license yet is definitely hurting my hours since I have to farm that part out and it pays a half hour of work after I've already gone over the car for the other guy. Almost everything I touch is a year old or less. The oldest has been a 2010 Maxima, but almost everything has less than 20k miles.
Dylan wrote: That flat rate system is still a weird thing to me. We don't have that here in Belgium
Flatrate is an interesting idea that is mostly bringing the industry down. It's not bad where I work because we are super busy and we have 4 techs and 1 lube tech with 10 lifts. And we have a gaurantee that I only used once because I started on an engine job on a Friday so I didn't flag anything for that day.
A lot of shops use flatrate to fill the shop with techs, 1 tech per bay, and not have to worry as much about pay.
But flatrate or hourly we have a pay problem in this country for technicians. I see lube tech and tire tech jobs listed for $9-12/hr and technician jobs listed for less than $20/hr. While restaurants and gas stations ads show $10/hr and the general Mills down the road has signs up for packers starting at $19/hr. I'm afraid it's going to get worse before it gets better.
