I have been working for an aftermarket repair shop for 7 years now, and just last week obtained my L1 ASE and I also have A1-A8, I am currently the only person here who owns and uses a scan tool and a labscope. I find myself feeling like the black sheep and because of the other techs here our shop has gained a bad reputation for poor diagnostics and as a result we just dont see much of that kind of work.
I really feel unsupported and almost like I've wasted my time and money becoming knowledgeable about electrical and engine performance. I've been depressed lately and have been losing money due to lack of any real work. Please help me decide what path to take from here, any advice would be welcomed.
Like it or not, diag isn't gravy work. It's hard to charge for and can be hard to profit from, at least from a shop owners stand point.
I would say to make friends. Talk to other shops, used car dealers etc., offer diag service. Nail down a couple problem cars here and there and word will travel. Then you won't have to sacrifice the stability you have and you'll be able to apply your skills to make money for yourself and establish a reputation.
Then, who knows? Maybe an offer will present itself that might make it worth while to jump ship.
I know it might not be super popular on here but maybe you could benefit from working at a dealership. Here's how it worked well for me...
I have the same certifications you mentioned and not a lot of people do. To be certified in all of the main systems at Nissan (chassis/engine/driveline/electrical) they require you to also have the ASEs in that area. Nissan also requires the dealership to have a certain amount of certified workers based on their size. I got a lot of factory training this last year because of this. As a result, I get a lot of diag stuff now. Especially electrical and drivability stuff.
You also don't have to invest in big dollar equipment since the shop will have it all by default.
I know a lot of people don't like dealerships but I have come to like it.
Of course that is just Nissan and a lot of makes don't care about ASEs. Having all of those shows your dedication and interest in the field though. Some techs say they are BS, but a handful of guys I work with are now starting to try to get theirs and are finding that they can't just cram the night before and pass them. It takes work. No, the certs don't fix cars but I learned quite a bit on my path to getting them.
I feel for you. I was in your same position a few years ago. I was the original heavy line tech in the shop but invested much time , training, and tools in diagnostics and decided I wanted to go down that path.
The shop was not receptive to my interests so it was time to leave. Found a great family owned shop that I enjoy.
There is fear in leaving a shop that you have grown accustomed to the people, shop practices and behavior. But on the flip side, you know you are slowly dying inside.
Make the move to another shop and don't look back. As the saying goes, tool boxes have wheels for a reason
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