ITT: We talk about our automotive workplace. I'll start

My pictures won't post they are too big :L I'm doing a used car right now for tires

My poor co-worker Andy has been fighting the rack in an '09 Accord for two days. Shit is rough.

At least your pictures aren't sideways n shit

Crop a little bit of each edge, that's what I do.

Always fight for those certified pre-owned... they'll approve anything on those.

Hey OP and others in this thread.

I'm 19 and I want to take auto tech classes at a local community college.

Is it worth it to get certified and do what you guys do for work? I'm really into cars and it seems fun.

I love working on cars and I'm sick of electrical engineering.

I want to open a shop and have $200k to do it

Will I hate cars if I work on them professionally?

Personally, yes. If you love the satisfaction of bringing something in that's broken and fixing it, yes, a thousand times yes. If you bust ass, you make a lot. I've had weeks with 60+ hours and pull in $650 a week, and it's all help from my community college (Austin Community College). The main killer is tools. Tools are fucking expensive. F u c k i n g e x p e n s i v e. If your school has Matco and Snap-On student accounts, take advantage of them, seriously.

Lmao that sucks
Yeah I cropped it a bit
One tire has a nail in the sidewall they want me to patch it instead of replace it Reeeeeee
You need a college education to do what we do. I started at a basic oil change place doing tires and battery's and stuff. Now I work at Honda. Taking auto tech classes might help you get more pay though

I meant "you don't" need a college education

Think of it this way, you're fixing things on cars, doing oil changes, doing brake jobs, diagnosing problems, replacing components that are a pain in the dick. Imagine doing that six days a week for over 50 hours. If that doesn't sound good, then I would stay in the office part.

Put another hole in it lmao. If they pulled that shit on me I'd make them sign papers about how I'm not liable for that thing blowing out and killing someone.

60+ hours and only $650? Fuck thats disheartening I make a bit more after taxes right now working less hours than that.

Honestly I think the classes will help me a lot. I need to learn and it can't hurt to take them.

wtf?

60 hours and you only take home $650?

Yeah, $14/hr

Eh it's a used car fuck it
I make 15$ just being an express tech I makes about 39 hours a week I make 450$ a week because I set up 401k insurance and I set up so they take more in taxes

>mfw I work maintenance at a huge corporate internet place
>mfw multiple accounts set up where I go buy any tool I need, unquestioned, on the companys dime
>mfw get to fix shit all day but not burned out on cars.
>mfw I suck the corporate dick for the next 25 years.

Yep, not changing a thing

But you mofos have me a little jelly

>mfw NO FACE

20 here just got a job selling subarus, haven't started yet can anyone with dealership info tell me what to expect? Why does it seem like sales has a high turnover rate? It seems like a chill job where you can make a lot of money or just fuck around if you feel lazy.

High turnaround if you don't know how to sell. Our dealership has kept the same six salesman for about 6-7 years. Jist because they're knowledgeable and hardworking. They also have that sort of charm to them.

MMM BOYS WANT SOM FILTURS??

the real money and pussy and self satisfaction is actually working on the cars. like me and OP

honda mech here.
fucking odysseys coming in like that shit. all the time like no one knows they have a cabin filter

>Do you work in a dealership, parts store, shop chain, or a smaller shop?
Honda. Dealership
>What's your job title and duties?
General Service Technician, perform basic maintenance (brakes, fluids, parts monkey, pre-delivery inspections, tires)
>How long have you been at your current job?
10 months
>Do you enjoy your job?
not really. shit can go south real quick and you will get blamed for it. service manager always sides with customers and works against you.
>Pros of your workplace?
discounts galore i can use as much oil as i want. free oil filters= free oil changes and basic maintinence . cheap tires cheap accessories.
>Cons?
co workers suck ass. everyone is an asshole and not helpful at all. service advisors expect you to pull a fucking miracle out of your ass.
>Notable things that have happened?
detailer backed into a pole and broke a tail light
have a 2016 civic come in customer complained oil light came on and car shut off. i pushed it onto a lift and raised it up and the oil drain plug was completely gone. engine seized.

Whats the most reliable model Acura makes?

i know its a question for OP but im going to put my 2 cents in and say the RSX and ILX and TLX also TSX

Thanks random guy

im the other poster in here that works at honda

>Do you work in a dealership, parts store, shop chain, or a smaller shop?
Dealership; Used, so we sell a little of everything
>What's your job title and duties?
Senior Sales Associate; selling cars/negotiating deals/arranging financing
>How long have you been at your current job?
3 years
>Do you enjoy your job?
has its ups and down
>Pros of your workplace?
Since we are a large used lot, I get to have hands on time with tons of different makes and models. I'm in the good graces of the owner, so I am allowed to write my own deals, just have to run the final paperwork by a sales manager so they can make sure I'm not giving shit away for free
>Cons?
We have a shit load of sub-prime customers, so with tons of sales you are dealing with sub-500 FICO customers where getting the financing ironed out is a nightmare and the customers are complete shit sticks
>Notable things that have happened?
See: Tales From The Dealership

was wondering when you were going to show up longpost guy

>Do you work in a dealership, parts store, shop chain, or a smaller shop?
Dealership: Mercedes, Mazda, Jaguar, Volvo, Volkswagen
>What's your job title and duties?
Detail
>How long have you been at your current job?
One year
>Do you enjoy your job?
Sure, until I have to clean up other coworkers fuck ups.
>Pros of your workplace?
Driving and cleaning cars that I could never afford in the near future. Get to see your effort actually achieve something.
>Cons?
Shitty fucking lube techs fucking shit up. Salesmen thinking I can prep a car for sale in 30 minutes.
>Notable things that have happened?
Tons. Have had a garage door closed on me in the winter in a brand new Mazda that hadn't even been PDI'd. Had a car with no brakes roll off the side of the parking lot. Yesterday some fuck moved a van with a barrel of oil and didn't tie it down. I get to clean that tomorrow. Had a Volvo salesmen drive into a wall three times without noticing while trying to deliver the car to a customer.

I need to make a new TFTD thread soon, I've had a couple of lulz-worthy stories

Whoops. Forgot image.

>Do you work in a dealership, parts store, shop chain, or a smaller shop?
Smaller shop, indie Euro place. Five total employees, two of whom are part-time.
>What's your job title and duties?
Tech #2. I'm one of the two guys that actually wrenches.
>How long have you been at your current job?
Two-ish years.
>Do you enjoy your job?
Not really, no. I like my coworkers but I'm already burned out on wrenching. Looking for something better to do but I have zero other marketable skills. Boeing is always an option but I'd rather not deal with the traffic/instability.
>Pros of your workplace?
Cool people, relaxed environment. Payed flat-rate with $12/hr. safety net for idle time.
>Cons?
90% of our customers are dumb as a bag of hammers and can't afford to drive their cars. Owner is a cheapskate, promises us new/proper equipment and never delivers. Most work get handed to Tech #1 so I still don't make 40 hrs./wk, even after two years. My pay checks would probably be half what they currently are if I was strictly flat-rate.
>Notable things that have happened?
A tech at our domestic/asian shop took the end of his finger off about a year ago. Other than that, nothing special.

Most fucked up car you've seen since working there?

...

>Cons?
>Shitty fucking lube techs fucking shit up.

you fucking beaner ass mexicans or white weeps always get in the way of us lube techs. always blocking our stalls or blocking the shop entrance with cars.

if anything you guys fuck shit up for us. time is money for us not your 10$ you make bro

fucking love scene girls muh dick

what about this one?

There's a whole separate part of the building for detail where I'm at. Salesmen do more of the blocking the way than anything.

...

i still dont see how lube techs fuck anything up. at the honda dealership i work at the spics detail cars in the shop that we work in and they fuck everything up they always block our alignment rack and always yelling in spanish

or this?

damn young blood

This.

id post others but they are naked and i got banned a few days ago for nsfw bullshit on Veeky Forums

It's ok user, I can always browse the internet

i know :/

Not sure what I have

>GM Dealership
>Will never own a single GM product besides an LS in my life

...

isn't that the really young looking porn star that's actually like 30?

Okay I need to know exactly what guitar that is b/c reasons
>inb4 Ibanez I know it's an Ibanez I need to know the model

Oh fuck, that's a tough one. I've seen way too many cars that were nigh-undriveable but there are two that stand out:
1. E46 that came in for an oil change/inspection (everything gets an inspection if it's new or it's been >3 months since we last saw it). The car was literally falling apart.
>Every suspension bushing either tearing or completely destroyed
>Bald/unevenly-worn tires
>Two bad wheel bearings
>Front right outer CV joint exposed and dry (no boot, no grease, pitted rollers)
>Entire engine leaking oil
>Two broken window regulators
>Several lights out
>Most of the dash warnings on
>Several broken bits of the interior
>Ashtray overflowing, cigarette butts and joint roaches on the floor/seats/dash/ceiling/fucking everywhere
And the cherry on top of this shit sundae?
>Child seat in the back
Our service writer spent 15 minutes going over all the shit wrong with the customer, and the guys just stared at his phone the entire time. After the dude payed his bill (which he complained about), service writer told him to fuck off and never come back.

2. 1984 BMW 318i
>Towed in as a no-start
>Open hood
>Bulk wire and butt connectors fucking everywhere
>Ask service writer what the fuck
>Turns out the engine caught fire and burned up the wiring harness
>Owner is an electrician and decided he could fix it himself
>Car ends up sitting in the corner for two months while we track down a decent harness to stick in
>Finally get used harness, replace a few broken plugs
>Install harness
>Car runs like a top but doesn't accelerate worth a shit, gas pedal really stiff
>Look at throttle body
>Kickdown cable got melted all to shit and seized
>Somehow throttle cable made it out unscathed
>Replace kickdown cable
>Car now drives like a gutless, 30-year-old BMW
>Fixed.wad
>Find out later that car belongs to longtime friend of shop owner
>He does all of our house electrical work

Unfortunately, both of these happened before I had a smartphone so no pictures.

was looking for an in depth response (model, yr and why.)
If op is reading this, red pill me SH-AWD

>Do you work in a dealership, parts store, shop chain, or a smaller shop?
Dealership, Hyundai.
>What's your job title and duties?
Detailer
>How long have you been at your current job?
5 years
>Do you enjoy your job?
Eh... for the most part, but the higher ups have literally no clue as to what I do, yet try to wittle down my pay as if they do.
>Pros of your workplace?
Free car wash, little/no supervision, tons of product.
>Cons?
Severe bias, won't fix anything for detail shop until it's literally broken. Techs usually get whatever they need.
>Notable things that have happened?
This could be it's own thread.
_| Guy came in with shotgun after we repo'd his car.
_| Multiple cars stolen/driven through fences/gates.
_| Tech fired for stealing 1 soda.
_| Best tech with nearly 10yrs at the job quit after being refused $1 raise.
etc. etc.

Time for a job change, family. 5 years is plenty to move up to a better job somewhere else.

Ibanez PGM 301

Who cares?

Oh, I also had a B5 S4 come in with a catastrophic oil leak coming from the front main. After getting the front end off and the timing belt and all that I discovered pic related.
After fixing it I went for a test drive and exhaust gas started poring in through the vents. Customer was OK with this for some reason and went on his merry way. Haven't seen him since.

>engine fucking caught on fire

Dear god, we had some dumbfuck who bought a Nissan pickup truck off of us. Managed to set the damn thing on fire installing aftermarket HID headlights, we refused to even take the job the thing was so fucked up

I don't really care, was just curious, keep the scenegrills coming

I imagine if this guy wasn't friends with the shop owner we would've told him to fuck off, especially since that happened with our old service writer who refused most jobs bigger than an Audi timing belt.

Not sure how much more sfw I have

>Owner is electrician
I see shit like this all the time on everything from computers to vehicles. Electricians will completely wreck electronics thinking they can fix them.

>Do you work in a dealership, parts store, shop chain, or a smaller shop?
Walmart Tire & Lube
>What's your job title and duties?
Service Technician, upper/lower bay on oil changes, and mounting/balancing tires. We also do easy shit like wiper blades, air filters, batteries, and bulbs. Because people are so fucking inept that they'll pay us to do shit that takes 5 minutes.
>How long have you been at your current job?
Almost 6 months.
>Do you enjoy your job?
Mostly, dealing with customers sucks though. They don't know anything about cars and they really don't know what they want. I've written orders for people that seriously had no idea what kind of car they drive, despite the brand being plastered all over the car and right in front of their fat fucking face every time they drive it.
>Pros of your workplace?
Coworkers are great.
I get a 10% discount on everything, on top of the fact that everything's cheaper too.
>Cons?
The amount of shit you can't do on a register without a manager override is insane. Like canceling a transaction or returning a core charge. Also the amount of customers that get mad at me for charging them core charges on batteries when they don't have a core is staggering. I'm not violating state law so you can save 12 whole dollars.
>Notable things that have happened?
One guy broke a locking lugnut a few weeks ago. Had to send the car to a real shop to get it off.
Another guy put regular oil in a car that was written up for Royal Purple. Of all the cars he chose to put the wrong oil in, he chose the one where it's really obvious because the oil wasn't fucking purple. We gave them their oil change for free.
Same guy also mixed up the orders for a red car and a blue car, that weren't even the same make/model. Had to give both people their oil changes for free. Don't know why he still has his job.

Ayyy ACC bro. You going there now or graduated already? I'm halfway through the program, got 3 ASE certs.

Honda bro here,

ayyy i worked at walmart tire lube for 2 years now i work at honda.

what you literally described is what i did

>The amount of shit you can't do on a register without a manager override is insane. Like canceling a transaction or returning a core charge. Also the amount of customers that get mad at me for charging them core charges on batteries when they don't have a core is staggering. I'm not violating state law so you can save 12 whole dollars.

that was the fucking worst

Oh god, I can only imagine the shit tier customers wal-mart gets....

Can you tell me why E9X 335i's are so damn unreliable? I swear my mechanic drove it more than me ( also a small indie shop)

you have absolutely no clue.

this one guy came in and insisted his mercedes benz took 12 quarts of oil. he has come in about 4 times before and we always fill it to the full line on his dipstick which was about 8 and a half 9 quarts so we would leave the rest of the oil in his car well after every oil change he always threw a shit fit about us not putting the rest in. one time he told me

" you guys have to check the dipstick when the car is on thats how you know"

fucking boomers i swear.

then you get dumb fuck boomers coming in asking for plain SAE 30 weight in there cars. had a guy come in with a 2005 tahoe and asked for 30 weight i told him his truck took 5w30 and he insisted it took 30 weight i went out side to show him up and on his oil cap someone scratched off the 5 (probably him because im probably not the only guy that put up an argument before me) and it said "w30" i told him im putting 5w30 in it or he can go somewhere else. i gave no fucks and i always talked back to retarded ass customers like that

>Do you work in a dealership, parts store, shop chain, or a smaller shop?
Toyota dealership
>What's your job title and duties?
Tech, used to work at the main shop, now I do only used cars and PDIs. I smog every car that comes into that place. Life is gravy at the moment.
>How long have you been at your current job?
5 years
>Do you enjoy your job?
I really hated it until I got moved to our used car department. Life is too easy over here to complain.
>Pros of your workplace?
Gravy train. 80 hour weeks are common. The guy i work next to is cool i guess you could say were friends.
>Cons?
other coworker is a grumpy old fuck who cries because i make more money than he does.
>Notable things that have happened?
Too many to list. I guess a sienna driving away and the wheel falling off at the next stoplight.

lmao i worked on one today and on right turns the gauges would drop out and all the dash lights would come on. bmw a shit.

>Do you work in a dealership, parts store, shop chain, or a smaller
Toyota dealership

>What's your job title and duties?
Salesman

>How long have you been at your current job
About 8 months

>Do you enjoy your job?
Yes and no. But more yes

>Pros of your workplace?
I can't imagine making better money doing anything else so soon out of high school. I've met a lot of interesting people and people I think will be lifelong friends, I have learned a lot about the way people act in situations I otherwise would never have observed. Even though I'm not my own boss, you have a lot of freedom that I wasn't used to at a job.

>Cons
I can't really imagine too many more stressful jobs other than military and literally deadly and dangerous ones. In a way it's a plus, i think I've become a lot thicker skinned. I hate about half of my bosses, who are not necessarily smart, but happened to be good at selling cars, so are now sales managers who make ridiculous amounts of money and are man child control freaks. Of course there are customers all the time who are unreasonable, rude, and waste your time. Also, the turnover is so high, I've became close with a lot of people who suddenly disappear, which can be disheartening.

Nothing really too notable I can think of.

>wal-mart
>boomers

It's the fucking match made in hell. The wife is a pharmacist for Wal-Mart, and she has the exact same fucking experience, except it's old boomer shit-sticks bitching about drugs instead of cars

Literally one from yesterday
>Boomer :Don't you have any fish oil from American!
>Wife: Excuse me sir?
>B: All this Fish oil, it says the fish are from Peru, and this one is Norway, where is the damn American Fish
>W: Sir, fish oil comes from real live fish...they have to go to where the fish live to catch them...
>B: God damn it, this is what I get for coming here, what pharmacies have American fish!??!

Pretty much. They can run wires, hook up panels, do plugs and switches and shit but keep them the fuck away from circuit boards or small gauge electronic wiring.

The 3.2TL manual is bulletproof. The 2002s. RSX is next close up, TSX after that. The only thing to really watch out for in all the models up until around 2009 is the power steering pumps and racks. As well as motor mounts.

Noooo waaaaaay! Been in the drawing for that free Snap-On stuff? I didn't study worth a shit for any of my ASE certs. Have you had Henry King? That guy is downright the best instructor there.

>Chrome socket on impact.

wtf

Only thing thin enough to fit. Impact 17 was too fat.

Used cars are pretty much what are feeding me at the moment.

I have no idea. Most of the 335s we get are hotrodded to some degree and that's usually the cause of whatever problem they have.

Any advice for the young new Subaru/Volvo salesman up above?

can I just go to the dealership and ask for a detailer/tech job without really having any certs or experience?

I've been comfortable in the engine bay for years but nothing I can really put on a resume

Ask to start off in quick lube. There's always space to move up.

Bump. Have some clean brake fluid.

>Do you work in a dealership, parts store, shop chain, or a smaller shop?
No. I work with a fleet of vans.

>What's your job title and duties?
'Customer assistant' is the generic one that covers it, even though I never see customers.
I move shit and load the vans, and get to ride on them sometimes.

>How long have you been at your current job?
Year and a half now.

>Do you enjoy your job?
I enjoy the toys I buy with the money I'm paid to do it.

>Pros of your workplace?
No customers around, cool in summer, I get to play music all day, and nobody to complain about air guitar/singing along.

>Cons?
Fucking freezing in winter. Literally 'get this milk into the chiller before it freezes' cold. I have to chip ice out the freezer. Vans keep breaking due to the sheer amount of wear, and they're not renewing them with more Mercedes next year due to a deal with Iveco for SHIT VANS.
Management are insensitive, and I'm often rushed off my (aching) feet. It also murders boots.

>Notable things that have happened?
Someone nearly destroyed a van, but managed to keep his job through not being a thief.

A manager destroyed two spare vans in two days. Literally never saw the vans again. HE kept his job because manager, but he's never been sent driving again.

I concussed myself with a dolly dropped off the top of a stack.
Nobody really gave a fuck after the initial panic and phoning it through. Since it wasn't my first, I was fucked up for months and nearly lost my job after a couple of screaming rows with my managers. Post-concussion syndrome is a bitch, and so's toothache from the wisdom tooth it knocked loose.
I only kept my job because I'm good at it.

My supervisor fell into a loading bay, hit his head on a van, and gave himself a concussion. Ambulanced to hospital and everything

Here's one from yesterday/today.
>E39 comes in with no cruise control
>Pull codes, two wheel speed sensor faults
>Check sensors, open circuit on both
>Replace sensors
>Test drive, still no CC
>Still no speed signal on scanner
>Decide to check sensor voltage at ABS module
>Open ABS plug for backprobing, find this
>Nope

Holy fuck, do they not know what electrical tape is?

I don't think they know what anything is.

>Kenworth/cummins/mack/paccar dealership

>do anything from replacing brakes to rebuilding engines

>excellent pay
>work 5 days on have 3 days off
>relaxed work environment
>get paid hourly instead of flat rate
>regularly get paid to travel and go to classes which is really like a fucking vacation in itself

>work 5 days on 3 days off
>we could use more shop tools
>only 4 bays to work out of
>mack trucks are horrible
>service manager does not manage work load efficiently

>we used to have a bitch of a service writer but us techs banded together and pretty much forced her to quit
>now we have a flirty 23 yr old qt3.14 service writer with a nice butt

FUCK YEAH