Car jobs

Who on Veeky Forums has a job working with cars? What do you do? What's your pay like?

I'm a technician at a GM Holden dealership. The pay is fucking dreadful, the works hard and the customers expect too much.

I'm a software guy working for supplier in michigan

can't complain, get to see new model/camo cars often, etc

Worked as a tech at a few dealers and one ind shop. All in all it's not worth it in my opinion. It pays the bills but plumbers deal with less shit and get paid more.

I do
Fix them
Depends how much I work, more than 70k this year but I work a lot of OT

I'm an engineer at Nissan.

I drive to work

I work at an indie Euro shop.
Every day is a headache and there's not enough work. I've been there over two years and I still haven't gotten an 80-hour check.
I think the closest I've gotten is around 72 hours.

>M273
Not terrible OP

Damn, I did 72 hours in one week 2 weeks ago, and I'm hourly. I'll never work flat rate again, even if I was certain I would make more money than I do now, it's not worth it.

CEO of Autozone
Made a couple mil last year

I'm an accountant at an independent car dealership. I stock new units and remit warranties. The most interaction I have with cars is if I'm asked to drive a company vehicle between buildings.

>Subaru dealer in NE USA
>A tech
>pay sucks ass, i hate my fucking job, someone shoot me please

Infiniti lube monkey.

Pay is sufficient for current purposes and I get to pound out dead simple jobs on easy to work on cars and learn from my betters


Until a random ass fucking VW or Benz rolls in and ruins my day with its fucking retarded construction

Not that I can't handle it, but it's as if German engineers do everything in their power to make techs want to strangle themselves with the air hose

There's no reason I should need three different fucking bits and sockets to take off a skidplate

Emissions guy at Tesla

...

>Until a random ass fucking VW or Benz rolls in and ruins my day with its fucking retarded construction
>Not that I can't handle it, but it's as if German engineers do everything in their power to make techs want to strangle themselves with the air hose
>There's no reason I should need three different fucking bits and sockets to take off a skidplate

Now imagine doing that for 8 hours a day, every day, for two years while also considering that that's just the tip of the iceberg of bullshit that is German "engineering".
I swear the design teams make a point of not saying a word to each other until they put the whole thing together and realize nothing fits properly. THEN instead of going back and designing components properly, they just grab a hammer and beat the shit out of the unibody until the engine fits and call it a day.

So you're in charge of funneling hush money to the EPA?

Only three different sockets to take a skidplate off? Sounds like a dream. I've spent 20 minutes getting underbody covers off many times

>cover is length of the entire car
>all 4 jack pads are surrounded by the cover
>car too low to swing the rack arms under without a jack
>have to lower the car onto 4 oil drums after freeing most of the cover
>swing arms back around
>remove brake ducts that are held on by hose clamps in the center of the cover so it's almost impossible to reach

But even after ALL that, nothing is worse than...

these pieces of shit

run/repair/maintain race kars

not that much

Oh, so do you measure emissions of power plants that supply power to battery cars?

What in the fuck even is that?

Heavy equipment installer 14/Hr (temp)

I put snow plows on brand new trucks.

AND THEY COME IN ALL DIFFERENT SIZES AND SHAPES AND EVERY MANUFACTURER HAS THEIR OWN CUSTOM SIZE FUCK THOSE THINGS GODDAMN

Looks like a ferrachi with the transaxle out

one time i had a tocoma come into the shop with a skid plate
4 3" long bolts that needed a 3 foot pipe on the end of a wrench to break loose. That wasnt the end of the fun though, because literally every fucking turn on those bolts required that pipe, with no small effort either.

they're all 3/8. because that's what i drill the holes to after i cut them all off

A 430

It's fine when it's your own manufacturer, but anyone that's at an independent or works on trade in vehicles at a dealership is screwed, it's almost impossible not to break them if they've seen a few years of road grime and have been scraped once or twice

Why can't we just have 10mm bolts everywhere for everything

>sell souk to tool truck for a maquita
>use it on literally four bolts per car before switching to a pocket screwdriver to remove between 15 and 30 clips

I guess at least it cuts down on crossed threads

Yep, I probably did 100 of those when I was at Toyota many years ago. I remember seeing them come in with only a few bolts in sometimes when the last guy either stripped out the holes or gave up on getting them back in. The torch is your friend.

Subaru dealership as an Express Tech. The work can get repetitive since its mostly oil change/tire rotation/inspections, but we occasionally do minor repairs and tire stuff, and we help out the flat rate techs with more complex stuff when we aren't busy.

Making minimum wage right now but the hours are okay and the people I work with are really cool. The best part though is the training. We get enough online training done and the dealership will pay to have us sent out for actual training classes and ASE exams (and we get paid for the days we're in class), so thats pretty rad.

Oh fuck that reminds me
>Have to replace center support bearing on ML350
>Bearing sits on top of a crossmember, bolts screw into captive nuts inside crossmember
>Have to use 12'' flex ratchet to reach bolts, no room for power tools
>There's enough shit in the way that I can only get maybe 1/16-turn at a time
>Bolts are 2 inches long
>And covered in loctite the entire way
I couldn't lift my arms above my head for two days.

>working on cars
>making minimum wage

cart pushers at wal-mart make 10 dollars on a hour

Also forgot to mention we get automatic quarterly bonuses after getting three ASE certifications, and the amount those bonuses pay goes up for each additional ASE cert we get. RAD.

>Minimum wage

Holy fuck I made that WASHING the fucking cars

Cart pushers at wal-mart don't get free ASE and manufacturer training. I started off with ZERO professional automotive experience. With this job I'll be a flat rate tech in the next 18 months making $20 an hour.

Our detail makes the same. The difference is our detail aren't getting the free training and have no hope of promoting into a flat rate tech.

Any idea why Subaru charges so much for oil changes? I've used a ton of dealers for various cars and their oil changes are usually as cheap as doing it yourself. Subaru though seems to charge like double what a normal oil change costs.

I don't have a career working on cars but on my weekends I do the odd job for locals here and there. I charge 30/hr for most things; replacing accessories, brakes, timing belts, waterpump, bodywork etc

"automotive consultant" in 3rd world country

I go around and provide computer diagnostic services, programming etc to repair shops, also give service manuals and shit that the mechanics don't usually read which ends up with them bodging the job.

Working at a lube shop in the Southeast. Pay is good enough for me to pay my bills with some extra leftover each check to spend on this and that. Could be making $18/FR-Hr, but the company doesn't feel like moving me up into a "technician" spot; wouldn't want to at the place I'm at now because the two techs we have are scraping by with limited big jobs we actually get.

Been here two years now and still finding out there is something new you'll see every day. Not to mention how the general populace even manages to get up and dress themselves in the morning with the amount of dumb, fucking moronic shit you'll see every day.

Ideally, I'd enjoy moving onto FCA down the road. Fucking hate Chrysler and Fiats, but it's the closest I'd ever get to actually working for American Motors, so I suppose I'll have to take it. Too bad there are no AMC resto-shops out there.

Also, just wanted to say that 12-point spanners are fucking shit. Hate those fucking things.

Pic related, my cart. Looking to get something bigger here soon.

hazard fraught sells pretty decent toolboxes

>Look at RO
>line C is engine air filter
>they write the cost to customer on filter lines for some reason
>were charging these people 90 fucking dollars for it

We are robbing these people blind and I love it because I can tell people I'll do it for 30 and they fucking jump on it

That they are. Looking at getting the 44" one next. For a little under $400, you can't beat it. Got a buddy I work with that has the same sized box from Snap-On that he paid almost 10k for used.

I'm a tech at Subaru too. It fucking sucks

For an "express service" we charge about $60 for conventional and about $80 for synthetic. For that we check wipers, lights, top off coolant and washer fluid, check power steering, diff, trans, pollen filter, air filter, brake pad thickness on all four corners, check tire pressure, tread depth, and check for tire damage, check all suspension and chassis components, AND do the oil change and oil filter replacement. All in about 15 minutes. So I guess that's why its so expensive?

I haven't actually had anyone that JUST wanted an oil change yet. Been working there since July and the only non-express oil changes we've done were in conjunction with other maintenance or repairs. I would imagine if someone came in and said "change the oil and do nothing else", it wouldn't cost as much.

I bet I could beat you nigger.

>indie shop
>volvo class 8 trucks
>shit's boring af
>mechanic meme novelty wore off the first year
>head mechanic of the shop 2nd year in
I need a new job.

I'm a Kia/Hyundai Material Processor. (if that counts)

I ship parts to the dealers all over the country.

I make 24/hour working, I made 86k after taxes last year.

I am a mechanic for Mitsubishi.

That's amazing considering most parts clerks at dealerships make $10 an hour.

Infiniti Express guy. I KNOW I could beat him. WITH a tire rotation.

I sell Dodges, Jeep, and Chryslers. Excited because it's about time for the farmers to come in with their tax returns to drop on some Laramie Big Horn editions. Those always make some ridiculously fat commissions.

Pay is better than anything I could have gotten finishing a 6-year degree in college, I'll tell you that much.

>work for chrysler dealership
>10 an hour starting
>all I do is oil changes and inspections
>flat rate guy shows me how to do jobs in down time
>shit load of online training
I'm getting an associates degree right now but in the future I think I'll be getting a business degree and getting out of this industry cause anyone with anything nice generally lives with their mom.

Anyone work for BMW? They're offering me a student work thing at the end of next semester where I go to school all over again for them and get paid.

I drive UPS package cars. Does that count?

Collision repair
Decent pay
Benefits and all that good shit
Lots of overtime
Never a boring day.

>tfw taking lunch at 3:12pm
>off at 5
>hour long lunch
Subaru tech here
15$ an hour.

If you makes 10$ an hour at a dealership you are cucking yourself
I started at 14$ here

so you want to keep living with your mom?

Tech at Meineke.
$12/hr
80% of people are unbelievably stupid and neglectful of their cars. Had a lady today who called in about her RX300 I changed a VVT solenoid on and she complained about her brakes going out due to me not bleeding the brakes because "you're supposed to when you do that." She literally came in later that day to complain and I explained how they were completely unrelated and wasn't going to do it and her response was "see you in court." Niggers gonna nig.

People are so fucking stupid oh my god.

No, some people are so spoiled by easy access to activist lawyers. So they think in terms of filing lawsuits all the time to get their way. As long as they can find a way to make it a racial profiling, discrimination, or racial discrimination matter. Then the federal gov't takes over the case and it doesn't cost any money to sue for compensation.

No wonder black people win court cases all the time. It all makes sense

Would you recommend collision repair as a decent job to get into after high school? I was thinking of doing UTI for either diesel tech or collision repair

Great post! Sarcasm on the internet/10!

Yes i do. I honestly love my job. Its easy enough that you don't fucking tear your hair out. But challenging enough to make the day go by pretty quick. The experience you gain is worth a lot. And the pay is decent. I recommend it honestly. Especially since there is room for improvement. As in you can move up the ranks. The guy who got me this job is getting paid upwards of $20/hr plus comission. Hes a bodyman. I'm a teardown and reassemble tech

Thanks. I'm still trying to figure out what I'd like to do with my life, so these kind of things help.

"Quick service" at a Ford dealership, mainly oil changes and shit, but I do suspension, brakes, alignments, remote starts, that kinda shit too.

Make 14.45, with a dollar raise coming in soon, too.

You're full of shit. You wouldn't be talking to the customer directly. That's the service writer/front counters job. Especially at a chain.

I make $16/HR in Deadmonton, Alberta. 2nd year apprentice.

Have you honestly never talked to a customer before about an issue regarding their vehicle
While you are right, you still sometimes have to talk to customers about what has happened, or will happened to their vehicle.

>be last week
> I'm given a car customer complaines found large puddle of antifreeze under vehicle in parking lot of store-towed in
>gotta find the leak .jpg
>ask advisor if the customer drove the vehicle far from where they were, to the store.
>try to ask advisor if the customer complAined of any over heating or if vehicle overheated at all
>customer relayed no information
>find leaks, P&A new radiator, thermostat, upper hoses and lower hose, 3 gallons of coolant
>advisor calls customer to explain it's going to be a 1000$ job
>customer thinks advisor is full of shit wants to know how I think it's the radiator
>are you serious.jpg
>talk to customer explain to him all that shit needs replacing
>talk to him and argue for about 15 minutes
>submits and pays for everything

Prepare to talk to customers nigger

How did u get ur job

That's still very odd for a dealership. The only time I ever interact with customers is NVH rides

I have done this for 4 years I have interacted with hundred of customers.
Pulling them into the shop and putting their car in the air to show them an oil leak we weren't responsible for to telling them to take their piece of shit out my fucking shop and never come back.

Sometimes customers feel better when the actual person who is giving their car explains what's going on with it and what they are doing.

Even when it's going on a test drive with them because they are concerned about that weird "noise" there car is making.

>inviting customers in the shop
Your shop is run very poorly and not indicative of how a dealership is normally run.

>working on cars for a living
oy vey, selling good goys good cara at a good price is were its at op

I don't bring them in the service manager does.

What are you going to do when a customer asks you to see a problem ? You going to tell them no? Let's be teal here dude. Get your head out of your dealerships Ass.

Stop with the crossovers already

Techs make the beat salesmen

Is working on my car feasible? Mechanics of Veeky Forums, do you use special service manuals to fix different cars? How can I git gud at fixing my own car?

Yes and yes. Also google helps
I'm a Honda and Subaru guy
Anything else I need more help on. Don't like American cars despite being American all of my cars have been Japanese

That warehouse life

If you make fifteen an hour, you're not a tech, you're a parts installer.

Also Subaru here.
Do you guys hate working on Subaru or is your service department just run like shit?

Our express guys don't make min wage you're getting cucked.

I fucked this post up, reply was meant for

post bread on something that only the CEO would have access to.

nigga are you dumb

I pick them up when they break or when the driver wrecks it
40k

Engineering intern at GM
$25/hr

>TFW I can pay for all 4 years of schooling before even graduating

Feels good man

so you work 80+ hrs/week
doubt it

Used to work at a O'Reily's auto parts store so somewhat related to cars. I was young and thought being a car guy was cool at the time. Quit when I lost passion for cars and people bugging me to fix their cars like I'm some auto tech. Not to mention I get disgusted at all the guys that come in buying the cheapest parts while making their customers paying the price of high quality parts.

I meant to convey that the people I work, people who are my peers, with who have decent lives are still bunking with their parents.
I don't like having to struggle to afford rent and food, and the guys I see putting in hard work don't always get what they deserve.

Maybe I just need to try working some where other than a dealership...

I've been called up to the front to explain things cause my service writers are retards.

And I've seen customers in the mainshop if they're really fussy about not wanting to pay for certain repairs unless they see the issue themselves.

If you work in an auto shop, what the fuck do you do when you run into a bolt that's a son of a bitch?

I've spent DAYS fixing shit before.

When young teenagers working as store clerks make more than adults in a hazardous job

But it's all Australian dollarydoos

-take a picture
-tell the service writer the info
-leave the part in the trunk
I explain everything in my writeups in the RO. I don't have time to explain stupid shit to clueless customers, I don't work in customer service, that's what service writers are paid to do. I also don't work at places that have reputations of ripping people off (aside from exorbitant hourly rate) so people generally trust the techs anyway. A customer caught me when I was walking through the lot a few weeks ago

>they said I had a nail in my tire
You had three actually, I saw the tire
>but how would a nail get in the tire?
It happens all the time, you run over nails everyday, eventually one will go through the tread
>but it doesn't make sense, how would the nail be standing up in the road in a way that it could poke into the tire?
God works in mysterious ways

Torch, Zep 45. My last shop had a welder so I could also weld a bolt head onto stripped out torx and whatnot (seats and seatbelts on lots of brands use torx bolts red loctited in for those). When you have everything at your disposal you should never be fucking with a bolt for more than 10 minutes worst case scenario.

We brought customers into the shop all the time when I worked at Ford. Makes it so much easier to upsell something when they can see a failed part.

Hot wrench

Fuck around here you need the torch just to pull the exhaust on a three year old vehicle.

yes

>tfw just got my AAS automotive degree

I plan on only being a tech for ~5 years hopefully

Good luck lad, I made it 5 years.

Don't fall victim to the tool jews

I'll take that advice man. I just picked up a metric hand tool set from snap on at a student discount so thats cool. Just need some air tools and a few other things and I'll be good.

What do you plan on doing after?