Hell/o/ are any of you auto technicians or mechanics?

Hell/o/ are any of you auto technicians or mechanics?

I have thought about taking up the trade for a while now, I did another trade which was a good job but I just didn't enjoy it enough to be doing it for the 10+ years I would be in it for.

It really hit home that I rather take the pay cut and work on cars when I was doing some maintenance work at a Porsche dealer. I saw the guys in the shop working on 911's while I was on the roof doing filter changes on their refrig equipment.

I have worked at plenty of dealers in the past and I know very well that this is not a perfect industry and there are SO many shitty shops/dealers around, but I am ready to tough it out and see it through to reach the good ones.

I'm a 23 year old Canadian male, and will be starting the 4 year apprenticeship under the Red Seal trade program.

I want to hear your experience in automotive repair & servicing as a career.

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Don't go into mechanics senpai
Do it as a hobby
You will end up hating cars if you work on them all the time, you won't want to come home and fix your own.

If you REALLY want it, find a specialty and be the best at it.
If Porsche is what you like, get yourself an older Porsche and fix it, learn the jetronics and whatever bullshit there is to enhance your knowledge

I kind of agree with this guy. I got a job at a shop last year, and I'm already slowly losing the passion to work on my own car.

Also, if you lack experience/knowledge about cars they're going to make you do nothing but oil changes for at least six months. You won't learn very fast because you will be spending most of your time doing the same basic shit all day, and nobody will want to teach you unless they're your friend, because they will be creating competition for themselves. They will only teach you how to do the things that they don't want to do...

If you're young enough that you're still only considering your career there is a 101% chance you're a stupid, lazy millennial who is not capable of this thankless, low paid, extremely physical job.

t. Mechanic

Working on high end cars at a top notch shop is great. However, there's little chance you will make it to that point. You'll have to hone your skills at a lower end brand, which sucks, especially flat rate shops. I'd recommend starting at Chevy or Ford, they typically pay well and you'll have good opportunity to move up. Later on you can shoot for Mercedes or BMW. My advice is
1. Advocate for yourself. Don't be a pushover that gets screwed into not progressing.
2. Always take the tough diag jobs. This won't be a problem at a lot of places since many techs are afraid of tough diag and they just want to do the easiest shit possible.
3. Become indispensable. It really sucks that dealerships operate like this, but it's the best way to accelerate your career. Be the only guy that can CAN bus diag, intermittent drivability, harnesses, etc. Use that to leverage your pay and position.

Don't fall down the trap of just hoping to do the same major services hundreds of times because it's the easiest way to get paid. If you are do that you are basically committing to being a tech your whole life at the whim of wherever you happen to be employed. Many techs you meet will be like this, sad sacks that can only do one thing and know they can never turn it into anything better. Get every skill you can, doesn't matter if it doesn't seem useful as long as it's new, if you open your own shop someday or move into the manufacturing/engineering side of things you'll be glad you absorbed all that knowledge.

If u really wanna do it, either do diesel mechanics or be an aviation mechanic.

Thanks dad

I fucking hate being a mechanic. Shit hours, shit pay, shit job. I thought because it was my hobby and I love cars I'd love it
Now I barely care to touch my own car because I've been doing it all fucking month

Don't do it. I'm 24 and wasted 5 years in Onterrible.

People always told me there are 3 things that will be around forever. Death, taxes and cars on the road. Thing is just because there are cars that require fixing doesn't mean the customers are willing to pay for it.

So much this.

Im a fellow canuck fag. 23 years old. Started in the heavy truck/tractor apprenticeship when i was 18 in a small Frieghtliner/Western Star dealership. I started very early into diagnosing engine and electrical, now its pretty much all i do. I became indispensable, I only work 4 days a week, pretty much pick and choose my hours, as much OT as i want, and make $29/hr. (good for my province). Best part is i dont have to work on the general publics shitboxes and all the bullshit that comes along with it, so i actually still enjoy wrenching on my own shit on the weekends.

I just signed a contract for a position with the provincial government. Small pay cut, but far better benefits and a full pension, plus more variety. And ill likely get my heavy equip. Red seal after a while.

Dealerships are good to start out in, if youre useful they'll train you. I just came back from a week long training course in North Carolina. But after so long warranty work and fixing the same problems all the time gets boring.

Get into aviation maintenance

Fuck automotive, go diesel and/or heavy equipment

I feel like everyone here that complains about being a mechanic just works at a shitty lube shop, go to tech school and get a degree then go work at a dealership. They usually have nice shops, 8-9 hour work days, and 50k+ a year

>taking this stance when someone shows interest in a trade
This is why trades are dieing.

Shameless A&P plug.

Auto mechs might do better right off the line pay-wise, but it doesn't take long for aircraft mechanics to out-pace them pay-wise. Although many of the things to watch out for already mentioned in the thread apply to us as well.
-make yourself indispensable
-take on the tough jobs
-most money is in high-end work (think private jets)

The work is a lot less potential for frustrating bullshit though; whereas cars don't have as strict standards, allowing for some fucked up stuff to come through the shop whether from driver ineptitude or prior mechanic fuckups, aircraft are held to a strict set of standards so its tough to find yourself working on stuff that makes you go "what the ever-living fuck..."

Go into heavy duty, my man. Way more money in it and you don’t have to deal with po’d soccer moms who don’t know shit about cars. The work itself is harder, but the benefits over light duty well make up for it. Also, go into literally anything but buses unless you like stupid tight spaces and zero engine access.
>t. bus mechanic

We don't need useless weak pricks thanks, there will always be work for intelligent and strong men and they won't be put off by a post on Veeky Forums

Dude if someone wants to learn, then teach them. They’ll probably take over your job anyway after you retire since there will likely be a massive, catastrophic shortage of willing blue collar workers within 20 years, so might as well make sure they’re doing it right.

>Ignorantly call someone stupid and lazy
>BUH BUH IF YOU CANT TAKE ME BLINDLY DISRESPECTING YOU FOR NO REASON, OUR INDUSTRY DOESNT NEED YOU.

I want boomers to fuck off.

Okay Diet Nigger.

>bullied out of a career path by shitposting
>thinks the trade will miss him

How much more does it pay? Not OP but I'm thinking of becoming a mechanic. I'm studying paramedical care in college right now and plan to join the military as a med-tech. Does heavy duty mechanical work pay as well? How's the quality of life/demand/hours?

Currently im a quicklane service tech at Ford and the service manager refused to move me up to a main tech position because I'm going to graduate with my bachelor's in about 15 months and move away. He said it wasn't worth it to train me, despite the fact that we need techs and everyone in quicklane told him I'm the best candidate out of us. I even have an associates degree in automotive technology. I understand that he would lose money by training me and then me quitting but it's frustrating.

Now I'm stuck doing lube, brakes, flushes, rotations and other shit. It's a shit job. Move up as quick as possible

Bus user here, I got a job at $18(usd)/hr at 19 with just a year of trade school. That’s a little on the high end for starting pay, but $15/hr is pretty common starting, and after a couple years 25-30/hr with 50-60 hours a week is totally realistic, as long as you keep building your skillset. The job can be quite demanding mentally and physically, but the security of having a unique skill means you’ll always have other places to go if you don’t like one shop. You can expect to work a lot of hours at any shop you go to, and might have to work weekends at first, but like other anons said, if you make yourself indispensable, you’ll get whatever shift you want if that company wants to keep you. There’s a guy at my shop who keeps a signed letter of resignation that he shows to our manager whenever he wants a pay raise, and it works lol. I can’t really speak to military, but I know they’ve got a demand for mechanics, too, since someone has to be able to fix their vehicles, and government pay and benefits are usually even better than private sector.

what are you doing
i NEED to be at that level

Like has been said, he made himself indispensible, same as every other tech that makes that kind of money. GOOD diagnostic technicians are always in demand, its not hard to find techs to do services and brake jobs.

If youre any good, a shop will do a lot to keep you.

>bus user here
That’s what I do. I work maintenance at a tour bus company

>tfw all your quick lube does is oil changes, tire repairs, and the occasional piece of loose trim when it's slow

I love luxury quicklube, I could bullshit this job forever

What do you get paid? Also what company?

I say go for it. I developed a passion for cars and decided to go to a trade school on it. I'm about 3 weeks from graduating and I love what I do. I work at a shit shop right now, but the opportunities open up in better places when you have your degree. That's what I'm looking forward to.
You have to have a true passion for cars to not get sick of it.

Do literally any trade besides automotive.

>Electrician
>HVAC
>Plumbing
>Even fucking welding

All of those pay better and are less bullshitty than working on cars.

t.HVAC tech

:')
NAÏVE

dont do it. theres a reason we all drink and take a decent amount of drugs.

It's a shit job. Hard and dirty work. Shit wages. Little room for growth. Insane tool bills. Constant bitching from customers. Competing against illegals for low wages. Working on the cars isn't cool, owning them is cool. Get a real fucking job or start a business and buy a porsche.

The average starting pay is closer to $12/hr. $15 for mid range. And $20+ for specialized. Starting at $18 is insanely high. You're either full of shit like the truck drivers here, or you landed a bomb ass job. The AVERAGE across the board is $15/hr for a mechanic.

This.

t. Former mechanic

My dad has worked as a mechanic for 35 years. He specifically told me not to pursue it as a career.

Illegals and Mexicans are all that work in all the dealership's in my town. Constantly fucking up new cars. I think the dealer likes it because then they can sell a new car to everyone.

Pay is better for heavy trucks/buses and diesel equipment.

Mind you this is in Canuckbucks, but i started at $16 an hour when i was 18 as an apprentice at a Freightliner dealer. Im 23 now with my red seal making $29/hr as mainly a diagnostic tech. And im on the east coast, head west and i could be making 2 - 3 times that as a mobile tech.

I still do odd automotive jobs at home on the weekends for extra cash. I charged $35 an hour at home.

Looking back i dont know why i though i would turn wrenches for less than $20 an hour now.

Most trades don't require you to go multiple thousands of dollars into debt through heavy APR lines of credit which is the bare minimum to do the job.

The tool game for mechanic is almost worse than the student debt scam. I'd argue it's the same type of system but one uses up your body at an insane rate.

Also the flat rate system is the most abusive pay system I've ever encountered. Sure it seems like the individual can game the system to make out better than what should be their normal hourly rate.

The stipulations of the pacing of the flat rate system also contributes to using up your body if you have any volition whatsoever.

But, like in many other businesses, the house always wins.

t. Have become good friends with multiple mechanics in the past few years.

>the opportunities open up in better places when you have your degree

I'm so sorry.

this

And this

Lol no. Dealerships are mostly fucking garbage to work for too , unless I suppose you work high end but that's no guarantee either based on the last time I talked to a BMW mech. Last dealership I worked in was a Honda dealer, that sum-bitch service department was open 7-9 Monday-Friday, 7-11 Saturdays, and 7-3 on Sundays. Worst part is most of the surrounding dealers were the same, except for Sunday shifts. 0.2hr warranty recall bullshittery, slow fucking parts department personal, inept service writers, expensive tools that take forever to pay for themselves thanks to a shit pay system, and of course don't forget the favoritism and back-stabbing that goes on in a flat-rate pay environment. Shit fucking career field. Way too much effort for too little reward.

Are you on glue? I worked at a Ford Stealership for 5 years, what a total shit hole. Nothing beats 80% warranty work and recalls that pay 60% of cust pay. Left there and went to an hourly diesel shop, way more layed back when all you do is work on your own fleet, not trying to upsell shit people don't need 24/7.
Either way, I couldn't think of a worse trade to get into

>I couldn't think of a worse trade to get into

No one ever brings up the tool game and how much out of pocket it ends up costing you out of your after-tax pay per year.

I can't believe it's such a "hidden secret" of the industry.

...What moron doesn't know about this that is entering the trade? Besides
>tools are a write off to save SOME money on taxes
>can be depreciated every year to save even more
>you don't HAVE to buy snap on etc.
>all tradesmen have tools
I work in NDT, I will never spend as much as a mechanic on tools but I still have to buy a lot of equipment. A UT scanner can be over $10k. And I HAVE to have a good running truck every day, so there's that cost. Etc. etc. etc. Mechanics get the short end on tools for sure, but you OWN them and can do whatever you want with them. Also, lifetime warranty. None of my shit has that.

>What moron doesn't know about this that is entering the trade
>entering the trade

I'm not saying for people who want to become mechanics/tradesmen, I'm talking from the perspective of the layperson. Laypeople only have to directly(/near directly) pay tradesmen that are plumbers/electricians/general contractors/mechanics which only comprise a small % of tradesmen.

Is there aggressive financing through private lines of credit such as snap-on/etc. provides? I know people paying 20% APR on 5k bills as a result of the insanity that goes on within that industry; due to the franchising basis of those companies allowing franchise owners to extend private lines of credit to 18 year olds.

I'm not meaning to "btfo" or w/e, but I feel like this is such a predatory business practice that never gets assessed or addressed in any capacity. At least you can declare bankruptcy on it unlike gov't student loans.

Pretty much what said

Normal auto mechanics might have shit pay, but I’m talking about heavy diesel, which might not seem that distinct from auto repair, but it’s a completely different field and environment. Only pic I have that might prove my job.
>tfw still haven’t figured out why it does this
>replaced every part of the dpf/regen system and it still barfs fuel out the exhaust

I just got offered a auto tech apprentice position at a Honda dealership. 12/hr to start. Worth it? 40-50 hourse per week

Heres an idea, don't rack up 10 - 15k on the tool truck in your first year as an apprentice. I see it all the time. Guys fresh out of trade school blowing 6 or 7 hundred dollars a week on tools they hardly know how to use. I sure as fuck didnt finance a 6k toolbox when i was 19

Been buying things off the tool truck since i started, i always paid half when i purchased it, then the second half the next time the truck was in, compared to most guys that just slip him $20 a week.

im in Alberta and took automotive technician at NAIT years back and got my Journeyman and Redseal. i was the last year that was on the old program before they changed techs to the new program that coddles you more

it was awesome making $25-$30 an hour in my early 20s but its a shit job, you go home sore and full of grease, you NEVER feel like working on your own projects, family and friends always want cheap or free work done by you, and after 5 years in the trade it came to the point i didnt want to go to work anymore. so i said fuck it and quit and work in security now so i actually fix my project cars

i have no regrets because i learned a ton that lasts for life and your Journeyman and RedSeal stay with you for life, but i learned way more from the old guys in the shop than NAIT. NAIT was 2 months there 10 months in the shop a year apprenticing and the school portion is RUSHED. as in all of us complained it was rushed but their excuse was employers especially dealerships were complaining they couldnt have techs away for more than 2 months

if you want to do what i did and do the 4 year apprenticeship and dip out 2 or so years after you get your diplomas go for it, longterm i would reconsider it. im glad its a hobby to me again

$12 is awfully cheap, i started at $15 an hour with 0 knowledge years back and that was considered low. unless youre in the states which $12 might be normal

my boss only provided us with gauges, rest we had to buy ourselves. i got all of my tools from Princess Auto or Canadian Tire, with my brand new toolbox i spent maybe $3500 max in tools and had no issues. if youre stupid enough to suck the tit of the Mac or Snap-On truck youll walk away with a square ass

one of the guys i worked with was loyal to Snap-On and i almost puked when he dropped $1000 on the same quality of tools i just bought at Princess auto for $200. if you want to pay 5x more for the brand stamped on it have fun with that

Yes, I'm in Texas. I currently make 16/hr delivering packages. It would be a slight pay cut but if I can leverage it for better pay later then it wouldn't be bad cause what I'm in right now is a dead end.

Bump. I go in to interview on Monday, any questions I should ask? Dress code? Anything I should try to include in negotiations? What kind of certs should I expect to get in the first year?

It's a dealership btw

DONT FUCKING DOIT take it from a subaru tech, you will not get "cool cars" to work on all the time, the pay is shit, expect to get buttfucked by warranty jobs, YOU WILL NOT GET INTO A PORSCHE DEALER OFF THE BAT expect to be somewhere like dodge, toyota etc, and lastly you will eventually not want to work on cars at all.

t. subaru tech thats waiting for a call from the MTA

Damn I'm in Alberta too, even went to NAIT, going for my 3rd year late spring but already ready to quit the trade, like most people say its shit work and you'll never want to touch another car again.

enjoy having your """career""" being obsolete in 20 years grandpa

i work in fabrication. sometimes it really sucks i cant imagine working on used things.

This. Lube shop is okay to learn at and get get quick with the wrenches. If you work at a higher end shop or heavy equipment or aviation, the pay is good.

Or run your own shop. Your pay is the labor rate plus whatever tips you can grab minus expenses. A guy with his own shop running a tight ship with low overhead can pull a 3 figure salary. It helps to have a good personality, efficient work strategy, rounded knowledge and willingness to creatively monitize your space. Maybe you give free coffee but have some other coin machines? Maybe your wife makes some organic or otherwise special snacks to sell. Maybe offer aftermarket parts for a popular market in your area. Like partner with APR for Audi and VW gags in,a larger metro area, or Truck runninboards in a burger town. That shit can ad up to a good portion of your business. It helps if you have some genuine passion for the product and decent knowledge. You have a captive audience that you can not only do a great job fixing their car, but offer other services too. People are getting sick of the lube shops monkey fucking and the dealer raping. Learn, learn, do, do, learn, do, do, do. We live in a time where info is almost free.

i was lucky enough to be the last year in the old program at NAIT, 4th year is FAR easier than 3rd year and a gravy train. i dont know if they still teach there but for 4th year see if you can get Dan and Doug as your teachers, Dan is awesome. the Redseal exam is a joke, i wrote that puppy and my Journeyman one after another and completed both in under 2hrs and aced them

i stuck it out 2 years after i got my Journeyman then i got so tired of it i quit and work in security now. went from $30 an hour to $20 an hour but i love my job now and automotive is a hobby again

fair enough. just wear regular clothes, dont think you can negotiate much, 1st year you likely will be busting tires and doing oil changes and alignments

i apprenticed at a small shop back when Petro Canada had repair stations, advantage over a dealership was i was removing transmissions etc my 1st year where dealerships leave you on tires and oil changes. but dealerships have far better equipment than the ancient shit we had in the shop

Electric cars wont ever take off and its better replacement hydrogen fuel cell will be mainstream in like 100 years. its already forecasted in 2050 97% of vehicles will be small engine gasoline and diesels

Just dont dress like a weeb.

Ive always dressed like im ready to work. Work pants, work shirt and boots. Always been hired during the interview

My uncle is a mechanic and he told me when I was 16 that if I ever when into anything automotive related, he punch my face in for being a dopey fuckwit.

So I guess don't wear a suit and tie?

Infiniti, hourly rate. Nothing glorious but I'm definitely making more than my lazy ass is worth

Show up in a turd gen and do an engine swap on the service drive

Did you start there? What rate did you start at and how hard was it to work your way up (if you're a type A)? What do you make now?

Got in on six months experience as a parts runner for a Lexus dealership lube team, valet at the same Lexus place for a few years before I caught the car bug and started begging to be in the shop and looking over techs shoulders.

Washed cars while they went over the application and went right in as a completely untrained and uncertified tech and eight loose drain plugs later I'm still here. 11/h working a cunt hair over 40/wk with full benefits.

Forgot to mention we get to drive all the cars they won't trust the valets with

How long you been working there now? My dealership interviewer said they want guys they can train, they start at 14/hr and pay goes up the more you learn

I've been working just over a year now, just got my vacation hours and 401k

But is that hourly or flag hours and what are the benefits

Hourly, 401k match, 10 days vacation. Flag rate is 17.50 to start

I wasted 5 good years trying to get anywhere in a dealership. First place was at a quicklane for Groove ford. Pay was $10 an hour with mandatory Saturdays. Worked my ass off to get noticed by other techs hoping one would approach my boss and tell him I'd make a good apprentice. Techs actually hate quicklane guys cause we take all their gravy jobs. I said fuck it cause I wanted to be a tech one way or the other. Finally get apprenticeship position with a transmission guy making $12. Doesnt teach me shit just has me there to remove and install transmissions for him. he just sits back everyday while I do the labor gets annoyed anytime I ask for tips on diagnosing trans problems. I realized I was getting jobbed and left to Larry H. Miller where they promised me an apprentice position after I worked 6 months as an "advanced lube tech" which is basically a lubber that does all the up-sales like brakes and flushes. 6 months go buy got multiple techs asking me to be their apprentice. Boss hires from outside instead says I make them more money by staying in my current position. I got too good and too fast at doing all these damn gravy jobs and they only have to pay me 12 an hour but charge customers like a tech did it.

I cut my losses got a commercial driver license and now work for the city doing oil changes on trash trucks for 23 bucks an hour.

If you want to catch a glimpse at what dealerships are like look up car dealership life on facebook and give this a skim: linkedin.com/pulse/why-shortage-technicians-josh-laurent

Fuck that man, I'd rather get fucked at my current job. At least I make 16 an hour here

I should add I live in Denver and the shops here don't really pay shit. My buddy just got a job changing oil at Mercedez and that pays $19 so far thats the most I've seen someone make changing oil.

Dude. You're already an HVAC tech?

Stay there man.
Stay there.

Damn son what brand and where and what is the scope of the quick lube

i never did, i started my apprenticeship when i was 19. a shop i always took my car to had a guy quit and the owner offered me an apprenticeship, i went there dressed decent with my resume and he just tossed the resume aside and hired me. wear a dress shirt etc but not a suit and tie i imagine

in regards to owning your own business, if you know what youre doing the bank is crazy. i couldnt own my own repair shop but i had my own company a few years ago where i did mobile insurance inspections, shops charge $120 here for them i did them mobile for $50 each. i got 5-6 inspections a week over the course of 6 months, sweet sweet bank

its gotten to the point even though i quit my own company over 2 years ago i still have guys calling me for them because i was so cheap even though my phone number hasnt been circulated since then

If you go mech in the military. Go Air Force or pick a different job. The Air Force is the only branch that gives a fuck about technical proficiency.

...

So how about Automative engineering?
I sometimes think about it. But then I'm not sure if I am passionate enough about it to make it my career, and I don't seem to fit in with the industry very well - whenever I go to a mechanic or a dealer they more often than not don't seem to like me

You clearly have a shitty personality. Work on yourself. Also automotive engineer might be the most boring job on earth. Do you fancy working on the curve of a single intake for 9 months while management bitches that your design will cost .10% too much so you need to redesign it? Because that's what happens. You don't get to design your own rad car.

Got a BA in Business Administration and then took one of those programs that got me started at a Honda dealership working as a technician.
I worked at a huge tax firm for $40/hr and quit 5 years after saving enough money to buy a house and a new car.
This sounds fucking gay but I enjoy repairing cars because it's satisfying when the customers thank me personally.
I only get paid $22/hr but it's nice when there's people that actually appreciate what you do.
There's also the veteran technicians that give you shit if you don't used overpriced tools like Snap-On but it's all shits and giggles.