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I also wanted to add that in our area we are one of the prestige shops and have a hard time finding good techs or shop hands and wanted to clarify that I am doing the same exact work as the other techs and booking right around the same amount of hours w/NO COMEBACKS and ask few questions when i do ask them its just to double check my self since in this industry experience helps allot I try to get as much information as I can while I can since I am an apprentice and can do this without any repercussions although with the resources available aka all data and identifix I don't think I would have any problems not asking questions I guess I do it because its easier and if the other techs have seen the same situations I run into it will save me sometime
My older brother is a certified master mechanic. He is certified in everything. He has been doing this for over 40 yrs. He had his own garage and has over $100,000 in snap-on and Mac,and craftsman tools. A Mercedes dealership sent him to school in California for training and he was #1 in his class. He has worked on*rolls royce, and Bentley's. He made a good living but it took time. You don't make good money until you can do a job under the required time that the flat hour rate calls for and do the repair right the first time no come backs. My brother did not go to some stupid school he was taught by a old timer. You have to prove yourself before you start demanding the big money. You have to start at the bottom and work your way up. Being a auto tech today is not like it was back in the day. Back then you had no computer telling you what was wrong with the car. You had to figure it out yourself then fix it. That's we're knowledge beats out text books.
If you want to make more money, work the shops that will let you get all the hours you can stand and get the certs to prove your skills. If you want to gain experience and have a 40 hour work week, there are other options as well. For great benefits and a wage close to what you are looking for and only have to work a 40 hour week check this out: https://www.governmentjobs.com/jobs/...iii-adm-austin
I wonder how the industry handles “come backs”? Are they recorded somewhere? Does the mechanic gets a charge back? I have lost count of repairs that weren't done right the first time. Taking it back does not always fix it. Sometimes it gets worse. With todays cars, especially with a few miles under the belt, they develop symptoms nobody can figure out.
Come backs, goes to the tech that did the work, thats his responsibility. Til its right.
Nowadays, Very very few mechanics make a decent living..
The nature of the business has become very competitive, The guys who makes money are very experienced, know how to diagnose, write estimates and do the work faster than flag time.
It's not even fun any more, you really have to love what you do. Cause you won't be making much money..
Once a tech gets a little older, gain a little weight, say hello to back problem...
I'm well past retirement age, weigh a few pounds more than when in my 20's-50's ... but have kept in shape. Yes, I work more slowly than I did years ago. Yes, I cannot lift as much, especially in awkward positions.
But I make as much money as ever. How? proficient hand skills, diagnostic skills, experience at how to do various tasks, and willing to have the right tools for the job at hand.
I've been working part-time (if they've got the work, I'm there, if not ... I'm doing my own projects) to help out in a couple of shops lately, and my billable hours for the hours worked are right up there with the top youngsters. The shop owners trust that I can be given a work ticket and know that the work will be comprehensively done correctly the first time, and that legitimately needed "up-sell" items are brought to their attention in a timely manner so that those opportunities to be of service to the vehicle owner can be scheduled/sold. I've been working on everything from diesel field tractors to skidsteers to antique gasoline powered smaller farm tractors to industrial equipment to cars and trucks (gas and diesel).
It's actually kind of fun after all the years of my own shop. I come in, have no other responsibilities for the business, get the assigned tasks done ... and get to go home knowing that a paycheck for my efforts is forthcoming.
As far as making a decent living in this business, I know a lot of older/experienced techs that are making 6-figure incomes. The key to this is product/service knowledge, keeping current with training, and still having the curiosity and enthusiasm to learn the systems and apply that knowledge to a beneficial result.
On the other side, I do see the results of poor technical proficiency in the business ... nothing new there. I recently have repaired a number of diesel pick-up trucks running issues that were completely misdiagnosed by the "best diesel" shops in their area. The fellows simply couldn't be bothered to check out basic items, such as the proper firing order for mis-installed diesel fuel injection lines. Or working on a few pieces of rental yard construction equipment ... "techs" couldn't tell the difference between a couple of poor connections to an intermittent ignition switch and a failed charging system. An $11 switch and some re-wiring installed in 20 minutes sure beats replacing a functioning alternator/voltage regulator and perfectly serviceable battery. (It was actually kinda' comical ... I was working on diagnosing the charging system problem and the in-house "tech" walked past me and noted that I was using my old Fluke 88 meter. They commented that they had one, too ... only it was a much newer model with far superior diagnostic capabilities. I almost broke out laughing at them; one must be smart enough to put the test equipment to good use as opposed to simply owning it. I dug out the schematic for the equipment and traced out why the charging system wasn't charging the battery; found the fault area in the wiring which wasn't delivering the charging power to the battery).
Just for grins ... had to do a clutch in a Subie OBW the other day. Still got it done in a little over 3 hrs and that included a new timing belt/water pump, acc drive belts. Not too bad for a morning's work for an old guy. Went from that shop to one where we were putting in a new clutch and trans input shaft in an older IHC diesel tractor ... and upsold the owner to change out the old piston A/C compressor for a rotary update and R-134a conversion.
Sure, it can be a young man's game for some of the work. But experience and good judgment can make up for a lot of brute force and ignorance. Use appropriate safety gear, know your limitations and work within them. I used to watch some guys drop the transmissions out of city delivery and larger trucks on their chests with the Armstrong lift rather than waste their time with a proper trans jack or gantry hoist. I'll bet that they can't do much work at all these days. Me, I always used the proper equipment and let it do the job. Still do. Got an in-frame overhaul scheduled on a DT466e this month and it'll be fun, not a chore or a work-out. Also have a engine swap on a TRX-20 trencher, and need to make up a new 20HP hydraulic mule for an older man-lift that had a Kohler 18HP 2cyl2stroke motor for a power pack. Love doing that type of work and my checkbook can use the additional income. I'm figuring on working this stuff until I'm 80 ... and then I'll cut back to just working on my own farm/ranch equipment, boats, vehicles, and airplane. It'll be a retirement compared to what I'm doing now ... the limited work my wife made me cut back to after I turned 65 awhile back.
Even if you follow the threads from the OP, Veyon, about his career development ... it appears that he figured out how to make a decent income in this biz after paying his dues and learning how in few shops that didn't pay him very well (and perhaps were commensurate with his contribution to the work product output at the time). There's money to be made in the trade ... but not in every shop for every person who comes in with a few tools and not much else.
I would like to know what you asked for and what you make now I have been working at the same shop for a little bit over 3 years I started as a shop hand after a year I became a lube tech after another year I became an apprentice technician and now have two certifications and approximately 8000 in tools the entire time I have worked there I have done small and large repairs for other techs and myself or given them from the service writers so my skill level is fairly high for the amount of experience I have i have also diagnosed and fixed many different things ranging from engine noise and misfire to a break squeak and I currently make 11 dollars and 5 dollars per book hour but as a lube tech I made11 and 5 percent just for rec. Work and not even doing the work should I ask for a raise?
Salaries are a supply and demand affair, so I would start in looking for a similar job in the area to see what they would pay you.
Once you know you could get more somewhere else, if you enjoy your working place, I would approach the manager and see if he can pay you more. Now you have a better leg to stand on when asking for a raise.
If you want to make more money, you need tools, and certs. I-car and Ase, then you need specialized ones for the different types of cars.
I suggest new car dealerships, I spent most of my working life in them, and with good reason.
They have constant work from the people who buy the cars there.
You will work on the same types of cars, and gather experience.
You will book hours, commission.
Another important bennie is you will buy a car they service, usually a trade-in, and get the parts cheap or free.
If you want to make more money, you need tools, and certs. I-car and Ase, then you need specialized ones for the different types of cars.
I suggest new car dealerships, I spent most of my working life in them, and with good reason.
They have constant work from the people who buy the cars there.
You will work on the same types of cars, and gather experience.
You will book hours, commission.
Another important bennie is you will buy a car they service, usually a trade-in, and get the parts cheap or free.
Or better yet get in with a city or county now your talking money. Paid by the hour not Commission and better bennifits. But these jobs are hard to get.
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