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We really do have a shortage of good mechanics ones with experience. My brother runs a dealership and they are desperate to find people who aren't afraid to get dirty and work. He pays 9 dollars an hour for someone in high school, which in that area is a lot of money. No one wants to do the work.
Maybe if we brought back shop classes in schools, and taught kids that dirty work can be good work, then maybe the shops won't have to hire shady people who do a shoddy job, or can't tell what the brake pads are at or overfills on oil ect. and ditto on the service writers they have no automotive experience and have no business writing tickets.
Your brother doesn't understand that the market has spoken and told him he's not offering enough for THAT type of work. It doesn't matter if in that area "$9 a hour is a lot of money". Means absolutely nothing. The demand is there and he has no supply. Simple economics. If I was his mechanic I would go in demanding mire money because of that simple fact. . He's offering pay for a specific job. In this case the pay isn't enough so he can't fill the position. People aren't willing to work for the money offered. He has choices
1. Offer more to entice people. Either bonus based or straight higher hourly pay till he jets people interested.
2. He offers the same as before and gets either no workers or workers who are worth that amount.
3. Goes out there and does it himself.
He's making the mistake of assuming people are willing to work for what he's willing to pay.
But I agree. There is a huge shortage of QUALIFIED EXPERIENCED mechanics. IMO finding a good mechanic today is like throwing a dart at a dartboard. I have two family members and a friend who are experienced factory trained mechanics. One can't wait to retire and (his words ) never see a wrench in his life. The other is going back to school while working as a mechanic. My friend got out of it also.
He's told me stories as to how some are treated by dealerships, service writers, and shop owners
Okay I am a Schmuuk. I was at the local GM dealership and they said the in cabin air filter on your 09 accord is dirty would you like us to replace it. Yeah sure....30min later the total bill for just the in cabin air filter was....$80. I then went home youtubed it... 27 seconds for a $12 part. I am not a car guy but that day I went out and bought 2 manuals for my 09 accord and have been doing repairs myself since.
Also, just bought a used car for $8,000 a 06 Buick Lucerne with 86,000 miles. Four months later and 6,000 miles the same dealership said it needed $5,000 in repairs. Previously I got them to do a coolant flush and not to replace it with dex-cool. They insisted that GM fixed dex-cool issues. Four months later gaskets are leaking and also they said I need a motor mount which I do not, they also said the steering gear is all wet and needs to be replaced, it does not.
I never thought dealerships were crooks, now I do.
Okay I am a Schmuuk. I was at the local GM dealership and they said the in cabin air filter on your 09 accord is dirty would you like us to replace it. Yeah sure....30min later the total bill for just the in cabin air filter was....$80. I then went home youtubed it... 27 seconds for a $12 part. I am not a car guy but that day I went out and bought 2 manuals for my 09 accord and have been doing repairs myself since.
And that’s your choice to diy. Not everyone wants or has the time or tools to work on their cars. I do a lot of my own mechanical work. I don’t mind doing it. I don’t always have the time and in some cases I do to take it to my mechanic rather than diy. It’s ususlly if it’s a time/need fast thing But for the most part I diy simply because I can and my weekends are free labor. For example m about to redo a waterpump and radiator repair on one of my trucks. So I bought a new radiator, waterpump, hoses, bolts, thermostat, coolant etc. and it’s gonna take a few hours to do it. It’s still about 30% of the cost of taking it in. But I have different vehicles and it’s not a pressing thing where I need the truck on the road for work.
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68,329 posts, read 54,381,135 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by headingtoDenver
Keep in mind that since you went to a Dodge dealership, you were dealing with the service writer and not a mechanic. Most service writers don't know how to change the oil, let alone do any maintenance.
But they all should have ready access to a flat rate book giving times for operations like replacing a sensor.
Okay I am a Schmuuk. I was at the local GM dealership and they said the in cabin air filter on your 09 accord is dirty would you like us to replace it. Yeah sure....30min later the total bill for just the in cabin air filter was....$80. I then went home youtubed it... 27 seconds for a $12 part. I am not a car guy but that day I went out and bought 2 manuals for my 09 accord and have been doing repairs myself since.
A LOT, if not most places, selling you something, will gladly liberate you from as many of your dollars as they think possible!
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