Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Location: East of Seattle since 1992, 615' Elevation, Zone 8b - originally from SF Bay Area
44,699 posts, read 81,510,683 times
Reputation: 57965
Another case of where you are making a huge difference. That would be a great salary for a mechanic in a small southern town. It doesn't seem like much for someone so well qualified with 5 years experience living in NY City. Our fleet auto shop people in Seattle with lower cost of living than NY (not a dealership or repair shop, and they are union) are getting:
Go talk to real mechanics and get the real answers, don't fall for the old there is a huge shortage and you can make so much money.
There are some very niche jobs, mostly union, where you can earn a good living, but those jobs are RARE.
You will probably hear from more than one long term mechanic at a dealer that will tell you how the more they get paid hourly, the less they actually get paid.
Everyone is squeezing the mechanic. Flat rate labor hours are being lowered while cars are getting more complicated, lower times for warranty work, and then at the same time they want more education and more investment in tools from you.
Being a mechanic was great in the 90s, not so much now.
Another case of where you are making a huge difference. That would be a great salary for a mechanic in a small southern town. It doesn't seem like much for someone so well qualified with 5 years experience living in NY City. Our fleet auto shop people in Seattle with lower cost of living than NY (not a dealership or repair shop, and they are union) are getting:
Semi-skilled Helpers $28/hour
Journey Level $38/hour
Lead/Foreman $45/hour ($86,400/year)
Is that flat rate or hourly? $45 per hr X 40 hrs weekly X 52 weeks = 93,600 yearly. If hourly that's exceptional money, especially since they get paid to smoke, text, and take bathroom breaks.
Contrary to the crap those bunch of whiners on the Indeed thread spewed forth, auto technicians do make a good living. A sharp greenhorn fresh out of UTI can make 45k his first year. A seasoned go-getter can knock down 80k+ annually after 5 years. And that's at an independent shop in Phoenix, AZ where owners actually respect and care for their people.
As for the dealer environment? It's full of politics and back-stabbing. Except for the shock and awe of porcelain floors and latest, greatest technology I'm not sure what the attraction is working for a dealer where one is just a number and disposable.
Location: East of Seattle since 1992, 615' Elevation, Zone 8b - originally from SF Bay Area
44,699 posts, read 81,510,683 times
Reputation: 57965
Quote:
Originally Posted by Elna Rae
Is that flat rate or hourly? $45 per hr X 40 hrs weekly X 52 weeks = 93,600 yearly. If hourly that's exceptional money, especially since they get paid to smoke, text, and take bathroom breaks.
Contrary to the crap those bunch of whiners on the Indeed thread spewed forth, auto technicians do make a good living. A sharp greenhorn fresh out of UTI can make 45k his first year. A seasoned go-getter can knock down 80k+ annually after 5 years. And that's at an independent shop in Phoenix, AZ where owners actually respect and care for their people.
As for the dealer environment? It's full of politics and back-stabbing. Except for the shock and awe of porcelain floors and latest, greatest technology I'm not sure what the attraction is working for a dealer where one is just a number and disposable.
These are full-time employees, paid hourly for 40 hours plus overtime if needed and great benefits.
I keep seeing all these articles glorifying blue collar positions like there are shortages and they are some hidden secret to a wealthy life. All they do is pick unusual examples of someone who happens to be making a lot of money at the time the article is written. Many times they quote non union sources that don't pay much saying there is a shortage, then they quote union wages for higher paying positions where there are no shortages. Don't believe these nonsense articles. The whole goal is the get reads and reposts like this one did, so they exaggerate everything.
I keep seeing all these articles glorifying blue collar positions like there are shortages and they are some hidden secret to a wealthy life. All they do is pick unusual examples of someone who happens to be making a lot of money at the time the article is written. Many times they quote non union sources that don't pay much saying there is a shortage, then they quote union wages for higher paying positions where there are no shortages. Don't believe these nonsense articles. The whole goal is the get reads and reposts like this one did, so they exaggerate everything.
There is in fact a severe shortage of qualified high end auto techs. While the article may have used some flowery language it's basically accurate.
PM me and I'll give you all kinds of real world examples and data. And read post #4.
There is in fact a severe shortage of qualified high end auto techs. While the article may have used some flowery language it's basically accurate.
PM me and I'll give you all kinds of real world examples and data. And read post #4.
Exactly. "high end" mechanics and "up to" and "can earn". Kind of like there is a shortage of qualified CEO's and an office employee can earn millions of dollars being a CEO. So basically if one out of 1000 mechanics makes this amount then they can say that most will. All shortages mean is that they don't pay enough. There are plenty of mechanics who should be able to move up into these positions.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
