what should i do

I am a senior this year and am thinking about going into the automotive field is it worth it?

NO dont go into auto machanics..
been doing this for over 18 years and wished i had NOT..i have a masters ASE plus untold GM classes under my belt.. new workers in dealerships will not make good hours for commission pay.. i have had to start 2 new jobs this 2008 year and even now this is NOT working for me.. so if u can get some college training.. do yourself a favor... go into medical training for about anything.. but dont waste your time doing auto mechanic work.. good luck

I would go with a high line automotive dealership. German auto techs can make 80k+ per year once classes are complete and you become a master tech. I have been in the automotive industry for 30 years and if you try hard you will make good money and work in an a/c shop.

Don't waste your time. You won't see "decent" money until you have like 5+ years experience because the automotive field is big on seniority and they will give the good jobs and top pay to the more experienced guys (obviously). You can make better money doing less work and be cleaner in the IT field or some form of management. Being an auto technician was hot in the 1980's at best. Major corporations are slowly buying up dealerships all over the country and they view the service department as a liability and will try their hardest to pay you as little as they can. And as for "Hunari in Auburn", he's probably the only one making money in his shop. Usually only one guy makes all the hours and I can guarantee that it won't be you as a newbie. For the money and time spent to train for a high line dealer, you can get a real college degree.

cory HENSWORTH in Crookston, Minnesota said: I am a senior this year and am thinking about going into the automotive field is it worth it?

No it's not worth it,if it's what you want to do for life and plan on haveing a family (even if that's sevral years down the road).
I've got over $100,000 in tools, that I have to have to get a job anywhere. I've had some get stollen and that means I have to buy em again. Never heard of a boss taking care of it. Ins for tools is exp. and the rate of pay flat rate or hourly your wife will HAVE to have a good job if you want to own a desent house, unless your lucky enough to have family in the biss. or that will give you $ and not want it paid back. My neighbor works for a garbage co picking up trash and makes the same $ I do but dosen't have the expens of buying tools, nor did he have to pay school loans(go to tec or comm. col.) to get the job.
I'm always adding more tools. New cars always come out with new sepilty tools.
I and all the other tecs I know have been paid the same doller rate for over 10 yrs now. So don't even think about cost of living rasies they don't happen.
O ya you'll get raises form starting off no exp until your a jurneyman(top). But once you've got your time in that's it.
Plus it seems like their are more tec's then there are jobs. Don't belive all that stuff UTI or Lincon Tec tell you it's bull. You can make good mony if you get into the racew cae circ. but that's very hard to do and again more tec's then jobs.

Hunari in Auburn, Alabama said: I would go with a high line automotive dealership. German auto techs can make 80k+ per year once classes are complete and you become a master tech. I have been in the automotive industry for 30 years and if you try hard you will make good money and work in an a/c shop.

O ya where? I work in west chicago now. I've cked out those dealerships. Your a rare one if that is true. I've been a tec for 21 years, ASE master, plus: Gm training, ver. classes (my independent shop owner sent me to when I worked for him). Worked at a union truck shop. Everything but the race circuit. most I've ever made was $75,000 but that was working 50 hours a week every week of the year. Another job paid me $62,000 for the years working 45 hrs a week every week for the year. I paid $800.- a month for my families heath ins & my boss paid for mine. Belive me that brought that 62,000 down a lot. Do some research and go into a better field. I've seen guys go home early with out pay cause there was no work that day and that has been over most of my 21 yrs I've seen this. Luckly it never happened to me because I made myself the most valued tec no matter where I've worked. By speed, least of amounts of bring backs,being able to deal with the customers myself. Working in the office when needed. Being able to do the work of a servis writter, sec, shop manager and top tec. IF I had it to do all over again I'd go back and time and do the other job ihad narrowed down to two of, a Police officer. My 25 yr old son is a city patrol officer makes the same money I do pays only co pay of $25. for him and fam for health ins. He had to buy his own uniforms, gun holster ect but got reim. for part of the cost. He gets exrat paid days off if he works overtime.
I'm not saying be a officer I'm just saying there are better fields out there. Maybe the med field no matter what happens to our economy those jobs will always be there.

rudy in Altamonte Springs, Florida said: Don't waste your time. You won't see "decent" money until you have like 5+ years experience because the automotive field is big on seniority and they will give the good jobs and top pay to the more experienced guys (obviously). You can make better money doing less work and be cleaner in the IT field or some form of management. Being an auto technician was hot in the 1980's at best. Major corporations are slowly buying up dealerships all over the country and they view the service department as a liability and will try their hardest to pay you as little as they can. And as for "Hunari in Auburn", he's probably the only one making money in his shop. Usually only one guy makes all the hours and I can guarantee that it won't be you as a newbie. For the money and time spent to train for a high line dealer, you can get a real college degree.

I agree with rudy!

A newbie starting out at our shop makes 14$ per hour and uses the tools of his trainer. He is then sent to classes and when the shop foreman thinks he is ready to start on his own he is turned loose.

I definately DO NOT recommend being a tech but all I was saying is that if that is the way you are going in life then be a tech at a german or Japanese high line auto dealership. The money is better and shops are air conditioned.

Alos once you become a master tech then it is up to you to find another high line job in same field that you can relocate to for higher pay. The jobs are there if you look hard enough and are willing to relocate.

Diesel mechanics are well sought after right now as well.

If you do decide to become a tech always look for an opportunity to become a service advisor. In my opinion that is your best bet. Service advisors can knock down some serious dollars but they as well have their fair share of headaches and long hours.

You are doing the right thing by asking for opinions. Be well prepared and look at alternatives.

hi again guys..
again i wil say that being a tech in a dealership even with senority and being a master ase with GM traingin up the Yegyang its sucks.. at one dealership this year.. a... foreigner.. not native to this country.. was hired ,, sure he made less that me per hour but he have NO formal training.. he was sent to me by the service manager..( which i question his abililty).. and i would have to assist him .. more of less teaching him the proper way for repairs and not the jack leggeed way he wanted to work on auto.. before i knew it my hours went south..he was doubling my hours while i sat.THEN that guy would come to me to borrow a tool.. well i said screw him refusing to loan him what he wanted...
.. ended up .. i left that place after 6 months of bringin it to the Owners attention.. so now i changed dealerships in another town.. travel mileage went up.. and the cost of gas .. and u can imagin the cost there.. well after 5 months i changed to another dealersihp to reduce the cost of going to work.. that job ended up firing me . jsut to make more hours availible for their senior tech.. NOW isnt that some crap.. well dealerships in my area.. are not hiring any.. i am without a dealership to work..
moving wont do me any good. i almost have my home paid for.. so now i wait seekign to draw unemployment.. which figure out to be over half less than i am use to making per hour of commission..
. so for anyone that wants this tech field... it sucks.. u wil loose ur backside unless u are very very lucky.. i woudl never in any type dealership suggess to anyone this is a good area to work..
u want a job GO TO SCHOOL MORE>. get into the medical field as i stated before.. there will always be openings there if u are trained enough ..but auto even the toyotas.. are not a good field.. watch the stock market see where all autos are failing... even now. dealerships dont want to sell NEW autos.. NO money there. they want to sell used ones..

rudy in Altamonte Springs, Florida said: Don't waste your time. You won't see "decent" money until you have like 5+ years experience because the automotive field is big on seniority and they will give the good jobs and top pay to the more experienced guys (obviously). You can make better money doing less work and be cleaner in the IT field or some form of management. Being an auto technician was hot in the 1980's at best. Major corporations are slowly buying up dealerships all over the country and they view the service department as a liability and will try their hardest to pay you as little as they can. And as for "Hunari in Auburn", he's probably the only one making money in his shop. Usually only one guy makes all the hours and I can guarantee that it won't be you as a newbie. For the money and time spent to train for a high line dealer, you can get a real college degree.

go for your dreams if u believe that u can make it than go for it

i went to school to be trained for auto body! i went to my first shop they let me go cause i was slow!!that was a fast pace shop,they said i would do better being mom-pop shop but i am not giving up cause cars is all i know and im a female.i have torelated certain things in life to cars so i can understand it. i understand u are a senior in school but its is also really good to have plan B,C in case plan A don't work out!!life is like chess u gotta plan out all your moves and make sure you don't get stuck!!!by being a female in a shop or walking in a shop they kinda over look me plus i am small,but i let them know im not dumb,u have to walk in a shop n and let them know i just got out of school but i am willing to learn if possible da best thing is not to act cocky cause that will get u out as fast as u walked in dare!!but all im gonna say is good luck,man

hi all. this is another entry to show u how the market of autos is in this area.. coming from a town where only 2 kinds of gm one dodge and one ford dealerships... they are all screaming..i was laid off..first time in my life.. as an unemployed gm tech for over 18 years.. i have decided to make the best of a screwed up economy.. all service techs must have there tools by now.. as i do.. most than i can think of..so what i am now doing is starting my own shop at home. with the economy being hard on everyone.. i am sure someone will still need to keep thier autos running.. so i made signs and placed them in my area of home plus getting business cards.. i figure i can make per hour.. to be about half of what dealerships make.. and i guarentee my labor.. but let the parts place carry the parts warrenty.. well will see how al this turns out and will let ya know.. good luck to all u auto techs..
btw.. shorty.. same about those mom/pop operations.. those repairs are more affordible.. and some fast money .. good luck to u too

cya!

cory HENSWORTH in Crookston, Minnesota said: I am a senior this year and am thinking about going into the automotive field is it worth it?

Ok - IF you do, you must remember you have to contiue school FOREVER! You must keep up with the advanced technology and NOT american auto. . . it is a very fast paced, forever changing in high demand. . you can make a lot of money at it, but it is work.

I will have to agree with above. Don't do it. I have been a Vw technician for the past 4 years. I've been to UTI(biggest waste of money.) I've worked at an independent shop as well. As of now, I am retaining my job as a tech, and at night, I am going to school to get a college degree. Dealerships walk all over you. Remember they make money off of you. When a service writer is talking to a customer, they say "yeah, I'LL fix the vehicle." So their for you are left out of the circle. as a Technician, you are know as a "grease monkey." Who in the hell wants to be called one of those? I sure don't. If you want to be known to a customer, open your own shop, or get into another field. I'm trying my hardest to get out of it. Longer you sit on it, the harder it will be to get out of the game.

I'm in my fifth year as a technician with: over 24k in tools, a bad back and a student loan and just touch 40k per year. I'm diagnostic certified , can service write and do what any tech in the shop can. Our company doens't offer health insurance. The highest paid tech at the shop has 20 years rebuilding auomatics and is just touching 60k. To anyone just finishing hight school, you can go to two years of community college, earn a RN degree and make 50k a year while helping people. The cost you pay for tuition is far less than tools and busted knuckles. And if you can't afford college be an electrician or plumber. Unless you want to be abused and underpayed stay away from the automotive repair industry.

I think is sux because there always a problem when you fix one thing and it hard to get to that little space sometimes.. ALL the time you put in to fix it and you end up hurting your back and your whole body aches.. Plus the money suxx because it flat rate ,more back breaking for so lil money..And i just finish two years of school for it and work part time for a years and to think i was going to quit my 15.00 an hours job.. way easier , don't gotta bust my ass, easy money job and down grade for this labor mechanic job.

IS worth it keeping up with the new technology and no raise? When a plumber who barely don't have to know to much make more..The industry is good for who ever wanna work there ass off and deal with headace and pressure and under paid.. NO car to work on no money. More money, gotta work on some more car and trust me your body going to aches..

hey,steve in Kingston, Illinois

Im bout to start going to community college to be a master tech.75,000 to me is pretty good,considering where i come from.The 1 thing i want to know is if u work flat rate,Is there going to be a hard time finding work.how many cars come a day?is there always enough for u to bust your butt and get 40 hours or more.

For the love of god,stay out of this business. Im 27 and have been in it since I was 17 professionally. played around for many years before that though. I have been ASE master certified for the past 3 years and for some reason I feel the need to take the L1 in the spring. All for what though, 40k a year? there are techs out there that make 60+ a year but they are few and far between. I consider myself very energetic, motivated and I specialize in the european market, but I've only touched 55k a few times. Most shop owners severally abuse there technicians and replace them with inexperienced kids that they can walk all over and pay crap. As long as there are companies like ATI teaching shop owners that techs are dime a dozen and to throw them away when they make too much money, this problem will persist. I can't tell you how many times i have been forced to train new techs while losing hours to the point where I have trouble paying my bills. I don't even own a house yet, and can't even imagine affording one the way this industry is. If all everyone has said here still doesn't change your mind, please do not waste your time or money going to Lincoln tech or UTI. What they charge is ridiculous and no offenses to anyone on here but most techs are coming out of these schools are very ill prepared. I got a much better education at my local community college for less then 2gs. good luck to you

NO U B GON FRUM DISS LION OV WOORK.

MOVE TO AUSTRALIA Aldie grocery store workers start at 19.00 an houre as does everyone. I was in America 39 years. The last 18 years I was a master certified I-car trained collision tec. I topped out at 750.00 week take home. REMEMBER the field is insurance regulated your shop can only charge so much. Plus how will you be paid. Very few shops will pay you Hourly, how much entery level 8.00 hr. 20 bucks an hour is high for experienced tec's. I did 21 bucks. most shops pay by the job so if you have 3 guys in the shop you will fight for every job. Every shop has their "Go to guy" they must keep him happy. Entry level, plan on washing alot of cars and sweeping a lot of floors, and cleaning allot of toilets. The shop you start in will never pay you what you are worth, you are "their boy". You will eventually have to leave. Remember Just because you went to school does not mean you have experience. The boss could care less how much you know he wants to see how much you can do, and that takes years of experience.I busted my but at a Gm Dealership (dealerships always pay less then non dealerships)Working from 7-8 (13hr) and the way the weird pay structure worked i walked away with 600.00 for the week, Almost 10.00 an houre. I was told by one boss who did not want to increase my 10.00 an hour pay, that I needed to move closer to the shop where rent and housing was 1,500 a month, on 10.00 an Houre.There were mornings I could not get out of bed I was so sore and tired. In the end you will have heaps of tools that no one wants to buy, no retirement package and a very worne out sore body. Average life span of an autobody tec 48 years old then what will you do. A police officer sounds like a nice job or any goverment Job for that matter??? Cheers

Stay out of this stupid line of work. I took two years at a community college for auto and diesel. When I was in school I made 15 hr delivering pizzas and listening to music, got out of college and started in a shop for only 9 hr...how stupid. After five years and $25,000 I'm touching 40K. I would avoid the auto repair industry like a crazy ex-girlfriend.

I have to agree with some of the senior techs who have posted here. While the lure of high production hours and flat rate pay cloud your judgement, stop and do the math. I have over 20 years experience and only the last 5 or 6 years have been good. I have over 30k invested in tools, and yes, at times a sore and aching body. In the beginning the learning curve is intense and quite fun but once you are trained and experienced your dreams of high production numbers will flatline. The hours become stagnant and it will be very difficult to produce a good paycheck. You can expect to work hard, deal with unrealistic promise timetables, heat, noise, work distribution issues in what I call a thankless job. An auto tech is "in the back" and usually not involved in any decision making which is odd in that we are the ones carrying the dealership now in this economy. Just expect to be walked all over, pushed around, yes you will make good money, but not always. Just when you get used to some real money something happens that kicks you back. I've been from 25k or so in the beginning to as high as 78k. The last two years under 70k. I like some of the other tech's ideas of entering health care, it makes a lot of sense. I know someone (girlfriend) that gave two years of night classes and 5 semesters of school to become a Dental Hygienist earning what I earn in only four days a week mon-thurs. I must say, I wish I'd known about those career paths years ago. While I worked through the ranks, stair-stepping up, moving to other shops to gain flat rate pay, etc. as other techs have already mentioned, she got a job right away earning top pay. So, as I stare at the tool chest and my career I just say crunch the numbers and try to imagine the environment, stress, health concerns etc.

Well i wish i would have done this when i was in high school, if i would have done my reaserch with real Tech's i would have never gotten into this field. Let me tell u I have been a Tech for 7 years and i regret it! i love working on cars but if i would have know back then what i know now i would have continued my education and kept working on cars as a hobby. Being a Tech is hard work and the pay is ok but after tools and the lack of benifits... it sucks unless ur the owner. Be smart and continue ur education that will be the best for u, bolive me Im 24 years old and im trying to get out of this busines its just not worth it if u want to start a family and be financially secure. Im going back to school to change my career....

well i have made comment for the last several month and let me tell ya.. this area of north carolina, the dealerships are not working at full schedule. there just arent repairs as once was.. since i have been unemployed from a GM dealership and i am finding it better of me to seek a new a career. hang up the tools and get a job working in a controlled weather enviroment ,in a much cleaner area with less physical labor.. even one gm dealership near me is selling out.. .. soon before its all over.. more dealerships are closing their doors.. and the bigger one wil be saturated with highly qualified techs as my self with no place to go nor the proper hours u need .. these dealership will put in as many techs as possible.. and u wil have much trouble getting ur hours for better pay.. . so this also means the auto industries will not be back as once was any time soon. how long can u wait?

All the shop owners seem to care about is making Numbers. What I see day after day is a business owner who hires four or five guys to do three tech's worth of work. The man signing the checks doesn't care if we each work 9 hr days and flag 30 hrs a week. He just wants his customer out of the waiting room and cash in his pocket. The only guys making good money in automotive repair are shop owners and service manager. Even the brown noser tech at my work is there from 7:00am to6:30 pm to gross 55-60k per year.

Take a look into the average automotive tech wages. I have looked and most tech jobs in america pay $18-$22 flat hr with five+ years experience. Get a career and save your back. Take those tools home to maintain your own car.

Try and look elsewhere, this field has been deteriorating quickly in the last few years, most of what these other guys are saying is true. I've been a gm tech for 25 years and finally am getting out of it. I was one of the better techs in the shops I was at but didn't get the money or breaks that the ass-kissers did. Even those guys are putting in long hours now to try and get by. Dealers are ruthless and competition between mechanics will make your day very stressfull. When I got out I was at 30 hours a week in a shop that was wall to wall techs. There was no work and it was way to crowded to get anything done when you did have work. I've been at 9 gm dealers in my career and only one was run with a little common sense, didn't make over 47 a year but it wasn't a bad place to work....good luck.

cory HENSWORTH in Crookston, Minnesota said: I am a senior this year and am thinking about going into the automotive field is it worth it?

I don't know if you still view this thread but I will respond back anyway. I am 25, I have been doing this flat-rate for 2 years and 2 years through a GM program and working with techs. Can you make good money when your busy, without a doubt. However, when you are slow you might as well be shaking a can on the street for change. In four years I have purchased over $40K worth of tools and made okay money by using them, but for the past 9 months I have been struggling to get 25 hours a week while I am at the dealer nearly 50 hours a week. Also there is no type of retirement, what-so-ever.
Now that GM is closing nearly 50% of there dealers Techs are going to be replaceable, dispite there level of expertise, certifications, and Dealer Training. By the way, I will find out on May 11, if my GM dealer made the first cut or not.
So, save yourself time and money and go into constrution, or computers, or some other field that doesn't require the employee to invest into the job more than the company. Good luck searching and let me know if you find a good career.

I've browsed through every one's replies and there totally right!!!!!
DO NOT GET INTO THIS INDUSTRY ANY OF IT !!!!!!!!!!!!!
IT'S B.S. IF YOU WANT TO STARVE, WORK FOR FREE AND BE TREATED LIKE SLAVE, PAY OVER 60K IN TOOLS AND DOESN'T STOP THERE THEN GO AHEAD IF YOU LIKE ???
IT WASN'T LIKE THIS UNTIL CORPORATION'S TOOK OVER THE INDUSTRY
IN THE 80's IN WHICH THEY KNOW NOTHING ABOUT // AND DON'T GET IT !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!+

cory HENSWORTH in Crookston, Minnesota said: I am a senior this year and am thinking about going into the automotive field is it worth it?

You have to first honestly ask yourself if this is REALLY what you love or is this just a way for you to make money.

If this is something you really love, then go for it!! Yes, the economy is horrible but you must focus on being proactive and make as many friends in the industry as you can. A good idea is to just talk to people in the industry or even stop by some shops. Once you have that job in the automotive industry, look into owning your own business. Don't just be some guy always working for someone else. Always put yourself in a postion where you're making lots of friends.

If you're just getting into it for the money, then you may want to reconsider and explore high-paying careers and major in those.

THE REASON PEOPLE KEEP GETTING SCREWED IN THE SOUTHERN & WESTERN PART OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA IS BECAUSE WE DO NOT HAVE A UNION !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
LIKE THE N.E. U.S. STATES !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
OF THE COUNTRY !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
WHY IS THAT ??????????????????????????????
WE HAVE A NEW U.S. PRESIDENT THAT IS GETTING SCREWED JUST LIKE BUSH JR,FROM CONGRESS & SENATE !!!! I'M NOT DEFENDING HIM !!!!!!!!!!
WE NEED JUSTICE,HONOR & FAIR TREATMENT JUST LIKE ARE SISTER'S/BROTHER'S UP NORTH !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
HOW LONG DO WE HAVE TO LIVE BYE EACH PAY CHECK ????????????
IF ABLE ?????????
I HAVE LOST EVERY THING ! AND I KNOW I'M NOT ALONE !!!!!!!!!!!
IT'S BEEN A LONG WHILE !!
!!!!!!!!!!! IT'S ARE RIGHT AS FREE AMERICAN/WORLD CITIZENS TO FIGHT AGAINST THE PEOPLE THAT HAS
CAUSE BECAUSE OF THERE GREED U.S. CORPORATE AMERICA
THAT GOVERMENT IS LETTING THEM GETTING AWAY WITH ??????
I KNOW THAT AMERICA IS NOT GOT TO THIS !!!!!!!!!!!
SINCE I JUST HAD SOME ANTI-AMERICAN EGNORANT GOVERMENT EMPLOYED
BASTERD JUST DELETE MY MESSAGE

WHAT KINDA GOVERMENT ARE YOU ?
WOULD LIKE A PERSONAL REPLY ?
THERE'S MORE !!!

i did this work because i was good at it and it paid the bills..for me to love a job there is NONE. it all sucks but i always do my part i keeping my ass off the welfare line. love dont pay the bills.. i would never advise anyone to become mechanic and with the economy getting as it is dealerships closing down those mechanics looking for dealerships that survive then u got a bunch of guys working for sure .. how many hours can do get when all bays have guys and ur warrenty car it tieing up ur service rack and it wil be 3 days shipment for ur part.. now seeing there for 3 days because of not rack t use and pay those bills.. so by the time u spend all weeek and no one making good time. it gets tring. so i am changing career.. if i got live off the money that is soon heading down the pipes.. but u younger guys stick it out if u want buyt my old man advice is go to a medical profession dont waste ur years being a car tech be a med tech .. easier work better condition pay and u wil have a much larger demand for ur time

One other thing for the guy asking to get into this. I am 25 and have been doing this 4-5 years total and I am already getting Arthritis, 3 days a week it feels like my pinky finger is jammed. If my body is taking this toll after only a couple years, how will it be in 20-25 years.
Pick a profession that you only pay for once, when you first go to school for it. Not a jobs that you pay for until you retire and it pays you sporadically. If you do decide to get into the field let me know, because I will give you a great deal on my tools.

The saga continues. Now that business is statrting to pick up at our shop the owner hires a third guy. Now instead of four of us each flagging 40 hrs a week we have five guys each getting 32 hours. This crap never ends, we get busy and hire another guy to help catch up...only takes a week. I've been playing the flat rate game for the last two years and plan on getting out of the field. So many shop owners come in thinking this will be easy to boss some grease monkeys. I'm finding out it would only take two more years of night school become a RN and have better benifits.

well since i last made a reply.. one dealership in my area has shut down due to the economy.. i was hoping to return there for work but u know the situation as with many dealerships.. i am currently in school entering the medical field while still have half a brain to relearn a new trade.. i am not able to go to a 2 years course in the RN field.. because i got bills i cant pay so at least while my unemployment is still going.. i had to choose a course of 5 weeks and am half way completed and i do enjoy it..and wil take another course to make an EKG tech be apart of my new career. at least with these course i can enter into a new job market and pay most of my bills. wont be worried about the auto industry anymore no more working my self to death for low hours either. when i put in 40 i get paid for 40.. no more knuckle pains hot oils and no more having to deal with the service managers feeding anyone.. i understand the rest of the service techs and say GO for it if medical field is ur dream.
but u know whom is the blame for all this trouble we have.. our own government allowing companies to shut down and sending our jobs over seas jsut to make this country one of consumers.. not like before years ago when we were a country of consumers and producers.. what happens when u are only consumers? u go broke.. raise taxes they say.. WHY i say. reduce the governments spending and rid most of the senate, congress and representives.. keep one per state in there and then reduce thier pay by $50k per year. how many ppl does it take to run this country.. rid the greedy ones too.they are all over paid for the efforts and comforts payed for by the tax payers of this country. dont bail out companys that let greed consume profits the rip offs of the stock markets lining the pockets for the cheaters making sorry and bad investments of the ppl of the USA. when they are bailed out .they increase taxes jsut to make us pay more for the greedy and selfishness of others.. i say NO WAY!

rudy in Altamonte Springs, Florida said: Don't waste your time. You won't see "decent" money until you have like 5+ years experience because the automotive field is big on seniority and they will give the good jobs and top pay to the more experienced guys (obviously). You can make better money doing less work and be cleaner in the IT field or some form of management. Being an auto technician was hot in the 1980's at best. Major corporations are slowly buying up dealerships all over the country and they view the service department as a liability and will try their hardest to pay you as little as they can. And as for "Hunari in Auburn", he's probably the only one making money in his shop. Usually only one guy makes all the hours and I can guarantee that it won't be you as a newbie. For the money and time spent to train for a high line dealer, you can get a real college degree.

when you said less work you said "i dont like my job"
so i dont think you have the experiance.
"captainnasty 1974 full auto tech here in my very own shop
NORTH EAST TEXAS
I deal with all makes and models j k l jets, vwbs,merces, tracs,
ds,6,7,9s tractor trail., audi 3,5,6,8i,12,30,000 rpm machines
I LOVE MY JOB but i want to move too ausie

DO NOT GET IN THIS TRADE!!!!! Listen to the other techs.

I was thinking about going into this fild to, even talked to a tech school about it. Im going to start looking for something different now. Thanks.

stick to sidework. My dealer closed recently so now I have all my tools at home. In about 2.5 days of work at home I've brought home over $750. I've had two week checks at the dealer that was for less than that. I won't go to another dealer without some type of guarentee on time. If I'm there over 45 hours a week there is no reason I should be making 25-30 hours, when we are slow, it's just not right. Not to mention, before dealers started closing there were no real benefits. Now that dealers are closing and the dealers that are staying open aren't making as much profit as they would like now they are cutting out health, paid holidays, and so on. Find a job with good benefits and make extra cash at home. Those are my thoughts.

When I started in the Auto field 15years ago I was told "its great you can make your 8hrs flat rate and be off at lunch time". Thats what I was told or "if you want stay at work and earn more money get 15-20hrs per day". What a crock of s---. Now I'm an ASE Master, Maryland Inspecter, Toyota Expert, and filling for bankruptcy. I go to work at a dealership 6days per week never, get a day off. I write up cars with big hours on them and the dispature orders the parts and hands the work to a helper then gives me a warranty repair, diag, or engine job. At the end of the day the helper has 15-20hrs and I get yelled at by the service manager because I only have 2 hrs for the day. Thats the superteam for ya. I would never recommend auto mechanics to anyone until the entire flat rate system is thrown out.

WageSlave in Frederick, Maryland said: When I started in the Auto field 15years ago I was told "its great you can make your 8hrs flat rate and be off at lunch time". Thats what I was told or "if you want stay at work and earn more money get 15-20hrs per day". What a crock of s---. Now I'm an ASE Master, Maryland Inspecter, Toyota Expert, and filling for bankruptcy. I go to work at a dealership 6days per week never, get a day off. I write up cars with big hours on them and the dispature orders the parts and hands the work to a helper then gives me a warranty repair, diag, or engine job. At the end of the day the helper has 15-20hrs and I get yelled at by the service manager because I only have 2 hrs for the day. Thats the superteam for ya. I would never recommend auto mechanics to anyone until the entire flat rate system is thrown out.

So whats so bad about a warranty repair? Do you have to wait befor you get paid or something?

Warranty Repair Generally Pays about 50% of customer Pay Work ...in Many Cases....Less if Diag Time is involved

Yeah that is definately true with diag. If it is some weird wiring or driveablity concern that takes 1.5 hrs. to diagnose you only get .1 - .3 hrs for diag, unless you can can get the service manager to ok more (and good luck with that).
I had a work truck before that was complaining about road vibration above 65 mph, and it was a glass truck. I told the service manager that the first step through GM is removing aftermarket equipment, which means good by glass equipment. He told me to skip that step. So I had to drive it about 7 miles to the highway and then a few miles on the highway to verify. I did this and felt some vibration, a bit excessive but it is a glass work truck. So I told the manager it needs the tires rebalanced and road forced first to see how the numbers are. Our dealer doesn't have a road force machine, so he told me balance them and redrive it. I did that, drove out another 7 miles to the highway and back again. No change, so I had to relift up the oversized truck, pop the tires off, and mark them so that the can get road forced and balance check somewhere else. I get the tires back, put them back on and redrive it. Feels the same. Asked what the road force numbers where, the never wrote them down. Had to again lift up the vehicle, pop the tires off, and mark them to have them resent out (this time to a different shop). Got them back and had to replace 2 tires. Put new tires on and redrove it out to the highway, feels better but still has vibration. But the truck still has all of the glass holding equipment. Told the service manager and he finally said ok that I spent enough time on it, several hours between driving it and taking the tires off. I got my RO back that the service manager was holding on to and saw my time. He gave me 1.5 hrs. for it. I was beyond pissed. Since then I am unemployed, the dealer finally closed due to the GM bankruptcy. I will not even look at or apply for another automotive job unless I know there is a guarantee.

Sorry about the misspellings. I guess I should reread my posts prior to posting my comments.

I have been unemployed since Oct. 31, 2009. Believe me on this, if you are flat-rate the service manager doesn't care about you or the time you make on warrenty repairs, his job is to pay you the least he can so that he gets a kick back from GM. It's the same thing how we cannot let customers know that they need a repair if it is under warranty or under GMPP, extended warranty. The only way we can do anything is if they complain about it first. On top of that GM now makes you do safety inspections on every vehicle, but we get threatened to get fired if you write down what's wrong with it if it is under warranty still. All this so that the customers feel safer and better since their car now has nearly 36K on it and still no problems, yet in reality there are a couple leaks, one of his calipers are locking up and chewing through brake pads, and whatever other problems we see. I got yelled at once for letting a guy with an Avalanche know that his RR pads were down to metal. The manager told me to never tell a customer this, I walked in there with the pad and the rivets showing and he told me "So, don't tell them it's down to metal". He had no reply when I asked where they were at. Also got yelled at since I argued that it is warranty since it is either a caliper or hardware problem, not customer driving habits. GM is out to make their buck and their way to guarantee that is by having service manager like this.

By the way I'll be 26 in December, still young enough to start a new career, hopefully one with real benefits. That's the only upside I see to this, so far.

eigregor in Portage, Indiana said: By the way I'll be 26 in December, still young enough to start a new career, hopefully one with real benefits. That's the only upside I see to this, so far.

O MY God! I had hoped I was just in my own personel Hell but I guess this is all over. I have worked for Ford for a year or so but they were never that bad. Since then its been Toyota, Subaru,Hyundai and independents. I never worked for GM. The majority of techs all have the same type horror stories, a select few are pampered enough to keep them quit I guess. What I always keep in mind though is I have experience, certifacations, tools and my health so I can go accross the street and get another sh-- job like I got. These chosen few are stuck they cannot leave becuase they cannot work. Thats the only way I've been able get what I need is by letting them know I can leave and You will see production drop when I'm gone. Good luck to you eigregor.

steve in Kingston, Illinois said: I agree with rudy!

I agree with both of u guys!!!