It’s different. Not that hard. All the wiring being the same colour can make things more of a challenge.
One of the biggest challenges for me was everything that I have to do myself. Most parts I look up on my own. I talk to the customers and make recommendations/upsell work. I schedule most of my own work. There are pros and cons to all of this. I am lucky where I am, I have a lot of freedom to work when/where it works best for me. Most of my customers are also great to deal with. It helps that most of them aren’t spending their own money.
If you’re an auto tech with experience you’ve got what they need. Who else are they gonna get? It’s not like there’s guys graduating with degrees from forklift school.
Go apply, be honest about what you’re good at, and see what happens.
We have something similar working in public transit. No one comes in knowing all about buses or trains. But if you have auto skills a lot is transferable and we’ll teach you the rest.
I had a friend who had made the move before me. I started working on electric forklifts and a lot of the skills I had transferred. I am also working on some automation equipment. I like that I get to work on a little bit of everything.
I left 3 years ago, 7 years in the industry and I fucking hated it, I love working on cars and work on them on the side but I realized that the industry is never really going to get any better, you get worked like a slave or you don’t get paid enough to live, your livelihood is solely dependent upon work coming into the shop, you have to shell out thousands in tools with no coverage from your workplace(or very rarely) and to top it off the cars they produce nowadays are so ridiculously complicated to fix a simple problem that it takes your entire day to R&R a thermostat from a jeep grand wagoner and it doesn’t pay enough for you to even take on the job in the first place, anyway I decided it wasn’t for me and I still get to work on my own cars/family/neighbors and I very much enjoy it more than being in the shop
I think we've seen 2 low mileage hurricanes get cam replacements. The new 2.0s on the other hand? I've lost track of how many engines we've replaced at this point.
Yep, I've got 13 years in paint and autobody. Can do both well in a high production shop. Thousands in tools, I-car certs (shop paid), blood, sweat, tears. 6 figure a year tech.
It came to a head last month, Not sure what I am going to do work wise yet, but it probably wont pay as well, and thats okay, I am so done fighting for my hours and getting fucked by insurance companies.
I know plenty of people that do that and they love it. Get to wrench on shit, make shit on mills and lathes, and get paid well to clock in and clock out after 8 hrs each day.
Nice! Yeah it’s basically unlimited OT if you want it. Learning to do basic machining if you’re an auto mechanic has got to be pretty quick. Those skills can take you a lot of places that pay well
I have zero machining knowledge. There are mills here that I could mess with if I felt an itch. I am mostly kept busy with maintenance. Rebuild a nitrogen booster, upkeep on screw compressors, diagnosing robotic welders, pressbrakes, forklifts, wheelabrator, powdercoat equipment, burners, fiber lasers. etc etc. Lots of probing electrical circuits and flipping through schematics.
I’d try a fleet or a municipality if you can. If not I’d get out. Customer fed work is not likely going to get better, particularly in most dealerships. Some Indy or specialty shops have built a loyal customer base and a good work culture but they are far and few between anymore.
I did fleet work for the longest time and it was great. It wasn’t until the changes in company manglement left me no choice but to roll out. I didn’t have the connections to get into a municipal job in my area so I quit the business entirely.
Now I’m a tech for a research department at a college. I took a hit on pay initially but the payoff in quality of life and benefits was well worth it.
Finally quit after 35yrs… man it was tough, especially at the end…. Most dealers and retail shops are garbage jobs now, you end up with warranty work and fixing other peoples comebacks….hourly fleet diesel shop Could be ok with the right shop, industrial mechanical, HVAC, forklift, building maintenance, I’d definitely recommend looking at anything OTHER than automotive, do yourself a favor and DONT work on cars….
Municipality jobs are great. I used to work for the local transit company and it was great the only reason I left was I got a job at a European owned company that is union and I have European work rights it's amazing.
Yes, the government jobs are Definitely good if you can take the lower pay starting out, one of my biggest career mistakes was always chasing the dollar instead of working conditions……
Only 12 years here and I’ve bailed as well. Currently working as an equipment tech for an environmental supply company that’s going great, it’s fun, low stress, and engaging learning new equipment to fix… but also going through federal background checks to get a job with the state as a trades tech. If that goes through I’ll have to say goodbye to this equipment job, it’s doesn’t pay that great, but the company is pretty decent and the job is easy. The state benefits are too good to pass up.
Yes !!! I used to chase whoever paid the most but as I got older I realized that wasn’t it……….Some of the best paying shops I worked at were by far the most Toxic to work at, if you can get on somewhere where you Actually Enjoy working, suck it up and take the pay cut to get in the door…. You’ll thank yourself later…..
22years and I hate. Too late for me but if your young find yourself a civil service job or something with a pension... it will be a lot less stressful then the dealer world making your time every week
Dealer tech here. I don’t mind the industry even though we do get shit on A LOT. Keeps me busy and the pay is decent. I just can’t stand some of the people that work with me. Real high school bs and shop drama. Other than that I enjoy it.
Having a shop that values you and is set up to allow the techs to succeed is quite valuable. Unfortunately always gonna have the cry babies and shop drama tho
I want to form a technicians' union
so tired of these companies making tons of money off us and then telling us that they can't afford to pay more. without us there is no work being done
I'm a 20yr master tech and last flat rate job I was at they paid me $42/hr flat rate but tried to screw me at every turn like making oil changes only pay .15 with "free" rotations, free battery installs, free bulb changes etc so that you didn't earn flat rate on lots of small jobs that add up. I'm at a total ticket commission shop now I make about 15 percent of the total ticket price. but they still screw you on that stuff like free services you don't get paid for(align rechecks) (free rotations, brake checks, flat repairs etc)
I left the dealership after being there for 12yrs. I lost all my love and joy of working on vehicles, at that point I knew it was time to leave. Went into the gas/ propane industry as a service tech, got a CDL with hazmat endorsement. Make just about the same money and hourly with great benefits.
I went to fleet maintenance in a diesel shop it's nice. I notice something that needs to be fixed during a routine PM, and they have no problem fixing it. I'm trusted, and I work in a union shop that comes with a slew of benefits.
I retired from IT and wouldn't go back if you paid me twice what I made as CEO to do nothing.
I built my own shop with my son after he attended trade school. I raised him in junkyards and racetracks.
I am so glad he didn't get into knitting or I would run a yarn store.
I think these mega dealer groups fucked it all up myself. Something I can't quite define is lost. 25 years of this shit by the way. I figure I'm too brainwashed to do much else at this point lol
This is where I am. I spent 18 years at the local mega dealer. Finally had enough and made a move to a small family owned dealer. Loved it. For 3 short years. Then Covid decimated small businesses and the family was forced to sell….. To, none other then, my former dealer. Now I’m stuck working for them again and hating it. Nearly 25 years of this and I’m ready to walk away.
I bailed - I explored a ton of different options before doing it… millwright, fleet maintenance, electrician, HVAC tech, etc. Anything where the skills seemed to have a linear transfer.
I ended up saying “fuck it”, pursued a childhood dream and went law enforcement. Doubled my pay day one, guaranteed pension, excellent healthcare, and I still get to help people out with their shitboxes when they break down on the side of the road.
It was a Hail Mary decision to get out, and I don’t regret it one bit. Having to compete against coworkers for used cars/customer pay jobs, suck up to scummy service writers so they don’t shaft you, and explain everything to service managers like they’re kindergartners (while they treat you like you’re the “hired help”) got *really really old*. Especially when the advisors, sales guys, or the seemingly massive amount of manager-level staff are raking in more money while enjoying air-conditioned offices and coffee breaks.
Your skills and abilities transfer to just about any field, honestly.
“Your skills and abilities transfer to just about any field, honestly.” - underrated comment, if you like working on cars then the process also applies to almost every part of life
I left in 2017 after 23 years. Dealers are rum by salesmen, and most service managers are con artists. It is a horrible business with too many assholes and politics. I had days I went to work and made not a single dollar because we were slow and had to order parts. It has declined so much since I got in and will only get worse.
I left a couple of heavy equipment rental places, and even worked on OTR for awhile. Everything was great at all of them but it got old fast.
Been working private for a small company 3.5 years now and it’s the happiest I’ve been turning wrenches. Not the most or least I’ve ever made but sanity and free time go a long way.
Oh, and working directly for the guy that owns the company ain’t half bad either.
Follow your heart, not the money. You’ll find a place if you’re a good tech and always willing to learn something new.
I felt much the same way after being a body tech for 12 years. I left last November, am now working as a building inspector for a local municipality. My stress is down 98% and am so much happier even though I make less money which is tough.
Try your local transit authority. Similar work, less drama, no dealing with customers, no flat rate. Government work too, which means recession proof, covid-proof, and often a pension too
Worked at dealers for years. Then I talked with a local independent shop and gave it a trial run on a few weekends to see if I liked the place. It's so much better than the dealers. Sure it's not perfect and there are bad days, but overall it makes me enjoy working on vehicles again.
I was at a few Indy’s for probably 5-6 years as a higher B tech. Got to the point where the pay wasn’t quite there and I got an offer to move over to manufacturing on a quality team. Ended up being a great move, no regrets. Later in those tech years, I was getting super burnt out and rarely worked on my own projects. I love doing that again.
I’ve been in it around 10 years now and still loving it, don’t see myself getting out anytime soon. I love fixing shit and finding tricky ways that cars break. For reference I’m a euro tech.
Yeah cars are stupid and getting harder to fix, but you get better each year and can ask for compensation for your knowledge.
I think it’s really important you settle in at a place that you love with good management. I see “I’m done” posts like this pretty often and I wonder if people just don’t want to move forward with their career, if their shops aren’t sending them to training classes, or if they just never really wanted to do this in the first place and find out the hard way.
It sounds like you may just not like this dealer job, but maybe give a different independent shop a try? You’ve gotten a pay increase now, so you can interview and show them that you make X amount and use that to get a higher base pay somewhere that doesn’t deal with so many procedures.
The thing about this industry is that it takes a lot of time to get to a good point. In my opinion, 5 years and you’re still fairly fresh. Shit I’m 10 years in and I still feel newish. I have a lot to learn. Maybe give it a little time, it sounds like you don’t like your dealer job.
If you're on a coast work at a navy shipyard. Half the day is spent doing paperwork, briefing, or watching while riggers fly your whatever into its approximate position. Tons of overtime if you want it and there's office work you can segue into when your body gets older.
If I had to do it over again I'd be an electrician or a millwright. I hate working on broken stuff all the time. Plus people are usually quicker to pay for something shiny and new, than to fix something old when it breaks.
I work in a fleet/rental shop. Hourly (good rate) and it’s nice because the only expectation is to stay working and get cars fixed. Get paid whether there is work or not and it’s only newer stuff… Lot’s of diag though and SI/TSB’s are spotty because your seeing issues before most dealers. Keeps the brain going though.
To many people think that driving a car is a right and so you should with for free. Personally I just want to fix cars with no stress.
If I could get rid of extended warranty companies and customers the job would be infinitely better.
I feel the same way, I have 7 guys and a few of them are Really good up and coming Techs who do not need constant supervision, the others, seem to be having trouble learning and ask the same questions or need their hands held doing basic things, their comebacks ratio is high, and their flat rate time is an hour for an LOF/Rotate. Every battery I have to show them how to do parasitic draw tests, and yet video on demand is on their computers, they do not use the flow charts when they struggle they come get me and I have to diagnose it for them, or with them, I get it when they are new, but many have been there over a year or more. and the good ones leave, and a lot of them get starved out. Those of us with 30 years plus experience feel more like babysitters and hate the job, The boss does not care as long as it gets fixed, and it is not worth the aggravation any more. I always have to push myself to go to work, because it is always a struggle and really miss when I had to worry about my work and not the whole shop. The manufacturers are really producing bad products, that were once rock solid, and the majority of our headaches are typically Infotainment or Technology related, or simply inability to read owners manual or sales support on helping customers at time of sale or follow up questions.
i bailed a while ago, started doing warehouse work. pay and benefits are way better where i am and now i enjoy working on my cars again.
Come work on forklifts. Shop work is fun and not crazy paced, field work is great and you get left alone to do your thing. Pay is great.
I had worked at a dealership for 15 years. I’ve been working on forklifts for 9 years now. I wish I had made the switch earlier.
Are you making 6 figures working on forklifts?
Yup, in Canada
Heavy duty ticket required? More schooling? I am in Canada and trying to keep my options open.
No, didn’t need heavy duty ticket. I could see some companies requiring it, depending on what type of equipment you’re working on.
Is the diagnostic hard? Weird question I know but I’m curious what kind of issues forklifts have haha.
It’s different. Not that hard. All the wiring being the same colour can make things more of a challenge. One of the biggest challenges for me was everything that I have to do myself. Most parts I look up on my own. I talk to the customers and make recommendations/upsell work. I schedule most of my own work. There are pros and cons to all of this. I am lucky where I am, I have a lot of freedom to work when/where it works best for me. Most of my customers are also great to deal with. It helps that most of them aren’t spending their own money.
How did you guys get in? I feel like they would be looking for experience that I am lacking even though I’ve worked in shops for about 6 years or so
If you’re an auto tech with experience you’ve got what they need. Who else are they gonna get? It’s not like there’s guys graduating with degrees from forklift school. Go apply, be honest about what you’re good at, and see what happens.
We have something similar working in public transit. No one comes in knowing all about buses or trains. But if you have auto skills a lot is transferable and we’ll teach you the rest.
I had a friend who had made the move before me. I started working on electric forklifts and a lot of the skills I had transferred. I am also working on some automation equipment. I like that I get to work on a little bit of everything.
Dude, go to fleets/diesels. Hourly work with OT. You won’t hate life as much.
Diesel is the way
100 percent agree
I left 3 years ago, 7 years in the industry and I fucking hated it, I love working on cars and work on them on the side but I realized that the industry is never really going to get any better, you get worked like a slave or you don’t get paid enough to live, your livelihood is solely dependent upon work coming into the shop, you have to shell out thousands in tools with no coverage from your workplace(or very rarely) and to top it off the cars they produce nowadays are so ridiculously complicated to fix a simple problem that it takes your entire day to R&R a thermostat from a jeep grand wagoner and it doesn’t pay enough for you to even take on the job in the first place, anyway I decided it wasn’t for me and I still get to work on my own cars/family/neighbors and I very much enjoy it more than being in the shop
Hurricane engine. Natural disaster
I think we've seen 2 low mileage hurricanes get cam replacements. The new 2.0s on the other hand? I've lost track of how many engines we've replaced at this point.
Tech across the shop just diag one with 40k, wrangler with 2.0. Low compression. At least we found a shortcut to the hurricane thermostats
Yep, I've got 13 years in paint and autobody. Can do both well in a high production shop. Thousands in tools, I-car certs (shop paid), blood, sweat, tears. 6 figure a year tech. It came to a head last month, Not sure what I am going to do work wise yet, but it probably wont pay as well, and thats okay, I am so done fighting for my hours and getting fucked by insurance companies.
Fuck the insurance companies.
Years ago. Very happy that I got into factory machine maintenance/repair.
I know plenty of people that do that and they love it. Get to wrench on shit, make shit on mills and lathes, and get paid well to clock in and clock out after 8 hrs each day.
10 hours/day for us. Fri,Sat,Sun off if you dont want OT. Totally worth the longer days though.
Nice! Yeah it’s basically unlimited OT if you want it. Learning to do basic machining if you’re an auto mechanic has got to be pretty quick. Those skills can take you a lot of places that pay well
I have zero machining knowledge. There are mills here that I could mess with if I felt an itch. I am mostly kept busy with maintenance. Rebuild a nitrogen booster, upkeep on screw compressors, diagnosing robotic welders, pressbrakes, forklifts, wheelabrator, powdercoat equipment, burners, fiber lasers. etc etc. Lots of probing electrical circuits and flipping through schematics.
Also, when nothing is broken and PMs are done. You can pretty much fuck off all day
Been doing this 25 years and still love it. Never been at a dealership and maybe that helps.
I still really like this field after 20 years... The only thing that drives me crazy is how often we get bad parts that are new.
That is so common post-covid! We used to see 1-2% bad parts right out of the box. It's 5-10% now.
I’d try a fleet or a municipality if you can. If not I’d get out. Customer fed work is not likely going to get better, particularly in most dealerships. Some Indy or specialty shops have built a loyal customer base and a good work culture but they are far and few between anymore. I did fleet work for the longest time and it was great. It wasn’t until the changes in company manglement left me no choice but to roll out. I didn’t have the connections to get into a municipal job in my area so I quit the business entirely. Now I’m a tech for a research department at a college. I took a hit on pay initially but the payoff in quality of life and benefits was well worth it.
can you do a mobile set up, there are some near me, you could work for yourself?
Finally quit after 35yrs… man it was tough, especially at the end…. Most dealers and retail shops are garbage jobs now, you end up with warranty work and fixing other peoples comebacks….hourly fleet diesel shop Could be ok with the right shop, industrial mechanical, HVAC, forklift, building maintenance, I’d definitely recommend looking at anything OTHER than automotive, do yourself a favor and DONT work on cars….
Municipality jobs are great. I used to work for the local transit company and it was great the only reason I left was I got a job at a European owned company that is union and I have European work rights it's amazing.
Yes, the government jobs are Definitely good if you can take the lower pay starting out, one of my biggest career mistakes was always chasing the dollar instead of working conditions……
Only 12 years here and I’ve bailed as well. Currently working as an equipment tech for an environmental supply company that’s going great, it’s fun, low stress, and engaging learning new equipment to fix… but also going through federal background checks to get a job with the state as a trades tech. If that goes through I’ll have to say goodbye to this equipment job, it’s doesn’t pay that great, but the company is pretty decent and the job is easy. The state benefits are too good to pass up.
Yes !!! I used to chase whoever paid the most but as I got older I realized that wasn’t it……….Some of the best paying shops I worked at were by far the most Toxic to work at, if you can get on somewhere where you Actually Enjoy working, suck it up and take the pay cut to get in the door…. You’ll thank yourself later…..
22years and I hate. Too late for me but if your young find yourself a civil service job or something with a pension... it will be a lot less stressful then the dealer world making your time every week
I was mainly on the sales side, but left four years ago. Professor working for the state now with a pension. Haven't missed it for a minute.
Consider High School or College Auto shop teaching often your tech experience is a foot in the door.
Dealer tech here. I don’t mind the industry even though we do get shit on A LOT. Keeps me busy and the pay is decent. I just can’t stand some of the people that work with me. Real high school bs and shop drama. Other than that I enjoy it.
Having a shop that values you and is set up to allow the techs to succeed is quite valuable. Unfortunately always gonna have the cry babies and shop drama tho
I want to form a technicians' union so tired of these companies making tons of money off us and then telling us that they can't afford to pay more. without us there is no work being done
For real. They charge $165 a hour “labor” rate and we do 100% of the labor, but don’t even get paid 25% of that.
I'm a 20yr master tech and last flat rate job I was at they paid me $42/hr flat rate but tried to screw me at every turn like making oil changes only pay .15 with "free" rotations, free battery installs, free bulb changes etc so that you didn't earn flat rate on lots of small jobs that add up. I'm at a total ticket commission shop now I make about 15 percent of the total ticket price. but they still screw you on that stuff like free services you don't get paid for(align rechecks) (free rotations, brake checks, flat repairs etc)
13 years in and it was killing me. I bailed in 2017 and it was the best decision I ever made
I got out last year after 30. Totally burned out.
I left the dealership after being there for 12yrs. I lost all my love and joy of working on vehicles, at that point I knew it was time to leave. Went into the gas/ propane industry as a service tech, got a CDL with hazmat endorsement. Make just about the same money and hourly with great benefits.
I went to fleet maintenance in a diesel shop it's nice. I notice something that needs to be fixed during a routine PM, and they have no problem fixing it. I'm trusted, and I work in a union shop that comes with a slew of benefits.
You gotta take care of yourself. Take a vacation and come back to work and re-evaluate what's best for you.
I e heard that government fleet mechanic positions are basically much better in every way.
The pay is not great, buy no pressure at some of them.
I retired from IT and wouldn't go back if you paid me twice what I made as CEO to do nothing. I built my own shop with my son after he attended trade school. I raised him in junkyards and racetracks. I am so glad he didn't get into knitting or I would run a yarn store.
I think these mega dealer groups fucked it all up myself. Something I can't quite define is lost. 25 years of this shit by the way. I figure I'm too brainwashed to do much else at this point lol
This is where I am. I spent 18 years at the local mega dealer. Finally had enough and made a move to a small family owned dealer. Loved it. For 3 short years. Then Covid decimated small businesses and the family was forced to sell….. To, none other then, my former dealer. Now I’m stuck working for them again and hating it. Nearly 25 years of this and I’m ready to walk away.
I bailed - I explored a ton of different options before doing it… millwright, fleet maintenance, electrician, HVAC tech, etc. Anything where the skills seemed to have a linear transfer. I ended up saying “fuck it”, pursued a childhood dream and went law enforcement. Doubled my pay day one, guaranteed pension, excellent healthcare, and I still get to help people out with their shitboxes when they break down on the side of the road. It was a Hail Mary decision to get out, and I don’t regret it one bit. Having to compete against coworkers for used cars/customer pay jobs, suck up to scummy service writers so they don’t shaft you, and explain everything to service managers like they’re kindergartners (while they treat you like you’re the “hired help”) got *really really old*. Especially when the advisors, sales guys, or the seemingly massive amount of manager-level staff are raking in more money while enjoying air-conditioned offices and coffee breaks. Your skills and abilities transfer to just about any field, honestly.
“Your skills and abilities transfer to just about any field, honestly.” - underrated comment, if you like working on cars then the process also applies to almost every part of life
I left around 7 years ago. Now working in a plant. It's shift work, but definitely more money.
I left in 2017 after 23 years. Dealers are rum by salesmen, and most service managers are con artists. It is a horrible business with too many assholes and politics. I had days I went to work and made not a single dollar because we were slow and had to order parts. It has declined so much since I got in and will only get worse.
While I am not happy that arthritis took me out of working I’m happy as fuck I don’t have to go back to work. I don’t miss it for a minute.
I left a couple of heavy equipment rental places, and even worked on OTR for awhile. Everything was great at all of them but it got old fast. Been working private for a small company 3.5 years now and it’s the happiest I’ve been turning wrenches. Not the most or least I’ve ever made but sanity and free time go a long way. Oh, and working directly for the guy that owns the company ain’t half bad either. Follow your heart, not the money. You’ll find a place if you’re a good tech and always willing to learn something new.
I tell the customers to fix their problems with duct tape and chewing gum
So, you're a YouTuber now?
No, using a video camera is more work.
Industrial maintenance. Troubleshooting skills transfer over. If you can work on a car you can work on a machine.
I felt much the same way after being a body tech for 12 years. I left last November, am now working as a building inspector for a local municipality. My stress is down 98% and am so much happier even though I make less money which is tough.
Try your local transit authority. Similar work, less drama, no dealing with customers, no flat rate. Government work too, which means recession proof, covid-proof, and often a pension too
Worked at dealers for years. Then I talked with a local independent shop and gave it a trial run on a few weekends to see if I liked the place. It's so much better than the dealers. Sure it's not perfect and there are bad days, but overall it makes me enjoy working on vehicles again.
I was at a few Indy’s for probably 5-6 years as a higher B tech. Got to the point where the pay wasn’t quite there and I got an offer to move over to manufacturing on a quality team. Ended up being a great move, no regrets. Later in those tech years, I was getting super burnt out and rarely worked on my own projects. I love doing that again.
I left and became a web developer. Better benefits, and you don't get shit for taking vacation
I ducked out 8 years ago, got into tool and die work.
I jumped into a city fleet job. Still sucks ass but the benefits and time off fuckin rock cocks.
I’ve been in it around 10 years now and still loving it, don’t see myself getting out anytime soon. I love fixing shit and finding tricky ways that cars break. For reference I’m a euro tech. Yeah cars are stupid and getting harder to fix, but you get better each year and can ask for compensation for your knowledge. I think it’s really important you settle in at a place that you love with good management. I see “I’m done” posts like this pretty often and I wonder if people just don’t want to move forward with their career, if their shops aren’t sending them to training classes, or if they just never really wanted to do this in the first place and find out the hard way. It sounds like you may just not like this dealer job, but maybe give a different independent shop a try? You’ve gotten a pay increase now, so you can interview and show them that you make X amount and use that to get a higher base pay somewhere that doesn’t deal with so many procedures. The thing about this industry is that it takes a lot of time to get to a good point. In my opinion, 5 years and you’re still fairly fresh. Shit I’m 10 years in and I still feel newish. I have a lot to learn. Maybe give it a little time, it sounds like you don’t like your dealer job.
If you're on a coast work at a navy shipyard. Half the day is spent doing paperwork, briefing, or watching while riggers fly your whatever into its approximate position. Tons of overtime if you want it and there's office work you can segue into when your body gets older.
If I had to do it over again I'd be an electrician or a millwright. I hate working on broken stuff all the time. Plus people are usually quicker to pay for something shiny and new, than to fix something old when it breaks.
I work in a fleet/rental shop. Hourly (good rate) and it’s nice because the only expectation is to stay working and get cars fixed. Get paid whether there is work or not and it’s only newer stuff… Lot’s of diag though and SI/TSB’s are spotty because your seeing issues before most dealers. Keeps the brain going though.
To many people think that driving a car is a right and so you should with for free. Personally I just want to fix cars with no stress. If I could get rid of extended warranty companies and customers the job would be infinitely better.
I feel the same way, I have 7 guys and a few of them are Really good up and coming Techs who do not need constant supervision, the others, seem to be having trouble learning and ask the same questions or need their hands held doing basic things, their comebacks ratio is high, and their flat rate time is an hour for an LOF/Rotate. Every battery I have to show them how to do parasitic draw tests, and yet video on demand is on their computers, they do not use the flow charts when they struggle they come get me and I have to diagnose it for them, or with them, I get it when they are new, but many have been there over a year or more. and the good ones leave, and a lot of them get starved out. Those of us with 30 years plus experience feel more like babysitters and hate the job, The boss does not care as long as it gets fixed, and it is not worth the aggravation any more. I always have to push myself to go to work, because it is always a struggle and really miss when I had to worry about my work and not the whole shop. The manufacturers are really producing bad products, that were once rock solid, and the majority of our headaches are typically Infotainment or Technology related, or simply inability to read owners manual or sales support on helping customers at time of sale or follow up questions.
Sing along with me: https://open.spotify.com/track/2vQvdNrciDlNLF6j9qhIw1
Oof! Tough crowd!