I experienced this first hand, I brought my Honda to an Illinois dealership for an oil change and tire rotation. Before taking my car I marked the front driver rim with a piece of tape. Well when I picked it up I noticed the tape was in the same location yet they charged me for the rotation. I brought it to the owners attention and he said ok, sorry, your next oil change is free? I told him since they didn’t rotate my tires how do I know the oil was even changed, he just looked down at the floor, how many people get scammed everyday??? It’s sad
The best way to keep this crap from happening is pay hourly plus performance based bonuses. A huge part of that performance is customer satisfaction. Not letting customers take advantage of you, but being straight up with them. Letting them know pricing up front. Having service managers who know what they are talking about, hiring a warranty claims specialist if you’re a dealership. Labor rate is $95/hr, overhead is $28/hr, $25/hr to owner, $42/hr to tech. You pay hourly $32/hr and $10/hr bonus for performance. Owner can dip into their pockets for those who go above and beyond in an honest way.
I started out as an automotive tech when my father told me if I don't go to college, learn a trade. I was young and saw the very same shady stuff and hostile work environment like you have, not to mention the lousy pay. I saw nothing but a dead end is that career so I decided to join the service and learn aviation maintenance. Best decision I ever made. Long story short, I ended up becoming a Federal aircraft mechanic at an Air National Guard base for 30 years, since I just retired from. Decent pay, I didn't have to buy tools, and I have a pension which I'm enjoying now. Thanks for the video!
And no working on flat rate, the only time you have to be really fast is when you are deployed to a war zone. You also have to be certified , unlike some mechanics and no regular mandatory medical exams, and you do not need as many tools.
I just got into automotive work and its so far a nightmare outlook. Jesus the pay is deplorable, corporate America is going to destroy this country through greed.
@@luissantiago147 The only good job in aviation is a pilot. If any young person is interested in aviation, I would never steer them to be a mechanic. It might cost more up front, and pay might be low for the first year-ish, but the long term is leaps and bounds above a mechanic. You are talking on order of $10's of millions of dollars more pay over a career, with much less daily hassle. Be a pilot, not a mechanic should be a bumper sticker.
I work as a technician for a large transportation agency - buses and passenger trains. Many, maybe close to 50% of the techs came from the service departments of auto dealerships. Instead of maintaining cars they fix trains and buses. Their reasons for making the switch are the same as in this video. As a train tech I do routine maintenance as well as troubleshooting and repair. It's a union job that pays $54/hour and offers lots of over time for those who want to work extra hours. It's common for techs to earn $120k to $140k per year and receive great benefits...medical, dental, vision, 401k, and pension.
Its all part of the plan to get people out of their personal vehicles so the city can implement self driving cars everywhere. This is all part of the plan.
Stay away from the dealer for maintenance items. Local mechanics do a better job and you can usually trust them. Dealers are for recalls and warranty work.
Not anymore. Cars coming out next year are going to need a $6 scan tool to work on and there will be a subscription fee for the software. Most mechanics are not going to shell out more money to buy those tools let alone learn how to use them. With people treat personal vehicles more like appliances where they throw them away every few years. Its only a matter of time before everyone ends up with these rolling iPhones on wheels.
Had my new car serviced at the Toyota dealer, after I got home I opened the hood to check the oil and other things. I could tell the Tech rushed the service. The cap was left off the coolant reservoir container, I could smell coolant, thought I had a coolant leak. The rod that holds the hood up was not secured to the holder, just loose. Oil was overfilled past the max mark on the stick. Yes I believe techs are not paid fairly. Yes I believe techs skip some things and don’t do it correctly.
I was a Ford technician for over 20 years. When Ford rammed their Saturday services and free multi point inspections, I started looking to get out. I switched over to the union shops, and it was a little better, but not by much. And not enough for me to stay. On my days off, the resume and applications were getting sent out. Eventually I found a government job. We don't work for free. And if we're called in on a weekend or a day off, we get overtime. A word and concept foreign to any car dealer.
My kid was a Euro ASE Master Tech with 20 years on the job at a German Luxury Car dealer and made well over $120K a year and finally got sick and tired of the young guys coming in that couldn't tie their shoes let alone diagnose with a computer what was wrong with a car and had to do it himself to keep the work moving. The other straw was the required stealing from customers with fake work, the management rational was that rich people don't really think too much about what fixing their very expensive car costs, they just pay it. So stealing from them was easy and required. He quit after 20+ years, never to return.
I once had a gunsmith named Earle Miller tell me, nobody ever got rich fixing things. You don't want any job fixing things, you want a job where you're making something. He was right
Former tech- Pay sucks, management shits all over you all the time. Basically, they want it all done right this second, but then try and get out of paying your full flat rate for each job. 3rd major reason I quit was tool cost. Some of the stuff you need the shops do not supply can cost a small fortune. I have at least 2 new cars worth of tools from when I worked as a tech.
@revnation_auto I got as much as possible second hand or from Harbor Freight. Only stuff I got off the truck was stuff I couldn't find online or needed right that minute as I absolutely hated paying their prices for stuff that wasn't that much better than you can get a northern tools for 1/3 the cost.
Tool prices came down a lot these couple of decades, unless you are the few stubborn ones who insist on buying Snap-on everything. Their patent for flank drive expired.
I quit being a mechanic 35 years ago and things were a lot better than they are now. Find another job you can transfer your mechanical skills to. Good mechanics have always been very hard to find and if you are good demand good pay and conditions if you do not get them quit on the spot. In a job interview tell what you will and will not do if you do not like doing engine rebuilds or whatever refuse to do them from the start. Service techs in other industries do little and get paid better than mechanics. I would only buy tools to make my life easier. When I brought tools to turn a 1 hour job into a 30 minute job I would work for 30 minutes and rest the other 30. If the book times said 2 hours and reality was 4 I would refuse to do them unless I was credited with the extra 2 hours. Always road test your vehicles before and after working on them it saves a lot of wasted time and heartache. A clean mechanic is a good mechanic. I would always put Thanks John on the service sticker if you do good work people will ask for you by name. When repairing a air conditioner try and get as close to zero as you can in a hot climate people will look at the service sticker and say mentally to themselves "Thanks John".
@@johnsmith9161 Out of high school every trade are competing for the group of students that are very handy doing things with their hands. They lose a certain amount to be accountants , teachers, sales etc. I am electrician and Ind mech etc but much of the job do not involve electricity. It involve mechanical assemble and installation. If you are 10 thumb type, you have a hell of a time finishing the apprenticeship.
Its not just the initial costs of tools, its the fact that you often need to update and purchase speciality tools on a regular basis to equal or beat flat rate time. Shops don't provide enough tools (imho) for techs to be efficient at their jobs. If your shop does a fair amount of AC work, you might have two machines. But often times you'll have to wait for your turn to use it; I own my own machine and my own VAT 40 when did work and never had to wait for a shop supplied tool. But, a word of advice; become a plumber or electrician, it pays more and your tool costs are limited. Or, do fleet work in a government shop; get a pension, great benefits, paid vacations and almost never worry about layoffs.
I would not work as a mechanic these days. I remember points, carbs, HEI ignition and Ford Durafail. I remember rear wheel drive cars and cars I could pull the motor in 2 or 3 hours from under the hood. These new cars SUCK!!!!!!! Most of them are FWD. Most of them you have to remove the body to get the motor out. If mechanics are only being paid 25 an hour commission, gee that is no better than what 30 years ago? Plus you need 200,000 dollars worth of tools and electronic gear to work on todays nightmares.
I think shops should have large windows open to the waiting area so you can WATCH your car being worked on. The BS that OSHA rules prohibit customers in the shop is garbage! I trained to be a mechanic in the early 80's but worked on an auto assembly line instead. It was also hard on the body, but no other issues. I hate working on my own car but I do it as much as I can for the reason in this video.
It isn‘t any better in europe. I‘ve worken 9 years on mazda one year on peugeot and four years on citroen/suzuki. The pay you get is fixed and it‘s not great in these 15 years I got zero hours over time paid. Its illigal but the shop doesn‘t care. They do every thing in there power to write of expenses from your pay but you never ever get anything extra. The workenvierment is harsch. No AC in summer, you get chooched alive and inadequad hearing in winter. Your always freezing. And the work culture is hostile and toxic you get jelled at often. They punish you for every sick leave. They expect you to work ill and do unpaid overtime. You just destroy your body doing a highly skilled and complicated job. But they pay you shit tread you badly and don‘t care at all for your wellbeeing. I loved to be a car mechanic, I didn‘t do it for money I did it as my passion. But at some point you have to quit and move one from this terrible conditions.
Years ago i bought a new car took it to the dealer for an oil change and the tech didnt put the oil cap back on.Drove home which took 20 min.For some reason i opened the hood to see oil all over my engine. Luckily i only lost a qt of oil no damage.Put a qt of oil in it drove it right back to the dealer i made them spit shine it.
Happens quite a bit. I once forgot to put a guy’s center cap back on his wheel. I felt terrible about it and the guy actually bought me a beer because I clearly gave a crap unlike many others.
Had the dealer do this to me after selling me the radiator flush.As i got near my home,the truck was overheating.Had a 2 mile long line of boiled radiator fluid behind me on the road.The hose was never put back on.Dodge dealership techs did this.
I now repair my vehicles I bought all the tools and scanners needed I got so pissed getting my vehicle back from service shops with the issue not fixed or bolts nuts not put back on also clamps ect put back on backwards and not tightened and being charged a ridicule rate !
Tools are too expensive and you need a ton of them... Pay isnt high enoughl to make a living compared to other trades... Flat rate encourages mistakes and rushing... Way too much warranty work if your at a dealer to make any money... Parts are seemingly never available and your always waiting, have a lift tied up, have to move bays... etc... all stuff that loses you money! I gave up on it in 2014 and went into a maintenance role, still make great money turning wrenches but i have half as many headaches! Also, the not having to constantly buy tools week to week is nice!
I went to a fleet six years ago. Best decision ever. I am hourly. My gross is lower but I make more per actual hour worked. At the dealer I worked 60 hours a week and grossed 20% more. I still work 60 hours a week. 40 at my day job and 20 on side work. Way better off.
Self educate, get a job as a helper or something at a shop & learn. When ready take ASE certification tests 100% without schooling. Or join military & get paid while getting free training.
I was an automotive technician since 1976 With the same Company. In those years we had some great times but after the original owner sold to his son things started to change some not for the better. Three of us were the original crew left,the company started pushing more service which wasn’t a problem But the younger crew started trying to recommend things that they shouldn’t and the older crew would call them out which pissed off people. I had a back injury first of June of this year used my vacation time to cover my time off some. Last week of June I was called buy the owner and told to go and retire and go on social security. But the best part of it was he Canceled My Insurance three days before I was told. It’s Gets Better I Forgot To Mention That He’s A Great Christian A Pushes It Always! IN THE END I WILL WIN BECAUSE THERE AINT NOBODY WANTING IN THIS BUSINESS SO ALL THOSE YEARS I DEDICATED MY LIFE TO THE COMPANY WAS A JOKE!
That’s awful, I always the love the greedy jerks who mask their behavior with “Christian values”. I’m really sorry that you’re having to go through all of that. I hope you recover soon.
I was a telecommunications tech where I just dealt with bandwidth for big customers. I worked in one of those big windowless buildings with a couple other techs. I didn’t even have to talk with the customers as we had people that took care of that. $45 + an hour, double time over 12 hours and Sundays, 401k and pension. Company provided all tools and test equipment.
Not as much free lunch as you think, HVAC means you work on heating in the winter and as many other smaller licenses and takes just as long. Plumbing is not bad, changes very little. But electrical is just behind auto for changes. You get stuck with all the latest plant automation and robots etc, codes and you work often have to pass inspection. Oh it works is not good enough, had to pass code. You do buy less tools than auto.
I was conditioned for 20 years to believe that every job was going to at least cost me $300+. Then I found a genuinely honest mechanic and the amount of times where the issue wasn’t a big deal and they charged me for an oil change was pretty staggering.
Another thing about dealerships is when doing factory warranty work, warranty time is lower. Example if you are warranting a transmission regular R&R time may call for say 6 hours, whereas the manufacturers will only pay say 3.5 hours. I worked at a Dodge dealer years ago, they were a 5 Star rated dealer. We did so much warranty work that after 9 months I quit and went back to an Independent repair shop. I recently retired after wrenching for 38 years.
@@carlcornelius8667 Exactly,we did so many transmission warranties/replacements on Caravan’s/Voyager’s,etc that I lost count. It got to the point that Dodge sent a representative to either ok or deny warranties.
As a former service mechanic, I can relate to this. We were expected to find extra work all the time. God help us if we didn't find it and sometimes pressured to sell crap that wasn't needed like transmission services, brake fluid changes when they weren't needed etc . My worst nightmare was a car that needed few if any repairs,the boss would butt in and make stuff up.
It doesn’t promote quality, as a subcontractor it take a lot more time to do as for yourself so I charge good but know my job will be excellent and customer happy
Nice. You still have to do the rest of the service such as check filters, belts, check/top off fluids, air up tires, check brakes, replace oil filter, reset oil change reminder.
@@mph5896 No problem. I live in rural America where my shop has been around for 100 years and I own a 2005 toyota. Repairs are a breeze. I always complain they don't charge enough. They still bill at $75 an hour. In cities as you know, the shop rate is $150 and most newer cars are computers. I have a cassette deck that sometimes gives me trouble. Only problem. I have the money to buy any car I want. I won't because nothing new will be better than my 20 year old car. .FBJ.
I worked at a few Ford dealerships during and after I got done with Ford mechanic training. 2 year program. Worked up to and through journeyman level. Wasn't the worst work I've ever done but toward the bottom. I was union in missouri. Pay was decent. Moved to south Texas and applied to a couple dealerships. The pay in and around San Antonio was abysmal. Including all pay and benefits Texas wages were about 38% of what I made in St.Louis region. Ended up doing higher end stereo systems at a radio/tint joint for about double what dealer paid. Definitely enjoyed life more for the 2 years I was down there. Ended up getting epa certs and did hvac part time too. That all was 20 years ago. Never worked at an auto shop again since then.
All dealer owners see the employees as replacable. Turnover in sales is 50/yearly, less in service because there are fewer available folks. Plus the service manager hands out the plum jobs to their buddies.
If you have enough contacts and reputation to go on your own, great, and you can collect lots of cash too. But you still need a place to fix them. Hoist and waste liquid containers etc.
As a guy who has worked on lab instrumentation and managed a lab, it takes some aptitude to troubleshoot obscure electrical/electronic problems on a vehicle. I do a little of my own repairs sometimes, and there is no room in these engine compartments. Forget dash work. That's an expensive puzzle to put back together.
dealerships should be paying their techs top dollar given the price the charge for service. the local dealer wanted almost twice the price for some work that a local family owned shop ended up doing.
We've regulated vehicles ,to the point where, they can't easily be repaired. If you know how, then you can just scarf up, broken vehicles for a song. Then fix, and sell em for a fortune.
I gave up an Auto Mechanic job after 3 years to work in a factory. In the factory I made 300% more income, good health insurance and a retirement pension that I am now on. MOST people I know that were Auto mechanics either went to work in industry and even one that gave it up to serve lunches in a school cafeteria. He said he could never get decent benefits be an auto mechanic, The pay as a school district cafeteria is as much as he was making plus he got a retirement. Today they advertise in my are of starting pay at $20-$25 an hour, at the same time they are hiring people to make a submarine sandwich at $22 an hour plus store bonus. Kind of makes you feel stupid to spend so much on education and tools. If you had enough money for your own garage or (your family owned a garage with equipment) you would do ok.
... $11.25hr for auto tech in 2004? As an UN-armed security guard in Scottsdale, I was making something like $10hr. $11.25 seems really low for someone with skills.
A big difference for me is that a mechanic told the shop what needed to be done and what was needed and how long it would take. A technical gets told it will take this long and use only these parts. This means that often the job is not correctly diagnosed, problem may only be superficially repaired. The tech has no leeway to correctly diagnose or repair. No if you flame me, fine, I agree there are exceptions. It leaves the shop in control and leads to cutting corners.
the good techs leave to higher paying jobs. It's not a bad job for someone just getting in the workforce but you have to find a way out. Definitely not a job you would for 30 years.
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Worked at Piqus HD Service Dept and never saw one specific Technician use a torque wrench. Customer had a frozen derby cover screw. Tech askrd the customer what was he doing taking off derby cover ? Customer was rightfully pissed thrn. Service went from $125/hr to $240/hr. $500+ oil change?
I agree with everything you said, except the “nobody has been promoting the trades for 20 yrs”. The problem with the trades is they’ve been over promoted and over saturated to keep wages low and building/repairs cheap for so long the market is starting to implode on itself. Now older generations are retiring, younger generations have a lot more career opportunities that are a lot more rewarding, and employers can’t handle the sticker shock of paying a wage that’ll attract/keep help away from the white collar sector. Nobody is going to do back breaking labor in hazardous conditions for $30k-$60k a yr when they can get better pay and benefits working a cushy office job posting pics to some firm’s social media accounts and who can blame them. Being on the north end of middle age with back and knee problems from turning wrenches and construction work if I could go back I’d take that office job any day of the week.
When customers expect factory service by factory tech? Good luck, maybe 1 out of 25 tech have some knowledge on new tech components. Hardly anyone gets his car fixed right on one visit. Fact of life.
Minimum wage for techs in California is an industrial welfare commission law. You can not require a technician to supply their own tools unless you pay them twice the minimum wage. You are guaranteed that wage for every hour worked. You could flag 8 hours in the morning and stand around for 4 hours in the afternoon. You would get paid 8 flat rate and 4 hours at minimum wage. Gonzales v Downtown LA Motors is the case law that established this. Best practice in California is to pay the tech minimum wage for the week, with a bonus for productivity. Keeps the employers from getting sued.
I had a problem with the brakes on my car many years ago. It turned out the repair shop used some sub-standard brake pads. That was the only time I had ever trusted someone else to touch the brakes on my car and was duly punished for it. I've done my brake jobs myself since then but now I'm 70 years old. It hurts to crawl around on the floor! Osteoarthritis is not your friend. Telling people to "man up" is very simplistic.
IMO NADA is a criminal org who has colluded with every dealership to illegally suppress auto tech wages. they need to be investigated. Also here in FL auto nation owns most of the mercedes dealerships so you cant quit and get better wages somewhere else. IMO that is a monopoly.
Who needs to suppress the wages? They all do that by themselves. They agree to work for warranty time. That is how they suppress their wages. They do it out then in the open.
There is absolutely no shortage of highly skilled motor mechanics. There Is however a very dire shortage of highly skilled motor mechanics willing to work for very low wages.
@@narcissistinjurygiver2932 There are no artificial price controls on those wages. The flat rates and hourly wages are there because the market says so. The fact they remain low is another bit of proof that there is still a glut of mechanics, not a shortage. Wages don't go up until they have to, so the fact they are what they are is proof the shortage itself is the hoax.
The technology we have to know, the tools we need, and ALL the other trades have been making more than us for decades, this shortage pales compared to the next few years
I would think that it would be a salaried position that the dealers just had as a set overhead costs. But I do understand the need for flat rate, I’ve had fifteen minute oil changes and waited an hour for one too.
A ASE Master along with dealer certifications makes about $40-45 an hour here in GA central to north GA with the northern metro Atlanta area being highest. When I left the shop in 2018 as an ASE Master with 30 years experience it was about $30 ish but for the last 8 years I would only work a salary because of independent work diagnosing Eurotrash vehicles. No way to make a good living on Euro vehicles unless it's a salary. Unless you're a crook. That said, it's a dayam good career and a good tech will never be jobless. It does take about 10 years of B.S. and lots of study to get positioned where one is marketable enough to haggle a good deal in pay. Flat rate is an awesome motivator in my opinion. Makes on feel like they have some control over their pay. If working Domestic or Asian at a dealer level, it's the only way to go. Independent not so much.
Well in the good ole days mechanics were on a 50/50 commission. In the early 70's our labor rate was $20.00 per hour and we got 50% of that. All of our mechanics were great, or gone. [fired] I worked on cars until 1986 and we were now at 47% commision. I went into Mac Tools for 8 years. Two and one half years after I quit the dealership, my friends said that their commission was down to 28%. This was the beginning of the end for good mechanics. Now days they can't fix anything unless there is a code, and sometimes they still can't fix it. I jokingly ask them, "What is the code for a loose lug nut????" After Mac Tools, I went back to working dealerships as a Shop Forman; Now retired.
No other job, do you have to buy thousands upfront for tools. They are better to become plumbers, electricians, welders, or ac tech. These industries need workers and auto tech are knowledgeable in equipment repair. These jobs have good wages, 50,000 or more a year., you don't have to buy thousands of money on tools before starting.
Rule #1, if you are going to be an auto mechanic you have to SPECIALIZE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! A "general repair man is a road to nowhere unless you want to be an idiot like Scotty Kilmer....
To much scamming and ripping off going on, and cost. For the price of some of these repairs, I can buy a whole garage worth's of tools and do the job 4 times over.
Being a flat rate tech at a dealership can be quite discouraging, you have to buy all your own tools, you have to do all the manufacturer recalls and warranty repairs for chickenshit money set by the manufacture while the slobs at the UAW are making money hand over fist with much better working conditions. Most dealerships (not all) are run down dumps where you freeze your butt off in the winter & work in a hot oven in the summer. Because you're on flat rate your income is never guaranteed so you always end up spending a whole lot of time there to try to make money, my average day was 12 hours + commute time. All this while the fat slob (dealer principle) aka GM is making millions of dollars a year. 38 years was enough for me.
I agree with most of what you say, stearerships are the worst shops to work for, but also 80% of the technicians out there have no fucking business calling themselves a tech! I worked at a GM dealer for 4 years and made good money, never sold shit to people that they did not need, and the biggest thing was that I never had a single comeback in 4 years! My CSI was always ay 3.8 out of 4 on at least 200 surveys a month, do it right the first time! and for all the whiners that didn't make money was because they were only there to socialize all day and every other job came back. There are very few people out there that can call themselves a tech.
One of the only countries in the world that pay flat rate. And talk about our investment in tools and training to do this job. People are moving on to stable and more pay. They will never come back.
I started working at a Pontiac dealership in 1967, the difference is, back then the mechanics were paid $12 an hour at Willis Pontiac in North Canton, Ohio, while Willis Pontiac charged the customer $25 an hour labor rate. The dealerships back then were family owned, now days they're massive nazi corporations like AutoNation, now days they now charge $165 an hour or more and pay the mechanics flat rate between $20-$30 an hour. (While the CEO's make million$. It's Corporate Greed). My suggestion would be to apply at UnIonizest Industrial Power Generation plants. When I retired in 2007 I was making $38 an hour as a power plant diesel mechanic with full benefits and a retirement plan. Look for Union work, join the Union. and vote Democrate.
Stealerships threat their employees like shit. Besides no hot babe ever says I want to meet and marry an auto tech. Stealerships encourage upsells as everyone is paid on commission.
I've noticed that when I take my car to the dealer for an oil change...more oil leaks, etc. are found. I am going to start taking my cars to quick lube places, even though teens are changing the oil.
I do my own oil changes now that I have a house. Some things are unavoidable and you’ll have to use a mechanic. I recommend having those direct conversations up front. Understand they need to make a living but not buy a beach house at your expense. Let them know you plan to be a repeat customer if they treat you fairly.
All the dealers where I live (Kanada) that I've dealt with are freakin' busy and booking sometimes weeks out. Independent shops are booking literally months out for major services. It's just weird because our economy up here is dogsh.. thanks to out of control 'progressivism' and Trudeau.
First off it’s spelled Canada and secondly how is it you hate Trudeau so much, yet you think he’s in charge of all the manufacturers at the same time? lol
The simple fact why there is a shortage of quality techs is simply because of the money. Too many ways to make a dollar without all the drama. Example: Guy goes to Wal-Mart and buys a lawn mower for $200.00. He cuts yards and charges $50.00 per yard. After he cuts 45 - 50 yards, his mower quits. He throws it away and buys a new mower. And the cycle continues. You do the math. Yeah, I know this is dumbing it down a bit, but you get the idea.
Pretty much nobody is commercially cutting grass with a $200 mower. They have the $10k mower, with the trailer, truck, and all the fixings that go along with it.
This is interesting. I worked in shops for a number of years and made good money at Flat rate. And I could beat the flat rate 90 percent of the time. There were those that did not know there jobs. That cried all of the time. I think there are too many that think they are and in the real world they are NOT. The reallaty here is that most shops do not want to pay. For some one that can do the job. So if any one is good they can find a better job somewhere else. And the other problem is that the average joe dose not want to pay for good work. Interesting.
car is ome of the most important thing in a modern society. i thought the automotive techs were treated like kings at the car dealers. but i found outthey are treated like crap.
BY THE TIME EVERYONE GETS THEIR BIG SLICE OF PIE WHATS LEFT IS WHAT THE WORKER GETS AND THE Y CANT MAKE IT THEY STILL KEEP CHARGING THE CUSTOMER MORE EVERYTHING GOES UP BUT NOT WAGES PEOPLE BETTER FIX THEIR OWN CARS OR QUIT DRIVING HALF OF THE PEOPLE CANT EVEN CHANGE A FLAT TIRE OR OPEN THE HOOD
Good, let them quit, it sure sounds to me like there is a massive over supply of mechanics around. That is why they can be treated badly and employers get away with it. Trucking also tried the same BS crying shortage for decades. This is nothing new for mechanics. I watched in the late 70s and 80s a whole large group were forced to retire, points and condensor guys who cannot adapt to the computer and sensor technology. For a few years, it was hard to get a mechanic that is up to date and equipped, but finally the trade caught up.Now you ask many mechanics age mid 40s and they heard of but never seen points and condensors, or carbs or distributors etc. A real shortage will spike wages and working conditions and look like there is no shortages.I believe in the law of supply and demand. Crying shortages make great videos and headlines and there are no accountability when you are proven wrong. I tracked cries of shortages since 1987 and all of it are BS. It is mostly at the dealers the mechanic get squeezed, for they have the most infrastructures to pay for, all the flashy building and people in it. The flat rate encourage poor workmanship. What would you think if the guy fixing your plane about to cross the oceans are on flat rate? In some US states, there are not even formal license standards for mechanics, my very old mother can open a shop and call herself a mechanic.
Auto tech are a dime a dozen. No reason for shops to pay people more. If you want change people. You need as a consumer change your habits. Support scout motors that's going to make it easier for consumers to service their own vehicles. Saying 80% of their parts would be consumer serviceable in their driveway.
I once had a problem with a new car where the engine would sometimes quit on the open road. It spent a lot of time at the dealer but they never fixed it. The "computer" said it was OK. One time it died close to my house so I ran home to get my truck and some tools and returned. It turned out that the fuel pump flunked the volume test. The dealer never checked it! This was back in the 1980s so dealer techs without diagnostic skills is nothing new. Low pay=low skills. Who would have guessed?
