Automotive Technician?

Question

Is it a good career? If you're an automotive technican, please give me some details about the job.

Answer 1

Excellent career if you are fit. Good money to be made if you love cars. Class "A" technicians are always in demand.

Answer 2

It's a pretty good career if you enjoy working on cars and are willing to learn electronics.

Depending upon the shop and car line, Flat rate will be good after a few years but the first couple you starve a little. The fellow who is making the $225k owns his own shop and probably has a few employees helping make that money with him. But usually small mechanic shops like that to set up takes lots of money and lots of experience.
Also don't beleive the b/s the trade school tries to sell you about money... It takes more than 3 years experience usually to turn $50k/year (and that's unheard of where I'm at here in the US south basically (i'm in a semi-rural area)

To get the experience after learning the basics in trade school, find a good shop that is willing to teach others... For me, I found a shop no one wanted to work in and learned OJT with a few older guys who stayed on even through all the management problems.

I've been at the place I'm at today 9 years, For a dealership tech in most places, that is unheard of. I don't make the money like the line techs do (who do the brakes,suspension etc) as I can do anything but specialize in electronics and gasoline driveability. This specialization I do is very hard sometimes but the excitement is worth it to me.
For example, I diagnosed and fixed a car this week that had 2 independant mechanic shops and a transmission shop scratching their heads (come to find out, when the transmission shop did the trans rebuild, they accidently stretched a wire leading to the transmission and there went the speedometer and the car wouldn't shift at all)
For some, it would drive them nuts and send it to someone else... my love is fixing the nut cases

Answer 3

I am a Heavy Truck Technition. I will tell you that the career of being a mechanic is not as great as everyone is telling you. As far as pay, do not expect to make real good money for the first two to three years. Most shops are flat rate, so expect to have to have problems with other mechanics as far as getting job tickets from the service writers. Also I know that you hear alot from people how many shops out there are in demand of mechanics, that is totaly blown up. Do not get me wrong when you read this. The career as a mechanic is a great career, just not as wonderful as lot of schools say.

Answer 4

lets see, today i woke up at 630 am to start my twelve hour day. came into the shop to find some irate indian guy screaming at me that is was my fault that his turn signals stopped working after we fixed his flat tire yesterday. then i had a waiting oil change on a new suv that the guy just drove 150 miles on and the engine was probably 200 degrees. so after i put on some burn cream i got to have my morning coffee. then i had a no start on a lasabre. so first thing was to check fuel pressure which is cool cause i like smelling like raw gas all day. anyway it had no injector pulse so i went to download the scamatics but the internet was down. i winged it and diagnosed a bad pcm... computer.. anyway so i ripped half the dash apart to get itout and get the part number off it.. had the new one in stock ( bad sign) jumbed back under the dash, installed it but was a defect and had to do it over again..... yada yada yada great job lol.

Answer 5

Yes it is a good career. My son works as a Service Writer at a dealership, and he has commented many times about what the techs get paid. This dealership also sends the techs to school, to keep up and increase their skills. Very few of the techs leave, as they are well treated.

Answer 6

I OWN BEARS CHOICE AUTO REPAIR IN ARKANSAS AND AVERAGE 150,000.00- 225,000.00 A YEAR BUT THERE IS ALOT OF EXPENCES INVOLVED EVERY YEAR WITH TOOLS AND PRODUCT UPDATES. I ALSO KNOW IT TAKES TIME TO BUILD YOURSELF A REPUTATION AND IT DON'T TAKE LONG TO RUIN ONE SO ALWAYS TRY AND DO HIGH QUALITY WORK ON ALL YOUR CUSTOMERS VEHICLES AND PACE YOURSELF.