Auto Mechanic Shortage Nation-Wide In The US

[@Dan-oo1tm]

If you're smart enough to be a mechanic, you're smart enough to know there are easier ways of making a living. Glad I'm retiring soon, this trade sucks and we eat our own.

[@joebrenner4428]

Cars and cannibals

[@wendwllhickey6426]

Do your own work,but learn about the car you own , buy a Haynes repair book that will get you started.

[@joebrenner4428]

@@wendwllhickey6426 You don't know very much about Right to Repair laws or sophisticated electronics do you?

[@jimjames6990]

Fnk that job. No grease, oil, pyscho customers, low pay. I live on welfare in a wheel chair in a tent now.

[@johndcunninghamjr4111]

Maybe if shops and dealers stop treating technicians like crap the older technicians would not be walking away from the industry.

[@johnoakley5544]

Ive been twisting bolts since 2001. No one wanted to pay us fair, I had to start my own. When you see the shop getting $100 an hour off of you but only pays your 10-15 percent of that a person can feel cheated, when she shop is getting $375 an hours from your work and you don't even get that 10-15 percent a person knows they have been cheated.. Too many technologies too fast and they still want to pay us lube tech wages.

[@alexhaile7957]

I hoped and almost knew that this comment would be here, along with the all the others. Starting wages can't stay the same!!! 15-20 an hour isnt fuck all for wages anymore. PAY SKILLED LABORERS MORE!!!!!!! We make the entire world go around.

[@da9ej1eg99]

​​@@alexhaile7957they never will....I currently quit my auto tech job due to low pay. I was getting paid $20 an hour to basically be an "A" tech with paying tool debt every week it's like I was getting paid $14 an hour. Meanwhile my brother started a warehouse job starting at $23 an hour. 🤦‍♂️ and to make matters worst when I told my boss I was quitting he offered me $3 more an hour. I told him give it to the lube techs I'm out. They been looking for a replacement for the past 8 months and 3 other employees quit also. The lube techs were making McDonald's wages $16 an hour 🤦‍♂️ to work on cars. Can't make this shit up.

[@AlexB-up6fd]

Pay too low period.

[@jaden19991]

It’s the same thing here in Canada and it’s super simple to know why. Low rates of pay $17-$25 for the 4 years of apprenticeship where you need to buy tools constantly, while working in a tough environment with ethical concerns and high pressures I left the trade at 23. Maybe if pay scales got vastly overhauled to reflect the modern world you would have countless more technicians

[@autopartsmonkey7992]

place down the street is hiring evening counter help at a pizza shop...paying 22$ an hr, i was making 19.50$ when i quit last week

[@jaden19991]

@@autopartsmonkey7992 exactly currently I make $25/hr changing oil. As a Third year technician I was making 21 and had to waste most of that on tools it’s a pathetic trade right now paying the same rates for 30 years is just asking for shitty work and no techs

[@campshortclip]

The garages that claim there is a shortage had the most turnover. They had the mechanic. They just could not keep them.

[@potatochobit]

there is a shortage of GOOD mechanics, there are plenty of teenagers they are hiring for 17$ an hour and that is why they have a back log because none of those teenagers can diagnose warranty work.

[@joebrenner4428]

41% of new techs quit and leave the industry entirely within the first two years.That is definitely not a shortage issue that is a retention issue and a surplus of scumbag car crooks..

[@joebrenner4428]

​@@potatochobit"A nationwide survey by Carlisle & Co. recently found that technicians are miserable - so miserable that almost a quarter of them left their dealerships last year. Another 25 percent left the industry altogether. Unstable pay and feeling undervalued were major reasons. MIT labor economist Tom Kochan says there’s only one way to change that."

[@joebrenner4428]

​@@potatochobitA shortage of GOOD mechanics or a shortage of miracle workers with magic wands that fix everything for free?

[@joebrenner4428]

​@@potatochobitGET A FUCKING ENGINEER DOWN HERE AND SHOW ME HOW TO FIX IT FOR FREE!

[@whodahellru8124]

I’ve been a mechanic for over 20 something years, and I will admit it’s not nearly as fun as it was it once. I guess I’m old enough to remember working on cars ahead carburetors points and adjustable ignition… I’ve since Transitioned to fuel injection, direct injection, turbochargers, hybrid, and electric powered vehicles. Needless to say it gets tiring to try and stay relevant and so many different technologies. Also, the way technicians are commonly paid is just awful. Usually it’s 100% commission not much of a guarantee any the amount of stress and damage you put on your body just doesn’t make it viable for long-term. I’m currently in my mid 40s and I can honestly say that I don’t have much more left to give after having two shoulder surgeries and elbow surgery. Also, your content description is a bit misleading… You’re speaking on two different cultures. The whining? 🙄

[@potatochobit]

cars are more complicated with mostly stupid electrical failures, no one wants to diagnose those. before when something broke, you knew what broke and could go to the dealership and get one the same day, not anymore.

[@rodvan-zeller6360]

This is a myth, if it was true wages and working conditions would have improved a long time ago. The real shortage is of good employers.

[@ForeverModified]

Tire oil techs get burned out so much work no pay. Flat rate mechanics could just sit there for hours basically paying the store to be there no thank you glad I left

[@markcain5168]

Mechanics don’t retire they just fade away.

[@danerickson1632]

No we just fix our own vehicles and who's going to fix yours shortly is ???

[@model101jr5]

High stress, low ish pay, ethical concerns. I could see why it’s hard to find good help. I’m an hvac mechanic but we’re seeing the same thing over here in tx. Combine all the above with ever increasing planned obsolescence and over complicated car designs it’s gotta be tough

[@wendwllhickey6426]

Check what the pay is and it will tell you everything 😂

[@Collin9637]

Enough experience and you get overpaid, my repair is over $1,000 and that’s just for the mechanic to do a 1-2 hour job

[@isaakd881]

I'm seeing advertisements in my town willing to pay $50 an hour for qualified mechanics. But this is only an illusion with all the free diag and warranty work it's closer to $25 an hour

[@joshruner1348]

I have been a owner/tech for 3 years now and I give the best price possible an yet a $1200 job down to $650(aftermarket quality parts) is not good enough. I barley get by and its still not good enough, high risk and responsibility and low returns.

[@Collin9637]

We are all barley getting by, not just you

[@GMoneyMacFresh]

When I went to school for the 1st year of my apprenticeship - the first thing the teacher did was say "RUN - get out of this industry.. anyone who stays don't say I didn't warn you" Thankfully I'm no longer in that industry directly, but he was right. Flat rate used to be great. Getting paid a decent amount of time to work on things. Now they have pulled the times back for everything so tight you don't make any money on anything. Start paying guys hourly at a decent amount with achievable productivity bonus's! Nobody should be worried about their take home at the end of the pay period. If there's that much work to do, the shop shouldn't have any issues recouping the costs from customers. Maybe shop owners wont be able to buy a Ferrari quite as quickly.

[@Magus2222]

Its a shortage for a very large combination of problems. Between stagnated wages, complicated designs, destruction of apprenticeship structure, exploitation of labor, evs requiring education and certification before being allowed to repair them while dealers refuse to invest in invested techs, the industry is withering away. Lastly, highly skilled individuals aren't rewarded and advanced, so we pack up and leave for our own ventures.

[@charlesmckenzie7101]

one problem is that , some of these employers want a new person to be totally trained, and not want to do any training themselves. for example, the right fit, should be someone who wants and has a good start at automotive ,like tech school, THE the company needs to go ahead and bite the bullet , the 1st few months, that the employee is getting experience. But, the employer wants a good employee but doesn't want to spend the time to develop a good mechanic and wait.. they want someone that already knows what they are doing. And that is where the problem starts, hiring someone with experience, that the company thinks is going to stick around and doesn't, because he knows , he can go anywhere and get a job with his experience and does just that. whereas, the new tech coming in, will be loyal and thankful for the start. If I own a business, and I don't or cant train an employee, that is my problem as the owner of the company,, not the trainee who is steadfast and wants to learn.

[@danielmorgan4899]

As a seasoned mechanic not only did I not make a dime but my sex life suffered do to dirty finger nails and stained hands I want REIMBURSED for lost wages and WASTED DAYS and WASTED NIGHTS

[@JohnLazzaro-p2u]

Yep they been saying that for years but yet nothing ever gets done .. and 5 years from now it’s going to be the same … there are no mechanics because the job is terrible and low pay shit environment

[@autopartsmonkey7992]

oooh....a parts manager.....rofl...ok buddy, manage those parts

[@KA9DSL]

Cars have gotten so complicated, mechanics are not being compensated for it at all. Seems that auto manufactures created this problem with no real answer. Can't make things simple any more.

[@spanionneo]

There's no shortage. Mechanics are still getting paid 90's wages and hence people walk away. you'll do much better looking into different fields

[@eddiesopatron4148]

I’ve been in this industry 10 years im in the process of leaving next year! This industry sucks!!

[@jimjames6990]

Fnk that job. No grease, oil, pyscho customers, low pay. I live on welfare in a wheel chair in a tent now.

[@dakufire21]

A decent tool box for today car can cost upward of 30K including special tools and diagnostic tool. You will be paying a snap on dealer for a long time.

[@obsoleteprofessor2034]

Mandatory COVID shots exited a few...like the nurses.

[@ioannismermigas4991]

A big issue in this industry is more than just pay because im currently in puerto rico, graduated recently and had to pay more than a 100 dollar for a test that would allow me to have a license to be able to work plus pay 150 extra so i can actually have my license on top of that i went into a shop fully motivated to work and there wasn’t proper training and tools just 60 year old man boasting about his skills doing less than me and no growth and learning opportunities, that’s why mcdonalds has more employees than any trade sadly

[@jamesford2942]

Cars are not designed to be worked anymore. They are over complicated for no reason other than to get it down the assembly line as fast as possible with no regard to serviceability. When you have to lift the cab off to do any kind of major service to the engine that's just stupid design. I build hot rods and custom cars for a living and got out of the mechanics world at 29. I saw how miserable it was to work on front wheel drive crosswise engine cars and walked away. I use the best of the designs from the OEM's to build cool cars that can be worked on. When you build a hot rod it has to be done twice just like building a one off prototype every time, except my customers expect it to work every time unlike the OEM's crap.

[@isaakd881]

It's not about getting kids into the trade it's about keeping mechanics in the trade

[@gregterrible]

These young guys know better to get it in the car business.

[@jordangouveia1863]

Seems to me like we're going to need electricians not auto mechanics. I've been working on cars all life and don't know a thing a EV's.

[@BureaucracyWorld]

I'm a retired auto technician. I know this trend, young kids, Gen X, Z, and millennials, don't like to work on cars. Or don't want to become mechanical inclined. They would rather spend most of their time on phones, devices, and push buttons on their social network.

[@turkyturky6274]

I do my own wrenching and i mostly drive bmws and im a software engineer. What ive noticed is that people in usa have no clue how to work on these cars, yes that includes the dealer who broke my cars several times.

[@doe8939]

I drive MBs and I'm a Data Scientist, I started fixing my cars to save money in college and found you just can't trust most mechanics. Most cannot work on a classic and once they see the brand of your car many throw out their integrity to get by and their customers refuse to educate themselves on one of the most expensive single possessions they'll ever have

[@potatochobit]

it's cute how you think people should know how to solve crazy BMW problems. btw, I work for BMW and own a mini cooper and even I dont want to solve crazy BMW problems, lol

[@fubar2231]

I turned wrenches for 25 years. Finally had enough of the bs. Got out and got lucky, got a comfy government job. Never felt better. I feel sorry for the young guys getting into the business. Cost of tools, complexity of new vehicles and little support from management.

[@hondamojo1]

After 30+ yrs of chasing new technologies, I now diag all day and answer a billion questions. If not for the love of the machine, I'd have quit long ago, because there's been plenty of other , more profitable ways to make a livin'.

[@quinceywhitney3224]

Auto techs are vastly underpaid for what knowledge is required for current vehicles. Shop labor rates are high, as high as $150 or beyond. It’s beyond me how they can’t give better pay. Also flat rate is a joke under most circumstance’s. Your better off starting your own repair shop or mobile buisness then being an employee

[@rodhonco5681]

Flat Rate. It means someone else decides what something will cost. Usually around 50% of what it actually takes. They call that fair. Fair for who?

[@johnmitchell8925]

I had to retire at 49 after needing a back fusion then a neck fusion .heavy equipment

[@Motovationnation]

I'm an autobody tech, I'm starting to believe the auto makers are to blame for tech shortages both mechanic, and body repair. These cars are built so cheap and they always keep changing how things are assembled, and I spend all my money on tools. I have nothing positive to say about the automotive industry

[@robertarce5399]

Good luck Auto technicians are getting under paid and new auto technicians don't realize what there getting into.

[@kootybear]

I have been messign around with cars from around the age of 14 and I am now 46. Joined the army in 2004 and have been in the civilian tech since 2012. Right now I make $55 an hour flat rate and make great money. While I was in school, there was 10 auto techs per 1 job while there was 10 diesel jobs per diesel tech. It just matters where you go.

[@potatochobit]

the problem is also inflation, any mechanic not making 45-55$ should probably fill out a few applications at another dealership and see who bites.

[@ferenczbabinszki7699]

wow you are completely missing the picture. you said "while the US whines and complains" stop making videos.

[@partsmanagerpro]

Hahahaha.....You're also missing the point. But Thanks.

[@model101jr5]

Another pmc….

[@ItalianMetalHED]

its because high schools push kids into getting silicone valley jobs surrounding yourself by cubicle than a trade which makes the world really go round. Same is happening with truckers as many of them are retiring which forced the DOT to lower the min age of 21 to 18.

[@potatochobit]

not their fault, high school should be teaching them trade skills or pushing them to a trade school, not trying to for everyone into liberal arts.

[@ItalianMetalHED]

@@potatochobit trades pay much higher than many degree professions. Welding for instance I have a friend who makes $40 an hour but he could easily make $100 at local shipyard (no degree)

[@ItalianMetalHED]

@@potatochobit I’m 40 and I have touched about every trade from 8th grade until end of high school. Have welding experience, small engines, auto mechanics, carpentry etc

[@elpacho....9254]

Not worth the effort.

[@wizardindustriesusa]

Forward thinking entrepreneurs will Find a way to engage these young people in their communities when they are still interested.

[@badazz2969]

I left the car world for John deere and I will NEVER turn back its a laid back environment and the pay is literally fucking double if you want better pay and to not have to work on terribly designed bullshit I recommend tractors they're easy and simple to work on just bigger and heavier but worth it I worked on everything from a gm to an audi I personally prefer and own gms after those years of hell I don't regret waking up anymore during the week just my 2 cents

[@kootybear]

the statement should read you left the gas world for the diesel world :). Diesel just pays way better than auto techs.

[@Adam-kk7nw]

I thought about going into automotive tech career

[@davidturczak7253]

Don’t get into this field . Look into something different. People are tired of hearing there a mechanic shortage when actually there just a pay shortage.

[@Adam-kk7nw]

@@davidturczak7253 I take ur advice but can u tell me what wrong with automotive mechanic ? Bc I thought they make over 60k.

[@father5946]

@@Adam-kk7nw Unless you get lucky, most shops will not pay you anywhere near that until you hit 2-3 years into the industry as a tech with a few ASE certs. Good luck if you have no background in fixing cars and you're put on flat rate too because this industry doesn't believe in training.

[@halvorsonmx]

I mean in a sense it's good if people have to pay more and wait longer. We have been subsidizing auto repair for decades. It takes so much knowledge to actually be a decent technician and not just a parts swapper. So people need to be willing to pay for that expertise. I have been doing some mobile diagnostics. The second price is brought up by the customer I generally lose them. It's an absolute joke.

[@MattKurkowski]

Well we should be working on equity in auto shops. We need to get more women, LGBTQA+ and BIPOCs.

[@R006WRX]

I don’t think hiring the mentally ill is going to solve anyone’s problems in a shop. Those hires end up causing drama and in turn more good techs will leave to avoid the nonsense.

[@TheJohnbjunior]

Women make up less than 2% of automotive technicians, add the alphabet people and you still have nothing!

[@model101jr5]

I hope that’s a joke. I really do

[@MattKurkowski]

@@model101jr5 I'm not joking. Everyone knows that gay guys and women love wrenching on cars but they can't because of the lack of diversity, equity and inclusion.

[@model101jr5]

@@MattKurkowski …

[@Elessar011]

I am brand new, I can't speak on much but I was a freshman in highschool back in 2010 and by then Auto tech had already been cut. Now, I'm almost 30 and I want to be a mechanic.

[@potatochobit]

Why do you want to be a mechanic? go to community college, be an HVAC or MRI technician and get paid more regularly with no crazy problems you cant solve.