Pros and Cons Of Working at An Automotive Dealership as an Automotive Technician

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[@workingclassgarage]

Change is the big thing in dealerships. I worked at a dealer that was amazing, ran like a well oiled machine as you mentioned. Some big changes happened and it went to complete shit. All it takes is a management change and things can go south quick.

[@corykluthe355]

Been dealing with that at my dealer for almost 2 years now. Multiple big changes have happened. People quit people yelled. Its starting to come back around though

[@keithkapusinsky5476]

That happened to me too! Scottsdale Chrysler was the best from 05 to 09, then went to shit and stayed there to this day!

[@BoraTichnician]

Woo so amazing

[@A2ZREY]

@@keithkapusinsky5476you work in Arizona?

[@PeterB.-sf6pu]

i worked at two aftermarket/independent shops before working at a dealership. i will never go back to an aftermarket/independent shop, and i will tell you why. first, the pay, i make three times the amount of money i would make at an aftermarket shop. second, waiting for parts, working at a dealership, 9 times out of 10, the parts are in stock, and you can get the job done that day. third, the training. dealership level training is way more in depth than aftermarket training. fourth, warranty work, once you learn how to punch on and off jobs, and learn to write a good story and play the game, that .6 tenths job can easily turn into an hour or more, the pen is mightier than the sword. fifth, the challenge, the dealership is the last stop, especially for problem cars. having the access to the actual scanner for the vehicle, service manuals, and being able to contact engineering for real problems, is in valuable. when i worked in the aftermarket, too many times did i have some idiot reading repairs off of identifix. i have hung up on them before. thats my rant, it is over. have a great one, love the channel!

[@reddbull3876]

Same here currently at my second job and contemplating about going into a dealership....got an offer from Mercedes for 25 start and once I'm certified I'll be bump to 35...plus flag

[@PeterB.-sf6pu]

@@reddbull3876 i worked with someone years ago that went to Mercedes, he loved it, for me, it would be the customers in those cars that would kill it for me.

[@BoraTichnician]

Woo so amazing

[@mattlenz8554]

Dealers offer the best training hands down. But it’s a cut throat business and very much the sink or swim attitude. But it is what you make it! Have fun and don’t take it to seriously.

[@michaelcash3323]

There are a few states that warranty times get paid additional 50%. Its been a game changer. Illinois passed the law about 2 years ago

[@ghostwrench2292]

That would be awesome!

[@ethanrummel6476]

I’ve always wondered how screwing the tech on warranty work is legal. It’s the same job, it’s just that the shop loses money. And taking losses is for the company, not the employee

[@motorpsykler]

I’ve been a dealer tech with the same owner for 31 years. When I started he had 4 stores, now over 50. We have virtually zero technician turnover. About 5 years ago, he sold the Japanese car line that I had 25 years with and bought a German one. We downsized and everyone that could stay, did, the others went to other stores in the group. Learning a completely new car line is difficult, but when you find a good owner, you stick with him. Oh yeah, we’re all union too, don’t let anybody tell you that unions bankrupt the owners, that’s total crap.

[@ranacherian]

If im at a workplace and working i expect to get paid regardless. Hence i left the auto business and never been happier.

[@ferrarimatt1]

Im open up an independent shop this fall. I'm going to treat like a fleet shop cause doing it that way I could inspect vehicles correctly. I'm not fast at repairing cars, but I do it right. Very little comebacks.

[@ghostwrench2292]

I think you will be very successful being a shop owner!

[@user-kn3li3pe9b]

That's the same with me. I'm not the fastest but I can get it done and I have great work ethic. Went to a trade school while I did learn alot. It lacked repetition to learn everything confidently or like muscle memory in a sense. I'm not sure if I wanna start of at shop or dealership since they're big on speed .

[@andybub45]

I’m currently working at a Toyota dealership on the line. It can be good sometimes but all it takes is one problem car to ruin your whole week. Whether it’s customer pay but some strange issue nobody has seen before, or it’s a huge warranty job that pays horribly. Warranty pay is such a scam. At Toyota we pretty much never get paid for warranty diag, but they push “fix it right the first time” and make us follow pages and pages of diag steps that take forever. And they wonder why things go wrong. Being specialized in Toyota has its huge advantages, I know many common problems with certain cars and know my way around Toyotas in general. But it does make you stubborn and not want to work on any other brand. And management has a huge effect on the work environment. At my old dealership the management wasn’t very good. Not toxic or anything but they didn’t know what they were doing and they were all over the place.

[@ericm302]

The best dealers fix this by having one or two salary paid guys who do diag

[@andybub45]

Agree. And this is how it should be. If you spend hours and hours and you haven’t gotten anywhere, it needs to go to a team leader. This is how it was at my old dealership, but at the one I’m currently at, you basically get married to the car. Assistant managers cookie cutter response for every problem is “create a tas case” (technical assistance). When I brought these concerns to my manager he told me I was being spoiled by my old dealership and by not letting you give a problem car away it helps you get experience. I agree with the 2nd one to a point but sometimes you just need someone more experienced.

[@daveguerrero93zj]

As a Chrysler Tech, yes the Warranty sucks, but the best advice I was given was the powers in the pen it’s all about how you write your stories where you can always get a little bit more. One downfall of being a dealer tech is you have to write your stories about the triple C’s which can get tricky when you’re writing an electrical diagnosis to Warrenty so they can pay you, you don’t get paid to write stories, but overall I love being a Chrysler tech

[@joebrenner4428]

That's bullshit too!Service managers says "You have to write your 3 C's and keep good punch time"He says "Write your story like this" Next week he says "No write your story like that".The next week he's says"Fuck it they aren't going to pay no matter what you write".You have all became like a bunch of institutionalized dummies trying to act your the bosses favorite little boy toy.Little rookies saying "I'll do it for free" thinking it's going to get their foot in the door.

[@joebrenner4428]

The engine guy gets a work order to put a cam plug in a Sebring.He's too busy and wants to give it to me says it pays 4.4hours.I get it done then warranty snatch says it only pays 3.4 hours because I was the tranny guy.I would blow that corporation up!

[@joebrenner4428]

There isn't supposed to be any such thing as a 2 tenth repair.1 tenth must be added to every repair line for parts acquisition and 1 tenth for administrative duties(writing your story and flagging your time)YOUR DOING THOSE JOBS FOR FUCKING FREE!

[@joebrenner4428]

There used to be some good guys at Chrysler now it's just the biggest losers they can find.

[@joebrenner4428]

Toyota is like "We don't hire white guys"

[@jamesglacken6170]

Im a tech for big dealership a group of dealerships really and i love it here. There is a little chaos but not much

[@corykluthe355]

I was 4 years at honda when first starting out. Loved it. But then wanted different so went to an independant shop for 8 years. Loved working on everything. boats bikes trucks cars motorhomes grain trucks seadoos muscke cars. Loved the experience. Got sick of the junk after awhile. Went back to same dealership for 5 years now. After first recall or warranty of any sort usually ull make time. Lol

[@93sundance]

Been working at dealerships my whole 18 year career. Not interested in working on every POS that rolls through the door. Most of the time I make money not lose from warranty jobs.

[@coreyscarrepairs]

I tried working for a toyota dealer but the favoritism was too much for me to tolerate. Independent shop I work for is so much more chill and the pay is good and steady.

[@georgeferguson4521]

Moved to a dealership from an indie shop, best decision i ever made. Flat rate has treated me well

[@harold6863]

Worked most of my life in BMW dealers, everything you said is true watching some nice dealers. The last one before I retired that was so toxic horrible I loved it. John put the people just horrible. Main thing about working in a dealer. If you get factory training that’s the best part you have access to all the tools and information, I only worked in an independent briefly and didn’t like it. It was interesting work but not having all the right tools et cetera put me off. Thanks Mike great video

[@dougbrook6223]

You work on vehicles that are much cleaner too.. and newer, helping you keep your skills stay current. That said, ive found dealerships to almost always pay less than independently owned shops. Just my 2 cents worth. Certainly there are exceptions.

[@puremayhemFTW]

I’ve worked at 2 dealers. Both of them were infested with favoritism! I got all the water leaks and wind noises. While the shop Forman next to me got all the 60ks , brake jobs, and 3 hour airbags that took 15 mins to do.

[@AT-wl9yq]

I'm guessing you may work for Ford. If so, I can give you some tips on how to get better pay.

[@puremayhemFTW]

@@AT-wl9yq I was at GM, and Subaru. I now work for an independent shop.

[@dongf5628]

That’s why I left dealerships for hourly fleet. Fuck the 60 year old in the shop who has been there forever doing all the good work and everyone else starves.

[@itsreaper1644]

I find that most dealers in my area suck. Always it's either mismanaged, cut throat with heavy shop politics or the work is just not there. I'm currently in the process of moving to city fleet work. I've thought long and hard about trying other dealers. But in the end I'm just tired of how most of them are run. And tired of all the waiters on everything. I've seen the worst of the general public so I wrote off indy shops. So many shops are stuck in 1990s pay.

[@darrensoria3014]

Currently at a Chrysler dealer, and I really like it so far. I don't like the cars; I'm a GM guy, but this shop and the service manager have given me my big break so I'm sticking around.

[@bobbyedds9554]

I can only speak from my experience in the aftermarket, but their parts tend to be either obsolete or on permanent backorder

[@tracydiller9378]

Great video Mike as always. I personally have not worked at a dealer but, I have friends that have worked or still do at a dealer they seem to like it most of the time. But I guess it depends on the dealer and the person but that goes no matter where you work ( Just My Opinion ).

[@esoterictransmissions]

I’m heavy line GM trans and wouldn’t do anything else as a tech. I LIKE the warranty work because it’s guaranteed work and it comes down to you just getting your parts and going. There is no approval required. Fix the vehicle!

[@coexist1018]

I'm from Jeep but not certified the guys with the Certification hate warranty work with a passion and some of those recalls a freaking stupid

[@darrensoria3014]

@@coexist1018 Your comment reminded me of the Cummins dipstick and starter nut recalls. Also one too many flashes on the phev Grand Cherokees..

[@coexist1018]

@@darrensoria3014 you got check weld marks on the 3rd row seat tether, coil spring gaps measure, tighting water pump loose bolt that could easily snap if u over tighten all kind of mess

[@mikekotarba5828]

Thanks Mike

[@isorozco511]

You forgot the part where the squeaks and rattles waste your time and advisors want you to “check” this and that for free, especially on a new car because the idiot customer doesnt know how to use their bluetooth or navigation. Or when a boss decides to pay you less for a job because its his buddys car. Warranty doesnt pay diag time either. To you young aspiring techs out there, STAY AWAY GET A BETTER CAREER

[@theliercat4843]

From my experience at dealerships they want ready made technicians, they’re not interested in teaching or training. A flat rate tech getting pulled off the job they’re on to teach costs them and the dealership time/money so nobody is willing to do it.

[@AT-wl9yq]

You were in the wrong shop. Not all of them are like that. Some places have a mentor program where the senior tech gets a helper. The helper is hourly so the senior tech can flag the hours for themself. Also, when they send a tech to school, the dealer doesn't pay for the class unless the tech doesn't show up, or there is some other problems. They usually pay for the expense of going, but not the class.

[@honchoryanc]

It's unsustainable and will eventually collapse and we will be working on our own cars not for a shop making more money literally any where else.

[@ghostwrench2292]

@theliercat - you are at crap dealerships then. I have spent 12 of my 15 years wrenching in 3 different dealerships, only 1 of which was not interested in training the techs. The other 2 were very good about sending techs to training to elevate our certification levels. Quit wasting your time at a shop that is only taking from you and not giving you anything else in return besides a paycheck.

[@joebrenner4428]

It's quite to the contrary!They are especially looking for dumb and cheap.“Dealers need to look at lower skill level technicians. There are several benefits: They’re a lot easier to steal from somebody else and they make you more money because they have a lower cost. You hire an A mechanic at $25 an hour, a C for $15 an hour, and your labor rate is $75 an hour. So you’re paying $25 to get $75 or paying $15 to get $75.”

[@ghostwrench2292]

@joebrenner - I don’t know what market you are in but in my market, “dumb and cheap” so called techs are a dime a dozen that good shop owners want to stay from. Experienced, skilled techs are productive and good for business. Shop owners know they are worth what they get paid. In my market, expect to pay $40+ per hour for these techs.

[@michaelmurphy6869]

Everything you say ia totally true.

[@frankzappa5169]

I worked at dealerships 3/4's of my 40 years.i loved the training and got savvy how to write the warranty stories. The best advice I can give is if you find a cheat don't brag and tell the other techs,next thing you know you won't see that job anymore and the lesser skilled techs will be knocking them out

[@aleskyfinis1025]

Keep making the videos

[@johnasosajr]

I’m currently at a dealership but I’m considering going back to independent

[@shawnbauman5463]

I can make money on warranty work most of the time. Without being a hack. It can be done. Gotta be efficient.

[@DOCTOR_KIA]

at my dealer main line techs do not do waiters which i love lol

[@AT-wl9yq]

That's going to be the same wherever you go. They're not going to pay you $30-$35 an hour to change oil and do tire rotations.

[@ghostwrench2292]

Yeah, line techs at the last dealer I was at almost never had waiter jobs. Only the lube rack gets waiters. When I was at a small, European dealer, there was no lube rack, all (6) techs did bumper to bumper, so we would often get pulled off a big job to knock out a waiter service.

[@DOCTOR_KIA]

@@ghostwrench2292 that’s how it was at my previous job so i left. iv got the skill and knowledge for difficult jobs and your gonna have me changing oil? lol

[@DOCTOR_KIA]

@@AT-wl9yq not true literally was happening at my old shop lol they were losing money every time i did an oil change but refused to change the shop layout

[@ghostwrench2292]

@jjgarage - I never minded doing CP oil changes too much. Good opportunities to upsell some gravy work. It was the free services (get the 1st 3 services free with new car purchase) that I hated. No likely upsells and they were the low paying warranty services. Big waste of time.

[@puremayhemFTW]

I’m in Illinois, where they made warranty labor time the same as customer pay time.

[@AT-wl9yq]

For who? Your hourly rate should always be the same. It doesn't matter if its customer pay, warranty or recall.

[@puremayhemFTW]

@@AT-wl9yq I’m talking about for the tech, warranty and customer pay labor times are the same now.

[@joel4774]

I never graduated high school and I want to work for a dealership my dad is a street mechanic and I’ve gained some knowledge through my dad as he has a few degrees but I’m scared to even try do to the lack of education but I do have 2 years experience helping my dad replace engines and transmission also smaller jobs ect any advice from other mechanics out there I’m 20 years old for those wondering

[@sablan02]

Dealerships are dealerships. In a perfect world, dealerships would be the best place for a technician to work.. sadly, poor management is what makes any shop (Indy or dealer) a bad place to work.

[@honda_doc6826]

Thanks.

[@emiliog.4432]

There are advantages if the shop is run by good people. Bad thing is dealerships just throw parts. Replace everything.

[@georgemiliotis9389]

Dealerships suck don't do it

[@robbiesantos7677]

This is bad advice

[@A2ZREY]

I have my second interview tomorrow at a shop that’s kinda small but they asked me if I want flat rate or hourly?

[@ryanle1293]

If you're an hourly mechanic do you not get paid for warranty jobs?

[@Joe.O_623]

Sideburns gotta go bro.

[@LeavingCaladan]

hey flat rate master! i work for an awesome dealership. we’re ranked number one in the country on dealer rater, as well as many awards for best workplace in our county. i like working here, but the cars are boring to work on. in the future should i go independent? i want more variety.

[@AT-wl9yq]

You'll never see the assortment of work that you will working for a dealer. If you are board, try a different brand. I'm willing to bet you work in an import shop. If you switch to an American brand, you won't be board. You won't believe the things that go wrong with our cars.

[@LeavingCaladan]

@@AT-wl9yq you’re right, i work for mazda lol. i’ve thought about Ford. i wanna work on big trucks.

[@AT-wl9yq]

@@LeavingCaladan I'm a senior Mazda tech. "You can pay more for a car but you can't pay more to fix one.". The company motto. Mazda's are great card to work on, but they're made too well. Right now I work for Ford. Its not for everyone. You're going to be working your ass off. Also, its going to be a big adjustment. Fords are much more complicated vehicles to work on, and their designs are absolutely ridiculous. It will be hell for the first year or so, but if you can get through it, you'll make a lot more money, and its the best place to learn. You will see more in a month or two than you'll see in 5 years at Mazda. For about a year I left Ford and went to Infiniti. It was like being on vacation. If you make the move, learn the billing system. Look up all your labor ops. You can't rely on the warranty administrator to do it. It will make a big difference. Also, one of the best things about Ford is they allow you to upsell warranty repairs. If you're working on a vehicle and find something wrong that's covered under warranty, call the service writer and have them add a line to the RO. They also use IDS. Its identical to what you're using at Mazda. Just different cars.

[@dustyc324]

How does Rivian pay? Any insiders have good tech to tech knowledge?

[@bulletclub4life]

I had to do a trans and the dude waited...lol

[@qualityautorepairtireautosales]

Good diag techs make bank at dealers. The specialist at dealers who make the 💰 Heavy line techs can flag easily 12,14,16 hours a day! I was at a Cadillac dealer Trim tech they easily flagged 60-70 hours consistently 🙋🏻‍♂️ I’ve flagged hella hours when I was in dealer I’m in St Louis 95% of dealers shop are union Machinist Local 777

[@joebrenner4428]

I bet you have not been in a GM dealer since the Obama restructuring/scam out.A heavy line guy is only doing warranty work and making about 6 hours a day.Transmission guys got genocided.I averaged over 20 a day then went to half of that.Then I suddenly forgot how to do them and started doing fish and trim.Mostly CP.I am completely fed up with their fraud and went to an independent no warranty,no recalls and no waiters

[@gainerman]

Waiters cost you money. Because no one wants to be waiting to be the next waiter.

[@DainSmart-vm7pc]

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