Guest Z2nr Posted November 14, 2004 Share Posted November 14, 2004 I have a friend that works for Mossy Nissan here in San Diego, Ca. He said he gradudated from Miramesa Community college throught the t-ten program, he is now ASE certified. He says he is making like 25.00 an hour right outta school, it this true or what? I think is sound like b.s. I though tech's make like 15.00 an hour. If this is true I'll quote my job as an insurance broker and do that, I make about that much, and I have to hustle hard for it, I would like to have a steady wage like that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SHO-Z Posted November 14, 2004 Share Posted November 14, 2004 Most auto mechanics piece work or flat rate a project. If you are good and fast you make more money by beating the flat rate time. If you are slow or have problems you can end up making less than minimum wage! Right out of school the probability of meeting or beating the flat rate times is low due to lack of experience. The dealer might offer a flat $25/hr to the mechanics on flat rate. Also from a friend of mine who is a Service Rep at a dealer, if it is slow the mechanics are not going to get their 40 hrs in per week, they only get paid the flat rate for the jobs they do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
80LS1T Posted November 15, 2004 Share Posted November 15, 2004 Now I know were talking about CA here and the cost of living out there is higher that most places in the USA but......... Im calling B.S. on your friend. I graduated with a 2 year degree in Automotive Technolgy, almost 2 years ago and I sure as hell aint making $25/hour, even on flat rate! Unless your friend is like some car god and all the teachers at his school are saying hes a genius I really doubt he making that much. Sure the ASE certifications help but I really cant see any dealership paying that much for a guy right out of school, especially just a Nissan dealership. And hes not beating flat rate either to make $25 per hour. Not only does he not have the experiece to beat flat rate but he more than likely doesnt have the tools to beat flat rate. Not to mention at big dealship more than 50% of the work is warrenty and warrenty pays like crap! For example(I work at a big Dodge dealership) To put a set of lifters in a 2.7Liter 24 valve V6 Intreped warrenty pays 1.4 hours...were as Mitcheles time AKA "customer pays" time is 4.1 hours. Yeah so as you can see warrenty pays like $hit! Now if he were to go to school for say Porsche I could see that. Porchse from what I understand only takes graduates from UTI and you have to have 100% attendence, 4.0 gpa, and a few other small things to even get the offer to go to their extra schooling program. (This is what was told to me by a UTI graduate that used to work with me). Guy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zeeboost Posted November 15, 2004 Share Posted November 15, 2004 I too call bs. I work as a tech at a Ford dealership, and you're right -- warranty doesn't pay for CRAP! I know of some of the porters, making $6.00/hr, earning more than some of the newer mechanics we've had in here. I don't really talk to many of the other techs about it, but from what I know, you can either get paid $18.75/hr on commission, or a couple of the newer techs get paid $6/hr plus $6/hr commission. On a side note, I just found this out the other day, Chilton says that replacing one outer tie rod is worth 6 hours! (I think it was 6...either 5 or 6, but still!) I could make a damn good living just replacing tie rods. But, if you replace both of them, it would be 6.5 hours... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest 77vegasz Posted November 15, 2004 Share Posted November 15, 2004 I hire induustrial equipment mechanics and manage them at the plant that work at in Las Vegas. An idustrial technician makes more than an auto mechanic in all areas that I am aware of. OUr Pay scale for industrial technicians is 18.00 to 22.00 per hour. Jon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
technicalninja Posted November 15, 2004 Share Posted November 15, 2004 Yes it is possible, unlikely but possible. Especially in a place that has a high cost of living as I believe San Diego has. My local community college is affiliated with the Local Chrysler/Dodge dealer network and have a specfic program for techs. The students worked during day at one of the dealerships and went to school at night. They usually could complete a Associates Degree in about 3 years. This training was totally focused on Chrysler/Jeep vehicals (to the point that Chrysler donated a Viper and a Prowler to the school for training). These guys at graduation were pretty well totally trained (at least for recent Chrysler stuff). A top dog out of this program would command $25/flat rate hour. I believe a recent graduate out of the normal (not Chrysler focused) associates path would command 15-19/FRH at graduation and increase rapidly (2 years of further work experience) to the 22-30/FRH range. This is considering that the grad has some kind of automotive work history at grad (almost all the students that I met were working somewhere wrenching while they were going to school). I taught an Engine Preformance 1 class for this college so I've met more than a few students. With no experience at all I do not believe any dealership would hire a grad. How much exp does this guy really have- is he a "Wunder Kid", is his dad Service Manager at the dealership? There may be more information needed to make the determination of value. He may just have gotten very lucky. Myself- I am an ASE dual master (automotive, machinist) with an L1 certification. Been recertified 3 times (20 years exp, got to recertify every 5 years) I have been a Mazda Senior Tech and a Fiat Factory Authorized Tech (we won't talk about this). I have 20+ years of Import Vehical work history. I was never the highest producing tech at a dealership but I had the highest CSI (Customer Satisfaction Index) most of the time. I command $30-35/FRH. Very few dealerships will pay this. My tool box weighs more that my Z. If I had to replace it today I think it would take 100K (tools have skyrocketed in last 10 years). 4 years ago I completed an Associates Degree in Computer Science(at the same college- was weird both going to school and teaching a class at same time- made for excellent parking privledges). I now work for a giant telecommunication company in a cube farm. I do not miss the automotive world much. The money is not stable. On FR you are only paid for work COMPLETED. If you have a parts problem your pay could come next week or later. If there was no work you got to stay for free. Dealerships used to allow you to work on you own stuff (often times your project car lived at the dealership) when work was slow but that is becomming a thing of the past. I have made 2500 in a week but more common was to make 600 and far to often was 200. 3 weeks before Christmas and April 15 were always dead...dead...dead. Here in Ft.Worth 2 weeks before our annual Stock Show was bad too (never could understand this but it happened every year). Winter is much slower that summer. How the dealership is run has a lot to do with your pay. The Mazda dealer in Texas I worked for would employ 20 mechanics when 10 or 12 was all that was needed.I quickly moved to aftermarket shops down here. The dealer I worked for in Denver was the only good dealer I ever found. They were well run. You never had to leave your bays unless test driving. the porters would get and remove your cars, the parts people would deliver the correct parts to your bay, the service writers would complete all paperwork for you. You always had 2 or 3 jobs going at any one time. The Service Manager distributed warrenty (70/30 CP/W rate) work evenly and "helped out" the techs when warrenty work was eating them up. This made excellent money for the techs and 60 hour weeks were average. It was like fixing cars in a war zone though, at the end of the day the last thing you wanted to do was work on your own stuff. I made 25,000 in 6 months I was there in 86. I was 22 and had my ASE auto master rating. Sadly both me and my wife prefered where we grew up and returned to Ft.Worth. The cost of living in Denver was a shock compared to Ft. Worth. Here you rented an apartment; there you leased a condo. Same size 60 precent more expensive. Pay in the automotive world will average 35-40K per year with a high of 80k. It is not regular and usually does not have good benefits. It requires a substantial investment in tools. It is possible to make a good living at wrenching but you will need to love what you do or you probably won't make it. I don't really like working in Dilbert Hell and if I won the Lottery I would never look back but I will always be a technican and I will never allow anyone else to work on my own stuff (point of pride and I've seen to much in this business). Ramblings of a long term wrench. Rick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drax240z Posted November 15, 2004 Share Posted November 15, 2004 Wow guys, I am thinking of hiring a mechanic in the new year and wouldn't dream of paying him less than $20/hr. I was thinking that $25/hr was fair. This would be flat rate based on book time. Then again, this isn't a dealership we're talking about here. I suppose I expect a bit more as far as qualifications go than just a license as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest ON3GO Posted November 15, 2004 Share Posted November 15, 2004 well as a UTI graduate and taking my ASE tests right now, its some what true and some what false. i just dont see somebody that just came into it and making that much. from the companys that i spoke to.. Audi, VW, Ford, Nissan, Volvo, and even porsche. the given rate you will get is 12-18 bucks flat rate... now my friend who works for BMW is making 18 a hour, and on flat rate. now he makes money because he is good and fast, knows the short cuts, and does Bumper to Bumper and electonics/driveablity is his thing so he gets the money makers most the time. mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
randy 77zt Posted November 17, 2004 Share Posted November 17, 2004 i work as a ford dealer tech in northern california.i get $21.75 /hr.but i never make 8 hours per day because the a$$hole service manager the owner hired wants to give all the service work(brakes,alignments) to some guys he pays $12 hour to .so i get stuck with warrenty work.i have a friend that drives truck and makes more than me.i want to move out california.too many people and too many laws. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest zfan Posted November 17, 2004 Share Posted November 17, 2004 My buddies a certified mechanic and a good one at that and he pulls down 70-80k a year. If your good and willing to constantly learn/keep up with the curve then there is good money out there. Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LS1 Z Posted November 17, 2004 Share Posted November 17, 2004 Well I also think or know B.S. I've had my own independant shop for 5 years and have been in the trade for 18, in California. It is all based on expierence!!!! I went through the trade schools as well as 2 out of 3 of my tecs. Beginning out of a trade school(smog licence?) 12 to 15. A seasoned Journeymen tec, well.... Sky can be the limit. I've heard up to 36 per hour. ALL BASED on what you can prove! There is alot of money to be made in automotive repair business. All based on what you can do. Tools don't make the tech. The Tech works the tools! In all reality...... Think how much the human body has changed in the last hundred years(not much) and think how much the automobile and the technology has changed in the last ten years . There is alot of money to be made and it doesn't happen over night or from a trade school(a building block) All comes from expierence and a willing to obtain and learn from expierence!!! JOEY Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
280z-racer Posted November 17, 2004 Share Posted November 17, 2004 i work at a GM/Nissan dealer in SoCal and a couple of our mechanics make over 100K a year. adn we start our GM mechanics out at about 19 per hour flag and Nissan around 23 per hour flag Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
80LS1T Posted November 18, 2004 Share Posted November 18, 2004 I too believe there is money out there in the automotive repair business but you have to have a lot of knowledge about electronics and how they work. We have a guy at work who is absolutly the smartest technican I have ever met. I gaurentee he is makeing over 100K on salary. The reason hes on salary is because hes the guy who all the other techs go to when we cant figure something out! So theres no way for him to make flat rate. He has his own shop at home too, which has 2 stalls with hoist and he works at night on cars. So to say the least he's not hurting for $$$! Im just glad that he lets me work for him for cash on the side! From what I have seen the more training you get the better you get paid. Its not how much work you do its what you know! I am trying to get myself to the drivabilty side of the auto repair business because thats where I think the money is.......anyone can check for loose suspension parts, do maintance work, and recalls! Guy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LS1 Z Posted November 18, 2004 Share Posted November 18, 2004 From what I have seen the more training you get the better you get paid. Its not how much work you do its what you know! I am trying to get myself to the drivabilty side of the auto repair business because thats where I think the money is.......anyone can check for loose suspension parts, do maintance work, and recalls! Guy I agree a 100%!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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