while browsing car threads around here, most areas quote labor costs around $60-$100, which seems high to me. how much do mechanics make a year? how wearing is it on the body?
what's a career as a mechanic like?
- Thread starter draggoon01
- Start date
I don't think anybody has ever became a mechanic because of the wages or the "perks". 
It's a labor of passion.
It's a labor of passion.
anytime you're paying an hourly rate, the person actually doing the work is only making a small fraction of that rate.
Evadman
Administrator Emeritus<br>Elite Member
- Feb 18, 2001
- 30,990
- 5
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That is labor, not what they make. I can speak from experence that it is not all it is cracked up to be. You end up working on old and busted cars, minivans, and other crap. I wanted to work on sweet cars, not crap, so I got out of it after a very short time.
It is not exceptionaly hard nowadays. Computers do most of the diagnosing. What the computer can't figure out you go through a flowchart in a book, then swap out parts till it works again.
It is not exceptionaly hard nowadays. Computers do most of the diagnosing. What the computer can't figure out you go through a flowchart in a book, then swap out parts till it works again.
Originally posted by: Eli
I don't think anybody has ever became a mechanic because of the wages or the "perks".
It's a labor of passion.
what "perks"? college girls bringing in their jetta?
roger always slacks off - i see him posting here all the time instead of tending to costumers! :Q
My aunt works with big companies, making sure that manual laborers get the training and benefits they need so that they will keep evolving with their trade and the companies won't get screwed, and neither will the laborers. Lot's of times it's people from spanish speaking countries they are helping out.
Recently she's been talking to a lot of car dealers and higher-ups in the car service business, and aparantly the beginnings of a big automotive technician shortage are starting. They're trying to recruit asians and hispanic people, they say they'll teach them english and if they seem like hard workers will train them to work on cars. It's a pretty decent job nowadays from what i've heard, people can make like 70k a year once you've been in it for a while, paid off your tools, and have some certs. I'm considering getting an entry level job at a local dealership actually, and if they offer to pay to train me I may jump head first into it, we'll see
Recently she's been talking to a lot of car dealers and higher-ups in the car service business, and aparantly the beginnings of a big automotive technician shortage are starting. They're trying to recruit asians and hispanic people, they say they'll teach them english and if they seem like hard workers will train them to work on cars. It's a pretty decent job nowadays from what i've heard, people can make like 70k a year once you've been in it for a while, paid off your tools, and have some certs. I'm considering getting an entry level job at a local dealership actually, and if they offer to pay to train me I may jump head first into it, we'll see
Originally posted by: SammyBoy
I'm considering getting an entry level job at a local dealership actually, and if they offer to pay to train me I may jump head first into it, we'll see
Problem with dealerships is that an egghead at the car manufacturers states that it takes x amount of time to do warranty work. If it takes longer than that, it ends up hurting the mechanic.
My b/f works on BIG machines.... heavy machinery and tractor trailer type stuff.... only as a side line...
going rate is $95.00 an hour. plus parts. clock starts when you hand over the keys...
Many companies like to just get a rate. A typical brake job on a big rig is approx $1,000. plus parts. A good mechanic can have that done in less then 3 hours.. start to finish.
not too shabby!
going rate is $95.00 an hour. plus parts. clock starts when you hand over the keys...
Many companies like to just get a rate. A typical brake job on a big rig is approx $1,000. plus parts. A good mechanic can have that done in less then 3 hours.. start to finish.
not too shabby!
I worked at a local shop as a mechanic apprentice as well as at a dealership in the parts dept, total about 6 years after graduating high school. These jobs are what drove me back to school to get my degree.
As a mechanic at a local garage (this is just my experience, I don't want to make a blanket statement):
pay is low (plus you usually have to purchase your own tools)
crappy benefits
crappy working conditions (under a hot hood in a non-AC garage for 8-10hrs a day during summer)
go home dirty and really tired every day
not a lot of room for advancement (except to open your own shop)
What I saw second hand of mechanics at a dealership:
slightly better pay and benefits (esp. If it's a union shop)
Union politics/bullsh!t
Typically a better working conditions (dealerships usually have nicer facilities ie AC, equip, etc)
still not a lot of advancement potential
While I was only an apprentice and not a fully ASE-certified mechanic, I saw really limited possibilities for a career as a mechanic. Most of the guys I worked with were burnt-out, and had maxed out earnings potential at around $20-25/hr, and that's after years of working.
Basically, if you think you can jump into working on cars and be making $100/hr in a couple years you're sadly mistaken. It'll never happen as a mechanic. Potentially, as a shop owner, you could make a decent living, but still not near that.
As a mechanic at a local garage (this is just my experience, I don't want to make a blanket statement):
pay is low (plus you usually have to purchase your own tools)
crappy benefits
crappy working conditions (under a hot hood in a non-AC garage for 8-10hrs a day during summer)
go home dirty and really tired every day
not a lot of room for advancement (except to open your own shop)
What I saw second hand of mechanics at a dealership:
slightly better pay and benefits (esp. If it's a union shop)
Union politics/bullsh!t
Typically a better working conditions (dealerships usually have nicer facilities ie AC, equip, etc)
still not a lot of advancement potential
While I was only an apprentice and not a fully ASE-certified mechanic, I saw really limited possibilities for a career as a mechanic. Most of the guys I worked with were burnt-out, and had maxed out earnings potential at around $20-25/hr, and that's after years of working.
Basically, if you think you can jump into working on cars and be making $100/hr in a couple years you're sadly mistaken. It'll never happen as a mechanic. Potentially, as a shop owner, you could make a decent living, but still not near that.
Originally posted by: alm4rr
Originally posted by: SammyBoy
I'm considering getting an entry level job at a local dealership actually, and if they offer to pay to train me I may jump head first into it, we'll see
Problem with dealerships is that an egghead at the car manufacturers states that it takes x amount of time to do warranty work. If it takes longer than that, it ends up hurting the mechanic.
the point is that it the book time is generally less than the time it takes if you're hustling. Maybe if every bolt in the thing is rusted to hell it'd take longer, but the point of the book times is to get the mechanics to hustle so they'll get it done before hand. Also, there'd be no way to put together a solid 40 hours of work a week for everyone if they didn't have pre-alotted times you get to spend on every job. Basically the book time isn't a bad thing. If you get paid 20 an hour to do a 4 hour brake job and finish it in 2.5 hours, that aint too shabby.
20 an hour x40 hours is 800 a week.....2400 a month, say almost 30k a year...minus taxes, eek. I doubt you'd only be making 20 an hour for long, could be wrong thuogh.
you guys keep mentioning how mechanics have to buy their own tools. why is that? wouldn't it be better for the shop to keep their own 2 or 3 sets for general use? especially since certain carmakers require certain tools?
also how much does it cost to get all the tools? what tools are necessary to buy?
also how much does it cost to get all the tools? what tools are necessary to buy?
I think that's really on the high end if you are working for someone else.Originally posted by: SammyBoy
My aunt works with big companies, making sure that manual laborers get the training and benefits they need so that they will keep evolving with their trade and the companies won't get screwed, and neither will the laborers. Lot's of times it's people from spanish speaking countries they are helping out.
Recently she's been talking to a lot of car dealers and higher-ups in the car service business, and aparantly the beginnings of a big automotive technician shortage are starting. They're trying to recruit asians and hispanic people, they say they'll teach them english and if they seem like hard workers will train them to work on cars. It's a pretty decent job nowadays from what i've heard, people can make like 70k a year once you've been in it for a while, paid off your tools, and have some certs. I'm considering getting an entry level job at a local dealership actually, and if they offer to pay to train me I may jump head first into it, we'll see
Originally posted by: SammyBoy
Originally posted by: alm4rr
Originally posted by: SammyBoy
I'm considering getting an entry level job at a local dealership actually, and if they offer to pay to train me I may jump head first into it, we'll see
Problem with dealerships is that an egghead at the car manufacturers states that it takes x amount of time to do warranty work. If it takes longer than that, it ends up hurting the mechanic.
the point is that it the book time is generally less than the time it takes if you're hustling. Maybe if every bolt in the thing is rusted to hell it'd take longer, but the point of the book times is to get the mechanics to hustle so they'll get it done before hand. Also, there'd be no way to put together a solid 40 hours of work a week for everyone if they didn't have pre-alotted times you get to spend on every job. Basically the book time isn't a bad thing. If you get paid 20 an hour to do a 4 hour brake job and finish it in 2.5 hours, that aint too shabby.
20 an hour x40 hours is 800 a week.....2400 a month, say almost 30k a year...minus taxes, eek. I doubt you'd only be making 20 an hour for long, could be wrong thuogh.
Fuzzy math. There are 52 weeks in a year.
20/hr * 40hrs/week * 52weeks/yr = $41600.
AgaBoogaBoo
Lifer
- Feb 16, 2003
- 26,108
- 5
- 81
Originally posted by: Eli
I don't think anybody has ever became a mechanic because of the wages or the "perks".
It's a labor of passion.
He's got it, atleast in most cases. Most of the times, unless its someone who just needs the money, they do it for the love of cars/machinery.
Dealerships and shops may have a set of specialty manufacturer-specific tools for all their mechanics to share, as well as some of the more specific diagnostic equipment, however for all the basic tools you are on your own. That is universal, there is not a shop I've seen that will supply you with tools. Expect to end up spending several thousand dollars on tools (basic tools (wrenches, sockets, screwdrivers, etc), air tools (not cheap), auto-specific tools, a big box to keep them all, and other misc stuff. Of course you don't need everything at once, but it will start adding up when the Snap-on or Mac truck visits your shop every week and you've discovered you need something new.
Sorry in advance for the long reply, but do read all of it. I promise it'll be worth your time.
I was an auto mechanic for just over 10 years, at both independant shops and dealerships... And it was a miserable way to make a living. I absolutely abhored getting up for work in the morning. But they paid me pretty well ($24/hr when I left), and I had a family to take care of.
But let me explain "flat rate". You get paid by the job. Let's take a Jeep Cherokee fuel injector rail, for example. If it's a customer paid repair, then it pays like 2.5 hours. Not bad at all. If it's under warranty, then it's closer to 1 hour. Whether it takes you 20 minutes or 4 hours, that's what you get paid.
So, a bad day would mean that you just worked 13 hours, but actually got paid for 7. Granted, on my best days I flagged about 30 hours, but those were few and far inbetween.
It only gets worse as you get more talented. I would get the more difficult jobs, because of that. The manager justified it because of my hourly wage. Unfortunately, it never really made up for it, and I actually made less money each of the last three years.
There's nothing like getting five crappy jobs in a row, while you are watching the guy across the bay suck up the gravy jobs because it was all he was capable of. Yes, there is some satisfaction knowing that you could fix the problem when others couldn't. But that doesn't overshadow the sick feeling you get when looking at the timecard at the end of the day.
Oh yeah, and the talent pool got worse and worse as the years went by. I truly feel sorry for people who have to deal with shops these days.
But there was a way to make up for lost time... Screw somebody. Whether it be the shop, the corporation, or the customer. I can't even begin to tell you how many times I saw customers get charged for work that was never performed or didn't need done in the first place. It was a daily occurance and it was simply disgusting. But don't blame only the techs. The service writer and service manager, even the sales department, were all guilty of ripping people off.
Another reason is safety. It has to be one of the most unsafe careers in the modern world. The amount of chemicals one is exposed to is sickening. The shop equipment is never the best, but you have to make due, and go as fast as possible. Otherwise, you don't make money. I know of two people who have had cars fall off hoists onto them, because of inadequate equipment.
My back will never be the same. I don't know of anybody who has worked on cars for a while, that doesn't have perminent back problems.
As for tools, I figure I had about $15,000 worth when I left.
When I got into it, I thought I was in heaven. After all, I absolutely liked nothing better than spending 20hrs straight working on cars. Ten years later, I was pretty much in hell.
I'm sure the next question will be how I got to work at Intel. I studied semiconductors and microelectronics (on my own) for a solid year. It took a while (and a good friend) to get Intel to interview me. But I guess I did good enough in the 3 hour torture session that they decided to hire me. And I make absolutely sure that nobody there regrets it. (Because if they did, I'd have to go back to working on cars for a living... And that's unacceptable for both me and my family.)
I was an auto mechanic for just over 10 years, at both independant shops and dealerships... And it was a miserable way to make a living. I absolutely abhored getting up for work in the morning. But they paid me pretty well ($24/hr when I left), and I had a family to take care of.
But let me explain "flat rate". You get paid by the job. Let's take a Jeep Cherokee fuel injector rail, for example. If it's a customer paid repair, then it pays like 2.5 hours. Not bad at all. If it's under warranty, then it's closer to 1 hour. Whether it takes you 20 minutes or 4 hours, that's what you get paid.
So, a bad day would mean that you just worked 13 hours, but actually got paid for 7. Granted, on my best days I flagged about 30 hours, but those were few and far inbetween.
It only gets worse as you get more talented. I would get the more difficult jobs, because of that. The manager justified it because of my hourly wage. Unfortunately, it never really made up for it, and I actually made less money each of the last three years.
There's nothing like getting five crappy jobs in a row, while you are watching the guy across the bay suck up the gravy jobs because it was all he was capable of. Yes, there is some satisfaction knowing that you could fix the problem when others couldn't. But that doesn't overshadow the sick feeling you get when looking at the timecard at the end of the day.
Oh yeah, and the talent pool got worse and worse as the years went by. I truly feel sorry for people who have to deal with shops these days.
But there was a way to make up for lost time... Screw somebody. Whether it be the shop, the corporation, or the customer. I can't even begin to tell you how many times I saw customers get charged for work that was never performed or didn't need done in the first place. It was a daily occurance and it was simply disgusting. But don't blame only the techs. The service writer and service manager, even the sales department, were all guilty of ripping people off.
Another reason is safety. It has to be one of the most unsafe careers in the modern world. The amount of chemicals one is exposed to is sickening. The shop equipment is never the best, but you have to make due, and go as fast as possible. Otherwise, you don't make money. I know of two people who have had cars fall off hoists onto them, because of inadequate equipment.
My back will never be the same. I don't know of anybody who has worked on cars for a while, that doesn't have perminent back problems.
As for tools, I figure I had about $15,000 worth when I left.
When I got into it, I thought I was in heaven. After all, I absolutely liked nothing better than spending 20hrs straight working on cars. Ten years later, I was pretty much in hell.
I'm sure the next question will be how I got to work at Intel. I studied semiconductors and microelectronics (on my own) for a solid year. It took a while (and a good friend) to get Intel to interview me. But I guess I did good enough in the 3 hour torture session that they decided to hire me. And I make absolutely sure that nobody there regrets it.
(Because if they did, I'd have to go back to working on cars for a living... And that's unacceptable for both me and my family.)My father has a mechanic for his company that works on all our big diesel tractor trailers and staight-jobs. I don't know what he makes, but I can tell you he is very well compensated. He also is a genious when it comes to engines.
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