Just curious, I'm 54+ flat rate in a Ontario dealership, making 130k no lunch no break. Does everything. hard to tell how long can I work like this.

How about in your shop , how old the the oldest flat rate still work on bench?

Mostly wheel lugs, but also ball joints and whatever else breaks in future. My other tools are Milwaukee, and have some M18 batteries, but I'll only be using it a few times a year so don't want to spend loads. The price range for Milwaukee is like £80 to £500 so not sure how much I'd need to spend to do what I need to do. I have a breaker bar and set of sockets/wrenches, so the impact wrench would mostly be for speed/convenience.

I also have some Milwaukee-->Makita M18 adapters, so I'd be fine with a Makita bare tool if it's good enough.

I guess it mostly comes down to torque needs? For tightening, I guess I won't need more than 100Nm, but obviously I'd need more for loosening without a breaker bar.

Hey everyone,

I just landed an entry-level position at a local mechanic shop, (it doesn't really have a title ill just be doing whatever needs to be done) and I’m super excited to start next week! The owner knows I don’t have much (or any) knowledge about cars, but they’re willing to train me on the job. Even though I’m starting from scratch, I really want to make a good impression and hit the ground running.

I was wondering if you seasoned mechanics could give me some advice:

• What are the most important basics I should learn before day one?
• What tools or equipment I should get familiar with?
• Any resources (YouTube channels, books, websites) you’d recommend?
• What skills or habits should I develop to become a good mechanic in the long run?

I’m open to learning anything and everything, so any tips, tricks, or insights would be greatly appreciated! Thanks in advance for helping out a newbie.

P.S. If it helps, the shop mostly works on general maintenance and repairs (oil changes, brakes, tires, etc.).

I might have the opportunity to work for a local dealership. I just have a couple of questions that I understand will have different answers involving a lot of nuance but here it goes.

Question #1 What is the difference between an apprentice technician and an express lube technician, if there is any difference at all? What is expected of an apprentice?

Question #2 What is the pay like as an apprentice technician?

I understand pay varies WILDLY depending on location and dealer but if anyone on here is a current Lexus tech and are comfortable at sharing how much you made as an apprentice starting off or are currently making and where you are located (roughly.) for example, I live in North Carolina where cost of living is quite high in my area (1300 rent +) for a small decent apartment not in the ghetto. Not sure if that info helps at all but I’m just curious.

Question #3 How long were you an apprentice for until you were promoted to a regular service technician?

hello! i was just wondering if someone could explain transmissions to me like i’m 4. i did some research and I learned about how they work, gear ratios, and torque vs speed, but i was wondering like, do lower gears have smaller driving gears or larger ones? and vice-versa for higher gears. i was just wondering what size the gears are for each gear and why. thank you!

How many mechanics in the field feel burned out? How many years have you been in the field? What are your shop hours like?

For any Mitsubishi dealership techs out there, What are some common problems you find working on em? I may have the chance to work for a local dealership and the benefits / pay seem pretty good. With that being said, this is a brand that seems to fly under the radar for some reason. I don’t see many Mitsubishis on the road, and I wonder how slow work will be. If anyone on here can provide some insight into what it’s like working at a Mitsubishi dealer that would be great. (I realize management varies greatly) but any anecdotal experiences will be interesting to hear anyway. Thanks.

I'm a 2nd year apprentice at just about 3200hours. I have my certification from trade school and my father who was a red seal had me working on stuff since I was younger so I do have a fair idea of what I'm doing. I have one coworker who has just over 32 years in the industry and he's getting old and sore (this is important) Every time he does a bushing or a Inner/outer tie rod I'm pulled off of the job I'm currently working and forced to do the alignment because he refuses to learn how to do them. another example being I was half way done doing a my first transferase replacement i was just getting the new one lined up when a car came in for a mount and balance, I was again pulled off of the job I was doing to change tires. It doesnt matter if I'm done I get pulled away and he gets my job. for example. he was doing inners/outers and ball joints on a 1500 Chevrolet and I had been doing tires all day, when finally a Mercedes came in that needed a new injector. this particular model was DI so it would have been a new challenge for me as I had never done it. I got as far as getting the engine covers off when he walked around the corner leaned on the car took MY ratchet out my hand and said I had to do an alignment, when i mentioned this to my boss he said "why are you talking to me, you have an alignment to do" Is this normal? Its not like I had made any major mistakes in the repair process I'm just expected to drop everything I'm doing to do a job the old guy doesn't want anymore. (I was once pulled away from the job and was lead out to the parking lot because he dropped a tool and it rolled under the car and needed me to go under the car and get it.)

To add insult to injury I finally bought my self a 55" snap on box and i said many times do not put shit on my tool box, I was off work for a week due to a concussion and when i came back there was tools, soiled rags, oily parts, and garbage stacked on my tool box along with foot prints because they used it to reach somethin up on a higher shelf. It makes me so F*****G mad coming back to see that. my boss will use my ratchets and when he's done rather then taking the extra 2 seconds to set it down he throws them on the floor. he used my 700 dollar 3/8s impact like a hammer 3 days after i bought it and immediately marked it up. I know it'll happen eventually but lord let me enjoy them being nice for a few months at least, Neither my boss or my co worker have respect for my tools or me and no matter how much I tear into them for this ridiculous behavior it goes right over there head because I'm just a young apprentice and for some reason they get this idea in there head that its okay because I'm just an apprentice. i worked my ass off to by my tools just like you did except i did it on 18/hour while you did it at 36 & 42/hour respectfully.

just had to get that insanity out of my system cuz they are the most annoying people to work for.

I’m an (hourly) apprentice for a transmission specialist. Been with my shop for about a year and a half now, this is my only experience wrenching in my life. I have my emissions and virginia safety inspection licenses and was wondering if my current pay ($23) is appropriate considering my 2 licenses and the fact that I work on transmissions? I also have an electrical certification but thats for the beginner class.

Is anyone here getting time and a half for the hours your flagging over 40? I was just curious as I’m getting paid flat rate for the first time and I didn’t ask.

I have no experience but have an interest in the automotive industry. I plan to use this job as a starter into it for a good 3 months to a year and bounce to a dealership or small shop. Is that a good plan?

So I work at a dealership technically as an assistant technician but basically a glorified lube tech.

I have about 2 years in the industry and I'll fully admit I'm not the fastest or have any special talent, besides being pretty social and easy to work with.

I make 18 an hour in Michigan and am capped at 39.75 hours so I'm legally part time, while there are some benefits like a 401k, and they offer health insurance though you have to pay for it and it's basically a third of my paycheck every week so I don't participate.

Edit: I wanted to clarify a few things and thank those who have already chimed in as you guys clarified some stuff with me.

1. I previously worked at an independent shop for a year and a few months and worked at this dealership for a few months which made it 2 years in the industry.

2. Good to know on the full time vs part time, I was misinformed on that and thought anything less than 40 was part time and insurance had to be covered by your employer. Good to know I had it wrong but yes they won't give any over time ever. I even once saw then doctor my punch card since I was .25 over 40 and after that I made sure not to go over. I didn't keep evidence though hindsight i should have.

3. Sadly they don't have a 401k match though I was working on setting up an IRA simply because I don't know how it works with moving jobs and 401k. If they do a 401k match than I planned to contribute up to the max of the match amount.

4. I work at a GMC dealership so think Cadillac, GMC, Chevy and Buick is what I mainly work on. Lucky though my experience at an independent shop helps with working on other cars that come in from used cars.

With milwaukee releasing the new gen2 1/2” and 3/8” m12 impact I’m curious how much more powerful these tools will get in the current size they are. The gen2 1/2” blows my mind with how compact and powerful they are. What does the next 10 years look like in terms of specs?

My question is this: does a battery grease gun really make your life easier? Background: I'm a service technician and about half of my work is scheduled monthly maintenance that is mostly greasing bearings and fittings. I currently use a hand actuated grease gun and I feel like I'm developing Popeye level forearms because of that. Please anyone/someone with experience with battery grease guns lete know if they improved your life.

My shop hired this "expericed tech," and his time here has proved to be worse than just about every lube tech that's been hired in the last year.

From the conversations I've had with him, as well as our other techs and our service writer, he's been fired from every shop he's worked at in the last 6-7 years. I understand that some places just don't work out for whatever reason, and I myself have been fired from previous jobs in the past, but not at this level.

Productivity from the kid is about the same as a high schooler trying something for the first time. 6 hours to complete a job that flags 1 hour, 5 hours to complete a brake job with all the parts available from the start, destroyed a hub assembly by beating a new wheel stud into it, and that's just a few examples.

I have to shadow him on things that should be self explanatory for someone with almost 10 years experience, pick up his work even though I'm way behind on all of my jobs.

On top of all of these frustrations, I find out he stole some small things from me today. Let my boss know, took inventory of all of my tools, let our other techs know of what happened so they can do the same. I am beyond angry, as well as everyone else in the shop with what we are having to put up with.

i've been interested in fixing - performance customizing cars ever since i could remember. that's why i currently study mechanical engineering as my bachelor science, so i can get educsted about ICE's or whatnot. but engineering doesn't really give you the edge being a mechanic does, does it? one is interested about the science behind the vehile, while one is interested in making it work.

so i've decided to take a mechanical course in a year or so (i would actually get one next summer but i got a J1 visa so i gotta stay and work in the states for the whole summer) but i can't decide between getting an online or a hands-on course.

reasons to choose online courses:

much, MUCH cheaper

can be accessed any time since it stays on your udemy account and you don't have to follow a schedule unlike in the hands-on

reasons to choose hands-on courses:

the experience???

getting to meet potential new mechanics

i still can't decide, there aren't really much hands-on courses in turkey asw, so i would really have to put in a good research just to find one

what do you guys think?

Do you guys use your snap on or ang other brand electronic torque wrench daily? How long you had it and how is it holding now?

I am 22 with a&p just recently got both ratings I was looking forward to getting into helicopter maintenance. But Just got offered a position to do sheet metal where I get sent to school for free . In a&p school I experienced a few sheet metal classes and it seemed interesting. I guess what I’m asking is am I dumb not to take it for the sake of experience and knowledge despite wanting to do rotorcraft maintenance. Should I put a pin on it take the offer go to school and see if I’d like it then decide after sheet metal school (1 year long ) if it’s something I wanna do or something to slap on the resume when applying for rotor craft positions . stuck in a crossroad and would like to hear some advice thanks

Bit of a weird question/hypothetical: If money were not a factor, would you replace bushings every ~100k miles as a part of preventative maintenance?

Hello everyone. I don't expect to get a lot of replies. That's fine. I want to just let some of my feelings out into the world. For starters, my name is Jon and I joined the military while I was a senior in high school (2016). I spent just under 7 years in the Kentucky national guard as an MP and hurt my back bad enough to have a spinal fusion at the age of 24 (two weeks after my birthday). After I recovered I became a technician for Chrysler and I loved it. My dad was a diesel mechanic back in the 90's and early 2000's and my papaw had been running his own garage since the 70's. Needless to say it was a family affair and I was born into this wonderful world. Fast forward to me being a full time tech for about a year or so. The pain from having a titanium spacer where a disc used to be, added with the lack of movement in my lower back made standing, leaning, lifting and walking an absolute nightmare. But I was in love with my job. I was really good at doing transmissions for Chrysler and their brands. Infact, it was all I done-diag and repair for transmission and suspension concerns. However, after some thought and a new baby, I left the trade to become a service writer at a dealership closer to home. I kept my tools and my two toolboxes (yes, I own mainly snapon everytvibg) and I put them in my papaws garage so that they're there if I need them. Sometimes I go to his garage just to look at my tools and remember who I was. I struggle with doing basic tasks around my house like dishes or putting our son in his crib at night. That definitely means I don't even work on my own project cars anymore...My leg is almost always numb and I have to eat pills to manage pain. I walk with a limp and I don't see myself the way that I used to see myself. I'm 27 years old in an 80 year olds body. I just wish I could be whole again. I was so much happier. Thanks for listening guys. Take care of your back and feet, your career depends on it.

I want to get my ASE’s done and am not sure which ones to prioritize first as I have the books for all of them. I’m aware brakes is probably the easiest to get done first.

I know a couple things about fixing and maintaining cars. Changing tires, brakes, oil, spark plugs, and what not. I have seen a million different people say don't get an ASE certification, it's not worth it, and I have seen a million more say get it. I am still in highschool, and have been given the chance to get my ASE certification for basically no cost. Should I take the chance and get ASE certified, or just try to find a dealership or autoshop that might hire me and see where it takes me.

My family owns a mechanic shop in Atlanta, Georgia. Once in a while, we have these cases where the customer refuses to pay (usually amounts between 2-5K) and the car itself isn't worth much. Would you recommend going to a collection agency and if so how to find a good one that works for consumer creditors?

Edit: When I say independent, I meant go solo and start their own business (I can’t update the title). Sorry for the confusion!

Hello everyone! I’m an ag mechanic with 12 years of experience. I’ve been getting sick of working at a dealership and thinking about going solo with a service truck with a focus on ag machinery. Sorry if questions like this has been asked before but I was wondering if those who had worked at a dealership then transitioned to going solo and starting a business would be willing to share some insight? I was also wondering if any of you who have gone solo then back to the dealership can share any insight as well?

My main questions are: 

• Key factors influencing the decision to go independent or to return to a dealership.
• What something that you struggled with that you weren’t prepared for?
• The best benefit of being independent or being at a dealership
• How long to get established as a business
• Challenges in finding employees, and if you aren’t hiring, what’s holding you back?
• What's one problem that you're currently struggling with?

If anyone prefers, send me a DM so we can have more of a conversation. I appreciate anyone who is willing to share anything!

Do you guys clean your tools right before you use? And before putting it back in your toolbox?