starting a career in automotive

Hey everyone

I am not sure what forum I should be posting this under so I am sorry if its in the wrong place. I am looking into getting into the automotive career (figure I might as well make money off of my passion lol) and I have 2 questions...... (sorry if they sound stupid)

1) I am planning on getting my automotive degree at a local Tech school. Will I be able to get a good job with a degree from the local Tech school?

2) Which type of places are better to try to work at? Dealerships? or places like Jiffy Lube? Local shops?


Thanks for the info!

God Bless

Mike

Are you still in High School? Alot of schools work with manufacturers to help provide an automotive education, ask a counselor. If you are out of school I think you are making a wise decision to go to a Tech School for an education. You will receive a higher wage (in most cases) because of the additional schooling. If you go to work for a dealership you most likely will have the opportunity for additional training through factory sponsored schools. A Jiffy Lube or similar business isn't going to extend your experiance much.

Are you still in High School? Alot of schools work with manufacturers to help provide an automotive education, ask a counselor. If you are out of school I think you are making a wise decision to go to a Tech School for an education. You will receive a higher wage (in most cases) because of the additional schooling. If you go to work for a dealership you most likely will have the opportunity for additional training through factory sponsored schools. A Jiffy Lube or similar business isn't going to extend your experiance much.


thanks for the info! I am 21 so I have not been in school since 05 lol.

I have worked for both new car dealers and individual shops and they have their benefits and drawbacks. Here is my take on it:

Dealers: big, cold, all about the money and cranking out repairs fast. The money you can potentially make is very nice, but its a little heartless and depending on the dealer, just downright shady. If you're passionate about cars, changing oil on camrys, brake jobs on pickups, and scanning diagnostic codes can sap the passion right out of you. You most likely will leave every day exhausted and have exposed your body to all kinds of chemicals and physical strain you can imagine, but if you're passionate about that kind of work, it can be very rewarding. I liken it to the different fields of medicine; they're all doctors. To me, working in a dealer's service department is much like working the ER. Lots of high-volume, standardized work, but if your passion is saving lives (or seeing someone happy with a fixed car in your case) then it can be very rewarding.

Individual repair shops: These are like Family Practice medicine; a more one-on-one, voluntary approach to things. Of course depending on the shop, it can be just as bad as a dealer, but I'm talking more about the specialized shops like an independent BMW repair shop, or a speed shop. They tend to get the more varied work. An ER at a hospital sees a thousand cuts, burns, and car accidents every day. Get 'em in, sew 'em up, get 'em out. A speed shop might see anything from exhaust to suspension, to forced induction. Each project is a little more research and custom application.

Jiffy Lube and other national chains: Forgive me, but I have to bash these guys. As a very serious and passionate car guy myself, I wish to rid the world of this stuff. Working at a Jiffy Lube requires that you are 18, you watch a video, take a dumb little quiz on the video, then go start shadowing someone in the shop who has also watched the video. I had used them a handful of times because I drive cross-country a few times a year and I didn't have the means to do it myself when the interval was up. I have horrific stories about those Qwiky lube places that I won't get into here, but I've watched them keep putting engine oil in because they were checking the transmission dipstick, try to find a replacement for my K&N air filter, top off my windshield washer fluid with anti freeze... the list is horrific and endless. They have ruined one rear axle of mine, put 20w50 oil in my wife's Tercel (good thing I was watching) and countless other mistakes. If mechanics and other automotive repair people are the doctors, Kwiky Lube employees are like the night Janitor at the hospital. They might vicariously pick up some little tidbit of actual knowledge about cars, but they are NOT repair technicians.

The other option is some kind of custom rod or restoration shop. These guys are the cosmetic surgeons of the automotive world. They're tough to get in, but if you do well in school, get a few projects under your belt and make a portfolio like an artist, you have a good shot. That's what I did and Hollywood Hot Rods offered me a job... which I didn't take :( Stupid, stupid, stupid :banghead:

These are strong words that I'm about to say, and I'm sure there are many exceptions to this rule, but Qwicky lube places are staffed entirely by shop class flunkies who think that cars are "bitchin" and they need a summer job. I have never seen an intelligent person working at any of them. None of them know a lick about cars. I actually had one guy when he was putting my 96 Impala SS in the computer for an oil change go over to the car, count the spark plug wires on one side, walk back to the computer and enter 4-cylinder. Mind you THIS WAS THE SHOP MANAGER.

Jiffy Lube and other national chains: Forgive me, but I have to bash these guys. As a very serious and passionate car guy myself, I wish to rid the world of this stuff. .
This kinda stuff?
http://www.knbc.com/video/9152183/detail.html

I seen this thread earlier, and being on the diesel side wasn't going to comment......but even we know about those kinds of shops, and have our own versions...

I agree with SLJ2137694, the fancy piece of paper you get from a college or tech school will get you a higher pay rate, it worked for me.

P.S. I always work like I am on camera.....That way if a news guy comes up to me, I know its not about my quality of work.....maybe goofing off and taking too long, but not poor workmanship. :)

Here is a Web Site that has info on Jiffy Lube. I wouldn't trust them to put air in my tires. I generally lump most quick lube places in with the Jiffy Lube bunch but I am sure there are the rare exceptions!http://www.consumeraffairs.com/automotive/jiffy_lube.htm

I just found out that a guy that lives just down the road that has worked in the service department for 11years at a mitsubshi place just got layed off. Is this something to worry about? Is the Automotive market doing good?

It used to be that techs were employees, and therefore endowed with all the rights and customary expectations as such. These days they're more like free agents. Its almost like service departments rent you a bay where you set up your own garage with your own tools. You are an employee, but they way you're paid is per estimated work hour. The dealer charges a flat rate for the work, you get paid a flat rate for the job. If you are doing a transmission remove and replace that is scheduled for 3 hours, they pay you for three. If you get it done in 2 hours, you still get paid for 3. If it takes you all day, you still get paid for 3. On a really kick butt day where I had a lot of good "ups" I could have a 20 hour paycheck in a 10 hour shift.

It removes liability from the dealer, and places more motivation in your hands, but it does make you more like a free agent. When I got the job, I didn't call it getting a job, I called it landing a gig.

... I wouldn't trust them to put air in my tires...

Funny story... The manager at Jiffy lube brought us a '06 Tahoe. They had a problem with filling one of the tires. As it would turn out, some idiot snaped the end of the valve stem off. Not a huge deal, but kindda weird that they would do something like that, right? WRONG! It had the TPMS on it, so someone ended up paying quite a bit for that "little" mistake. I say "someone" because there were a few threads left to screw a cap on and it did hold air like that... I hate to think they did that to someone, but when you make a few cents off an oil change and oil changes are all you do...
I work 1/8 of a mile from a Jiffy Lube, so I could tell ya stories all day :banghead:

A quick lube is the only place I would not work. Independant shops are all different, some are very easy going, at others the boss thinks you are his property once you clock in and you damn well better do what he says when he says it and if something breaks you're paying for it no matter why it broke (fastest turn-over Ive ever seen, there were two other new guys there when I started, and one was already gone when I quit). A good way to pick which one you want to work at is to get a job delivering parts for a parts store. You'll get an inside look at all your perspective jobs and can apply only to the ones you know you want. For me, the people I work with are much more important than the money I can make, but that's not to say that you can't make quite a bit. I have been paid for 11 hours of work on a 7 hour shift... but there are slow times when I may get paid nothing for comission. Fourtunately we get paid a base pay that comes out of our comission pay if we make enough to get comission.

Thanks for all the helpfully replies! I have another question. Are places like Pep-boys or Midas like jiffy lubes? (by the way I am glad yall warned me about those places!)

We don't have a pep-boys here, so I can't comment on them.

Midas is quite a bit better (from what I have seen... but that is compared to jiffy lube), but not a place for a technician to work. There's nothing wrong with starting there and getting some experience, but I wouldn't expect you'd be there for more than a couple years if you want a career as an automotive technician.

i started out as a driveways mechanic, helping out friends and such. a whole load of info can be gained from reading, which is what i did. spent hours upon hours reading so i had a good understanding of how everything worked, then go out and fixed stuff. (and broke some stuff on the way too, but a good IR will show you what i mean.)

one of my secrets to getting into a job is to lie. they ask you what jobs you can do, and you lie. then when you come to do the job, be very careful to examine it beforehand, and then work slowly checking over everything you've done.

lots of people will doubt that method of mine, but it's worked for me plenty times, and i've yet to have a problem or comeback. i just take it slow, and put things in places where i'll remember where they go.

i don't have any training, just a student at the university of life. still learning by the day.

i started out working in a tyre shop, as a tyre fitter. when the manager quit, my boss didn't have time to find someone else, so made me manager 3 weeks later. i was left to run the shop, sometimes for weeks without him there. not bad, since i was 18 at the time.

having the piece of paper that says you can fix stuff is a big plus, and many potential employer won't let you through the door without one. another big plus when it comes to getting a job is having your own tools. i've been working for less than a year and i've spent maybe $8,000-10,000 on tools already. employers don't like to supply tools, and most of the time it's up to you to provide them.

overall, quick-lube places and fast-fit outfits are the very bottom of the food chain. they require bugger-all skill and knowledge, they're barely a start in the industry, but some of the little independants can be good.

big dealerships, are for those who are qualified and only want to exercise what their training taught them. independant and custom shops are good because they allow you to venture into other areas of the auto world, custom work and such.

if you want to make lots of money, become a diesel tech.

I think you'll find that most of the national chains (although they have widely varying reputations) are finely-honed business machines that happen to fix a couple cars on the side. Its all about fixed-cost, volume, and covering butts. I'm not a big fan that kind of big-business. Things get sloppy and neglected. You kinda get on auto pilot doing 30 brake jobs a day.


By the way, Quick Lube (a western US chain) just got busted big time too. Fined somethine like $5 million and is on suspension for the same thing as Jiffy Lube. Charging for stuff that wasn't done, using the wrong stuff, just crappy underhanded shady stuff.

School wise I am going to first get my 2 year Automotive Technology Degree. I thought about after that getting my diploma in Automotive Collision Repair. Would that be a good idea? or would it be pointless?

Collision repair is a great field. Its kinda like the artform of auto repair. There is still plenty of technical stuff, but getting the right finish is truly an art. I had a couple buddies who got tired after a few years of it because they hated the dust and chemicals they had to ingest; either accidentally or by necessity.

But, from there, the world of custom body work is just a mentor away and you could be making the big bucks with an auto custom shop. I thought about getting into body work; just the collision repair part so that I could do the work on my own cars. Its the only field I've never tried.

There's definitely money in collision repair, we do account work for a local VW-Audi bodywork shop. they have some expensive cars and turn around plenty of work.

if you want to make lots of money, become a diesel tech.
Ehhhhhhh....depends....
I know car guys that make more money then me...(as long as they make rate, which I don't have to! :p )
I think auto body techs still make more then both auto and diesel techs, at least thats the way it was back in the '90s.

How do I become ASE certified? Do I need to?

I ordered the ASE test for kicks once. I mean no offense to the ASE techs here, but I felt it was more about the business than the cars. I spent a decade self-learning, then when I got a job at a GM service department I was all scared since I wasn't ASE. Then I found out that you scanned your time card, it gave you your job, and listed the GM service manual on the screen concerning that job. It told you step-by-step how to accomplish the job. I think the ASE part is more about diagnosis and business, and the actual job is spelled out for you. I felt like I was way ahead of the shop manual.

In my experience, ASE is a good entry-level certification, then you can learn the more important stuff on your own. Its an excellent way to get a firm footing in the business, and you can expect it to open doors for you, but don't necessarily expect it to teach you a lot about automotive tech.

I ordered the ASE test for kicks once. I mean no offense to the ASE techs here, but I felt it was more about the business than the cars. I spent a decade self-learning, then when I got a job at a GM service department I was all scared since I wasn't ASE. Then I found out that you scanned your time card, it gave you your job, and listed the GM service manual on the screen concerning that job. It told you step-by-step how to accomplish the job. I think the ASE part is more about diagnosis and business, and the actual job is spelled out for you. I felt like I was way ahead of the shop manual.

In my experience, ASE is a good entry-level certification, then you can learn the more important stuff on your own. Its an excellent way to get a firm footing in the business, and you can expect it to open doors for you, but don't necessarily expect it to teach you a lot about automotive tech.
(It is a valuable yardstick by which to measure the knowledge and skills of individual technicians as well as the commitment to quality of the repair facility employing ASE-Certified professionals.) FROM ASE WEB-SITE.ASE Certification is not in place to teach you anything, it is about proving your basic technical competance to a potential employer. However, after taking the tests you may realize the areas that you need additional training in.

How do I become ASE certified? Do I need to?
Start here.http://www.asecert.org/