First automotive job

[SC-AW11]

Hey guys, been in school for a little over a year now and I jus got my first job in the automotive field. Im a service tech at a 76 station. Nothin huge but I think its a good way to get my foot in the door.

Anyone have any tips and/or advice?

 

[devoncoolman]

Toghten the drain plug. Double check if not sure and check for that pesky stuck gasket on the oil filter.

 

[CWP1616L]

Anyone have any tips and/or advice?

Yes, don't waste your money on cheap tools and make sure you have access to service information like ALLDATA.

 

[devoncoolman]

Identafix is even better if your gonna do any diagnostic work.

 

[SC-AW11]

About the cheap tools, definitely not. I have the snap on student discount for one more year and thats a big reason I got this job; to have the income coming in while I have the discount.

And they have All Data

Toghten the drain plug. Double check if not sure and check for that pesky stuck gasket on the oil filter.

Never forget the basics!

Overtime as often as possible.

That is great advice

 

[spotco2]

Learn as much as you can from anybody working there longer than yourself. Not just tech's, but also the managers or owners also. Learn the business, not just how to do repair work. It might turn into something better for you down the road.

 

[NHBandit]

Don't try to impress the old guys with all the **** they taught you in school. STFU & learn as much as you can from them.

 

[mrjaw14]

the above poster is correct. A wise man listens much and talks little. School teaches much, but it's a foundation. Experience is the best teacher and will only develop with time. Deal with honesty and integrity. Don't take shortcuts and do every job with excellence.

 

[bcradio]

Don't try to impress the old guys with all the **** they taught you in school. STFU & learn as much as you can from them.

Because remember... you can't teach an old dog new tricks, they don't want to learn.

 

[bobcatdan]

Go in there a sponage. Hopefully there is a season tech willing to share some knowledge. Nobody likes the younge hot shot who thinks they know every thing. If they point something out you are doing wrong, except your fault and listen how to correct it. If you don't know, ask. Book learning only goes so far. My first job, the smart grizzled ******* tech once told me, " if you don't do it right, you shouldn't be doing it all." He never did tell me much else, but that saying has stuck with me.

 

[RECox286]

1. Forget everything you learned in school to get to where you are now.

2. Keep yer mouth shut, yer eyes and ears open.

3. If you can, follow yer "sea-daddy" like a puppy until you're comfortable

with the way things are done at this particular repair shop.

4. Even with the discount, don't get yourself up to the waist in tool debt.

Buy a used kit of tools, if you can, then expand on that set as you

find a need for a particular item. (Borrow a tool first, but get your

own as soon as you can afford it, either used or new.)

5. Don't make the mistake of buying "cheap" diagnostic equipment,

it will bite you in the **** when you need it the most.

6. Don't forget that many shops supply "special" tools, but some do

not. Those that do not are usually those places that you don't

want to work, if you don't want to be frustrated early on in your

choice of career.

Good hunting, welcome to the brotherhood and best of luck.

Uncle Bob

 

[devoncoolman]

Remember this forum is a great source when it comes to tools. Most of us are in the automotive or truck industries. We have been around the block and made our own mistakes once or twice(maybe more). If u want to know the quality of a brand or tool. Just ask. If you dont know what the proper tool is for the job just ask. I started out in a crappy shop. Its discuraging. Worked there for 4 years. If u dont like it get out. Move on to a better shop.

 

[scarney1988]

Edit

 

[jmm]

1. Forget everything you learned in school to get to where you are now.

Gotta disagree here. The book learning is an integral part of your knowledge. It won't get you far by itself, but neither will purely seat-of-your-pants experience. Put the two together, however, and you've got the tools at your disposal to become very good. It's all in how you put what you've learned to work.

I should add, to benefit most from on the job training, it'll help if you are prepared to check your ego at the door for a long while. Admit mistakes, and make what you learned in school fit with how things are done in the field.

 

[HDMac07]

The fact that you're looking for advice is a great sign already, the learning never stops!

1. WORK when you're at work! Good work ethic is very hard for a manager/foreman to look past. Do what you're asked to do, and then some.
2. Clean up after yourself, and others if you must. Every shop owner appreciates you keeping their investment in the best shape possible.
3. Keep your head down and don't complain! Most of us started at the bottom, but the road to successful wrenching doesn't lend well to seeming as if you hate what you're doing.
4. This was already mentioned, but LEARN as much as you can from everyone around you! That includes your manager, service manager, and other techs. There is always something new to learn, and even those with very little experience may have a couple tricks of their sleeve.
5. Use your time away from the shop to study hard and work on things in your spare time to develop a rhythm and learn your way through common automotive systems.
6. Take pictures of things you're working on if you're unfamiliar with them.
7. ALWAYS lend a hand to others every chance you get, because there is a 110% chance that you'll need a hand yourself sooner than later.

I could continue this list forever, but hey, what do I know? You seem as though you're ready to tackle it and you have plenty of folks here to help you out. Just focus more on understanding WHY your fixing something rather than the wrenching itself, it'll pay off. There are many, many people who have the tools and hand skills to physically fix just about anything, but knowing what caused the problem and what it takes to solve it is key in my opinion. Utilize AllData, Identafix, Mitchell, and so on as often as possible - but, don't be afraid or too prideful to pull up good ol' YouTube and Google as well. Most of all, have fun and take pride in your work! Whether your changing oil on a Geo Metro or throwin' blowers on hot rods, do the job right the first time and do it the best you can. I was told a story over-and-over about how my grandfather started out at a Cat dealer with nothing but a ratchet and a set of 1/2" sockets, and to this day I have yet to meet a better technician.. get what you need, when you need it, and you'll eventually be able to afford all the cool tools that make it fun for most of us to go to work! Never be too good to sweep the floors, treat everyone in the shop like they are family, and do whatever undesirable work your boss may ask you to do and you will always have a job!

 

[pepi]

1. Forget everything you learned in school to get to where you are now.


Uncle Bob

That is BS and misleading, never listen to advise like that.

You have a foundation to build on, are schools real world absolutely not. But they are a starting point, someone with good logic, and is resourceful will be able to apply that knowledge and use it to their advantage.

Do not take short cuts, it will always cost you, mostly your time that could otherwise be used to make more $$. Lots of car mechs (part changers) few mechanics.

Be a professional, do not worry about what others are earning, stay away from the soap opera. Learn to like what you do and you will be successful, if at sometime you loose interest in the car world. Never forget a guy that is good with his hands. Applies the knowledge given or learned, works by the factory spec. can analyze and solve problems. Will always find a job repairing things the world is full of broken stuff.

One last comment, do not fix cars for buddies, they are a friends just looking for free service. Charge them something so you establish a pattern, that can be bumped up as you learn your worth. Having friends, that the best they can offer is lip service is useless that can be had anywhere without costing you labor. I will bet you my next paycheck that if you ask them for a favor that they make they're living at, there will be a fee.

Funny how that works, they do not want to pay but they want to be paid ....

 

[Coach James]

1. Forget everything you learned in school to get to where you are now.

I have seen this sentiment or something close to it expressed a number of times on this forum. Also the idea that certs are a waste of time. Why is that? I'm sure someone on here was rebuilding engines when they were three years old etc, but why the frequent disdain for formal training?

Coach

 

[kiatech]

Highschool taught me some diag skills that guys 2-3 times my age never knew.

 

[Loscaldazar]

I have seen this sentiment or something close to it expressed a number of times on this forum. Also the idea that certs are a waste of time. Why is that? I'm sure someone on here was rebuilding engines when they were three years old etc, but why the frequent disdain for formal training?

Coach

My guess (from an outsiders perspective, having several mechanic friends), is that they don't always want the guy who went to tech school and has never worked on cars before. They want someone who was out in Dad's garage helping change the oil on the family minivan at age 4.

 

[Tarheelgarage]

1. Be neatly groomed and wear clean clothes daily. Don't dress or act like Snoop Dog nor Joe **** the Rag man.

2. Keep your pie-hole shut and your eyes open. You will learn quickly who the bullshitters and cheap asses are soon enough.

3. Show up on time and do not leave early. Do an honest day's work for your wage.

4. Don't take short cuts or bypass safety procedures.

5. Do not flirt with the good looking gal in the front office. She is married and her old man will kick your *** 7 ways to Sunday.

 

[Arbybe]

About the cheap tools, definitely not. I have the snap on student discount for one more year and thats a big reason I got this job; to have the income coming in while I have the discount.

And they have All Data

Never forget the basics!

That is great advice

Someday, you may need to bend,loan or cut/grind a wrench.
This what "Chinese " tools are for.
Not your mac,snap on,matco etc.
Your lifetime tools.

 

[Arbybe]

1. Be neatly groomed and wear clean clothes daily. Don't dress or act like Snoop Dog nor Joe **** the Rag man.


SOME people here believe you can dress as you like and it is no ones business and a man in flipflops and no shirt is as good of a split-second choice as the neat guy with the tucked in shirt.

tarheels #1 advice is perfect.

I don't know if anyone has touched on it;
learn what 5 minutes+ early everyday is.
There is never a reason to be late to work.

Forget your cell phone at home. Instill a 'no blood, no call', policy with family...friends can't call.

Very good advice.

 

[Arbybe]

Same group says 'forget what you learned' as the group that says 'I have the most basic phone available'.

It's called progress. It passed them by so long ago it isn't even a memory. Evolution is for other people.

I have nothing to add to this, it's a wonderful thread so far, except;

'Buy a successful person lunch, and shut up, just listen'.

It might seem like ***-kissing, but you do what you need to do to glean whatever knoweldge is going to benefit YOU.

The *** kisser is always the other guy.

 

[bobcatdan]

My two cents on schooling, it is good to get the theory behind how everything, but it is nowhere close to actual experience. This was my path to the auto field: junior and senior year of high school, half a day was spent at a ford dealer in a youth apprentice program. Monday and Tuesday night was spent at the local tech school. I do feel thoses classes were useful. I had four ASE certs before I graduated high school. I was doing 3 to 4 head gasket jobs on ford 3.8l v6 a month when I was 17 with no comebacks. I averaged 110% productivity the summer after high school before I went to the ford asset program. In two years I had all my Ford certifications and a degree. Personally I learned very little in that program and other then having a piece of paper that employers want, I do not feel I got a hell of a lot out of it. Now I'm not saying don't go to school, this day and age you need it, but you will not learn a trade in a classroom. My two cents.

 

[shoggoth80]

If there is an old hand there, listen to him. I work under someone who's been wrenching longer than I have been alive. I don't see any of that "old dog, no new tricks" junk. He's probably forgotten more about cars than I currently know.

Buy only tools that you need. It's ok to scale progressively. Do enough stuff, and you will find your want/need list growing quickly. Keep a level head about it. I fight with myself often about whether it's a want, or a need.

You will learn a lot about machines, and the trade by being involved. You will learn the most hands on. There is a big difference between doing it in your folks' garage, or in the school shop, and doing it on the clock, under pressure.

 

[Hyster Gareth]

Some very good comments. You have to understand the theory otherwise you don't stand a chance in being able to diagnose faults correctly.

You will learn so much more once on the job. To start off be the grey man and don't draw attention to yourself.

Also great comment about phones leave it switched off or at home. My nephew got fired because he spent all day talking to skirt!

Good luck

 

[comedyman809]

Hey guys, been in school for a little over a year now and I jus got my first job in the automotive field. Im a service tech at a 76 station. Nothin huge but I think its a good way to get my foot in the door.

Anyone have any tips and/or advice?

yes, show up on time every day.

 

[PugetDude]

Keep your eyes and ears open and your mouth shut.
Work all the overtime you can stand.
Save a % of every paycheck- open a small brokerage account and pay yourself first.
Keep current on your training.
and remember- The grass may be greener on the other side of the fence, but you still have to mow it.
Good Luck.

 

[Tarheelgarage]

Don't be a ****, smart-***, or know-it-all.

And above all, don't take all the gravy jobs....

 

[amlv20]

I'm not sure what services your 76 station offers, but if it's like the one in town it mainly oil changes and tires.so never forget to tighten drain plug, if it comes out tight replace it.if the threads or gasket leave a question in your mind replace them,doesn't matter what the last gorilla did.you will be to blame.always double check old oil filter on ford trucks,they like to leave the gasket on the engine and will make a mess if not removed.never ever forget to set tire pressures,familiarize your self with reseting maintance reminders, and always always keep the interior clean! You will get a lot of pissy customers if you don't stay on top of those things. Find out what tools you'll need daily, no need to keep your expensive snap on tools that you don't need ******* in a shop open to possible theft.trust me it happens.dont show off your shiny tools, and if a tech is interested in looking in your box and "comparing" tools.BEWARE and keep an eye on him.my first shop was hard to trust some guys,nothing more frustrating than finding missing tools.mark yours if you have to.GOOD LUCK!