Flat Rate Mechanics

[ServiceWithIntegrity]

Are there any other flat rate car/deisel/motorcycle/watercraft mechanics here on the forum who are also trying to scratch out a living in this tough economy?
Just curious.

 

[I can fix anything]

You work at a dealership?

 

[ServiceWithIntegrity]

Yeah i do. Just put in a 12 hour day. How about yourself?

 

[I can fix anything]

Yeah i do. Just put in a 12 hour day. How about yourself?

When my dealer went belly up I opened my own place. Best move I ever made. The only thing i miss is I don't get to fix as many cars. But I love it

 

[ServiceWithIntegrity]

I hear ya. The dealerships are really shady right now when it comes to labor times for given jobs. I notice as the years go by, they shave the times down little by little. I would like to run my own shop someday too.

 

[I can fix anything]

I hear ya. The dealerships are really shady right now when it comes to labor times for given jobs. I notice as the years go by, they shave the times down little by little. I would like to run my own shop someday too.

I got canned on Friday and opened on Monday follow your heart thats what America is all about.

 

[tyreguy25]

My goals are to get into diesel wrenching in the next year or two, but I don't have any other experience beyond that.

 

[ServiceWithIntegrity]

great advice. have you been able to build up a good customer following?

 

[I can fix anything]

great advice. have you been able to build up a good customer following?

we are the busiest most reputable shop in town. Within a year a competing shop shut down out of business. I have 4 techs and we stay busy. Honesty and good work go a long way in our business.

 

[I can fix anything]

My goals are to get into diesel wrenching in the next year or two, but I don't have any other experience beyond that.

Good for you go for it.

 

[Theloniousmonk]

Treat customers like you would want to be. Be the anti dealer. Take pride and be professional. If you are happy it will show and money/success will follow. Also get a good lawyer and accountant. Go for it and have fun. No regrets

 

[toolnut]

(FLAT RATE BOOK) I got out of that racket 10 years ago with 15 years into it. Have a government job wrenching.It's a respectable living. At least I am not loosing my ars to the group leader anymore.

 

[ericthewrench]

I'm flat rate, motorcycles. I swithched dealerships about 8 mos ago. My previous dealership went downhill fast and I was going broke, started working part time at the new dealership on my days off, after a few mos of that they asked me to come on full time, love it there and my hours have doubled and sometimes tripled. I have thought many times of opening my own shop and may still do it one day but I'm just not financially able to right now. I do work at home, mainly suspension and and one day I would love to have my own business doing suspension revalves and services and race motor building.

 

[vssjim]

I work at an indepedent garage I have been at this one for over fifteen years

 

[rayzor32]

(FLAT RATE BOOK) I got out of that racket 10 years ago with 15 years into it. Have a government job wrenching.It's a respectable living. At least I am not loosing my ars to the group leader anymore.

how u get in

 

[MattT]

Honesty and good work go a long way in our business.

That goes a long way in any trades business. Makes for a rough start but once you establish a reputation you'll make a good, honest, living

 

[ngk22r]

Depending on which dealership you work for will say who is busy and who is not. I work both at the dealer and independent.

 

[Simplespeed]

Iv been flat rate for 4 years in a few different shops. Im 2 months into the where im at now and things are starting to get funny. Business is really slow right now. Saturday i was sent home for working too many hours? I didnt understand, and still dont understand why i was sent home for working too many clock hours(48hrs). I had the highest flag hours in the shop for the week. I always end up leaving a shop because of all the ******** politics and getting screwed. Im starting to think i better keep my mouth shut and let em screw me before i have no job at all. I wish i could just show up to work, bust my *** and make some money. What ever happened to that?

Anyway, i keep waiting for an older tech to retire and use his 401k to open a shop and let me get my foot in the door. The best shops are the small ones owned by guys that were once flag rate mechanics.

 

[Racr350]

Team leaders aren't all bad. I myself am one and produce less hours then the rest of my team due to the fact im running around doing other things and helping the rest of the team. Doesn't help i diag. trouble cars which pays little to nothing. Atleast im flat rate with compensation though. Been strictly flat rate for a longg time prior though. Just gotta do your own thing and not worry about anyone else when working. I've had 25hr days..and 3 hr days. It has its ups and downs but typically you can come out ahead.

 

[diesel research]

Yeah i do. Just put in a 12 hour day. How about yourself?

Which one? (meant which dealership specifically?)

 

[blue dog]

I just wanted ask a few questions, as i am not a pro mechanic,nor have i ever worked as one. When you guys say flat rate, does that mean the dealership is paying a piece price for the job on a set amount of time given. for example, a brake job on a 2005 explorer should be done in x amount of time and pays x amount of dollars. and a steering box or ball joints on a dodge ram should take x amount of time and pays x amount of dollars. Is x amount of dollars set by the job being done or is it the same for all jobs that the same amount of time take. Lastly, who determines how long each job should be awarded?
Sorry for the questions, just trying to learn something about a business i am not in.

 

[I can fix anything]

I just wanted ask a few questions, as i am not a pro mechanic,nor have i ever worked as one. When you guys say flat rate, does that mean the dealership is paying a piece price for the job on a set amount of time given. for example, a brake job on a 2005 explorer should be done in x amount of time and pays x amount of dollars. and a steering box or ball joints on a dodge ram should take x amount of time and pays x amount of dollars. Is x amount of dollars set by the job being done or is it the same for all jobs that the same amount of time take. Lastly, who determines how long each job should be awarded?
Sorry for the questions, just trying to learn something about a business i am not in.

Set times per repair its all by labor guides.

 

[SS5150]

Flat rate CJD here, been pretty slow the last month, but I've still been pulling out 40 every week.

 

[wornoutoldman]

Team leaders aren't all bad. I myself am one and produce less hours then the rest of my team due to the fact im running around doing other things and helping the rest of the team. Doesn't help i diag. trouble cars which pays little to nothing. Atleast im flat rate with compensation though. Been strictly flat rate for a longg time prior though. Just gotta do your own thing and not worry about anyone else when working. I've had 25hr days..and 3 hr days. It has its ups and downs but typically you can come out ahead.

Lot of truth in your statement. I was a shop foreman for several years. Did all the diagnostics, squeeks and rattles, customers who needed hand holding ect. Sadly the better tech you are the more **** that gets tossed your way. Your advice to not worry about what everyone else is doing is probably the best advice any tech can get. Do your work. Do it well. And don't complain. The people that can affect your pay will notice and you will be rewarded. Although I had to do all the **** that rolled in the door I also got my share of the gravy. Keep a grateful attitude it really helps.

 

[ServiceWithIntegrity]

Be the "anti-dealer" is such a great concept!!! It's genius

 

[kursplat]

I just wanted ask a few questions, as i am not a pro mechanic,nor have i ever worked as one. When you guys say flat rate, does that mean the dealership is paying a piece price for the job on a set amount of time given... Sorry for the questions, just trying to learn something about a business i am not in.

same thing as "book rate"?

 

[blue dog]

We call it piece work in the construction industry.
Thank you for clarifying.

 

[Moose-LandTran]

I always end up leaving a shop because of all the ******** politics and getting screwed. Im starting to think i better keep my mouth shut and let em screw me before i have no job at all. I wish i could just show up to work, bust my *** and make some money. What ever happened to that?

You and me both, been through something like 8 jobs in 3 years. I just want to do my job and be left alone, why does everyone have such a problem with that?

 

[CarCrafter]

You and me both, been through something like 8 jobs in 3 years. I just want to do my job and be left alone, why does everyone have such a problem with that?

I think its because some of them chosen ones SWALLOW !!!!

The quality or work and the level of honesty in many of these dealerships can differ drastically from one tech to the other. More often than not, the secret handshakes and back room deals that was established is more than you and I are willing to handle. I agree with a previous posted, if possible, branch out and start your own business and do it THE way it should be done. It won't be easy, but in the long run, you'll succeed.

 

[mrholeshot]

Back when I worked flat rate at a dealership I actually made more on the weekends in my driveway. I finally had enough and opened my own business. It grew quickly after the first year. I paid my techs flat rate but paid them better than any dealership. When yo made master technician you made 50% of the labor rate. Gravy work was passed out equal. You didn't get a brake job or A/C job or any other gravy until everybody got it. If you could do diaganostics and the tuff stuff you got that plus the gravy. If you didn't do anything but easy gravy work you had to wait until your turn came around. I wasn't starving out my Master Techs just because the rookie can only do brakes and water pumps and leave my top guns doing nothing but **** work. Having been a falt rate tech all my life made me very aware that the better you get the more **** they load you up with and some pimple face rookie is scooping every brake job that comes through the door. There is a lot of turnover in the auto business because of this. Most employers don't care as long as the bay has a tech in it and someone is doing the work. I've been in a dealship where we were sitting around playing cards praying some work would come in and the dealer would hire a new tech just to fill an empty bay. I bet 50% or more of the Techs in my area are now working from their homes. More than 1/2 of the dealerships have shut down and many of the independant garages have closed. People use to think because I owned my own shop that I had unlimited funds. I drew a smaller check than my main guys and most of my money went back into the business. I can't begin to tell you what a loss I took when I closed down my shop. Used shop equiptment has no resale value when so many places are shutting down at the same time. My advice to todays tech is to build a small shop at home, install a lift and carve out a decent living. Don't open it as a public business so you don't have to deal with all the political BS and work off referals.

 

[Theloniousmonk]

...I've been in a dealship where we were sitting around playing cards praying some work would come in and the dealer would hire a new tech just to fill an empty bay. I bet 50% or more of the Techs in my area are now working from their homes. More than 1/2 of the dealerships have shut down and many of the independant garages have closed. People use to think because I owned my own shop that I had unlimited funds. I drew a smaller check than my main guys and most of my money went back into the business. I can't begin to tell you what a loss I took when I closed down my shop. Used shop equiptment has no resale value when so many places are shutting down at the same time. My advice to todays tech is to build a small shop at home, install a lift and carve out a decent living. Don't open it as a public business so you don't have to deal with all the political BS and work off referals.

Good stuff... a local stealership literally doubled the lifts/bays by arranging everything at a 45deg. angle, got the guys packed in like rats, nobody is over the age of 30, nearly everybody came from the local Comm.Coll. and nobody knows how to diag. beyond scanning and replace/replace... MOST of the time, there are maybe 3 clients in the center, and all the guys are hanging out. All the seasoned fellas got pushed out due to pay and being fed up... There is talk the stealership was doing a few tricks to inventory to bring new cars in for warranty work just to keep books full. It's sad, all these guys are good guys, all want to succeed at their chosen profession, and all are stuck w/ mega tool bills and school loans and no income.

 

[volvo420coupe]

I would pay money to meet someone who could make a living doing only warranty flat rate work. Fellow tech's it is not in your head, times have dropped, pay has not increased, and the only way to make GOOD money in a dealership setting is to trade in your integrity.

This is of course not true across the board, there are some dealerships out there that respect both their tech's and customers, the problem is you have to wait for someone to retire to get a job there. (but there's probably a family member who is ahead of you on the list)

 

[Chadro]

It ***** for you Automotive guys. In the diesel world around here, there are only about 6 or 7 heavy truck dealerships so 90% of the techs are for fleets (including me). No flat rate and my schedule is set so I have time to take some electrical classes at the local diesel school as well for extra pay (I work on Volvos ugh). Not only do I get the local classes, after a year I get sent to Chicago for actual Volvo classes. I do wish I would have picked a fleet that doesn't run Volvo tractors, though lol.

 

[mrholeshot]

I would pay money to meet someone who could make a living doing only warranty flat rate work. Fellow tech's it is not in your head, times have dropped, pay has not increased, and the only way to make GOOD money in a dealership setting is to trade in your integrity.

This is of course not true across the board, there are some dealerships out there that respect both their tech's and customers, the problem is you have to wait for someone to retire to get a job there. (but there's probably a family member who is ahead of you on the list)

You have to marry the service writers ugly sister to make it in a dealership doing warranty work and on the bottom of the marraige certificate it has something about your eternal soul, lol

 

[Black89LX]

any other guys in diesel on here?

 

[jymmiejamz]

Set times per repair its all by labor guides.

Not always, at least not when the vehicles you work on don't have labour guides listed for most jobs. A lot of time the labour guides are wrong in my experience. We can just make up our own labour times in a lot of cases if they are reasonable. We're not out to screw the customer either, we want them to come back and their car to be fixed right the first time.

 

[mrholeshot]

Not always, at least not when the vehicles you work on don't have labour guides listed for most jobs. A lot of time the labour guides are wrong in my experience. We can just make up our own labour times in a lot of cases if they are reasonable. We're not out to screw the customer either, we want them to come back and their car to be fixed right the first time.

I find that in most case Mitchell time is pretty good. sometimes it off but it can go either way. Things that don't have a labor guide time are old enough to know what it takes. In the case of a guy who brings in his XKE V12 Jag you just keep him ******* in the back room of the shop until his family can pay the ransom

 

[fomocoforrester]

It seems to me that the main problem people have, who go into the flat rate buisiness, is that they don't fully understand what is required of them personally.

It's the ability to multitask, as opposed to single tasking, or having a brain that can operate on several channels at once rather than just one channel at a time, that is almost more important than the technical knowlege itself.

The flat rate book times are generally based on two main assumptions...
1) - the tech. is experienced enough to keep forging ahead without taking time out to stop and figure out how to approach the next stage of the job.
2) - that the job goes according to plan with no hidden, unforeseen snags arising.

However, in the real world, few people are experienced enough, and the jobs rarely run smoothly enough, to achieve book times by taking the single tasking, single channel approach. Its the guys who are able to keep those wrenches spinning whilst thinking ahead and solving the next problem and anticipating the next hurdle in the job - in other words multitasking - who are successfull.

If you are the type of person who needs to stop and figure out every problem before resuming progress then, no matter how good of a job you do, you will always struggle in the flat rate buisiness.

Its very much the same in the machining game, once you have to stop those spindles turning, in order to figure out a problem, then you are already on an uphill slope.

 

[mrholeshot]

I agree, working flat rate your brain needs to be 5 steps ahead. You need to make every body movement count. I didn't make a single step if I didn't have too. I also did anything I could to keep the pain out of my back. I kept a seat on each side of my bay to sit on during break jobs. Not only did it keep me fresh but I didn't have to stop to take a breather.

 

[pipsters]

You guys need a union, I'm not a mechanic but get paid the equivalent of "flat rate or better", we call it "block time" instead of "flat rate" though. So if I am scheduled to work 1:30 and do it in 1:00, I get 1:30 pay. If I do it in 2:30, I get paid 2:30.

I can see how working flat rate would encourage cutting corners, hurried jobs, possibly lead to injuries, etc. Not a safe operating environment.