Mechanic life

[Armourtint]

I'm new to this forum and joined for some insight on any one else in my line of work and others who share common interests or goals. I have always been into the idea of becoming and automotive mechanic. I love working on cars and fixing things. This job has always appealed to me and I'm just curious of the goods, bads, and things that come with this occupation. This includes money, free time, and the education it requires. Thanks for the help!

 

[Schurkey]

For the same two years of trade school, you could become a dental hygenist. You'll work in a heated/air conditioned office with no dirt or wind blowing through the enormous open doors.

Instead of buying thousands upon thousands of dollars worth of tools, and continuing to do so every year until you retire, you'll maybe buy a dental pick or three.

You'll get paid better for MUCH easier work under far better working conditions (except for screaming children)

Auto repair makes a great hobby. It's a sad and pathetic career choice. Lawyers make money, used-car salesmen can make money, auto repair has the same foul taste in consumer's mouths but there's no compensating reward system. Everyone thinks you're a crook, and the shop manager considers you disposable.

When I was in the business many years ago, there were no overweight auto mechanics, 'cause we couldn't afford to eat. Lots and lots of alcoholics, though.

 

[Armourtint]

That is nothing like what I envisioned. Is there any more positive side of this spectrum

 

[drivesitfar]

Armour: i can't speak for what auto mechanics make or what their job conditions are or were, but the jobs have all different levels that is for certain. if you go in an Audi shop and you see the guys working happily on the customer's cars you'll definitely see a difference than a shop where they work on 20 year old american cars where the customers don't have any money to change the oil much less pay to have it regularly serviced.

so what i'd tell you is to improve your skills to where you are the best at what you do and any job you choose to do will be better than described by last poster.

i personally like (and maybe love old tools) and would rather go to a garage sale and find some greasy old tool and spiff it up than ever walk in a Harbor Freight or Wallmart store.

if you have questions just ask and more specifically if you find threads talking about things you want to know more about and still have questions ask there since the members are already on the subject. not many members know this area of the forum exist and i didn't until about a year ago. since i have a little more time than some of the guys (and gals) here i'm happy to help new members if i can.

keep reading and remember we are on the internet so everybody has an OPINION, but not everybody is right so use your best judgement and keep learning as i do and i'm probably a fair amount older than you are.

cheers and WELCOME to the forum

 

[Ruger_556]

For the same two years of trade school, you could become a dental hygenist. You'll work in a heated/air conditioned office with no dirt or wind blowing through the enormous open doors.

Instead of buying thousands upon thousands of dollars worth of tools, and continuing to do so every year until you retire, you'll maybe buy a dental pick or three.

You'll get paid better for MUCH easier work under far better working conditions (except for screaming children)

Auto repair makes a great hobby. It's a sad and pathetic career choice. Lawyers make money, used-car salesmen can make money, auto repair has the same foul taste in consumer's mouths but there's no compensating reward system. Everyone thinks you're a crook, and the shop manager considers you disposable.

When I was in the business many years ago, there were no overweight auto mechanics, 'cause we couldn't afford to eat. Lots and lots of alcoholics, though.

Every time someone says they're thinking about being a mechanic, welder, etc... there's 20 pages of "it's the worst career on the face of the earth" and then the next day in a different thread the same people are complaining that no one is interested in the skilled trades anymore.

 

[Ruger_556]

That is nothing like what I envisioned. Is there any more positive side of this spectrum

It can be a good field, there are more opportunities and money in diesel than auto right now. People who don't succeed like to complain, from what I've seen those who don't make it are either not that interested, not capable of thinking on their own (troubleshooting), or just don't work for a good company and don't put the effort into finding a better place to work.

It is physically demanding and you have to take care of yourself.

 

[sberry]

You can be dirty and a fargin icehole 95% of the time, there comes a point a lot of people don't care,,, ha

 

[sberry]

If you have something else there is no point to go to auto mechanic to make money. If you want to do that turn a hobby in to a side job for yourself. You really don't have to do a lot of business to make a days pay. The more disciplined you can be the better it works. I am terrible and fugged off all week but took 2 that appealed to me, it took a week by the time I admire myself but I would have had to have a 30$ hr job and work Saturday and some ot thru the week to net the same, granted there are trade offs and although I should I don't always do it as money really doesn't interest me enough to really be in business.
At 2 different times I should have went in to the steel erection business or even homes to make money. I need a new career now and am working on it but it isn't the same as it was when I was a kid and simply pounded pavement for work and I am not all nuts about running a daily or would have done it.
There were 2 different spots I should have went in to the steel erection business and I drag my feet.
Now I could run it and don't feel like it. Same for getting a good job.

 

[sberry]

I would commit suicide if I had to face auto problems every day for a living. It gets old fast.

 

[sberry]

BTW, I would rather go blazin in a Walmart or HF and get what I need when I need it and get on with it. Its great for doddering types to do it how they like but wandering around some market looking for broke shate I may dream up some use for isn't for me.
I got a vise, a couple vices too but its a market for those interested, I am not looking for deals, not in that business, could care less about old junk.
Fuel inj and electronic ign are 2 of the best things ever invented and the telephone is finally becoming something I was dreaming about as a kid. I havnt been smart enough to use it till this point and been interested in other stuff but am going to take some me time and learn some real puter and phone stuff.

 

[Jazz1]

IF thats what you want to do go for it. No rules say you can't change careers later and if you do you already have a skill set to draw from.

 

[turfgnome]

The problem with life as a mechanic is 2 fold. Everyone is a youtube expert that thinks that are smarter then you, and people as a rule do not respect a honest days work. When people do not respect hard work they both think others do not do it and they think those that have to work are suddenly beneath them allowing them to treat you like ****. Yes you can make a good living being a mechanic but it does have its downsides. It also does have an upside as you can feel accomplishment when you fix something and it can be a challenging job that you will always be learning. You will also have those customers that will cherish you and can make going to work more bearable. Every job has its goods and bad features.

 

[Lassen Forge]

I did it for years and loved it. The one thing to watch is your BACK - Lift something wrong or twist it under load, and that can mess you up in a hurry. But it was rewarding, I got a GOOD paycheck every Friday, I got to use my mind, and met some amazing people. I had my share of ******* bosses (that's in ANY job) and great ones. My feelings are people that hate it probably made a bad career choice and haven't moved on... I got to apprentice in a diesel shop (fun stuff!) and later worked in a motorcycle shop - the boss was NO businessman and was an apparent village idiot (we called him "the lop")... but I got to set up the shop so it worked, got some really fun jobs, and the pay rocked.

Better, having that mechanic experience behind me got my foot in the door of my current job some 30 years ago - because I knew how to repair stuff - and again, while I've had some real sonsabitches as bosses, I've also had some outstanding ones...

Commenting on being a Dental Assistant? I WAS a dental assistant, learned how in the service, the dentist thought himself to be the modern Alan Alda (and treated those below him like ****)... when I got out I did so part time, the dentist I worked for was a really self-absorbed rotten SOB who had issues treating people without the med school behind them as untermenchen, had trouble with paying his bills (and making payroll), his equipment was 20 years old and crappy, there was ALWAYS problems with insurance companies... and being an assistant, guess who caught Doctor Dickwad's grief day in and day out? Yep. I loved the work until I got hosed in the face by a lanced abscess the size of a handball... and you can't get that smell of rotted pus out of your clothes, your hair, or your memory. Something broke in his "modern antique" **** equipment - It's you (deleted) assistants that broke it, it's coming out of your pay"...

Honestly, you can keep it. I LEFT it to work for the diesel shop. Never looked back.

 

[katiexoxo]

I think that mechanics are crooks too. Because they are, right?
I haven't met any that didn't try to rip me off

 

[doorfx]

If you work on your computer and diagnostic skills you will pass the wrenching on to someone without those skills. I'm not saying you won't pull wrenches , but as mentioned, in high end dealerships , white coats stay white lol . I work in the forklift industry and we have 1 computer , diagnostic guru and 40 techs. Guess who is the highest paid?

 

[sberry]

I agree with the skillset. It does move easily and everything that goes up and down, round and round has been tried in a car. I knew when I went thru auto school I would never work for a dealer. I use this every day in business, welder too which is my primary trade. Many of my competitors equipment is junk in comparison, we aint above painting something either.

 

[larry_g]

But it was rewarding, I got a GOOD paycheck every Friday, I got to use my mind, and met some amazing people. .

If you work on your computer and diagnostic skills you will pass the wrenching on to someone without those skills. I'm not saying you won't pull wrenches , but as mentioned, in high end dealerships , white coats stay white lol . I work in the forklift industry and we have 1 computer , diagnostic guru and 40 techs. Guess who is the highest paid?

Lassen is correct in using your mind, but I found that it was 5% good mental work, and the rest of it manual labor. Door is a bit more correct in my opinion, learn the electronics and trouble shooting and you will have the good job. After being a mechanic for a couple of years I moved into industry where I worked on automated assembly machines. A lot more mental work and less manual labor. I worked in air conditioned comfort, plenty of pretty females around to balance out us ugly guys. It took a lot of the same skills as a good auto tech without having to work on dirty, hot, nasty cars.

I had a good hobby playing with fun cars.

lg
no neat sig line

 

[drivesitfar]

ALL: for those of you starting off and thinking of being a mechanic you might have a window where skills for hybrids and electric cars will be a very useful and high paid skill to have. maybe even higher paid than a hygenist or a IT computer guy/gal.

i remember when plumbers were getting more money than lawyers so just saying if you learn skills where you use your mind you will be better off. if you do have a job that is manual labor learn how to fix the tools you'll need to work with instead of just using them and that puts you ahead of the curve. keep that thinking and you'll have a good life.

also MARRY THE RIGHT PERSON!!

 

[ephotrod]

ALL: for those of you starting off and thinking of being a mechanic you might have a window where skills for hybrids and electric cars will be a very useful and high paid skill to have. maybe even higher paid than a hygenist or a IT computer guy/gal.

i remember when plumbers were getting more money than lawyers so just saying if you learn skills where you use your mind you will be better off. if you do have a job that is manual labor learn how to fix the tools you'll need to work with instead of just using them and that puts you ahead of the curve. keep that thinking and you'll have a good life.

also MARRY THE RIGHT PERSON!!

How do you know who the right person to marry is? It's hard to find a studious, hard working woman willing to live a humble life.

Sent from my SM-G920V using Tapatalk

 

[WhiffySpark]

ALL: for those of you starting off and thinking of being a mechanic you might have a window where skills for hybrids and electric cars will be a very useful and high paid skill to have. maybe even higher paid than a hygenist or a IT computer guy/gal.

[/B]

They've been saying that for the last 15 years.

You get out what you put into it. If you go to work every day with a negative attitude and don't apply your self then you'll hate it.

 

[Schurkey]

How do you know who the right person to marry is?

Dear Old Dad used to tell me to marry a "Rich old woman with a bad cough."

 

[drivesitfar]

ALL: i knew the MARRYING THE RIGHT WOMAN would get a comment or two. not easy even if you do find her so PAY ATTENTION to details and look at the parents and the mom as one indicator if she might have a chance to be. OLD WEALTHY (GOOD LOOKING) WOMAN WITH A BAD COUGH SOUNDS ABOUT PERFECT so come close to that i guess for some of you.

as far as picking a career almost any one is great if you LOVE doing the work, and the money will be there if you are good enough and have a good attitude. pick something you LOVE TO DO as your job and get very very good at it and you'll never work a day in your life.

cheers all and have a great Sunday

 

[04chase]

i love working on cars (fab work and custom cars) though found working on diesel and heavy equipment paid best. So after 15 years doing that i now manage a fleet and work more hours now that im salary based. I do miss the feeling of fulfillment after completing a hard/long job or building something from nothing . Though i have a nice shop at home now and spend my free time which is scarce in it doing what i love. Im pretty content though managing a large fleet of trucks is alot of work.


Life is short , don't miss it . Though making a living and a good one if your a good mechanic is possible . You will be very busy and have little time for your own personal wrenching. Then when you do have time , its not really the first thing you want to do as its what you do everyday.

 

[FlyingA321]

I spent 20 years as a tow and recovery operator before going full time into deisel repair. Now working on CNG trash trucks. Not exactly a dream job but pay is good. Also have satisfaction of knowing the drivers who relie on my work WILl make the day with no issue for the day. Driving wrecker was hell with long hours, rainy nights and cold snowy days and customers who loved the help. All proffesions have ups and downs and we can always change what we do for our lives. All we need to do is have pride in what we do. Do not let those who can't or won't drive you away from what you want or try.

 

[OHMS LAW]

That's great advice FlyingA

 

[FlyingA321]

I'm new to this forum and joined for some insight on any one else in my line of work and others who share common interests or goals. I have always been into the idea of becoming and automotive mechanic. I love working on cars and fixing things. This job has always appealed to me and I'm just curious of the goods, bads, and things that come with this occupation. This includes money, free time, and the education it requires. Thanks for the help!

Pay will depend on type of shop, experience. Good is something you have to figure out. Bad can be long hours and pissed clients. Not all shops keep the draft holes open during bad weather and yes we spend a lot on tools but they can be passed on if kids if they want to follow. Plus tools can be deducted from taxes. Fleet maintence is steady 40 a week with ot if worried about bills. Flat rate or piece work is a pain to follow and budget for. Education can be as simple as an apprenticeship or as pricey as trade school. Have found out that a lot of trade schools don't teach realistically or at least what I seen here in Cali. Don't be scared off. Just do what you think is right.

 

[fast333i]

I know this wont directly chime in to what you guys are saying about mechanics(being Canadian) but I am a Nissan dealership mechanic and I thought I would throw in my 2 cents.

A.) in Canada ita a 4 year apprenticeship where you work and go to school - 10 months work 2 months school every year
B.) pay increases as you go further through school
C.) There are many ways to get paid in the automotive industry in Canada depending on the type of shop, I worked straight time(hourly) before and now I work flat rate (hourly based on jobs)
D.) yes its thousands and thousands of dollars in tools. If you look in my first thread ( http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?p=6092200#post6092200 ) you will see my tool box in the back ground. With out tools that cost me approx. 11,000$ Cad and now I don't even need it with my shop as we have built ins. With that said I have approx. 100,000$ in tools between work and home and I love them, I love tools. I have always had the firm grasp of, if I can do it with the tools I may have to buy id rather do it myself.
E.) If you are thinking this would be a career cause you actively love working on cars like I did, well.... it does kill a lot of the drive and enjoyment of doing it when you go home, now you have two jobs not a hobby. And you say it wont get that way but it does.
F.) There can always be crappy customers, and a lack of understanding from them goes even deeper. But that goes 2 ways, explain and show a customer a problem and they typically thank you.

I have explained this job to customers and friends before and there are a few analogies that I use. It is very mush like being a doctor and hear me out..... we take peoples lives in to our hands every day(fail to diagnose something correctly, car crashes fire and death)(we are more liable then doctors in Canada) we get very little information from the customer( my CEL light on.... my car is making a "noise", It feels "off") and we are expected to (in the minds of customers) hook up a computer and it just tells us whats wrong then we "change a part" and charge absorbant amounts of money. On top of that you have to know almost every other trade to be able to do this one.... I.T., Electrical, plumbing, machining, welding, body systems, etc etc etc. anybody who doesn't think that and is in the trade is the previous comment, a "parts changer". With that said I take great responsibility and pride in making people very expensive investments last as long as possible without costing them as much money as humanly possible. I work for Nissan but I work on all brands, in my shop we don't have 1 diagnostician but I am considered the guru, which can be a hindrance cause I don't get paid more, but it does give me personal pride(however selfish this is) to be better then any other tech I know. And I make a **** load of money for someone who works about 7hrs a day. And this is Canada but even here 100,000$ a year is pretty good.

 

[tvmdc1]

That is nothing like what I envisioned. Is there any more positive side of this spectrum

Yea. Doing what you like.

 

[nadogail]

If you can make a living, while doing something you enjoy, you are successful.