New job as dealership tech

[GutsnGlory]

As the title says I just got hired to work at a Chrysler dealership here in Pennsylvania. I'll be starting on oil changes and that stuff while I go through the Chrysler training. I'm excited about the gig and hoping its a good fit for me.

Any other dealer techs here? Share your experiences that you had, and btw I'm not looking for all negative responses since everyone has their own opinions and what not.

And I'm sure my tool buying frenzy will be starting before I know it lol

 

[Ruger_556]

Be ready to spend a ton of money on tools right away... I'm a tech for the local International/Kenworth dealer. I really like it over my last job working fleet repairs. Shop is kept spotless, I get to work on 2014 model year trucks regularly, all the specialty tools are supplied, good hours, and awesome benefits.

 

[Ruger_556]

... and brace yourself for the dealer haters on here. There's a lot

 

[12ozd]

Good luck, take advantage of all of the training classes you can!
Don't get intimidated by other mechs. or their tools.
As far as dealerships good or bad;
Good - you will get good at doing repetitive recall and warranty jobs.
Bad - recall and warranty jobs.

Where in Pa?

 

[Csmnlm]

Congratulation, Take your time when you first start out. Ask a lot of questions. But be selective who you take advice from. There are some good mechanics and some real hacks in most shops. Figure out who the good guys are and learn as much as you can from them.

 

[Caconman424]

I too just got hired as a light duty tech at a dealership. I just graduated last year from tech school, and have been working as a maintenance fleet mechanic for about 9 months doing overnights. But just got hired at an inifinti dealership, so im really looking forward to it.

 

[RandyL]

I read a couple of posts in this thread that I like.. A positive attitude to what you are doing. That will get you further, quicker, happier with your job than most anything else.

You will encounter the techs and employees that are overly negative, they like nothing better than to bring you down to their level so they can complain to you as well... I see this as an important issue, maneuver around it. Take the high road....its a lot nicer trip.

Best of luck..in time I will need your assistance in my own repairs! Take advantage of training and do your ASE's as a group..its more fun that way.

I say this from 33 years at my current dealership..hope for many more years to come.

Randy

 

[Swegner99]

I'm also a dealership guy, but I'm the Asst. Parts Manager at a Ford store. I love being in the dealership environment. The biggest thing to recommend is take all the training you can get, soak it all up. Even if you don't decide to be a lifer at the dealer level, all the free training is priceless.

 

[srmofo]

I'll give you a bit of advice.

Don't be that kid with a $5000 box and only 1 drawer of tools. Remember which tools make you money and which ones dont

 

[Richard Cranium]

Welcome back SRMOFO, you were missed....****

 

[anthony42hat]

Welcome back SRMOFO, you were missed....****

Agreed!

 

[dankicksass]

Bad - recall and warranty jobs.

If you can't make money on recalls, you're not doing it right.

 

[mechan]

I'll give you a bit of advice.

Don't be that kid with a $5000 box and only 1 drawer of tools. Remember which tools make you money and which ones dont

Haha that trend is universal I think. I love the guys with *large* gang boxes that when it is time for us to rig them out we can pick them up and walk them over to the crane bay because the only thing in them usually is a jacket and enough tools to fill a lunch box.

 

[Ruger_556]

If you can't make money on recalls, you're not doing it right.

Agreed... The second time you do a recall you should be able to beat the time.








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[Capt Chrysler]

1983 TO 2000 in a Chrysler dealership. Love the fact that the dealership was leading in info to the techs.

Capt. Chrysler

 

[Dimitri]

You'll need mainly 5.5, 7, 8, 10, 12, 13, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, and 21 mm tools to work on any recent Chrysler vehicle. Plus for doing oil changes you'll want a 24 mm (Pentastar Engines) and 27 mm socket (Fiat 1.4L Engines). Other metric sizes are important, but this seems to be the bread and butter for a lot of Chrysler/Fiat's tools.

Throw in some E-Torx, #2 Philips, miniature pick set and a trim stick (Chrysler LOVES Christmas Trees).

At least this is my experience working at a Chrysler dealer for ~7 months now.

And the training, both WBT (online) and ILT (in class) is good stuff, especially if you have good instructors during the ILT.

Dimitri

 

[GutsnGlory]

Thanks guys. I'm excited and looking forward to all the training. I'll post back with some updates as I go along

 

[JimVonBaden]

... and brace yourself for the dealer haters on here. There's a lot

Of course. Most dealer techs are glorified parts swappers!

 

[scouting]

Of course. Most dealer techs are glorified parts swappers!

Isn't that the Indy hacks like me? You're sposed to take it to the local Indy for the parts cannon, and the stealership to get hosed on parts and labor.

To the OP: The snap-on man isn't your friend, use this forum to figure out what tools are worth it and what you can get away with from harbor freight. Every time I go to the dealer to get parts, I cringe at the guys my age (26) who have 8k toolboxes and drive beat cars. Weekly truck credit sounds cheap (sure, I won't even miss 27$/week) but snowballs, plus most people have a tendency to overspend when they see all that gleaming chrome. Im guilty here as well, but overall I've done a decent job building the box without a second mortgage. Main thing is to scope out the 'greybeards' in the shop and listen to their advice. They may end up being 35 years old, but you will be able to see who can crank out the hours. Study their work habits, and try to pick up their tricks. I waste entirely too much time walking between the box and the car, this is easier to avoid when you only work on select brands. Time saved is money gained, but remember that comebacks are straight out of your pocket. Even with the clock looming,take the time to do it right, or you get bitten worse in the long run. That was my biggest learning experience my first year, sometimes slowing it down is faster than rushing.

 

[chevyguy377]

Don't bang the bosses wife. I got fired
For that years ago

 

[dvs_one]

Seems you got a lot of great advice so far .. I must say again don't try to impress with the expensive tool box .. Invest in your tools it pays off . I have been a Chrysler for 10 years or more you may lose on the first warranty job but you will get better

 

[Mr.3-5-7]

you said Pennsylvania? buy a whole bunch of penetrating oil and a torch.

 

[12ozd]

If you can't make money on recalls, you're not doing it right.

Agreed... The second time you do a recall you should be able to beat the time.

Point wasn't about beating time or making money.
Point I was trying to make was - some warranty jobs are a PITA, some recalls are a PITA, plan on doing alot of them.
Repetitive PITA.

 

[justin1795]

i started just like you. I went to school after a few years. don't get wrapped up in the high doller tool game. buy what you need it dosent have to be expensive to serve a purpose. save your money. when you go to school you will get huge discounts. I got 52 percent off matco and a extra 10 percent on tool night so 62 percent off. the catch was it had to be paid up front no loans. im not into the business anymore as it wasent right for me. it did lead me to a good factory mechanic job. of all the tools I bought I bet theres very few I took to my new job. they specifically asked you not to bring snap on or mac tools to work there. the tools get droped into pits and its more cost effective for them to buy you new.

 

[KEH]

Don't forget to tighten the oil plug adequately. Don't laugh, it happened to me. I took advantage of a special on oil changes at the dealer I bought the truck from, saw oil under it, checked, and found the plug was just hand tight. No damage done. Also tighten the filter adequately. I was guilty of not tightening an oil filter on my car once. Again, caught it before damage done.

On the other hand don't get wrench happy and overtighten. Also there is such a thing as a bad oil filter holder which causes the oil filter to be too tight.

KEH

 

[DodgeMech]

If you can't make money on recalls, you're not doing it right.

Considering as many as chryco has, and as little as they pay...you gotta be real good...

 

[Capt Chrysler]

REMEMBER! Quality breeds quantity.

You will work around the hack masters. These folks will skimp on the way they do things, just to get the ticket flag and to the next car. You will find they are also rolling stones. Moving from one shop to another after a couple of years.

Capt. Chrysler

Past line tech, parts manager, service manager & parts and service coordinator.

 

[Paul1956]

Don't forget to screw on those oil filters correctly and
make sure they are secure. Gets tedious after a number
of jobs in a day.

My dad took his Chrysler in for an oil change before a
family trip and thought all was well.

We get 10 miles out of town and the oil light goes off.

3 guys from the dealership come out including the guy
who did the oil change. Turned out the oil filter was
installed incorrectly and leaking.

Was a major source of embarrassment for the guy but
could have been worse had the engine been damaged.

Good luck.

 

[T-Mac]

Started at a 6 pack Chrysler store-chrysler,plymouth,jeep,dodge,dodge truck,eagle,in 1989.I had already taken some night courses in fuel injection and 3c carbs+ase cert.in the basics so the service manager saw potential.Made good money in the 90's rebuilding transmissions.Usually had one on the lift and 2 waiting in the lot.I could always beat warranty and recall times after the first or second one I did without sacrificing the quality of the repair.for the last 7 years I have been a mentor for the c.a.p. and a.y.e.s. programs through our dealership.The first thing I try to impress on the young men is that they are not in high school anymore.They are in the real world working with men who are putting food on their families tables and some times struggling to do so.Some of them see you as an enemy trying to take their jobs-training their replacement -so to speak.Unfortunately for you your success depends greatly on your work environment and the support structure of your dealership.My best advice is to show up on time,do whatever your told by your superiors to the best of your abilities and learn all the time.Dont get caught up in the backstabbing stuff that goes on at times.Make sure you cover your **** on every job.Note things on r.o.'s such as dents or any other things you see on the job you get.If needed show your service writer before you touch the vehicle.Lastly,honesty,integrity,respect for others and hard work will serve you well no matter what your chosen profession.

 

[phil du jour]

I'm an apprentice at an Audi dealer. I was an aircraft electrician for six years and a staff sergeant when I was honorably discharged so my training mainly consists of taking what I know and applying it to cars. I've only been at it for 2 months but here's my advice:

Don't just blindly buy tools from the trucks and don't fall into the 'snap on is the best ever' rut. You can get amazing tools for good prices from all over. I use Carlyle/Napa, Tekton, Mac, Matco, Snapon, Craftsman... Whatever works for both the job and my wallet. Keep your truck debt to a minimum. On the other hand the tool trucks serve a good purpose and they all have some good tools.

Be honest with everyone. If you don't know, just say so. I did that with everyone from my boss to the tool trucks; I said 'hey I'm new and I've never bought from a truck before. How does it work?' Or 'I'm not sure how to do this.' Be prepared to sacrifice some hours to the guys helping you though.

If you need to borrow tools, be honest about that too. My advice is if you need to borrow it more than twice, buy it yourself. Return tools in better shape than when you took them and give them back as soon as you are done with them. You need to make sure you compensate those you borrow tools from consistently. I bought gift cards for all the guys that helped me out when I was waiting for my tools to arrive and it has made our working relationships very positive and respectful.

Ask questions but don't bug someone when they are obviously very busy. Work hard. Don't complain about anything even a little bit. Show up to work early. Try to be the first there and the last to leave. Make a good impression. Ask lots of questions and do not do anything you are unsure of without asking an adult ;-)


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[cassidy]

I'll give you a bit of advice.

Don't be that kid with a $5000 box and only 1 drawer of tools. Remember which tools make you money and which ones dont

Very good advice

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[Red_Bull]

I think phil du jour gave the best advice. Coming from someone who started chaning oil from a 1 drawer roll cart to being the number 2 tech with all the tools. Ask a bunch of questions and ask some of the techs who have been there a while what there most used tools are. Then make a list of all the tools you borrow, so when you buy new ones you know what you need the most.