dealerships vs auto repair shops

[1968]

I think you've got me all wrong. I'm on your side here. We have been greatly devalued by the current business model and you seem OK with that. Gone are the days of getting away with low skilled techs. But it still happens all over the place, dealer or independent. Like it or not, this does affect you and how you are perceived by the general public.

You did make a point, but I'm not sure it's yours. A fishing guide is nothing like an employed auto tech on at least a couple levels. Anyone can fish and catch or not catch, with or without professional help. Car repair? Totally different. Do they offer a 12/12 warranty? Seen too many tech's I woudn't trust to check tire pressure. The guides are also business owners and should reap the rewards. You don't call your shop owner out as a sham for taking the lions share of you and your fellow employees efforts do you?

Sorry, I didn't notice the Linn shops aren't all goodyear. Lucky you.

My chain store experiences showed me what "greasemonkey" really means. Because I'm better than that and left you say I was the problem. Perpetually training the untrainable got old. I moved on and am much happier. I didn't forget however. Considering the downward spiral when there, I can't imagine things are any better now.I feel sorry for all the tech school grads that were promised 100k a year in an industry that eats it's young.

Sounds like you are happy with your employer. That's great. But I don't think satisfaction is the norm in auto shops. When picking parts up at dealers I often see a shop full of unhappy looking people. I've been surrounded by unhappy people from time to time as well.

Another thing about flatrate and commission, it helps to kill teamwork in the shop. It puts everyone in competition with each other. I don't miss the term "gravy grabber" at all. If you frequent IATN you would see FR is not well like there either. The flatratetech site really paints an ugly picture.

BTW, I did fix it for myself and now am self employed. Trying to fix this industry as a whole or even just one shop is like peeing in to the wind. I'm done with that program. I've always done the best I can and no longer worry about what other's do. Unless I have to fix their work. But I get paid for that. Look, a bright side! Keep up the good work $10/hr tech.

[bucketmouth64]

My big thing looking for a repair shop is their reputation, is there high turnover in service advisors, and how well the repairs are done. I stopped going to a couple dealerships years ago because they had high turnover in advisors and to find out the owners didn't put much money into service department to keep good people/techs. Some techs I talked to admitted they didn't have much experience and didn't know what problem was. I had to take one of my vehicles to another dealership to diagnose a tranny overhaul because tech didn't have much experience. Now I go to local dealership again because new ownership has shown that the service department is vital and keeping personnel along with having experienced techs brings back repeat business.

[Jeremy airjer W]

I don't know if talking the flat rate/commissions out of the equation would be wise. Why would a good tech strive to be more productive or efficient if they aren't going to make any more. If they're set on hourly or salary why be efficient and bust out jobs when you can just relax and get paid the same? There needs to be some competition and commissions to keep productivity up. Otherwise all you do is attract the people looking for a paycheck!

We get a productivity report that shows how we compare with all the other techs and general service employees within the company. I take a lot of pride in being in the top ten if not the top five and occasionally the top three. Considering I work the night shift I personally think that is a pretty big deal. I like the competition. I like they challenge of finding things wrong. I like finding ways to do things faster and more efficiently. I hate getting dirty......no seriously it drives me crazy just ask the guys I work with!

[delcecchi]

A number of repair chains have had problems with fraud. Google "sears automotive fraud" or "midas automotive fraud" or read some of the Consumer Reports articles on auto repair.

It is not necessarily a large proportion of shops but enough to taint the entire industry. I recall it used to be a joke back in the 70's. Take your car into the Goodyear place in Rochester for an alignment and they would swear you needed new shocks. Or Tie Rod ends or ball joints.

[1968]

Airjer- you sound like a dedicated tech, one of the good guys, but lets put this in perspective. The last time I had company wide rankings posted every week, many of the top guys were the type to sell calipers and rotors on every brake job. That was back when machineable rotors were far more common. Those rankings ended up being discontinued pretty much as a CYA precaution.

Manager's heads could roll at a moments notice. High turnover and shuffling installers(we were not referred to as tech's)around to different stores was also commonplace. Had a surprise manager change on me once. You should have seen the look of terror in some of the customer's eye's. And rightly so. I only made it 2 more months there before my first transfer. I was a bit too honest for the new boss. And room had to be made for his 2 goons to come in.

I also remember when corporate sent out a pamphlet called "what to do when the news shows up". That was good humor. It was mostly about saying "no comment" without actually saying it and referring them to corporate. Wasn't worried in the slightest. There was no way the store I was at, at the time, would've gotten stung.

It's definitely easier to find the bad side of the auto industry. There's more than a few bad apples messing it up for the rest. Technology may eventually squeeze them out. Car repair has evolved in to something many people consider rocket science. It's only getting worse as even the most simple electrical systems have turned electronic with computer's hidden all over the place. Add the physical aspect, now you have one very tough job. So until technician pay is little closer to rocket scientist pay, things will likely not improve on a large scale.

Improving public perception would help but that's an uphill battle with all the hacks and cheats out there. There's plenty of those. If you haven't noticed that Airjer, you must not be getting many new customers.

Delchecci- Not taking sides here. But alignment doesn't change much unless something is worn out or bent. Sometimes a pull is just a nail in the tire. There's guys out there that try to sell shocks and struts on every single car that comes in the door too. Buyer beware when it comes to auto repair.

Sorry to come off as a sourpuss here, I'm actually a glass half full kind a guy!

[delcecchi]

Back in the day (remember firestone wide ovals?) people used to think alignment was required on a regular basis. So I dutifully took my shiny new car in periodically. 68 Barracuda 340. Sigh.

And the shop would try to sell me something.... shocks, etc.

[BobT]

You know...when I visit the doctor and he suggests a particular remedy I don't just take his word for it up front. I ask questions, I get online and do other research, often times I have already done ressearch before even seeing the doctor so I already have some idea of what he may suggest, etc.

For example, I was in for a regular checkup one day and he asked me if there were any questions or concerns. I told him, "Well, I have been feeling a little more fatigued than usual lately but then I have been getting up at 3:30am for work too so maybe I'm just not getting enough sleep. He suggested I stop by the lab to give a blood sample so I did. The result was that I had a low potassium count and he said that could be the problem and in fact it was quite low and should be brought back up. He wrote a prescription for a potassium supplement. On my way home I was thinking that it seems that one should be able to increase potassium through diet so when I got home I went online and did some research. The next day I called and asked my doctor if I could try a dietary remedy instead of taking a pill. He agreed and gave me two weeks time. Two weeks later I gave another blood sample and my potassium was back to within normal parameters.

Shouldn't we also be just as diligent with our auto mechanic, furnace repair, plumber, etc? If not, then we are leaving ourselves vulnerable to over-zealous repair shops.

[deadeye]

Shouldn't we also be just as diligent with our auto mechanic, furnace repair, plumber, etc? If not, then we are leaving ourselves vulnerable to over-zealous repair shops.

I could not agree with this more! I feel that a major problem with the world today is that people are not willing to take responsibility for their stuff and are "victims" when they could have done a little research and asked a couple questions keeping themselves in charge. You don't need to get your hands dirty or know what a ragjoint is to keep from being hosed. Ask, do I really need this done? Can you show me the worn part vs a good part? How long do I have before this is a real problem ect. Simply being informed and having your service records will keep you from being hosed.

Yes there are places that will take you for a ride if they can. I do think there is a lot of places that are honest and do good business too. I have seen both and I personally think that there is more good than bad. From what I have seen its truly a shot in the dark if a chain or local shop is better than the other. Most try to find and keep good techs and writers when they can. Places that are like that are the ones that stay in business for the long run.

[SFC]

Word of mouth on finding a good shop and getting more than one opinion will help you from getting scammed. We deal with auto repair more than any other trade, most dont question the other trades, are they sticking it to you? Of the many, many auto repairs over my life, I know the repairs that were made were justified by seeing the problem. Iam happy to say I have total faith in the shop I take my veh. to.