Unfortunately the business model of most shops seems to be. Give the guy who can’t fix a sandwich all the flush’s and brake jobs because “ we can’t give him anything else. It will come back on a hook” . Meanwhile the good techs get screwed. It’s definitely becoming more and more common.
Also if you have a dispatcher that feeds certain technicians. Then upper management turns a blind eye and ask why your hours are low because all you’re given is jobs no one else wants to do in the shop.
I quit a non-shop job because the only difference between my job and the Titanic is that the Titanic had a band. The emails back and forth with my managers helped me get my unemployment for being such an unprofessional environment that the employee/employer relationship was found to be unworkable and unrepairable by the unemployment office.
Stealing labor from the tech, favoritism, toxic bosses, dealt with them all. I have yet to find the perfect shop. I've gotten to the point in my career that I'm jaded to it all. I just keep my head down and work till 5, so I can to it all over again tomorrow.
@@I_Died_2_Weeks_Ago I wish it was that simple. I tried the whole mobile thing for 6 months when I was younger. I spent more time in Houston traffic than I ever did wrenching.
Or when you look like you're slacking because a certain techs hours are always 40 plus a week because they hang brakes, calipers etc. on damn near every vehicle they get and the shop acts like they don't notice.
Yeah I'm ready to leave my dealer. We have a tech that doesn't wanna do any diag, just brakes/alignments/services. And he's been stealing for awhile now, doesn't do the services just takes the fluids home and resells them and flags it still. Fake alignments, flushes, blah blah blah. Apparently money is more important than integrity.
@@chrisavalos7172 I would have ratted him out immediately. That affects your bottom dollar. The customer noticed the oil wasn’t changed or the alignment was still shit and tells the people they know never to go to that shop cause they don’t do the actual work they say. Then you get less work because this fucker decided to screw everyone over
I work with two parts pushers and while they bill mad hours every week, I get the satisfaction of knowing they can't diagnose jack. Call me sadistic, but deep down I enjoy watching them struggle with simple shit.
@@B1G5L1M That's exactly how I feel lol. While they're barely flagging a few more hours than me I'm actually figuring out diag concerns that they say "could not duplicate" to.
It's time to quit (like I did as a GM Master Certified Tech) when you become the most experienced tech and lose hours because you get all of the problem vehicles that none of the other techs can handle.
That's why I left Chrysler dealer. 14 years Chrysler master and I would get stuck with the intermittent electrical problems. It's an issue when you made more money at $25/flat hr than you did at $34/flat hr.
Honestly with all of the shady warranty hours, cheating techs out of pay and general disdain for fixed ops, someone is going to need to come in and kick the crap out of these dealerships. Auto Techs need to get FLSA protections and if the OEMs don't want to reimburse the shops and techs for time that is in accordance with industry standard work books, they need to get penalized for committing labor fraud.
I’ve worked at every one of those situations and then some. Also I’ve left places for trying to squeeze money from people. Selling duralast pads for $115, service writers upselling things I didn’t recommend. I even had a guy call their credit card company to increase their limit so they could charge her almost $1100 to put a fuel injector in an old Mercury villager van. Thankfully I work at the best shop you could ask for. The boss is the most understanding guy out there. There is almost no drama, paid salary, nobody is rushed(for the most part) you’re not asked to come in early or stay late. We laugh, joke, everyone gets along and never hesitated to help one another. Took 18 years to find the right fit
You nailed it! I worked for the same shop for 21 years. The First 18 years were pretty good, the last 3 was like a prison sentence. I left and it wasn’t until I worked at my current job for a while when I realized how bad it was at the old job. New job is a light atmosphere and very professional.
Back in the day we use just take it out back and booom no drama just a few bloody nose but no drama, at one shop they actually deducted for going to drop a deuce at the end of the month. I bounced on that dealer ship.
I just quit my dealer I was at for almost four years. I was treated like shit and the favoritism was horrible. People with less knowledge were getting the gravey tickets and flagging 50-60+ hours while I was making a steady 20-30 hours. But all of this is over with now. I moved to an independent shop to try it out. Very excited to start tomorrow.
I raged on my employer for cutting a 5 hour heater core to 4 hours (without asking me) so the Napa part ($125) I installed could be billed out to $650. He also lost $1,000,000 labor dispute in court. I take zero sh!t from a liar and thief. Every shop is looking to screw someone for money. Sometimes everyone gets screwed.
Yep. That’s my shop when we get a new writer. Diag a suspension noise, quote front quick struts, have to speak to the customer for the writer, only sells one side strut for plastic bearing clicking, parts guy only quotes a bare strut, writer asks whoever is next to him what the labor is for one side, gets 1.5, then has to go aftermarket for a loaded strut, bumps up the parts markup to make up the difference, forgets there is still diag involved, you get 1.5 to replace a 2.0 hour press fit strut. You originally quote 3.00 for both sides including alignment, plus your diag, you get one side only, free diag that’s 1.5 for all your running around, diag and alignment… comes back a week later, lube tech gets your brake job upsell. That’s why we are leaving…
Yeah, favoritism is the one thing I really hate. Toxic environment, and stealing work or hours from the tech is another thing that should never happen. If I see that it's time to leave a shop.
Excellent points Berg and I definitely got stuck in a few shops with toxic environments for too long. Sometimes it takes us too long to realize that we can do better and more importantly, that we deserve better for ourselves. You get used to it and think it's just the way things are or you don't want to leave and risk going somewhere else to start over new just to find out that it's worse. The current shop is a pretty good fit, so I'm happy about that.
You are exactly right. I stayed at a shitty shop for 5 years mostly because my fellow techs were great to work with. The owner of the dealership was an asshole though. We worked every other Saturday (1/2 the techs each Saturday) even though Saturday business didn’t warrant that many techs. In fact, he stopped buying our lunch on Saturday’s because “we don’t make enough money to pay for it.” So why were we even open?? We never had reviews or raises and no training except the minimum to meet the manufacturer requirements. I left that dealership for the one I’m at now. My current dealership is fantastic!
Honestly, I was expecting, “Warning. This is a rant.” Lol. Don’t work flat rate, but one other that you didn’t mention and I think is valid; when you’re just not happy. It may be your shop, the people, the industry, whatever. But when you’re just plain unhappy, it’s time to start looking. I made good money as a field tech doing hydraulic hoses (best year, I made 73k), but I just didn’t feel fulfilled. Felt like I’d never move up, wasn’t expanding my skill set, etc. I left and took a pay cut to work as a rental equipment tech, then a forklift company, and now I’m a fleet tech for the school district (school buses). I like my coworkers, I’m learning quite a lot (actually fix shit, nit just replace parts), and it’s a place I could stay at til I retire.
Hit it right on the head with the favouritism. Ive been on both ends of being favoured and not being the favourite and they both suck and bring shop moral down!
the owner of the shop i work for, he's that typical guy of.. why isnt there a vehicle in his bay.. literally right after i just pulled one out.. or you do a great week and he's happy as hell.. thats fine and dandy but this shop, isnt horrible compared to some but itll be the reason i go off on my own.. quite frankly tired of working for someone else..
Left two shops in 30 years. First after about 10 years of experience for service writers selling what they thought the car needed vs what I recommend and when the car came back because the actual problem wasn’t fixed I was paid half the labor time to do what I recommended in the first place. The second was at the twenty year mark and was constantly fixing other people’s comebacks and warranty work because I was the “only one who could figure it out” again for half the labor time.
I worked for a MAZDA dealer back in the 80s where the general manager was a total asshole ,turns out he was a pro baseball player who got cut after 1 season and ended up in the auto industry, Over the years I've seen many many "PRO'S" in management at dealers that didnt make the cut at Bankamerica, IBM,etc. watch out for them they've got a chip on their shoulder!
Iv seen tons of drama in the shop come out of conversations related to politics and religion. I mean those two topics should be forbidden in auto repair
I just quit my shop this past Friday I was always getting the bs work on flat rate the guy next to me got to pick and choose the work he did aka brakes and timing belts all week mean while I'm doing the head gaskets he diagnosed because he cried about it lol not worth my time I worked there for 2 years never once seen him pull heads or and engine out so I greased the wheels and left
I worked in a mobile home factory for 30 years, And it was all the same bullshit that was talked about here the only thing that kept me there so long was A thirty and out pension , And I was able to collect at 52 and leave there forever.
As I view this I'm currently sitting in a doctor's office waiting to do a drugprescreen for a new job. Reason I'm leaving my current job the manager belittles the techs and writers especially the older guys. Now I've only been here 4 months and I dont receive that treatment but it's really discouraging to view this mangers antics so I'm leaving.
Believe it or not I'm 62, and work for a used car dealer, and am HAPPY. No I'm not high. My boss trusts me and pays me well in this area. {Will be over 100 k this year hourly} I also do my best to take care of him and his business. Been here 15 years and will likely die here! Just thought I would share my happy story!
All I have to say is that cocaine is a hell of a drug. I don't know what it is about car dealerships and coke, but they seem to go together. Between management all being high on it, to owners being dealers of it. Cars getting stolen when keys where conveniently left out. The owner flying to work in his helicopter, then having meetings about how we haven't made profit in 7 years. Yeah, I lost my mind and quit. Wish I could find a good smaller private shop.
Im feeling burnt out and i take it out on everyone. It's a great place to work I'm the toxic one. I'm just here to make money and it's a small town and nobody will pay me anything close to what i make. Idk what to do
Yep the last independent I worked at was just bitter old men telling me to not do this industry, my younger coworker told me no matter how much experience I had they would never move me up until someone left, all I did was oil changes booked me open to close oil changes if I had recs they would get passed along this wasnt even my first automotive job, Now im at the dealer finally doing minor diag and much bigger jobs
Time to leave when your boss stops putting money into the business to make necessary purchases . Or their constant mismanagement and bad decisions are destroying a good thing . The final straw for me was when not only did I have to talk to the customers , I was having to do the mechanical also . I would have to stop working to either answer the questions on the phone , deal with customers picking up or selling a new job . The owner was always out supposedly drumming up new business . He chased away our long time mechanic by taking his incentive for selling jobs putting him on salary . It was bad . I stuck around about a year before going down the road . The worst thing that happened in a shop was in the late 80's . My friend who worked at the local Chevrolet dealership was killed along with two other employees. He was the senior tech on transmissions and differentials . The new guy working under him was given a come back that my friend had worked on. The shop manager told the new guy you don't have a choice either do it or your terminated . He refused . He returned a couple days later to get his check . He shot and killed my friend , a service writer , and the general manager of the dealership before turning the gun on himself . Please remember that people may have a lot of stuff going on in their lives . The shooter his girlfriend had left him and they had a child together . Sometime before he went crazy at work, he fired a shot through a closet at a neighbor he was having issues with . The incident was not known at the time . Very sad as my friend had a wife and two kids as did the general manager .
Lmao that's too funny I always wondered why I was at the last shop for 2 years and he never took that sign down I know now and the tool guys always told me the turn over rate was high for techs
Yeah I feel like quitting so many times because my manager is never there and our special equipment is not always functioning. But the only thing keeping me there is a make decent money.
I worked at a BMW dealer in Florida and the work environment and management was so toxic that I have lost interest in working on car as a profession. I’m now learning computer programming from online classes. Makes me upset because I used my entire GI bill going to UTI and now I’m not even in the industry anymore.
They changed the schedule again without telling me. Now they are about to fire me after 1.5 years because I'm not coming in on my day off. I am so glad to not work there anymore
I have worked in a toxic environment, until 2 line operators after work on a Friday, went to the local watering hole and to there surprise 3 supervisors were there. Too many drinks later and Monday morning. 2 line operators came back to work on time and 3 supervisors came back several weeks later. Apparently at the watering hole, the establishment has a boxing ring to blow off steam. No head gear or mouth piece. I wish I was there to watch!
Oh, yeah - your boss yells at you or accuses you of dishonesty - just get your tools first, then get the hell out of there. ALWAYS GET YOUR TOOLS OUT FIRST BEFORE YOU TELL ANYONE!!! Can’t stress that enough. I’ve walked on jobs before as well as other things, like never going sailing on a boat again after an owner screams at anyone, for any reason. I’m 75, and I’m still telling you - life is way too short to put up with that crap. I’d rather be poor than put up with negativity of any kind. It’s a choice and you CAN make it! You’ll feel better about yourself and your life in the end.
Its always time to leave a shop when an Hourly Position or Salary opens up. State , county , City. There is a shortage of good techs now. No one wants to do this anymore.
We've been going through it lately at my shop, we spent all friday afternoon battling with our warranty lady on why we no longer get any diag time if it is repairable under warranty and why diag time that goes past .9 requires approval from our online help portal "techline". Also wasn't even able to clock all my hours last week cause kia didn't even have a valid labor op code for my repair! I'm only 1 month into flat rate so ill be sticking around.
being a kia tech myself i can tell you kia does not care about diag time lol theres op codes for 1234yf evac and recharge, battery test and recharge, and cooling system bleed but thats it. Also if you have a vdn for your scan on kds you can occasionally add a 0.2 for scanning the vehicle depending on the job youre doing.
Add getting injured, finishing that work day and have to come in the next day but nothing reported. This was a couple weeks ago on a Sunday. My speech for 3 days was bad and I was out of it. The 2nd thing that broke me was asking for every other weekend off to spend with my kids. Was asked to work a half day Saturday. Tire shop retail schedule is not working anymore plus the injury im done.
Have dealt with that stuff. Left the dealership world due to favortism, left a box store due to basically living at the shop, recently left a independent due to a shop owner who is new to owning a shop and who only had a few years in the saddle as a technician who likes to smoke pot during business hours. I will agree that the good techs tend to get screwed in this field.
I worked at a place that was awful, granted I was a new tech but I got treated like shit and the service manager and owner were always verbally harassing me. Got into an apprenticeship with a diesel company and it is night and day. I actually look forward to going in to work now and don't have to worry about someone flying off the handle at me.
Constantly checking up, giving you time limits at the last minute while your almost finished a job, just power tripping in general and toxic work environment. Fyi Walmart is full of it
Cooking the books always bs stuff I show up a 9pm that's my start time Even if I'm 2 hours earlier, the second we step in our shop were on the clock. Billing hrs builds,set ups, even house keeping and cleaning, to nuts and bolts organizating
I have experienced all these negative experiences and unfortunately you gonna have to be realistic and know you are in a tough business. If you been around awhile and have 3 or more shops under your belt you start to know when you have it good and know when you can do better. I have been ripped off by Management quite a few times, especially in my 10 Nissan Years. Some shops can be very Toxic places. Or at least Toxic for you. I agree and it's probably the No.1 reason to move on. With all that being said, the car business is tough and your gonna have to have a thick skin and choose your battles wisely. If you're looking for a shop where everyone is totally honest , there is no favoritism and where you're gonna make good money provided you have a good amount of experience then your gonna be disappointed . Some Shops are better than others and some are better for you. And yes sometimes moving on solves a lot of problems.
No, there's no drama, … Where I work, I'm not disclosing, We Have Drama Kings! dear god! just do your job! I have worked for different companies and the same soap opera drama ,just different people. I am not perfect, I have my faults, my family is my psychologist, they tell me to pull my head out of " you no where" and grow up.
Oh favorited people.! I left became of that crap. Two brothers and I. All first years but noticed that their efficiency was like 80-90% other than the shop foreman everybody else was 60 or so. Anytime i upsold brakes. Shocks or fluids….yup, THEY GOT IT.🤬 gues who went back to level up their training…AT THE SAME TIME. 👍 i was told I’ll get my time 2yrs later I asked and was told I can do to those guys going for a 3rd year. I gave my notice on left.
Last place I worked was salary plus bonus. I’ll be the first to admit I didn’t do the best job tracking my hours but I would always check before I went home to make sure things were paid out right and they added things up, carried it to the next page right… There were times when I felt my check was a little light and other times when I know I didn’t hit bonus but got a fat paycheck. I probably came out on the winning side but I like to know what to expect
I run a small shop in Missouri and stay busy but I have them jobs that take way more than they should because of a problem that is not my fault I think about shutting the door but I like working for myself
Dude you have no idea how perfect timing this video was being released and I'm definitely dealing with toxic bosses just keep taking things no matter how f****** slammed we are because the hell with your crew
I'm in the service drives of all my dealerships everyday, only one dealership in our town has A/C with automatic overhead sensors. They got it made and they love working there. Every dealership feeds the favor, but this guy gets fed for a reason, he is a master tech that knows his shxx and been there the longest aka (pa pa smurph).
Just pulled the plug after 8 years, new owner recently is not working out. Tough choice but the job market is very favourable right now. If you're reading this, it's ok to quit. You deserve it!
Been in the heavy equipment field for 36yrs, I want to go for 4 more, just not sure though, I’ve only been employed by 3 companies and worked till they shut the doors, this one ends around September.. will I go on and grab another 4yrs or do I just stop and do my thing with the classic C10 trucks. I don’t have a shop I just do one at a time at my home then sell them for a good bit(and restoration for others).. I’m really thinking about throwing the towel in on this field, the people that manages them are so not organized anymore, it’s a wreck out there, for as drama in our shops the kids think it is but us older techs got to stay on them letting them know what’s right from wrong (wrong move your a goner)..back to your question.. if a young guy starting in early 20’s plays it right he can quit before retirement age..I can walk from it tomorrow if I wanted to.. really thinking about the classic truck shop, just something to keep me busy…
I left the profession entirely and do side work on my own...why? Because at my first shop I knew more than all but one guy there at the time stated. Other guy was the service manager's son. Got abused by the kid daily, brought it to management, nothing. They transferred me to be a lube bitch at another location, then had me over there two weeks to cover shortages and apologized out the ass...yet they gave lead tech to the guy that I pulled through electrical class because he couldn't understand the book, then took him to the main dealer shop making a good $22 hourly...but gave me $15 because I knew that matched somebody's pay when they brought him in...then made me wait a month for that raise for swearing on the phone to the big boss when a service advisor threatened to send me home for my "attitude" when he was being an absolute bastard when I had heat exhaustion and my vision was swimming and I felt sick...demoted to lube bitch and they have the "star junior tech" a misfire code...after plugs and coils at the customer's expense, they sent it to another make's dealership FOR A RECALL REPAIR that cured the misfire...guess what? NEW CYLINDER HEAD. Just like I told the SM at the first shop...3.6 Chrysler van, valley full of oil... "Oh it's the seals" from his son. My reply was "Nah, that n bitch is cracked " because I knew better! They replaced the seals...and it was pissing oil everywhere. Sent it to CDJ. I asked what they found and his reply was "*clears throat loudly* Uh,um,uh...the cooler was cracked." No shit genius. That was bad enough. After they screwed me on leave when I was so sick I barely left the house for three months and got into an argument with my doctor that was enough.
This is weird this video comes out now I just told my job that shove it walked out Wednesday......... been there 5 years and only get one week of vacation meanwhile the boss's son-in-law has been there for like a year and has like f****** three months nobody is writing the specifics down on a work ticket so that means I got to do the job twice over because nobody wants to write anything down........ and also I'm one guy out back and I think I can do the work of five in a day............. my boss knew I took all my stuff and proceeded to call me the next day and asked if I was coming in I laughed
My understanding from your comment is, you have done the diagnostic and narrowed down the problem. Then they take the fix part away from you. I'd say, unless you're just diagnostic and don't repair or some prior agreement. Then yes I personally feel that it is. Also, seems to look like they don't trust one to fix it right. However that's just my opinion.
good luck. I was 4 days in toyota dealership making only 13. long story short. get some schooling before you enter this trade if not. you are waiting till the higher ups feel like putting you thru school.
When the Service Manager dispatches the repair orders AND his son is one of the techs... its time to leave.
We don't have a dispatcher, one of the techs hands out the RO's after he picks through them...
My dealership we have a board and the service writers put the tickets on the board and we can jus pick from them, it’s like a first here first serve.
Unfortunately the business model of most shops seems to be. Give the guy who can’t fix a sandwich all the flush’s and brake jobs because “ we can’t give him anything else. It will come back on a hook” . Meanwhile the good techs get screwed. It’s definitely becoming more and more common.
In the good shops they fire those techs.
Also if you have a dispatcher that feeds certain technicians. Then upper management turns a blind eye and ask why your hours are low because all you’re given is jobs no one else wants to do in the shop.
Great timing. Put in my two weeks because of a shitty manager at a dealership. It’s insane what passes for a “professional” environment
I quit a non-shop job because the only difference between my job and the Titanic is that the Titanic had a band. The emails back and forth with my managers helped me get my unemployment for being such an unprofessional environment that the employee/employer relationship was found to be unworkable and unrepairable by the unemployment office.
Stealing labor from the tech, favoritism, toxic bosses, dealt with them all. I have yet to find the perfect shop. I've gotten to the point in my career that I'm jaded to it all. I just keep my head down and work till 5, so I can to it all over again tomorrow.
Go mobile. Work part time for benefits. You're welcome.
@@I_Died_2_Weeks_Ago I wish it was that simple. I tried the whole mobile thing for 6 months when I was younger. I spent more time in Houston traffic than I ever did wrenching.
@@zach914v8 I was just in Galveston. Houston traffic is nuts!
Never settle for less than you’re worth , it only ripple effects
I finally found the perfect shop when I built my 40 by 80 shop for 125000$ said hello with it doing it on my own
Or when you look like you're slacking because a certain techs hours are always 40 plus a week because they hang brakes, calipers etc. on damn near every vehicle they get and the shop acts like they don't notice.
💯💯💯
Yeah I'm ready to leave my dealer. We have a tech that doesn't wanna do any diag, just brakes/alignments/services. And he's been stealing for awhile now, doesn't do the services just takes the fluids home and resells them and flags it still. Fake alignments, flushes, blah blah blah. Apparently money is more important than integrity.
@@chrisavalos7172 I would have ratted him out immediately. That affects your bottom dollar. The customer noticed the oil wasn’t changed or the alignment was still shit and tells the people they know never to go to that shop cause they don’t do the actual work they say. Then you get less work because this fucker decided to screw everyone over
I work with two parts pushers and while they bill mad hours every week, I get the satisfaction of knowing they can't diagnose jack. Call me sadistic, but deep down I enjoy watching them struggle with simple shit.
@@B1G5L1M That's exactly how I feel lol. While they're barely flagging a few more hours than me I'm actually figuring out diag concerns that they say "could not duplicate" to.
Having owned a shop for 37 years,now retired,I wanted to quit more than once.
It's time to quit (like I did as a GM Master Certified Tech) when you become the most experienced tech and lose hours because you get all of the problem vehicles that none of the other techs can handle.
Dealerships where incompetent is rewarded and ability costs you money.
That's why I left Chrysler dealer. 14 years Chrysler master and I would get stuck with the intermittent electrical problems. It's an issue when you made more money at $25/flat hr than you did at $34/flat hr.
Ya man I’ve been there and it boils down to the service writer/manager inability to sell the hours required for diagnosis and repair
Honestly with all of the shady warranty hours, cheating techs out of pay and general disdain for fixed ops, someone is going to need to come in and kick the crap out of these dealerships. Auto Techs need to get FLSA protections and if the OEMs don't want to reimburse the shops and techs for time that is in accordance with industry standard work books, they need to get penalized for committing labor fraud.
The manufacturer sets the warranty time not the dealer.
I’ve worked at every one of those situations and then some. Also I’ve left places for trying to squeeze money from people. Selling duralast pads for $115, service writers upselling things I didn’t recommend. I even had a guy call their credit card company to increase their limit so they could charge her almost $1100 to put a fuel injector in an old Mercury villager van.
Thankfully I work at the best shop you could ask for. The boss is the most understanding guy out there. There is almost no drama, paid salary, nobody is rushed(for the most part) you’re not asked to come in early or stay late. We laugh, joke, everyone gets along and never hesitated to help one another. Took 18 years to find the right fit
DAMN
. BETTER LATE THAN NEVER
@S85 L I'm retired too. I like to service my own vehicles I'm not tied to time either.
You nailed it! I worked for the same shop for 21 years. The First 18 years were pretty good, the last 3 was like a prison sentence. I left and it wasn’t until I worked at my current job for a while when I realized how bad it was at the old job. New job is a light atmosphere and very professional.
Good for you! Tough to leave a place after that many years, but in the end you found out you made a good choice. 👍🔧
Number 1 time 2 go...
Shop rate increase....wage NO CHANGE
Exactly and I'm an hourly technician at a heavy truck shop.
Back in the day we use just take it out back and booom no drama just a few bloody nose but no drama, at one shop they actually deducted for going to drop a deuce at the end of the month. I bounced on that dealer ship.
I just quit my dealer I was at for almost four years. I was treated like shit and the favoritism was horrible. People with less knowledge were getting the gravey tickets and flagging 50-60+ hours while I was making a steady 20-30 hours. But all of this is over with now. I moved to an independent shop to try it out. Very excited to start tomorrow.
Hey why not rite,,,, you already it could be worse
Same reason why I left the dealership.
I raged on my employer for cutting a 5 hour heater core to 4 hours (without asking me) so the Napa part ($125) I installed could be billed out to $650. He also lost $1,000,000 labor dispute in court. I take zero sh!t from a liar and thief. Every shop is looking to screw someone for money. Sometimes everyone gets screwed.
Damn , so damn crazy an sad
Yep. That’s my shop when we get a new writer. Diag a suspension noise, quote front quick struts, have to speak to the customer for the writer, only sells one side strut for plastic bearing clicking, parts guy only quotes a bare strut, writer asks whoever is next to him what the labor is for one side, gets 1.5, then has to go aftermarket for a loaded strut, bumps up the parts markup to make up the difference, forgets there is still diag involved, you get 1.5 to replace a 2.0 hour press fit strut. You originally quote 3.00 for both sides including alignment, plus your diag, you get one side only, free diag that’s 1.5 for all your running around, diag and alignment… comes back a week later, lube tech gets your brake job upsell. That’s why we are leaving…
Yeah, favoritism is the one thing I really hate. Toxic environment, and stealing work or hours from the tech is another thing that should never happen. If I see that it's time to leave a shop.
I was told I could not use the shop bathroom and that I am no longer welcome to use the breakroom...
Man i left a few shops...I even left the dealership😏you'll know if that environment is right for u or not👍
I’m 22 and one of the top guys in the shop but I’m always playing clean up for people that don’t care about their jobs.
Excellent points Berg and I definitely got stuck in a few shops with toxic environments for too long. Sometimes it takes us too long to realize that we can do better and more importantly, that we deserve better for ourselves.
You get used to it and think it's just the way things are or you don't want to leave and risk going somewhere else to start over new just to find out that it's worse.
The current shop is a pretty good fit, so I'm happy about that.
You are exactly right. I stayed at a shitty shop for 5 years mostly because my fellow techs were great to work with. The owner of the dealership was an asshole though. We worked every other Saturday (1/2 the techs each Saturday) even though Saturday business didn’t warrant that many techs. In fact, he stopped buying our lunch on Saturday’s because “we don’t make enough money to pay for it.” So why were we even open?? We never had reviews or raises and no training except the minimum to meet the manufacturer requirements. I left that dealership for the one I’m at now. My current dealership is fantastic!
Honestly, I was expecting, “Warning. This is a rant.” Lol.
Don’t work flat rate, but one other that you didn’t mention and I think is valid; when you’re just not happy. It may be your shop, the people, the industry, whatever. But when you’re just plain unhappy, it’s time to start looking.
I made good money as a field tech doing hydraulic hoses (best year, I made 73k), but I just didn’t feel fulfilled. Felt like I’d never move up, wasn’t expanding my skill set, etc. I left and took a pay cut to work as a rental equipment tech, then a forklift company, and now I’m a fleet tech for the school district (school buses). I like my coworkers, I’m learning quite a lot (actually fix shit, nit just replace parts), and it’s a place I could stay at til I retire.
I haven’t worked in a shop that didn’t have drama however the money is really good and i just keep to myself so it’s just entertainment to me.
Kinda like free reality tv, eh? Lol
@@JakeNaughtFromStateFarm yup
I would retire today and never look back if I could
Me too man. I've been doing this for 15+ years. Feels like 50 years. I'm 32
Hopefully I have less than 3 years, 2 if I am lucky. I hate this work anymore yet I make good money doing it. Burn out is a sad thing.
Hit it right on the head with the favouritism. Ive been on both ends of being favoured and not being the favourite and they both suck and bring shop moral down!
the owner of the shop i work for, he's that typical guy of.. why isnt there a vehicle in his bay.. literally right after i just pulled one out.. or you do a great week and he's happy as hell.. thats fine and dandy but this shop, isnt horrible compared to some but itll be the reason i go off on my own.. quite frankly tired of working for someone else..
You are describing all work environments. (All trades) Thanks 😊
Left two shops in 30 years. First after about 10 years of experience for service writers selling what they thought the car needed vs what I recommend and when the car came back because the actual problem wasn’t fixed I was paid half the labor time to do what I recommended in the first place. The second was at the twenty year mark and was constantly fixing other people’s comebacks and warranty work because I was the “only one who could figure it out” again for half the labor time.
Myself and a fellow coworker just quite a shop for a super toxic work environment.
Funny thing is, the most money I ever made was in the most toxic shop I ever worked in. I hated every minute of it. Wasn’t worth it
The dealership I work for is showing me all these signs! 😂
I worked at every single one of those in Macon. The last one still tells everyone how evil I am for leaving.
The Man wants docile slaves to abuse as he pleases...
I worked for a MAZDA dealer back in the 80s where the general manager was a total asshole ,turns out he was a pro baseball player who got cut after 1 season and ended up in the auto industry, Over the years I've seen many many "PRO'S" in management at dealers that didnt make the cut at Bankamerica, IBM,etc. watch out for them they've got a chip on their shoulder!
Iv seen tons of drama in the
shop come out of conversations
related to politics and religion.
I mean those two topics should be
forbidden in auto repair
*PARTS* is a going to come to an end - I bet by new regime to force people not to drive and/or fuel will become so expensive or rationed.
I just quit my shop this past Friday I was always getting the bs work on flat rate the guy next to me got to pick and choose the work he did aka brakes and timing belts all week mean while I'm doing the head gaskets he diagnosed because he cried about it lol not worth my time I worked there for 2 years never once seen him pull heads or and engine out so I greased the wheels and left
I worked in a mobile home factory for 30 years, And it was all the same bullshit that was talked about here the only thing that kept me there so long was A thirty and out pension , And I was able to collect at 52 and leave there forever.
As I view this I'm currently sitting in a doctor's office waiting to do a drugprescreen for a new job. Reason I'm leaving my current job the manager belittles the techs and writers especially the older guys. Now I've only been here 4 months and I dont receive that treatment but it's really discouraging to view this mangers antics so I'm leaving.
Believe it or not I'm 62, and work for a used car dealer, and am HAPPY. No I'm not high. My boss trusts me and pays me well in this area. {Will be over 100 k this year hourly} I also do my best to take care of him and his business. Been here 15 years and will likely die here! Just thought I would share my happy story!
Thank you for sharing that! We need the positive side of this as well.
All I have to say is that cocaine is a hell of a drug. I don't know what it is about car dealerships and coke, but they seem to go together. Between management all being high on it, to owners being dealers of it. Cars getting stolen when keys where conveniently left out. The owner flying to work in his helicopter, then having meetings about how we haven't made profit in 7 years. Yeah, I lost my mind and quit. Wish I could find a good smaller private shop.
I clocked 31 hours my check said 17. They tried to tell me the hours would be put on next check. I packed my box and left.
Im feeling burnt out and i take it out on everyone. It's a great place to work I'm the toxic one. I'm just here to make money and it's a small town and nobody will pay me anything close to what i make. Idk what to do
I feel you. I can't wait to retire. Few more years.
Yep the last independent I worked at was just bitter old men telling me to not do this industry, my younger coworker told me no matter how much experience I had they would never move me up until someone left, all I did was oil changes booked me open to close oil changes if I had recs they would get passed along this wasnt even my first automotive job, Now im at the dealer finally doing minor diag and much bigger jobs
Time to leave when your boss stops putting money into the business to make necessary purchases . Or their constant mismanagement and bad decisions are destroying a good thing . The final straw for me was when not only did I have to talk to the customers , I was having to do the mechanical also . I would have to stop working to either answer the questions on the phone , deal with customers picking up or selling a new job . The owner was always out supposedly drumming up new business . He chased away our long time mechanic by taking his incentive for selling jobs putting him on salary . It was bad . I stuck around about a year before going down the road .
The worst thing that happened in a shop was in the late 80's . My friend who worked at the local Chevrolet dealership was killed along with two other employees. He was the senior tech on transmissions and differentials . The new guy working under him was given a come back that my friend had worked on. The shop manager told the new guy you don't have a choice either do it or your terminated . He refused . He returned a couple days later to get his check . He shot and killed my friend , a service writer , and the general manager of the dealership before turning the gun on himself .
Please remember that people may have a lot of stuff going on in their lives . The shooter his girlfriend had left him and they had a child together . Sometime before he went crazy at work, he fired a shot through a closet at a neighbor he was having issues with . The incident was not known at the time . Very sad as my friend had a wife and two kids as did the general manager .
Sucks being workshop foreman, doomed if you do doomed if you don't. You seem to have a good balance, keep team moral high👍👍
When the shop puts a perminant help wanted sign out front
Lmao that's too funny I always wondered why I was at the last shop for 2 years and he never took that sign down I know now and the tool guys always told me the turn over rate was high for techs
REVOLVING DOOR
Permanent
Yeah I feel like quitting so many times because my manager is never there and our special equipment is not always functioning. But the only thing keeping me there is a make decent money.
money talks
I worked at a BMW dealer in Florida and the work environment and management was so toxic that I have lost interest in working on car as a profession. I’m now learning computer programming from online classes. Makes me upset because I used my entire GI bill going to UTI and now I’m not even in the industry anymore.
They changed the schedule again without telling me. Now they are about to fire me after 1.5 years because I'm not coming in on my day off. I am so glad to not work there anymore
I have worked in a toxic environment, until 2 line operators after work on a Friday, went to the local watering hole and to there surprise 3 supervisors were there. Too many drinks later and Monday morning. 2 line operators came back to work on time and 3 supervisors came back several weeks later. Apparently at the watering hole, the establishment has a boxing ring to blow off steam. No head gear or mouth piece. I wish I was there to watch!
Bonuses are the worst, there is always an excuse....
Oh, yeah - your boss yells at you or accuses you of dishonesty - just get your tools first, then get the hell out of there. ALWAYS GET YOUR TOOLS OUT FIRST BEFORE YOU TELL ANYONE!!! Can’t stress that enough. I’ve walked on jobs before as well as other things, like never going sailing on a boat again after an owner screams at anyone, for any reason. I’m 75, and I’m still telling you - life is way too short to put up with that crap. I’d rather be poor than put up with negativity of any kind. It’s a choice and you CAN make it! You’ll feel better about yourself and your life in the end.
Work at a shop they claim they was so broke to buy new parts
Its always time to leave a shop when an Hourly Position or Salary opens up. State , county , City.
There is a shortage of good techs now. No one wants to do this anymore.
You are a true LEADER!
I think this could apply to most industries!
I'm favored at my shop because my write ups are clean I work the fastest and I rarely if ever have comebacks
We've been going through it lately at my shop, we spent all friday afternoon battling with our warranty lady on why we no longer get any diag time if it is repairable under warranty and why diag time that goes past .9 requires approval from our online help portal "techline". Also wasn't even able to clock all my hours last week cause kia didn't even have a valid labor op code for my repair! I'm only 1 month into flat rate so ill be sticking around.
being a kia tech myself i can tell you kia does not care about diag time lol theres op codes for 1234yf evac and recharge, battery test and recharge, and cooling system bleed but thats it. Also if you have a vdn for your scan on kds you can occasionally add a 0.2 for scanning the vehicle depending on the job youre doing.
Add getting injured, finishing that work day and have to come in the next day but nothing reported. This was a couple weeks ago on a Sunday. My speech for 3 days was bad and I was out of it. The 2nd thing that broke me was asking for every other weekend off to spend with my kids. Was asked to work a half day Saturday. Tire shop retail schedule is not working anymore plus the injury im done.
Have dealt with that stuff. Left the dealership world due to favortism, left a box store due to basically living at the shop, recently left a independent due to a shop owner who is new to owning a shop and who only had a few years in the saddle as a technician who likes to smoke pot during business hours. I will agree that the good techs tend to get screwed in this field.
Its easy to leave whats difficult is finding something better or better pay.
I worked at a place that was awful, granted I was a new tech but I got treated like shit and the service manager and owner were always verbally harassing me. Got into an apprenticeship with a diesel company and it is night and day. I actually look forward to going in to work now and don't have to worry about someone flying off the handle at me.
Constantly checking up, giving you time limits at the last minute while your almost finished a job, just power tripping in general and toxic work environment. Fyi Walmart is full of it
So your saying when you want to murder coworkers i should move on lol
Definitely worked at shops you describe Definitely have up and quit these places as well
Cooking the books always bs stuff
I show up a 9pm that's my start time
Even if I'm 2 hours earlier, the second we step in our shop were on the clock. Billing hrs builds,set ups, even house keeping and cleaning, to nuts and bolts organizating
I have experienced all these negative experiences and unfortunately you gonna have to be realistic and
know you are in a tough business. If you been around awhile and have 3 or more shops under your belt
you start to know when you have it good and know when you can do better.
I have been ripped off by Management quite a few times, especially in my 10 Nissan Years.
Some shops can be very Toxic places. Or at least Toxic for you. I agree and it's probably the
No.1 reason to move on.
With all that being said, the car business is tough and your gonna have to have a thick skin and choose
your battles wisely. If you're looking for a shop where everyone is totally honest , there is no favoritism
and where you're gonna make good money provided you have a good amount of experience then your
gonna be disappointed .
Some Shops are better than others and some are better for you. And yes sometimes moving on
solves a lot of problems.
If a shop is cutting your hours or pay improperly, it's wage theft. Contact your state's agency that handles enforcement of labor or employment laws.
I'm in the heavy equipment side. It's took me almost 10 yrs to find this place. Been here 3 and seriously have 0 complaints.
Flat Rate Master... I think we had every one of the signs you mentioned.... Especially drama and favoritism.
I got scared when I saw the title man! Phew!
When the 90 day review comes up and your boss needs to “talk to his wife”..run
How's it going?
@@budsmokes777 who is this ?
Always real-world info/commentary 👍🏽👊🏽
No, there's no drama, … Where I work, I'm not disclosing, We Have Drama Kings! dear god! just do your job! I have worked for different companies and the same soap opera drama ,just different people. I am not perfect, I have my faults, my family is my psychologist, they tell me to pull my head out of " you no where" and grow up.
10/10 hit the nail on the head.
Oh favorited people.! I left became of that crap. Two brothers and I. All first years but noticed that their efficiency was like 80-90% other than the shop foreman everybody else was 60 or so. Anytime i upsold brakes. Shocks or fluids….yup, THEY GOT IT.🤬 gues who went back to level up their training…AT THE SAME TIME. 👍 i was told I’ll get my time 2yrs later I asked and was told I can do to those guys going for a 3rd year. I gave my notice on left.
If you fall for anything you'll fall for everything ...You gotta learn how to put your foot down on Ppl's Necks but with intelligence .. Stay sharp ☕
Last place I worked was salary plus bonus. I’ll be the first to admit I didn’t do the best job tracking my hours but I would always check before I went home to make sure things were paid out right and they added things up, carried it to the next page right… There were times when I felt my check was a little light and other times when I know I didn’t hit bonus but got a fat paycheck. I probably came out on the winning side but I like to know what to expect
I run a small shop in Missouri and stay busy but I have them jobs that take way more than they should because of a problem that is not my fault I think about shutting the door but I like working for myself
@Polar Diagnostic outside of Springfield
Dude you have no idea how perfect timing this video was being released and I'm definitely dealing with toxic bosses just keep taking things no matter how f****** slammed we are because the hell with your crew
Damn flate rate master I wish you were my foreman
Prior to starting my own I left a couple cause there was no opportunity to level up
I just put in my 2 weeks after 3 years at the dealership. Was a hard decision to make but it is time to move on.
You missed one. When your shop cares more about speed than quality.
I'm in the service drives of all my dealerships everyday, only one dealership in our town has A/C with automatic overhead sensors. They got it made and they love working there.
Every dealership feeds the favor, but this guy gets fed for a reason, he is a master tech that knows his shxx and been there the longest aka (pa pa smurph).
getting pigeon holed was my reason why i left my first job.
Unfortunately most places are going to have at least a couple negative traits.
Just pulled the plug after 8 years, new owner recently is not working out. Tough choice but the job market is very favourable right now. If you're reading this, it's ok to quit. You deserve it!
My writer cut my job hours to get the customer a deal happened alit and I left lol
Been in the heavy equipment field for 36yrs, I want to go for 4 more, just not sure though, I’ve only been employed by 3 companies and worked till they shut the doors, this one ends around September.. will I go on and grab another 4yrs or do I just stop and do my thing with the classic C10 trucks. I don’t have a shop I just do one at a time at my home then sell them for a good bit(and restoration for others).. I’m really thinking about throwing the towel in on this field, the people that manages them are so not organized anymore, it’s a wreck out there, for as drama in our shops the kids think it is but us older techs got to stay on them letting them know what’s right from wrong (wrong move your a goner)..back to your question.. if a young guy starting in early 20’s plays it right he can quit before retirement age..I can walk from it tomorrow if I wanted to.. really thinking about the classic truck shop, just something to keep me busy…
I left the profession entirely and do side work on my own...why? Because at my first shop I knew more than all but one guy there at the time stated. Other guy was the service manager's son. Got abused by the kid daily, brought it to management, nothing. They transferred me to be a lube bitch at another location, then had me over there two weeks to cover shortages and apologized out the ass...yet they gave lead tech to the guy that I pulled through electrical class because he couldn't understand the book, then took him to the main dealer shop making a good $22 hourly...but gave me $15 because I knew that matched somebody's pay when they brought him in...then made me wait a month for that raise for swearing on the phone to the big boss when a service advisor threatened to send me home for my "attitude" when he was being an absolute bastard when I had heat exhaustion and my vision was swimming and I felt sick...demoted to lube bitch and they have the "star junior tech" a misfire code...after plugs and coils at the customer's expense, they sent it to another make's dealership FOR A RECALL REPAIR that cured the misfire...guess what? NEW CYLINDER HEAD. Just like I told the SM at the first shop...3.6 Chrysler van, valley full of oil... "Oh it's the seals" from his son. My reply was "Nah, that n bitch is cracked " because I knew better! They replaced the seals...and it was pissing oil everywhere. Sent it to CDJ. I asked what they found and his reply was "*clears throat loudly* Uh,um,uh...the cooler was cracked." No shit genius. That was bad enough. After they screwed me on leave when I was so sick I barely left the house for three months and got into an argument with my doctor that was enough.
This is weird this video comes out now I just told my job that shove it walked out Wednesday......... been there 5 years and only get one week of vacation meanwhile the boss's son-in-law has been there for like a year and has like f****** three months nobody is writing the specifics down on a work ticket so that means I got to do the job twice over because nobody wants to write anything down........ and also I'm one guy out back and I think I can do the work of five in a day............. my boss knew I took all my stuff and proceeded to call me the next day and asked if I was coming in I laughed
It all boils down to, "You can't work for an asshole".
If there is no money, there's no me.
Favouritism is the worst😡
Happy workers are more productive.
Aint nobody docking my fukin pay. I will open my own fukin shop.
Now we have what's called profit sharing. But you have to meet x y and z to get your commotion. That sucks 😕
I fired everyone who ever worked for me. It’s just my Dog & Me.
Do you count giving a job to another tech that you diagnosed stealing? Cause that happens a lot especially noticed when I have no work…
My understanding from your comment is, you have done the diagnostic and narrowed down the problem. Then they take the fix part away from you. I'd say, unless you're just diagnostic and don't repair or some prior agreement. Then yes I personally feel that it is. Also, seems to look like they don't trust one to fix it right.
However that's just my opinion.
That pisses me off more than anything especially if it's a money maker.
Kinda ironic today i start in the servive department from the lube and tire shop lol.
good luck. I was 4 days in toyota dealership making only 13. long story short. get some schooling before you enter this trade if not. you are waiting till the higher ups feel like putting you thru school.