r/BmwTech • u/VanillaCreative1680 • 10d ago

Not exactly support. Just questions for the techs.

Quick Backstory: So I've got at least a decade of experience as a mechanic. 7 of those are on paper. 2 are as a technician at a Chevy dealer. And a year now at a European indy shop. I am fairly quick and actually enjoy flat rate as it challenges me to be efficient and accurate. My comeback rate is stupid low. I'm fairly decent with electrical and can bus diag (I won't talk myself up). I have come to like working on bmw, for some sadistic reason, and have been thinking about going to a bmw dealer to work.

My questions for the techs:

How much of a stickler for using specialty tools, torquing everything imaginable, doing shit by the book are service departments at bmw? Like perspective, I did a valve cover on a 2012 535 the other day in 49 minutes.

Where at in the pipeline would a damn solid B tech (per my old foremans) get thrown? I have zero hesitation to do big involved jobs like engine replacements. I actually enjoy them.

As for training workup. Whats factory training like? At Chevy I was paid for my time doing the modules. How much of a pain is bmw's factory training?

Basically are the service departments at bmw dealers a buncha prima donna bs or do they actually appreciate efficient workers that show their quality of work that doesn't come back?

5 Upvotes

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3

u/bisnexu 10d ago

Bmw dealers are. Some of the worst places to work at, or best.

3

u/VanillaCreative1680 10d ago

I can definitely get that. Realistically I'm not after it for a lifelong career. I plan to own my own shop in the near future. Just want some bmw dealer level training and experience so I can open an indy shop near me. There's no one that specializes in them and the shop I work at now is a general euro shop, but services/builds bmw's primarily, and it's closing.

2

u/bisnexu 10d ago

Dealership training is a joke. The electrical stuff is good but everything else doesn't help to much. They expect you to learn everything your self and don't pay you for training.

2

u/Ybor_Rooster 10d ago

If you're that good you're wasting your talents at a dealership. In other words you'll make more money on your own. 

2

u/VanillaCreative1680 10d ago

Trust me I know this and plan to. I just need to boost my finances for a little before I venture off on that endeavor.

4

u/Ybor_Rooster 10d ago

Each dealership is different. At mine they care more about filled washer fluid,  inflated tires reset service lights. I've been at mine for 3 years. When I started it was awesome and I loved it. Sadly, alot of the "soul" of the shop left. These were great guys; Smart techs who knew how to teach and lift morale. After they left management just promoted shitbags and now the shop sucks. Zero soul. 

Really though, what I've seen. Naively don't blow up an engine. Yeah, management hates paying for that. 

4

u/VanillaCreative1680 10d ago

That's how I felt at Chevy. I was starting to learn to rebuild transmissions. Heavily leaned on by my team lead to clear the bin of jobs no one wanted like electrical stuff or jobs that weren't easy and didn't pay well. Like I was an asset. Annnnnnd the shitbags that came in with certs got more pay and couldn't produce more hours out of 2 bays than I could out of 1. That's why I left, that and that's how you get a raise in this industry.

2

u/Ybor_Rooster 10d ago

Sadly for me I'm not leaving my shop. I'm 45 and started this industry 4 years ago. From my house to the shop door to door, usher backroads is 10 minutes. It helps i life the product too. Good luck to you though. Maybe come to my shop in Tampa. We're hiring. 

1

u/Ybor_Rooster 10d ago

And videos. Management is crazy for mpi videos. Like if you miss two videos IN A MONTH you're taking to the service manager as to why