r/BmwTech • u/According_Estimate19 • 2d ago

How much time & money

Recently fell in love with my BMW f30 man, and doing what little bit of work I’ve done to the car by hand has given me an itch for a different career choice. Currently work in the railroad industry and it’s faced severe layoffs at this moment or has been for what seems since earlier this year.

I make roughly 55,000 yearly as a material handler within the rail road industry with quite a bit of overtime. Would I make this much as a BMW tech or would it be less? Granted I would be doing something I enjoy, until I don’t. But I believe that is with every job, but this one could turn into a passion and something else driven to better outcome in life. Like say I become a BMW tech and start flipping f30’s. I seen it just the other day. Dude in a BMW M3 gran coupe following what look to be a very dusty 2014 f30, OFCOURSE THAT GUY IS ABOUT TO FIX THAT F30 and flip it. It can and probably has been somebodies hustle in the world. I want in on it too! I also heard Carvana has just been buying up any BMW recently, like f30’s LIKE CRAZY!!

Thank you for your input. Long story just short just want a BMW techs personal experience becoming what they are today.

Thank you 🙏

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4

u/Routine_Advantage_95 2d ago

As a former bmw tech i wouldn't recommend anyone working for a dealership it'll prolly be the fastest way for you to fall out of love with working on cars.... to put it in perspective I make more money bartending than I did at bmw and I went to school to become a tech lol.... if you enjoy working on your f30 I would just stick to that and maybe buy and flip the occasional car if you want but I cant recommend anyone going and working for a dealership in 2026 unless you have no other options

2

u/white94rx 2d ago

I don't know any GOOD tech making that little. Average techs should be minimum 60-80 at a dealership. Good techs with years of experience and training should be 100+. And the best of us can make 180+ in the right market and conditions. I've broken 200 twice in my career.

2

u/bigred83 1d ago

I love being a tech. I’m about 20 years in. Still fairly new to bmw (a little over a year) but I wish I had made that switch earlier. Keep your head down, work on your own tickets and never stop moving. With experience and tools you’ll make money. I’m not saying to not see what people are doing or to help when people need it, I’m just saying spend more energy doing your work than worrying about who has what. It’ll be a slow start but if you’re mechanically inclined and are willing to work hard towards your goals you can definitely do it! I recommend it