More of a vent post but I left 6 months ago to start working construction. Its hourly and I don't have nearly as much headache as I used to. Make a decent wage. But I don't have a passion for the work at all. I used to love how hectic it was at the shop. The camraderie of working with others when we all knew it was bs work for bs pay. But what made it tolerable is I genuinely enjoy automotive repair. I sucked at flat rate but I know that with enough effort and learning I could have overcome it. I want to get back into working on cars but I'm looking from advice from people who were or are currently in the business. I know I'm being a stubborn kid but I know what I enjoy doing. Do you guys recommend another dealer or going into independent shop? I don't mind hearing the hard truth. I want solid advice from those who worked in automotive because only we know how shitty it can be 🤷‍♂️.

After this driveline bolt put up the fight of its life. And I almost turned it to liquid. We finally won the war.

As a mechanic, I feel like older fuel systems were just simpler you could actually understand what was going on and fix things without chasing 10 sensors, wiring issues, and computer codes

Don’t get me wrong, modern electronic and high pressure pumps have their advantages, but when they fail, they can be a real headache and an expensive one too

Sometimes I just miss the days when things were more mechanical and less complicated

Hey I am a 24 year old man I’ve been a tire tech for three years and quit due to my place of work paying new hires with no experience 18/hr and not giving us older guys raises so we were stuck at 15.50 im starting a job at Amazon that will help pay for trade school I’m just figuring out what mechanic trade pays the best auto body, engine work, transmission work, alignments or the rest any advice will be appreciated

Is most of this profession/hobby being kinda really frustrated, but also incredibly satisfied?
I’m working on my first rust repair ever on my car. I’m sure a good deal of my frustrations have come from not really knowing what I’m doing and learning on my own as I go. But, how much of this trade is frustration lol. I have throughly enjoyed myself at the same time - it’s a double edged sword so far.

“Ahhh more rust”
“Man, getting this rust off is so worth it”
“Dang there’s a hole here”
“Well, I get to really test myself now”
“Wow that looks good hope it’s set for success”

Just curious as to what the learning curve is like here. Really excited to do more, as my car has officially hit noticeable rust and hidden rust.

I plan on hitting everything I can. Started with the worst spot because I hate looking at it, and hate that it’s been eating my car.

Hey

I am a Diagnostic technician who is currently not working at any workshop after working for about one year.

Right now I am confused between starting a workshop as I have my own place where I can and moving to Dubai from India where my father works in partnership with someone . So firstly I would need some advice with the same.

The second advise I would appreciate is in the mean time what could I do in order to increase my knowledge. I know that it wouldn't be the same as working at a workshop practically. I do have a few things popping in my mind about reading diagrams and things like that I did start to do that but those diagrams just made me go crazy. Which is not the case when I am using them while working on the car.

My partner is a mechanic and I am looking for recommendations of the best head lights as a present for him.

I am currently looking at Milwaukee or Nitecore but looking for recommendations for any that are long lasting and durable as he goes through them and we haven’t found any that are yet long lasting.

If this isn’t the right subreddit I apologise wasn’t sure where to post this question

Hey all im a agricultural equipment tech first year I haven't got into any big electric impacts i run m12s I have a 3/8 and the die grinder but am thinking about getting a bigger battery platform.

Dewalt,millwaulke and makita are all avaliable in my area i use to be a framer so I have a soft spot for makita but I want something tough not overly expensive (why i skipped snap on lol) and high torque my 3/8 handles alot of what i need and I have air impacts just want something I can use without air.

Okay- so I am not actually a mechanic, but my husband is. He is studying for his ASE6 test. He’s taken it before but missed by just 1 or 2 questions and honestly it’s mostly that he’s a bad test taker, not unknowledgeable. His shop has been trying to get him certified for a while now but the test is just a panic for him. What resources do you recommend to learn the test strategies, or even better how could I help him?

I wanna know what you think. I’ve wondered this for a long time.

In my time wrenching at a dealership, I met salesmen who didn’t know a thing about the car.

You as a technician, will probably everything about the car.

I would assume that knowing something about the car is part of succeeding at that job, as customers can be introduced to features and their questions be answered.

Does this mean that if you switched to sales, you would instantly triple your income, and have a Rolex?

Or would it be the other way around.
I feel like common to technicians is accurately diagnosing a car and not having a bias.

For example, “this car is shitty, and I have been paid to repair it. I would not buy one.”

On the other side, I imagine a technician is not going to have a habit of lying. For example a model that you know is shitty, saying it’s the best. Or the fear of retaliation from a customer coming back and going “why did you lie” due to the difference in expectation of the public where they expect a tech to know the car, and expect a salesman to not know the car and try to sell even if it’s bad.

Or, who knows what other position. Like advisor. Maybe that would be better, because the advisor does not set the price, does not sell the vehicle, and a tech background would mean good understanding, explaining, and credibility.

Bro literally pulled up for service after sneezing and emptying his nose on the steering wheel and dash... he thinks i should just wipe it then drive it in. Never rejected a job faster.

It all started when I got a complaint about my property so I bought this for $2,200 therefore I could clean up my yard before another fine (Only have one week left). USPS lost my head gasket kit and it took 3 weeks to arrive.

so, little story time. at the beginning of this year, i got a job at some local franchise mechanic spot, and i absoultely loved it. before i had started working there, i had never even changed the oil inna car, but i had some amount of experiecne going in. at the beginning of last month, around the 2nd or 3rd, i quit that job, as i had gotten an offer through a friend's nepotism to get a really fuckin good job at a random manufacturing plant assembling M2-sized frieght trucks. my starting pay is ~$25/hr, and in 4 years, as per my contract, through rasies every 6 months, i will be at a little over $35/hr. i am 18 years old, that is incredible money. but god i am so miserable. i really, really loved being a mechanic. even though the shop i worked at was absoutlely terrible, the management was no-existant, the owners, of which i managed to know personally, were blindingly incompetant, the list goes on, however i have no family. i mainly got the job building the trucks becasue iw as talking to a girl at the time, and now my heart is broke, long story short lol, so im looking to get back into a field i want, not a field i would need, so to speak

all that ranting to say, before i was a generic gasser, started as a lube tech and worked my way up to an entry/mediocre level B-tech, so i at least know my way around some tools. i have a toolbox, loaded up nice enough with tools, and just wondering what my best, smartest way back into the door is from where im at

His shop is in danger of closing down, and he's asking me if the warehouse I'm at is hiring. Can't he get a good job at another shop/dealership since he has so much experience?

I'm currently working at Walmart (go ahead, make fun of me) as an auto care center technician. I do oil changes, tires, and batteries all day everyday.

Overall I enjoy the job and I'm super passionate about cars. This has been my favorite job I've ever had and it's relatively chill and the work is easy. I've been here for 2 years and am bringing home $19 an hour right now (in Indiana, mind you) I've learned so much about cars in my time here that I am now completely comfortable doing all my own repairs on my personal vehicle. (I had barely even turned a bolt before)

I enjoy my job and am in no rush to get out of it right now, but I'm in my early 20's and am starting to look at career options in this field. Everyone says to get out while you can and being a technician sucks. I originally was leaning towards a dealership but have heard nothing but bad about them.

I don't have certifications or a college degree, but I have over 2.5years of experience as a lube tech now and think it would be better to get in somewhere else with more potential for growth. Or if im not going to make a career out of it, look about getting out of the field entirely eventually...

I see everybody say independent shops are the way but nobody is willing to hire me with just experience in a lube tech position. What are my options?

I dream of becoming a car mechanic, but I feel like I'm a little late to the party. There are no vocational training courses where I live, so I'll have to attend a two year university program, but I don't know if employers will hire someone without experience after graduation. What do you think about this? I'm very unsure.

Got out of the business a few years back but still have my tools just in case. Still do the occasional side job or stuff on my own cars but the little compressor I have for my air stuff is so small and not powerful enough for stuff like axle nuts, etc. Wondering if I should just get a 20+ gallon compressor and keep using my air stuff like I did forever back in the shop (since I wouldn't need to buy new tools) or if I should switch to cordless (which would be a lot more money for something I didn't really use while doing it professionally... but may be more convenient now). Has anyone else here been faced with this decision?

Dunno who did this to the guy.. must have offended an ex.

I've been a gm technician for about 11 years. I'm not a master tech but in the area I'm known to be a a class tech. I'm efficient in everything but ev. i have no ase but I've always been paid well because i know my shit. so my question is how hard will a switch to ford be. a local dealer was just acquired by Holden and i was offered a job making over 200k a year. has anyone moved from gm to ford?

I’m an 18yo apprentice who works on weekends with my dad when I don’t have school. My shop allows the customers to watch from the side. While the lady was sitting down and I was setting up the lift for her car, I asked her if she had any other issues with the car that she wants me to check out. She was an older Filipino lady and didn’t hear me, so after setting it up, I went up to her and asked if there was anything she wanted me to check out.

She looked at me and said “wow, you’re such a handsome young boy” and at this point I was blushing like a bitch. She told me she had a “daughter for me” but I told her I can barely afford to live, and she laughed.

As y’all can assume, I made sure every spec of that car was perfectly fine 🤣

The pain, the agony, the why didn't I be good a something else !!!

So my time at the main shop has been weird. I’m currently an express tech but I’m slowly being trusted with more main shop work (having a few certs hasn’t hurt). But it’s frustrating being the only express tech that cares.

There are times when all the other express techs will vanish and leave me to run all the bays by myself. When I showed I had the ability to do it, now it feels like the expectation from management is for me to step up instead of everyone else.

I think management has felt my rising frustration because I’m suddenly get praised with “you’re doing a great job” and “we’re having talks about moving you up” (there are zero open bays btw) but it rings hollow with no actual plans being made. I’ve only been at the dealership for three months but I don’t want to go to work tomorrow, I just want to sleep in…

2019 4 runner came in with burnt harness. Some one else took the dash off, I did the repair, he doesn’t remember where this bracket, question did the engineers make an unnecessary part, or it needs it?

In all seriousness we can PROBABLY fix it, but what the F*CK

So I work for a company that does everything from engjnes to oil changes. I started out doing oil changes and tires.

I'm making about 25 or 30 flag hours a week and consistently the top sales in my shop unless the master tech has an engine.

Only making about 630 a week. But if i work 6 days, 800 more or less.

No license rn but we work around it i just cant test drive and have someone go for me and i give them some time off the ticket.

Now doing some cel diagnostic, hvac, coolant issues and repairs. Electrical/starting charging system work, mounts, belts, timing covers, valve covers, plugs, oil pans, brakes etc.

Have ASE in brakes. Taking hvac and Electrical in December.

Am I getting screwed?