hello all. just wondering if anyone can give any input as to what an ASE certified mechanic can make right out of school, and how much they can make 10 years down the road?
ASE mechanic wage
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depends heavily on the local cost of living a nd type of dealership, obviously expect more per hour at audi then kia. around here I would say 15 to 30 per hour
I agree, it HEAVILY depends on the location. When I was in the field, I was in a small town and I can say that I didn't get rich or famous........or even close to being well off, but in the more affluent/metropolitian areas, the pay is pretty good.
FlatRateTech.com has tons of threads on mechanic pay and whats going on in the car repair industry.
Manufacturers are paying less and less for significant amounts of warranty work. Ask a few dealership techs. The economic squeeze is affecting everyone.
JHZR2
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Originally Posted By: bmwtechguy
Manufacturers are paying less and less for significant amounts of warranty work. Ask a few dealership techs. The economic squeeze is affecting everyone.
Are you saying they are dropping the number of "book hours" to do a job, or that they are just not paying for defective stuff?
Manufacturers are paying less and less for significant amounts of warranty work. Ask a few dealership techs. The economic squeeze is affecting everyone.
Are you saying they are dropping the number of "book hours" to do a job, or that they are just not paying for defective stuff?
I dropped my ASE stuff years ago. Shops don't care about being ASE certified anymore and few if any even have the sign up anymore.
Originally Posted By: JHZR2
Originally Posted By: bmwtechguy
Manufacturers are paying less and less for significant amounts of warranty work. Ask a few dealership techs. The economic squeeze is affecting everyone.
Are you saying they are dropping the number of "book hours" to do a job, or that they are just not paying for defective stuff?
They are slashing the warranty pay rate which is different from book time. Warranty pay rate could be 1/3 or 1/2 of book time.
ASE means nothing at a lot of dealer. All it proves is you can correctly fill out the bubbles on a multiple choice test. Dealer want manufacturer specific certifications. The questions on ASE tests are pretty general. That being said I do have a few ASE certifications just to have something on the wall to impress customers. My Ford Master Certifications mean more to me anyway since they could actually help get me a job if I need to leave my current one, no plans BTW I love what I do and where I work.
FWIW our lube techs start at $17 an hour flat rate, CA law if you provide your own tools you must get double minimum wage. Our line techs get between $25 and $35 an hour flat rate with a door labor rate of $110 an hour to the customer. You might think that is high, but when you consider we recently were sent $10,000 in special tools for the Fiesta from Ford that we didn't want, but are required to buy that helps bump the rate.
Originally Posted By: bmwtechguy
Manufacturers are paying less and less for significant amounts of warranty work. Ask a few dealership techs. The economic squeeze is affecting everyone.
Are you saying they are dropping the number of "book hours" to do a job, or that they are just not paying for defective stuff?
They are slashing the warranty pay rate which is different from book time. Warranty pay rate could be 1/3 or 1/2 of book time.
ASE means nothing at a lot of dealer. All it proves is you can correctly fill out the bubbles on a multiple choice test. Dealer want manufacturer specific certifications. The questions on ASE tests are pretty general. That being said I do have a few ASE certifications just to have something on the wall to impress customers. My Ford Master Certifications mean more to me anyway since they could actually help get me a job if I need to leave my current one, no plans BTW I love what I do and where I work.
FWIW our lube techs start at $17 an hour flat rate, CA law if you provide your own tools you must get double minimum wage. Our line techs get between $25 and $35 an hour flat rate with a door labor rate of $110 an hour to the customer. You might think that is high, but when you consider we recently were sent $10,000 in special tools for the Fiesta from Ford that we didn't want, but are required to buy that helps bump the rate.
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$17/hr for people who change oil?
For that mindless easy work, I'll sign up!
For that mindless easy work, I'll sign up!
Originally Posted By: mechtech2
$17/hr for people who change oil?
For that mindless easy work, I'll sign up!
I was thinking the same thing!
Cali seriously has a law where auto techs who use their own tools have to be paid twice the state minimum wage?
$17/hr for people who change oil?
For that mindless easy work, I'll sign up!
I was thinking the same thing!
Cali seriously has a law where auto techs who use their own tools have to be paid twice the state minimum wage?
Originally Posted By: Drew99GT
Originally Posted By: mechtech2
$17/hr for people who change oil?
For that mindless easy work, I'll sign up!
I was thinking the same thing!
Cali seriously has a law where auto techs who use their own tools have to be paid twice the state minimum wage?
Didn't even know about that regulation until today. In other words chain shops won't pay that.
Originally Posted By: mechtech2
$17/hr for people who change oil?
For that mindless easy work, I'll sign up!
I was thinking the same thing!
Cali seriously has a law where auto techs who use their own tools have to be paid twice the state minimum wage?
Didn't even know about that regulation until today. In other words chain shops won't pay that.
yea, but everything out there costs twice as much it seems. If lube techs made there what they make here, they would have to work 2 jobs just to put food on the table.
I notice many career mechanics are very unhappy and wished they never got into the business when I read forums on Indeed or flatratetech, ...etc.
I'm a fleet maintenance tech (basically a glorified lubetech). Not certified in anything. I have my own tools. Used to make about $20/hr, but with the hurting economy the place I work for was forced to let some people go and slash pay. It was either I take a huge slash in pay or find another job. So now I'm making only 14/hr. One of the guys who was laid off now works for Hyundai making 22/hr, doesn't have certifications, and doesn't even own his own tools. A good buddy of mine is working for BMW making really good money. By the way, I'm out in CA.
The provide your own tools thing implies literally all of your tools. The only thing our shop supplies is a drain tub collector thing and a lift. We have the big stuff as shop supplies. The chain places provide air guns and all have a shop set of oil change supplies that gets them out of having to follow that regulation since they supply the majority of the tools needed to do the job to their people.
Technician pay is full of variables. When I left the field, a good rule was 1/3 the customer pay labor rate for an experienced tech. That's when CP was about $69/hour. The superstars got a bit more and the hacks got a bit less. Now that CP rates are above $100 in most places, I'd have to say that's an unrealistic rule anymore, as I know few techs who are pulling more than $35/hour.
The bigger variables around here are the perks. Some shops are doing guarenteed 40 hours, paying for at least 40 hours every week, regardless of output. Some shops pay a different tech rate for warrenty work vs. customer pay work. Others pay more for an up-sell on an RO or pay a flat dollar amount for menu items like flushes.
As for the ASEs, get them. If you're just getting into the field, it will at least distinguish yourself from the lackeys who never aspire to anything beyond the lube rack. Your manufacturer certs. will come with time.
The bigger variables around here are the perks. Some shops are doing guarenteed 40 hours, paying for at least 40 hours every week, regardless of output. Some shops pay a different tech rate for warrenty work vs. customer pay work. Others pay more for an up-sell on an RO or pay a flat dollar amount for menu items like flushes.
As for the ASEs, get them. If you're just getting into the field, it will at least distinguish yourself from the lackeys who never aspire to anything beyond the lube rack. Your manufacturer certs. will come with time.
I think that sounds reasonable. If an employer wants to pay minimum wage then they should supply the tools. If you were making minimum wage and buying tools you'd be working just for your tools. Besides any decent mechanic needing a lot of tools wouldn't work for less than twice minimum wage anyway.
Ditto to mechanicx. I used to sell tools. In Arkansas, many techs at a Peterbilt shop were working for $9/hr. After tool payments, this did not leave them much. This meant I didn"t get paid or they quit, or both. Can't believe how many times I've heard the "I can't pay becasue my grandma died" story. Some guys must have lost 50 grandparents in a years time!
Imagine how much more productive society would be if these overpaid technicians were brought back into line pay wise.
Heck, they don't even need to use calculus (or even 7th grade math) for even the most complicated of their daily tasks.
Heck, they don't even need to use calculus (or even 7th grade math) for even the most complicated of their daily tasks.
Originally Posted By: Shannow
Imagine how much more productive society would be if these overpaid technicians were brought back into line pay wise.
Heck, they don't even need to use calculus (or even 7th grade math) for even the most complicated of their daily tasks.
Technicians who do electrical/driveability/network diagnostics would like a word with you. You cant bunch all technicians into one group, the 17 year old doing your oil changes does not belong in the same category as a technician doing driveability concerns on modern cars.
Imagine how much more productive society would be if these overpaid technicians were brought back into line pay wise.
Heck, they don't even need to use calculus (or even 7th grade math) for even the most complicated of their daily tasks.
Technicians who do electrical/driveability/network diagnostics would like a word with you. You cant bunch all technicians into one group, the 17 year old doing your oil changes does not belong in the same category as a technician doing driveability concerns on modern cars.
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