Be Reasonable, Polite, and Fair, but Be Firm.

I deeply distrust ANY dealership or mechanic, and make every attempt to avoid when possible and do my own service.
I’ve decided I’m Not going to stand for her wheels being damaged by hacks.
I occasionally am FORCED against my will to go to dealer or local mechanics. At my age with all sorts of medical issues I have now that prevents me from doing lots of maintenance I used to do. But I know 2-3 service managers and some auto salesmen for years. They all have the same very sad story. The auto industry (especially at dealership level) offers many very fine / rewarding , good paying jobs YET there are HELP WANTED signs all over. As we all get older, they see less and less young men either want those jobs or stick with them even with the best training and support programs ever. Lots of young people do not have the ambition or dedication it takes for such a career and they tell me its been driving the repair / service cost dealers must charge to the roof. They ALL advise (used to be unnecessary) "Sam, please do yourself a favor. If you can afford to, buy the extended warranty because at the rate its going EVERY SIMPLE thing you come to the dealership with will cost near $200 to $300 or MORE.
Its true and was evident to me before they even said it. I do have people tell me recently though when they needed new tires recently they checked and were happy to find that local dealerships are selling new tires at very competitive prices. That is something I would feel better about using the dealerships for. They have Techs who run circles in quality workmanship around the clowns you will find at Walmart or other tire outlets.
 
I occasionally am FORCED against my will to go to dealer or local mechanics. At my age with all sorts of medical issues I have now that prevents me from doing lots of maintenance I used to do. But I know 2-3 service managers and some auto salesmen for years. They all have the same very sad story. The auto industry (especially at dealership level) offers many very fine / rewarding , good paying jobs YET there are HELP WANTED signs all over. As we all get older, they see less and less young men either want those jobs or stick with them even with the best training and support programs ever. Lots of young people do not have the ambition or dedication it takes for such a career and they tell me its been driving the repair / service cost dealers must charge to the roof. They ALL advise (used to be unnecessary) "Sam, please do yourself a favor. If you can afford to, buy the extended warranty because at the rate its going EVERY SIMPLE thing you come to the dealership with will cost near $200 to $300 or MORE.
Its true and was evident to me before they even said it. I do have people tell me recently though when they needed new tires recently they checked and were happy to find that local dealerships are selling new tires at very competitive prices. That is something I would feel better about using the dealerships for. They have Techs who run circles in quality workmanship around the clowns you will find at Walmart or other tire outlets.
Your friend’s stories are bs(at least for my area). When I was still at the dealership they were trying to hire lube techs at 12.50/hr. The gas station was hiring cashiers at $15. I had a friend recently leave who was a B line tech(brakes, fluid flushes, state inspects, recalls) who left a different dealer because he got denied a raise. He was making 14.5/hr, Wendy’s currently has a billboard out offering $15/hr.

The ones that stay are the longtime techs making 75-150k or advisors that are making the same. Even those guys though only get two weeks vacation. Tech sick? Burn a day of vacation or go without pay. Advisors are salaried and average 60 hours a week. Doctor apt on Wednesday so take a half day but still work Saturday? Better believe they’re docking that salary check.

The biggest thing for advisors is the dreaded “pay plan adjustment”. Once you start hitting all the top goals they’ll move the posts. Last pay plan adjustment I saw cost the top advisor 20k a year even though the service department was setting records for profit.

Laziness is not the reason employees are fleeing the auto insustry.
 
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Your friend’s stories are bs(at least for my area). When I was still at the dealership they were trying to hire lube techs at 12.50/hr. The gas station was hiring cashiers at $15. I had a friend recently leave who was a B line tech(brakes, fluid flushes, state inspects, recalls) who left a different dealer because he got denied a raise. He was making 14.5/hr, Wendy’s currently has a billboard out offering $15/hr.

The ones that stay are the longtime techs making 75-150k or advisors that are making the same. Even those guys though only get two weeks vacation. Tech sick? Burn a day or go without pay. Advisors are salaried and average 60 hours a week. Doctor apt on Wednesday so take a half day but still work Saturday? Better believe they’re docking that salary check.

The biggest thing for advisors is the dreaded “pay plan adjustment”. Once you start hitting all the top goals they’ll move the posts. Last pay plan adjustment I saw cost the top advisor 20k a year even though the service department was setting records for profit.

Laziness is not the reason employees are fleeing the auto insustry.
Well said.

Spring boarding off this, the generational bashing gets pretty old... When folks gets some gray hair all of a sudden they think they’re the only generation who had it all figured out. The past, and all the people in it, is always seen through rose-colored glasses. There were no lazy or incompetent people in my time, no sires, Bob. Everyone one was a model citizen. All of them was a hard working, blue collar, backslapping pillars of the community... It’s all those **** kids they raised fault, the parents were all angels... ridiculous.
 
Your friend’s stories are bs(at least for my area). When I was still at the dealership they were trying to hire lube techs at 12.50/hr. The gas station was hiring cashiers at $15. I had a friend recently leave who was a B line tech(brakes, fluid flushes, state inspects, recalls) who left a different dealer because he got denied a raise. He was making 14.5/hr, Wendy’s currently has a billboard out offering $15/hr.

The ones that stay are the longtime techs making 75-150k or advisors that are making the same. Even those guys though only get two weeks vacation. Tech sick? Burn a day of vacation or go without pay. Advisors are salaried and average 60 hours a week. Doctor apt on Wednesday so take a half day but still work Saturday? Better believe they’re docking that salary check.

The biggest thing for advisors is the dreaded “pay plan adjustment”. Once you start hitting all the top goals they’ll move the posts. Last pay plan adjustment I saw cost the top advisor 20k a year even though the service department was setting records for profit.

Laziness is not the reason employees are fleeing the auto insustry.
Exactly the reason I built a shop & started my own business, If I'm going to be married to a location/business....Might as well be mine.

Never once had 2 weeks off in a given year & rarely ever had a Saturday off. I've had to quit a job to get time off before.....Let that S*** Show stew for a couple weeks then get my old job back with a little better pay.
 
If I was young - I’d take a harder job with upward mobility over a dead end/easy job …
 
Never once had 2 weeks off in a given year & rarely ever had a Saturday off. I've had to quit a job to get time off before.....Let that S*** Show stew for a couple weeks then get my old job back with a little better pay.

^ This right here is why I got away from working for a dealership. That place did everything on a Saturday. It wasn't just lube jobs or tires, Saturday was treated just like any other day of the week. Each tech was given four Saturdays off per year. This was at a time when my kids were growing up and I'd be missing their ball games or days where they weren't in school. I lived a half hour away from the dealership and I showed up for one Saturday and they told me that they had made an error and hadn't told me that it was my day off. So I then drove right home and they wouldn't even pay me for my driving time. This dealership also had almost no inventory, so when a part was ordered, it clogged up your shop space and you could do nothing but wait on parts.
This was the same dealership that had a 40% yearly turnover rate. I stopped in the the dealership a few years after I quit to buy a part and when I took a peek in the shop, I recognized none of the techs. This job was another reason that I made sure neither of my two male kids had any desire whatsoever to get into the automotive repair field.
 
Your friend’s stories are bs(at least for my area). When I was still at the dealership they were trying to hire lube techs at 12.50/hr. The gas station was hiring cashiers at $15. I had a friend recently leave who was a B line tech(brakes, fluid flushes, state inspects, recalls) who left a different dealer because he got denied a raise. He was making 14.5/hr, Wendy’s currently has a billboard out offering $15/hr.

The ones that stay are the longtime techs making 75-150k or advisors that are making the same. Even those guys though only get two weeks vacation. Tech sick? Burn a day of vacation or go without pay. Advisors are salaried and average 60 hours a week. Doctor apt on Wednesday so take a half day but still work Saturday? Better believe they’re docking that salary check.

The biggest thing for advisors is the dreaded “pay plan adjustment”. Once you start hitting all the top goals they’ll move the posts. Last pay plan adjustment I saw cost the top advisor 20k a year even though the service department was setting records for profit.

Laziness is not the reason employees are fleeing the auto insustry.
I can believe it today. Those guys are all retired today. So that explains to me why every time I find a good place latley - last 5 years , to deal with, within a year to two all the good employees have moved on. very frustrating. Sounds to me just like the stories I hear about Walmarts treatment of workers latley? Which someone on here went mental one day to support Walmart management! LOL
 
Sounds to me just like the stories I hear about Walmarts treatment of workers latley? Which someone on here went mental one day to support Walmart management! LOL
$100 says the same guy who trashes an employee for leaving a hostile environment is the same guy you’ll see dressing down a minimum wage making, teenage cashier at Burger King for putting pickles on his Whopper.
 
If I was young - I’d take a harder job with upward mobility over a dead end/easy job …
But the only thing good about working in the auto industry is money. The benefits are ****. I currently work making a material used in spinal fusion for a specialty glass company. After being taught the correct process about anyone could do it. Unlike the skilled labor I was doing as a tech.

So I did take a pretty solid hit on pay which is to be expected coming out of an industry I was in for 15 years BUT I’m off every weekend. Two weeks vacation after 3 months and resets at the beginning of each calendar year and 8 hours of personal time accrued each month. If one of my kids is sick I call and let them know. I don’t get the whole “well can’t you call someone else to take care of them today, we really need you here” run around.

Also I’ve got bigger retirement match now than at the dealership. The insurance is a wash as both are high deductible plans but fully paid for employee.
 
$100 says the same guy who trashes an employee for leaving a hostile environment is the same guy you’ll see dressing down a minimum wage making, teenage cashier at Burger King for putting pickles on his Whopper.
Respect goes a long way.

I feel like our society equates respect with profession. You should respect your doctor and military personnel but mechanics should be treated as thieves and fast food industry workers are to be treated as medieval peasants here to serve their lords.

It’s not right but the best way I can fix it is by starting with myself. I always tried to be trustworthy as a mechanic and not sell unnecessary services. I always try to take a moment to calm down when a fast food order is way off or something doesn’t go my way at a big box store. I hope my kids see when I’m successful at that and I hope when I fail to act according to my own standards they see me apologize to those o failed to show proper respect to.

Also I hope they never learn my screen names and see all the arguments I’ve been in on car forums 🤣
 
I would not go that far in this case; within a year you'll get a scratch or a ding by a gravel somewhere on the car body; what i'm saying, a wear and tear entails and affects every daily driver out there
This isn't "wear and tear." It's neglect by a person that the OP charged with the care of his vehicle.
 
Respect goes a long way.

I feel like our society equates respect with profession. You should respect your doctor and military personnel but mechanics should be treated as thieves and fast food industry workers are to be treated as medieval peasants here to serve their lords.

It’s not right but the best way I can fix it is by starting with myself. I always tried to be trustworthy as a mechanic and not sell unnecessary services. I always try to take a moment to calm down when a fast food order is way off or something doesn’t go my way at a big box store. I hope my kids see when I’m successful at that and I hope when I fail to act according to my own standards they see me apologize to those o failed to show proper respect to.

Also I hope they never learn my screen names and see all the arguments I’ve been in on car forums 🤣
LOL . I was boiling angry one day at a check out employee's attitude. Did not say anything. It dawned on me right then.... "maybe the person is sick?
maybe she don't sleep well? maybe she is in pain like me?" That was a red light to me. Since then no matter how slow or impolite I don't judge them. Now I can't help but judge these girls in the gas station / convienent stores who will actually ignore you or grunt in place of a "hello , may I help you?" and talk on their phone while there are 6 - 7 people in the line. Someone was never taught manners or a work ethic in those cases.
 
Respect goes a long way.

I feel like our society equates respect with profession. You should respect your doctor and military personnel but mechanics should be treated as thieves and fast food industry workers are to be treated as medieval peasants here to serve their lords.

It’s not right but the best way I can fix it is by starting with myself. I always tried to be trustworthy as a mechanic and not sell unnecessary services. I always try to take a moment to calm down when a fast food order is way off or something doesn’t go my way at a big box store. I hope my kids see when I’m successful at that and I hope when I fail to act according to my own standards they see me apologize to those o failed to show proper respect to.

Also I hope they never learn my screen names and see all the arguments I’ve been in on car forums 🤣
The “holier than thou” attitude bothers me to no end.

Never made a mistake in their entire life, right... Never was a young, stupid kid just trying to figure life out like the rest of the word... Never cut a corner on anything or did anything wrong to anyone. They’re beyond reproach with a perfect record.

We’re all just people trying to make it in this crazy world the best we know how.
 
Doesn’t it just SUCK that we have to fight, tooth-and-nail, for us just to have something, anything, repaired with care and Pride nowadays?
Sorry, just ranting……..We now return to our regularly scheduled programming.😎
exactly .... too bad you have to be on guard for every service you need now a days
 
NTB was originally TIRE KINGDOM founded in FL. in 1972. When I moved to Tampa, FL. in 1987 my very first credit card was from TK. It's now an NTB card. TK was a very good, caring automotive/tire store. NTB, meh.........
 
I fully expect to find damage to my car any time it’s serviced. It makes me cringe.
When l had my new tires installed on my F150 last year at my local WM, they managed to scratch my bumper.
You might be thinking, "lt's a bumper. They're supposed to get scratched."
How about a 12" scratch into a black semi gloss painted bumper?
SCRATCH.jpg
 
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Oh wow I just got to the part where it was the inside of the wheel. :oops:

Man I feel lucky if I get tires that don't shake and leak.
 
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