Also, young men that DO come into the automotive industry want to start out at the top. Forget having to pay your dues (I know I had to) and start at the bottom and learn. They think because they have a few months experience they can name their pay and start out at the top.
Why is body/paint work so expensive these days?
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AutoMechanic
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Yes that too I agree. I see that a lot actually especially since my shop mostly hires younger guys. Nothing wrong with wanting to advance but you must earn it first. I am young as well but I never really had that mentality especially since I am flat rate so each job we are assigned varies anyway. We also seem to have a hard time finding people to last in this field another reason I feel it’s expensive too.
Are you a Ford tech? Ford pays flat rate. My son is a certified pipe fitter/welder working at a Ford dealership. He's going to school to become a tech. He went to school at Local 123 in Tampa, FL. for 5 years. I asked him if HE'S SURE he wants to become a Ford tech? He smiled and said, "HE** YEAH!"
AutoMechanic
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No Toyota. Though I am fully certified with the Ford Ace program that I completed in high school which never expires. It has helped me a lot with my two Fords that I own. I’m currently still doing that I’m doing the Hybrid training now and then I’ll be done. The reason I am doing that is because my shop has been terminating people left and right the past week or so for having a little fun during the days we are slow nothing bad just hanging out and we played corn hole and a customer complained to the district manager and got us all in trouble. So I am preparing in case that I am an unlucky one. I have a friend who works at Ford and he really enjoys it he hates the Mazda and Mercury part of the job though LOL.
AutoMechanic
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And that’s cool your son is a welder there. That’s something else we don’t have even though it could help sometimes welding here is kinda everyone’s job if the part you will be replacing requires it you must do it unless you aren’t 18 then you have to get someone else to do it for you. I think the body shop at mine has a welding specialist but the auto shop does not.
1.) If you do autobody for a career, you die young. You gotta make hay while the sun shines.
2.) Paint and the shop materials are hard core expensive. Its getting out of control. Sand paper is too expensive.
3.) It is more labor than anyone wants to do these days.
4.) Employee benefits are so often overlooked. Building rent is getting too expensive "just because".
2.) Paint and the shop materials are hard core expensive. Its getting out of control. Sand paper is too expensive.
3.) It is more labor than anyone wants to do these days.
4.) Employee benefits are so often overlooked. Building rent is getting too expensive "just because".
I would guess high labor costs and higher rents for large spaces in manufacturing districts being encroached upon by development? As for labor costs, there's a theory of "price disease"—technology has increased the productivity of human labor, and therefore its cost. However, some jobs cannot be done faster such as education, or I guess, body work on an automobile. Therefore, the price of labor for these jobs will grow faster than other jobs.
Capacity. Only so many shops exist to do body work, and they pay a lot of costs to be there. With average body labor rates around $60 you would think it would be cheap to paint something. There's too much profitable insurance work for shops to give out low bids on a repaint. They have to cherry pick jobs based on total profit. It would be different if there were endless spaces to repaint cars in and a line around the block of qualified body technicians waiting to be hired. Gotta DIY it i guess.
Why do you automatically assume the non-US citizen is an illegal immigrant? could have been a student, a tourist, someone on a work visa?
That’s cheap. The two stage for my old Accord is over $300 a pint for both components. And that’s the mid grade stuff.
Could be. Could also be an illegal...
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