Why young people don't want to be mechanics.
A good basic tool set is $50,000.00 USD..
You must digest several 100,000 pages of new material every year because of changes, developments, and laws.
It is rare for a customer to walk in happy..
Today, most companies get rid of older more experienced = more expensive mechanics first.
Shop politics BS frequently pushes good people out.
The work is always on a deadline.
The conditions range from mud trails to a nice mall.
The work is frequently dirty, dangerous, and frustrating.

Automotive Service Technicians and Mechanics : Occupational Outlook Handbook : U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics


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Kind of makes you wish for simpler times, doesn't it.

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1982 300SD " Wotan" ..On the road as of Jan 8, 2007 with Historic Tags

Kind of why I was looking to get out of it. I'd still take a government fleet maintenance job, but I'm currently working in another field and doing ok.

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Whoever said there's nothing more expensive than a cheap Mercedes never had a cheap Jaguar.

83 300D Turbo with manual conversion, early W126 vented front rotors and H4 headlights 400,xxx miles
08 Suzuki GSX-R600 M4 Slip-on 22,xxx miles
88 Jaguar XJS V12 94,xxx miles. Work in progress.

Kind of makes you want to go independant doesn't it?

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1992 W201 190E 1.8 171,000 km - Daily driver
1981 W123 300D ~ 100,000 miles / 160,000 km - project car stripped to the bone
1965 Land Rover Series 2a Station Wagon CIS recovery therapy!
1961 Volvo PV544 Bare metal rat rod-ish thing

I'm here to chat about cars and to help others - I'm not here "to always be right" like an internet warrior



Don't leave that there - I'll take it to bits!

You left something off the list: Flat rate pay that rewards dangerous shortcuts and dishonesty. Other than that, everything else is spot on. I could probably write a book on this subject but don't have time right now so will have to do it later. Don't believe the tech school TV commercials showing the dude playing with the expensive "big boy toys" on the lake. Heck, it's more likely he has to work that weekend rather than relaxing.

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Erich Loepke
2010 Ford Focus
Currently Benz-less

Don't forget:

They've been convinced by their parents that they need to go to college.

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1980 300TD-China Blue/Blue MBTex-2nd Owner, 107K (Alt Blau) OBK #15
'06 Chevy Tahoe Z71 (for the wife & 4 kids, current mule) '03 Honda Odyssey (son #1's ride, reluctantly) '99 GMC Suburban (255K+ miles, semi-retired mule) 21' SeaRay Seville (summer escape pod)

OTOH, if you're living in the right area, relatively easy to go independent and not deal with some c*nt of a boss. No professional certification or apprenticeship requirements in a lot of states. i.e., if you know your stuff, have access to a shop and tools, and have a business license, you can open a shop. I've actually toyed with the idea of doing so in NJ.

I used to think I would want to work on cars for a living. Ha! No more. If anything, I think I'd enjoy doing tuning work or maybe building custom vehicles but never repairs for the general public.

Barf!

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-Evan


Benz Fleet:
1968 UNIMOG 404.114
1998 E300
2008 E63


Non-Benz Fleet:
1992 Aerostar
1993 MR2
2000 F250

^2 on post 7 is pretty much what I did. I don't make the money that a papermill engineer makes but I'm having the time of my life. I'm averaging working about 20 hours week and steadily picking up new clients. Typically doing more BMW work than anything else. Best friend of the mechanic is the no maintenance BS that BMW sold the initial owners. It catches up with the second owners.

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Jim

I haven't depended on 'chanicin' for a living for over 40 years now. I thought I was going to have to go back to it in the mid 2000's, but it didn't become necessary after all.

Since my work in the last forty years has been on my own cars and friends and relatives, it's been almost recreation. A big part of it is the attitude you approach it with. Engatwork is educated with expertise that could make him a lot more money, but prefers staying close to the place and working on customers cars instead. I understand perfectly what has led him to that, and admire his attitude.

In Europe, mechanics are respected. Here, thanks to Hollywood, mechanics are thought of as all being as dumb as Gomer and Goober. I wonder if Gomer and Goober could pull a code and run down a circuit? I wonder if they could make their way through a clutch pack and everything surrounding it?

If mechanics were respected and paid what they're worth it would be a whole different world in that shop out back.

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2001 SLK 320 six speed manual
2014 Porsche Cayenne six speed manual

Annoy a Liberal, Read the Constitution

One other thing, I spend probably two days a week dealing with mom and dad stuff (mom 80, dad 83) and the way I work allows the freedom to do this. The rest of the time is spent trying to keep the yard and blueberry patch up.

Thing about where I am situated is that with the exception of one shop about 25 miles away rest of them around here ARE the Goober/Gomer shops. My customers are thrilled to have me as their mechanic. One of them told me that with me helping her with her BMW 525i she does not need AAA. I'm also starting to pick up breakdowns off of Interstate 16 which is within a couple miles of the shop. The Sheriff's department and a couple of the local tow operators call me whenever they come up on a broke down import.

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Jim

Thinking ahead - When you get to be 50, you don't want to be getting dirty/banged up working under cars anymore.

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1985 380SE Blue/Blue - 230,000 miles
2012 Subaru Forester 5-speed
2005 Toyota Sienna
2004 Chrysler Sebring convertible
1999 Toyota Tacoma

Sometimes it is true that if you make a living doing what you love you never "work" a day in your life. ( My son the Tuba player/ Tube professor is a case in point)
However, there is a vast difference between wrenching on your, or your friends' cars and doing it as a profession, every day, every hour on the time clock. That rag you left on the exhaust manifold, that your friends would have laughed about, and kidded you about, becomes a factor in a lawsuit. No fun.

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1982 300SD " Wotan" ..On the road as of Jan 8, 2007 with Historic Tags

I have all the specialized tools, machinery and parts to do a small cottage industry making spoecialized parts for Citroens in the US and Canada, then shipping the overage back to Europe, because the old masters have all retired.

After I retire from my last job, I'm going to do it.

I'll have three patents and a small stock of parts, plus lots of connections from the various French and German forums. I won't be rich, but I'll make some extra cash and have fun.

PLUS-- every trip to Europe is a deductible business trip!

Ah the women of southern France......

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Strelnik
Invest in America: Buy a Congressman!

1950 170SD
1951 Citroen 11BN
1953 Citroen 11BNF limo
1953 220a project
1959 180D
1960 190D
1960 Borgward Isabella TS 2dr
1983 240D daily driver
1983 380SL
1990 350SDL daily driver alt
3 x Citroen DS21M, down from 5
3 x Citroen 2CV, down from 6

How are the prerequisites and conditions much different than other technical occupations?