Auto Mechanics
 

I don't know if i'm posting this in the right forum but being an auto-mechanic as a career, can you live a pretty decent life with a nice house, car etc..? Because it seems like auto-mechanics don't really make that much, is that true?

anyone..?

I think specialists make more money than regular mechanics? I'm not entirely sure, I have a friend who's a mechanic, I'll ask him if he doesn't see this post before the next time I talk to him.

flat rate mechanics at dealerships can make a TONNE of money... we got 2 guys in our shop pumping out 160-200%... that's making them somewhere between 95 and 120k per year... the rest of the guys are around 120-150%...

at basic 100% productivity, it's still a pretty good living...

alright thanks, because i'm thinking of getting into auto mechanics at either BCIT or VCC

i think if you want to make good money as auto mechanic you REALLY need to know your shit and be the guy that can diagnose problems and know how to fix them. theres a big difference in being able to fix a problem and finding out the problem. you just relally need to know your shit thats all im saying i wanted to get into this career too but i then i had second thoughts after asking some people i know who went into this path

yeah i've had a friend who told me her guy friends took auto mechanics at school and didn't even get into it so that kinda gave me doubts about getting into this career

It's a bit of a tricky trade. You really have to want to do it, and you have to be willing to have the patience to learn, and to succeed. For the 4 years of your apprenticeship, you either learn nothing, or you learn as much as you can. What you accomplish is up to you, and to how motivated you are. You can learn a lot at a dealership, but your experiences may vary from others. You may also end up at a dealership where you learn nothing.

I'm personally in the aftermarket, and the wealth of knowledge and information that I'm exposed to is great. As for mechanics making a lot of money... not really. If you specialize, it's a possibility, but not a guarantee.

Don't get into the field with the intent of making a lot of money or always enjoying what you'll be doing. Neither is the case.

Well... hi youngster.. I can give to you some wise advice.

I was once in the same path as you. I deliberately dropped out of SFU Business to pursuit my mechanic dream. I dreamed of accomplishing the Auto Mechanic course at BCIT. I even registered for it. In the time of waiting, I hoped over to my friend's aftermarket shop. That's where it really stopped my dream.

There is a line between a career and a passion. My passion was cars. I was and currently am into JDM cars. My favorite car is the Honda CRX. (sidenote: I just recently the other day, purchased a RHD CRX from the Japan Auction.. will be here in another month) (k20 is ready for swap). Mechanics basically you must have a ton of patience.

Get ready to be very dirty, your clothing will be filled with oil and lubrications, mud, and dust, and all that good stuff. Your hands will be as rough as the sand paper. and if you are a fattie then don't even consider being a mechanic. You will have a lot of trouble getting into spaces. Especially with today's cars, the engine bay, and other key areas are tight packed. Be prepared to be very uncomfortable.

The thing with mechanics is that, its not what you have learnt, is what you have applied. I know a lot of mechiancs that didn't learn but still made a good living. it's all about hands ons and experience.

Now I'm currently @ UBC Sauder that doesn't stop me from entering the dirty shops. I fund my friend's shop in Bridgeport. I'm earning big bucks without going through the mechanics route however I have not left my passion behind.

This is not true at all. There are ways around this issue. There are specialized tools out there if there to help you. If there is some really in the way, then the option of taking it out is always present.
This job is not that physical if you use your mind correctly.
"Work smarter; not harder"

^ Ditto on that. :)

you wont be a millioniare by all means but you will live comfortably, go on nice vacation, our diagnostic person makes $36/hr and he doesnt even work half the time, but he can figure out things that even dealership guys cant figure out
also alot of the times, you'll be making more money on the side jobs you do

it seems like everyone has different opinions on this career and i do love cars a lot but seeing how much patience you need and whatnot seems like it could easily change my mind. Like what's the difference between a specialist and an auto-mechanic?

how good you are at diagnosing problems on a vehicle VS parts changer

one will do all the grunt work while the other figures out problems then gets the grunt to do the work, specialize in electrical diag and you will be set

mabye you should go in to a mechanic shop and work a couple days free just to see if you fit in or not...
cuz you might enjoy cars but you might not enjoy working on it

It's all about diag and understanding how each system works on each different make and model. Anyone with a decent automotive mind can do brakes and simple mechanical work, but not everyone can diag driveability problems.

I took the the mechanic course at kwantlen (because i was tired of waiting on the waiting list for bcit). I finished the 1st year course and worked in a shop for my 1st year apprenticeship. During my apprenticeship I felt like i didn't' learn as much as i was suppose to, and even during my course at kwantlen i felt like i drifted by rather than really learn everything I needed to know.

I have to agree with the others that said you really need to be motivated to learn. There is alot to learn and you will have to learn constantly. I felt like I was not motivated enough, so I went another route.

like someone else said fixing the problem and figuring out the problem are two completely different things.

brothers a mechanic out of BCIT...

i thought about doing it cuz yeah i liked cars...

so one day...i help him out wif the engine ...cuz yah i liked cars.

and then i

cut my hand

dropped a super important bolt...which went missing

i couldent get the oil off my skin even after using that crappy orange sand scrub stuff

the point is...the work is not as fun as you may think. You really have to enjoy it. and its not easy...even the simplest of things like unscrewing a bolt. ..sometimes there r bolts that r freaking hard to reach, and u use all sorts of tools to try to get them out..which becomes really frustrating.

seems like a lot of people have a negative experience with auto-mechanics. I have another question as well, with the econonmic industry and automotive industry not doing so well, is there a good chance that mechanics will lose their jobs in the future?

Techs are always in demand. If you are good at what you do, and have your ticket, there will always be jobs lined up for you.

^if you are a good diagnostic guy, then there will ALWAYS be an opening for you

another popular program ppl want to do is the financial management program at BCIT.

imo. worry less about the future of jobs. nowadays, with enough work experience, you can qualify for almost any job that pays as much as an auto mechanic. You won't know what the future holds.

what kind of program would that be under? Cause at BCIT, i don't see a specific course or program for just "auto-mechanics"

^ Automotive ELTT