If you're smart enough to be a mechanic, you're smart enough to know there are easier ways of making a living. Glad I'm retiring soon, this trade sucks and we eat our own.

Maybe if shops and dealers stop treating technicians like crap the older technicians would not be walking away from the industry.

Ive been twisting bolts since 2001. No one wanted to pay us fair, I had to start my own. When you see the shop getting $100 an hour off of you but only pays your 10-15 percent of that a person can feel cheated, when she shop is getting $375 an hours from your work and you don't even get that 10-15 percent a person knows they have been cheated.. Too many technologies too fast and they still want to pay us lube tech wages.

Pay too low period.

It’s the same thing here in Canada and it’s super simple to know why. Low rates of pay $17-$25 for the 4 years of apprenticeship where you need to buy tools constantly, while working in a tough environment with ethical concerns and high pressures I left the trade at 23. Maybe if pay scales got vastly overhauled to reflect the modern world you would have countless more technicians

The garages that claim there is a shortage had the most turnover. They had the mechanic. They just could not keep them.

Mechanics don’t retire they just fade away.

When I went to school for the 1st year of my apprenticeship - the first thing the teacher did was say "RUN - get out of this industry.. anyone who stays don't say I didn't warn you" Thankfully I'm no longer in that industry directly, but he was right. Flat rate used to be great. Getting paid a decent amount of time to work on things. Now they have pulled the times back for everything so tight you don't make any money on anything. Start paying guys hourly at a decent amount with achievable productivity bonus's! Nobody should be worried about their take home at the end of the pay period. If there's that much work to do, the shop shouldn't have any issues recouping the costs from customers. Maybe shop owners wont be able to buy a Ferrari quite as quickly.

High stress, low ish pay, ethical concerns. I could see why it’s hard to find good help. I’m an hvac mechanic but we’re seeing the same thing over here in tx. Combine all the above with ever increasing planned obsolescence and over complicated car designs it’s gotta be tough

I'm seeing advertisements in my town willing to pay $50 an hour for qualified mechanics. But this is only an illusion with all the free diag and warranty work it's closer to $25 an hour

Its a shortage for a very large combination of problems. Between stagnated wages, complicated designs, destruction of apprenticeship structure, exploitation of labor, evs requiring education and certification before being allowed to repair them while dealers refuse to invest in invested techs, the industry is withering away. Lastly, highly skilled individuals aren't rewarded and advanced, so we pack up and leave for our own ventures.

I’ve been a mechanic for over 20 something years, and I will admit it’s not nearly as fun as it was it once. I guess I’m old enough to remember working on cars ahead carburetors points and adjustable ignition… I’ve since Transitioned to fuel injection, direct injection, turbochargers, hybrid, and electric powered vehicles. Needless to say it gets tiring to try and stay relevant and so many different technologies. Also, the way technicians are commonly paid is just awful. Usually it’s 100% commission not much of a guarantee any the amount of stress and damage you put on your body just doesn’t make it viable for long-term. I’m currently in my mid 40s and I can honestly say that I don’t have much more left to give after having two shoulder surgeries and elbow surgery. Also, your content description is a bit misleading… You’re speaking on two different cultures. The whining? 🙄

I have been a owner/tech for 3 years now and I give the best price possible an yet a $1200 job down to $650(aftermarket quality parts) is not good enough. I barley get by and its still not good enough, high risk and responsibility and low returns.

Tire oil techs get burned out so much work no pay. Flat rate mechanics could just sit there for hours basically paying the store to be there no thank you glad I left

one problem is that , some of these employers want a new person to be totally trained, and not want to do any training themselves. for example, the right fit, should be someone who wants and has a good start at automotive ,like tech school, THE the company needs to go ahead and bite the bullet , the 1st few months, that the employee is getting experience. But, the employer wants a good employee but doesn't want to spend the time to develop a good mechanic and wait.. they want someone that already knows what they are doing. And that is where the problem starts, hiring someone with experience, that the company thinks is going to stick around and doesn't, because he knows , he can go anywhere and get a job with his experience and does just that. whereas, the new tech coming in, will be loyal and thankful for the start. If I own a business, and I don't or cant train an employee, that is my problem as the owner of the company,, not the trainee who is steadfast and wants to learn.

This is a myth, if it was true wages and working conditions would have improved a long time ago. The real shortage is of good employers.

I turned wrenches for 25 years. Finally had enough of the bs. Got out and got lucky, got a comfy government job. Never felt better. I feel sorry for the young guys getting into the business. Cost of tools, complexity of new vehicles and little support from management.

A big issue in this industry is more than just pay because im currently in puerto rico, graduated recently and had to pay more than a 100 dollar for a test that would allow me to have a license to be able to work plus pay 150 extra so i can actually have my license on top of that i went into a shop fully motivated to work and there wasn’t proper training and tools just 60 year old man boasting about his skills doing less than me and no growth and learning opportunities, that’s why mcdonalds has more employees than any trade sadly

It's not about getting kids into the trade it's about keeping mechanics in the trade

These young guys know better to get it in the car business.

I had to retire at 49 after needing a back fusion then a neck fusion .heavy equipment

A decent tool box for today car can cost upward of 30K including special tools and diagnostic tool. You will be paying a snap on dealer for a long time.

I’ve been in this industry 10 years im in the process of leaving next year! This industry sucks!!

I have been messign around with cars from around the age of 14 and I am now 46. Joined the army in 2004 and have been in the civilian tech since 2012. Right now I make $55 an hour flat rate and make great money. While I was in school, there was 10 auto techs per 1 job while there was 10 diesel jobs per diesel tech. It just matters where you go.

I do my own wrenching and i mostly drive bmws and im a software engineer. What ive noticed is that people in usa have no clue how to work on these cars, yes that includes the dealer who broke my cars several times.

After 30+ yrs of chasing new technologies, I now diag all day and answer a billion questions. If not for the love of the machine, I'd have quit long ago, because there's been plenty of other , more profitable ways to make a livin'.

I'm an autobody tech, I'm starting to believe the auto makers are to blame for tech shortages both mechanic, and body repair. These cars are built so cheap and they always keep changing how things are assembled, and I spend all my money on tools. I have nothing positive to say about the automotive industry

Yep they been saying that for years but yet nothing ever gets done .. and 5 years from now it’s going to be the same … there are no mechanics because the job is terrible and low pay shit environment

Cars are not designed to be worked anymore. They are over complicated for no reason other than to get it down the assembly line as fast as possible with no regard to serviceability. When you have to lift the cab off to do any kind of major service to the engine that's just stupid design. I build hot rods and custom cars for a living and got out of the mechanics world at 29. I saw how miserable it was to work on front wheel drive crosswise engine cars and walked away. I use the best of the designs from the OEM's to build cool cars that can be worked on. When you build a hot rod it has to be done twice just like building a one off prototype every time, except my customers expect it to work every time unlike the OEM's crap.

Cars have gotten so complicated, mechanics are not being compensated for it at all. Seems that auto manufactures created this problem with no real answer. Can't make things simple any more.

As a seasoned mechanic not only did I not make a dime but my sex life suffered do to dirty finger nails and stained hands I want REIMBURSED for lost wages and WASTED DAYS and WASTED NIGHTS

Forward thinking entrepreneurs will Find a way to engage these young people in their communities when they are still interested.

Flat Rate. It means someone else decides what something will cost. Usually around 50% of what it actually takes. They call that fair. Fair for who?

Fnk that job. No grease, oil, pyscho customers, low pay. I live on welfare in a wheel chair in a tent now.

Auto techs are vastly underpaid for what knowledge is required for current vehicles. Shop labor rates are high, as high as $150 or beyond. It’s beyond me how they can’t give better pay. Also flat rate is a joke under most circumstance’s. Your better off starting your own repair shop or mobile buisness then being an employee

its because high schools push kids into getting silicone valley jobs surrounding yourself by cubicle than a trade which makes the world really go round. Same is happening with truckers as many of them are retiring which forced the DOT to lower the min age of 21 to 18.

There's no shortage of mechanics. There is a shortage of people willing to spend 1-3 hundred per week on tools for part time Walmart or McDonald's wages, and no benefits whatsoever. There are two types of shops. Shops are going to pay mechanics which ever way benefits the shop or owner, not the mechanic. One pays flat rate by the book. At the dealership almost everything except brakes and flushes are under warranty. Warranty pays half as much as customer pay job. Basically, you are working for half price. So $40 or hour is $20 per hour or less and still got a massive tool bill. Second is the low hour wage at independent and tire shops. Which pay just enough to pay the tool bill and buy gasoline and cheap food. So how you gone live? By doing side work at home. Back in the 70s and 80s starting out, a mechanic could make more money than a city worker or factory job. Today the trash truck driver pays more than what a mechanic makes and truck driver doesn't have to buy any tools. His employer may even reimburse him for steel toe boots and he has some sort of benefits or retirement plan. Mechanic gets older, all he has a pile of tools worth pennies on the dollar and discovers that many past employers didn't even pay in any of his social security. You see in most states mechanics are consider contract laborers. They don't even get any overtime pay. If you have half a brain, don't waste your young healthy life away working as a mechanic. Good luck He said it all, when they get hungry. This is the shop owner and dealerships mentality. Keep them hungry so they have to work 😳

oooh....a parts manager.....rofl...ok buddy, manage those parts

Seems to me like we're going to need electricians not auto mechanics. I've been working on cars all life and don't know a thing a EV's.

There's no shortage. Mechanics are still getting paid 90's wages and hence people walk away. you'll do much better looking into different fields

I left the car world for John deere and I will NEVER turn back its a laid back environment and the pay is literally fucking double if you want better pay and to not have to work on terribly designed bullshit I recommend tractors they're easy and simple to work on just bigger and heavier but worth it I worked on everything from a gm to an audi I personally prefer and own gms after those years of hell I don't regret waking up anymore during the week just my 2 cents

I thought about going into automotive tech career

Mandatory COVID shots exited a few...like the nurses.

Good luck Auto technicians are getting under paid and new auto technicians don't realize what there getting into.

I mean in a sense it's good if people have to pay more and wait longer. We have been subsidizing auto repair for decades. It takes so much knowledge to actually be a decent technician and not just a parts swapper. So people need to be willing to pay for that expertise. I have been doing some mobile diagnostics. The second price is brought up by the customer I generally lose them. It's an absolute joke.

I am brand new, I can't speak on much but I was a freshman in highschool back in 2010 and by then Auto tech had already been cut. Now, I'm almost 30 and I want to be a mechanic.

Not worth the effort.

wow you are completely missing the picture. you said "while the US whines and complains" stop making videos.

Well we should be working on equity in auto shops. We need to get more women, LGBTQA+ and BIPOCs.