I don't work in the automotive service/repair industry, but I hear so many coworkers and family blame the mechanics when they had a CV joint replaced and 2 weeks later their fuel pump goes out on their 2002 car with 232,765 miles and guess who they blame, yes the mechanic that put in the CV joint. People wrongfully blame the mechanics all the time.

I suspect that any young man who can diagnose electrical problems in modern cars, can probably earn more in some field besides auto mechanic.

The problems in Automotive industry have a lot in common with the restaurant industry. I have a chefs ticket and a transmission rebuilders ticket. Both employers want fully qualified trained people to work for minimum wage. So there is a large turnover or a bunch of the unskilled producing mediocre or less work. All while the owner puts in a pool at home and the employees are trying to find their next meal.

I was a mechanic for 3.5 years, came in as a lube tech at a ford dealer while in school and the was promoted to general line (Main shop) technician doing recalls and such once i graduated. Was only a main shop tech for about half that time and up until last month I have left the industry. Ford has decided to cut most of their decent paying recalls down by almost half. Such as Door latches ex.(2.9 hours ---> 1.3 hours) and so on. Most of the recalls that Ford has put out are due to simple neglect of torque specs, proper testing and cheap Chinese parts...ex.( f150,explorer seat frame bolts improperly torqued)(foucs, fusion, escape,fiesta etc. door latches breaking and replacement)(escape side curtain air bag replacement due to improper deployment)(expedition seat track measurement and torque)(f150 transmission selector cable clip verification)(MT82 mustang transmission shift forks breaking) and mind you most of these recalls dont pay anything! .2 (12 min) to .7 (42 min) at most.. so by the time you grab the keys, find the car, pull it into your bay, grab parts form parts department, perform recall, return warranty parts and write up tech notes and thenand then park the car, you are WELLLLLL over the alotted 12-42 minutes they give you to perform the recall..BS!.. Worked with technicians who have been their 20+ years and they are becoming very discouraged at what the industry is becoming. Because im young (22), ive chosen to leave the industry and go onto bigger and better things. As the auto industry becomes more advanced in technology, pretty soon the mechanics who get paid to DIAGNOSE vehicles with their equipment will soon become PARTS RE-PLACERS as the computer will tell them what is wrong and what to replace, meaning most technicians who have gone to school and acquired all this knowledge in those 20+ years, will be forced from the industry as they will be replaced by dealers for cheaper workers with a vast knowledge gap. A huge disservice to the industry. Glad to be out of the business... Since my leave from the dealership, 4 other technicians have done the same....student technicians beware!

As a UTI alumni and former technician for Audi, I will say working for a corporate dealership wasn't for me... even the industry wasn't. First the amount of debt you incur in order to go to UTI is outrageous and one can learn the same fundamentals at a local tech school. Second, you have to invest a ton of time in order to make decent money. I'm talking 8 to 10 years, which isn't ridiculous if u are young and starting off in the industry. Forget being older and learning the flat rate system. Jobs are handed down by team leaders and their friends are handed gravy work while you get shafted with diagnosis work. In the end, it just wasn't putting food on the table so I left the industry and went into another field. Take aways: company makes a ton for service repairs, techs make very little

Low manufacturer's warranty hours, low management respect and high cost of living and operation. I left because i was unappreciated and unmotivated. The lack of my motivation was seeing and hearing all of my senior techs talking about how theyre treated. The industry management, in my area, seems to not value loyalty and hard workers and will just as quickly kick a tech thats been with them for 20 years to the curb as they will the new guy. Its hard to want to make the dealer all their money and support their business when they treat you as disposable. And hoping it gets better doesn't work when your senior techs are getting the same treatment.

Everyone has a bad mechanic story... :( There is a lot of things that can and need to change at ALL levels to push the industry in the right direction. I know I have a much more optimistic view than most, but I have also seen a TON of good in my career. Way more good than bad.

Eric, the industry,aka the older guys like us, need to help these young techs coming up in this industry, take the kids under our wings and help the grow as technicians. The industry is always changing, many rear brake jobs now require a scan tool, to retract the parking brake/piston.

I briefly considered it, after starting on DIY auto repair and helping a few other people out. But wouldn't want to work in this field because: -working under excessive time pressure -dirty and unhealthy job -modest pay compared to the health risks

Sadly, the rip off artist moniker is definitely a where there is smoke there is fire type of thing. Finding shops you can trust is an issue.

I've worked for a few new car dealers and some private shops and the biggest thing I've learned is the service writer is usually your worst enemy and makes more than the tech actually doing the work and gets bonuses based on surveys from the customer about my work. The manufacturer's warranty times are absolutely ridiculous there's no way techs can do things in the allotted time they give you and when you don't your losing money. The service industry is in the shape it's in because of it's self. Tech's all deserve a raise and flat rate needs to go, all flat rate is designed for is to make hard working people work for free. For example I was the only one in my shop that could r and r a Kia Sportage transmission in 8 hours, warranty pays 4. If anyone can do it faster I'd like to see it

Maybe others are in the same boat as me. I'm 22 love working on my cars and friends cars. There's not a bolt I haven't touched on my 90 supra. But I'd never want to do it as a job. I'd rather work at costco making close to 60k a year in an air conditioned warehouse and do car stuff on my own personal time. Yes I would like to have a job working on cars but I see way to many people who literally work themselves into the grave in the auto industry. Not that that's always the case but in my area it happens alot.

i had a UTI once

Flat rate tech for 10+ years, in the industry for 14 years. I think the talent pool is suffering because shop owners aren't making an effort to attract. A journeyman electrician will make 50-60k per year, get better insurance for cheaper, get union support with a pension, get more vacation and time off. But a tech has to fight 4 other guys to flag 50+ hours per week to make 50-60k per year. No union, no pension, no (or minimal) 401k match (max 2% if I give 6%), and they barely contribute anything to pay insurance ($800+ per month for fam). And that's before we spend $30,000-$40,000 on tools. I've worked in 4 shops and interviewed at several others along the way, and they haven't varied much.

I could probably make my own response video to this explaining how much darker the automotive industry has gotten over the last 30 years, and/or how they seem to be trying to engineer the weekend home mechanic out of repairing their own cars. But I'll basically say this. Once a vehicle leaves the factory the manufacture doesn't really care about it anymore. If you can't repair it, and it costs too much to keep it on the road, then you'll buy another POS from them. So it's a bonus for them to engineer you out of the picture. You only have to look back to the late 80's to now and ask yourself why you rarely see cars from those eras anymore, yet you still see cars from as far back as the 50's. It ended for me when I realized on some cars you have to remove the intake manifold in order to change 3 out of your 6 spark plugs. Garbage engineering seems to be running rampant in the automotive industry these days, and it's a wonder why anyone wants to deal with it.

Personally I believe the flat rate system needs to go away. It encourages lying to customers and is a major stress on families. For example I was at the dealership when the economy tanked, nobody was buying anything and my wife was pregnant with our first kid. I made the decision to move across the state for a job that was hourly. 7 years later I make a great living with the same fleet and earning a paycheck isn’t a stressful thing. Hourly is the only way to go

The general love for cars have grown cold amongst teens and young adults. I have noticed that grand parents are really involved in raising their grandkids now. because of that, the love for trains, cars, trucks and heavy equipment seems to be pretty significant in the hearts and minds of todays children. There's still hope. In the mean time, missing a few meals when I was young never hurt. It only served to help adjust my way of thinking. The fear of having nowhere to sleep at night helped me to arrive to work on time on many occasions.

Also, if manufacturers are going to provide us these high end electronics in all of our cars, they need ways to test each component no matter how old those components get. I had a short circuit in my car and took it into the Chrysler service department, but no conventional methods were used to find the short circuit. They plugged in their machines to my car and just looked at the computer monitor for the results. They came back stating it might be the wireless receiver, but no guarantee. After replacing the wireless receiver, it did not fix the problem. There was still a short circuit and my car wouldn't run. Cars are made too complex these days that even experienced mechanics are having more and more difficulty locating problems in cars these days.

I was in the industry in California from 1988 to 2008, 20 years. Grew up around people working on cars, and had a pretty sound background when I got my my first job at a Jeep Eagle dealer as an apprentice. I went to a VW/Audi independent for a few years, and then to a dealer. When I started in the 80's, flat rate was $20 an hour around here for a mechanic. When I left, I was an ASE mater tech(those tests are a joke), L1, had my California smog license (we did smog checks at the dealer I worked at, and they bumped me up a dollar for it, a friggin dollar.) and was an Audi master tech. I was at $28 flat rate. I could actually do diagnosis, so I was often bogged down with electrical and drivability problems no one else could seem to fix, and the subsequent fighting with the warranty administrator to get paid for diagnostic time. The pen is mightier than the wrench, and anyone who has worked at a dealer knows you are going to have to write a slew of lies to get paid for your time. Ever adjusted (downward) warranty times, shop politics, nowhere to promote to, being completely unappreciated, wear and tear on your body, bad knees, bad back, shops hiring too many techs for the workload, shops giving all the gravy work to low paid trainees, the list goes on. The pay has not kept up with inflation. That $20 in 1988 would be $44 now, and the amount of know how and training increased exponentially. Despite that, the lowlife grease monkey stereotype lingers. My last year I made 60 grand. I made that in 1990. I literally drove my truck into the shop with no notice, packed up my tools and box(an easy 25 to 30 grand worth at that point), and left. While I was packing, the service manager asked me what it would take for me to stay, I said $55 an hour, he actually laughed. I still do side jobs once in a while, and the last one I did, I made 90 bucks an hour, and the person was happy to pay it. That is how undervalued you are as a technician working for a shop. While I taught my sons to fix things from day one, I steered them towards college also. Screw that whole industry. If they paid what techs are worth, they would have techs. If you are smart enough to be a competent tech on todays cars, you are smart enough to do something else. DO SOMETHING ELSE!

Please do a podcast! Also, from a young technician who is in the final days of his Auto degree, I've worked the pit for longer than I'm proud to admit because the dealership I worked for didn't see me as enough of an asset to try to move me into the main shop to do work. That seems to be standard practice in my area, unfortunately. Another is that nobody wants to give a young technician a true shot at work. I left the dealership to work for an independent shop where I was essentially put on the same jobs as the dealership for several months (8+), despite my love for electronics and diagnosis. My employer knew, he just didn't want me to mess anything up, which I understand but how do I get any "professional experience" when my employer wont give me a shot? Most young technicians, like myself, are largely looked over because many shops want at least 3 years of experience, where lube doesn't really count. This has largely discouraged me and many of my friends because we're treated like kids who have never touched a wrench before. So while I work for this guy changing oil and rotating tires, I'm doing my own thing on the side because nobody knows how to deal with electrical issues anymore. I can't realistically use my "shade-tree" experience on a resume, but I'm making more working a few hours a week for myself than I do changing oil for a professional shop for 40 hours, and my customers love me!

Hmm..I dunno...The amount of money a good auto tech makes doesn't sound like much of a payoff compared to the amount of time, effort, and skills needed to become one.

The same is true of a lot of industries these days. If you want good staff you have to provide an environment that's far more welcoming than the one we started off in 20+ years ago

What you speak about is so true. I’m retired now but was an electronic tech for over 50 years. Started with vacuum tubes and left off with flat screen tv. And computersof all types. , I adapted , and that’s what you have to do to stay a float. Thanks Eric. Going to add this video linked to Facebook.

Great message Eric, the field presents many opportunities for a self motivated young person. We repaired hybrid vehicles in my shop often. Not difficult, just different.

Very interesting topic of discussion. For a start, makes me realise there are huge differences to the US and the UK where I am. Over there, it seems to be that most technicians are forced to work flat rate. If you wanna make a decent living, you need to be good at what you do. That is a huge incentive to always better yourself, and ultimately that means better service for your customers. Over here, you show up to work and you get paid. That's regardless of how busy the shop is, how good your work is, and that right there means there is no incentive to want to better yourself. Only the rare technicians that actually have some integrity and pride will go on to make great money, but my point is you don't need to be good to make a living, unlike over there. Personally, I have been a professional for over 16 years now, and made a damn good living from it. I have pride in my work, and treat everybody's vehicle the same way I always did. As for new people coming into the trade, I don't feel like the integrity is there and people are just looking for a job rather than a career. All that means is they will do the bare minimum, and the end result is crap customer service.

They need to do away with the flat rate system. It’s hard to make a decent living on the flat rate system with all of the warranty work. Honda offers you a maintenance plan when you buy a new car so all service is free up until like 36000 miles. Also warranty through Honda that lasts until 120000 or 9 years. I’m putting axle seals or wheel bearings in cars that are 8 years old with 100k on them. Also under that maintenance plan, what’s considered a B123 is a brake service, oil change, tire rotation, filters, and trans fluid. That exact service use to be 3 hours time for a flat rate tech. Also known as a 60k service. Now? It’s 2. We get 2 hours for the same service. Oh, and if it’s under the maintenance contract, it pays .9. And changing trans fluid in these new cvts isn’t just dumping in 3 quarts. Our new 9 speed pilot we have to put into “maintainence mode” and run it through 4 gears, let it idle, then check the fluid by pulling out check plug on trans. For .4 hours CUSTOMER PAY. The flat rate system needs to go. We don’t get enough non warranty work to get 40 hours a week. Just a couple of years ago I was averaging 50-55. Now I’m averaging 45 and dropping.

Awesome video Eric. I can not agree more. I only been in this field since February as a service writer and it is so hard to see people come in and not work. I work in a flat rate shop and it blows my mind how slow and rude and inconsiderate these techs can be. Some think they Gods blessing on the shop and with out them that the shop work suffer. I just wish people would have so motivation to work hard and long. It is so dame hard to find good work ethic in this field of industry.

Great advice, work ethics is very important. Totally agree that now a days it’s important to have sofware and hardware skills to be a good technitian and young people are great candidates to achive this. Just took my BMW, E90 to a nephews friend that is starting his business in his garage and he was very professional, on time, clean and got the job done properly and KZfaq has a lot to do with that, thanks to people like Erick showing how to properly repair cars helps a lot THANKS FOR HELPING THE COMMUNITY.

Entry level position: 5 years experience required. This is the catch. Need a job to get experience, but lowest rung positions are experience required. Good luck.

I was in the Automotive mechanic field for 10 years. I got out for a few reasons. One being the flat rate system, bad system that needs to go or give tech option of straight hourly wage. Second the wage as compared to other trades, Automotive repair is highly technical and deserves a much higher wage. Less complicated trades pay more or at least equal to the automotive trade. Third lack of respect from employer and customers. Why put up with the bs from them? Forth the investment in tools is crazy as compared to other trades. I would never advise anyone to get into the Automotive trade. Fixing vehicles is a great hobby, which is what I do now, but a bad job/career in my honest opinion. Hopefully with less people getting into the Automotive trade and from what i see more techs getting out of the trade, shops will realize things have to change and make the changes to the things i mentioned. Cheers

Great video Eric, I love the content you post and I have been watching for years from the UK. Keep them coming ! 😊

Thank you for your videos. I am sure your videos help the old pros, the newbies, and also those folks who just want to know what their downtown mechanic is talking about when they bring there car in for service.

As technology gets more complicated you have to be more skilled and knowledgeable about it. I see them as a car doctors since is a huge responsibility and liability since people can get hurt or die while driving their cars due to a misdiagnosed or incorrectly installed parts. The sad part is that they work hard, slowly hurt their bodies while working under unsafe and unhealthy conditions, get paid little and are sometimes underappreciated by the public, the employer and others. Hope this abuse change one day, and business owners invest and care more for their people.

Rather than blame the car repair industry. I blame the car industry in general. They are making cars that requires multiple discipline to repair. It used to be mechanical, then mechanical and electrical, and now its mechanical, electrical and software. And without something like the OBD2 standard for the software portion, its hard for car technicians to keep up.

Hi Eric, I'm a 22 year old parts store manager, I have quite a few friends around my age in the automotive repair industry. I started learning about cars in my second year at a STEM school, I grew up loving industrial design and really enjoyed the artistic part of it. I started learning how to work on cars and within three years I went from barely being able to jump start a car to having the tools and knowledge to rebuild the engine in my car, which I had to do a few months ago. As for my friends who went through an ASE program at the local college, I've found my knowledge surpasses theirs and I have a deeper understanding of how a vehicles inner workings come together and how to diagnose problems. In the technical schools, they teach you what might be the problem but not how to diagnose it properly. My friends are lube techs and part swappers working in a dealership with more or less than $5000 of debt after going on the tool trucks for the first time, it's unfortunate. It just goes to show that in order to work on something you have to have a true drive, motivation, and passion for it.

Eric your still kickin man i so happy that you "made it" from always working on the ground in practically a shed compared to your shop now... keep up the goodz. And happy birthday if its your birthday.

It's hard to respect the auto industry in general. Cars are too expensive for most people and millennials HATE buying brand new, dealerships pay abhorrent rates to their technicians, independent shops hate letting people use their own parts and it's hard to find good, affordable mechanics in general, and there's no more "go work with Dad and then be absolved into the company" scenarios. Overall the field is on the down trend. Diesel is the only profitable sub category of automotive repair, in my opinion. Again, just my opinion. Not many young people, especially millennials and Gen Z, want to pay $5000 for their own tools that they have to provide in order to work in a non air-conditioned and stressful environment making $13 an hour when they can get a job at a call center making $15 and up.

Flat rate days are coming to an end. These younger people dont have the same opportunity to turn as much time as in the past. At the european dealer i work at, the amount of customer pay work is 3/4 less than it used to be. They cut all of our cp service times to warranty, large portion of cars are cpo warranty until 100k, and they all have service packages from day 1.There's not enough cp work to make up for getting 9 hrs to replace piston rings. They raise the rate and cut the times often. It was 80 an hr 11 yrs ago and is now 160.

Well said, you hit many excellent points. Thank you!

Great video the new folks going into the auto repair business needs to learn things also from us guys and ladies who grew up on the old school technology. For example i had a guy bring me his 55 chevy because none of the new Tech's knew how to rebuild a carburetor. He told me he went to 6 shops and everyone was afraid to touch it, i rebuilt the carb in 30 minutes had it back on the car and running good. Its a shame these new generation Tech's are scared to learn something old. Great job Eric keep it up .

Thanks Eric, I am 38 years old and am retraining in this field. You are right about the younger generation as I am at school with them. We all have our own way of doing and learning things. But for me being somewhere in the middle age makes it a bit of a challenge, I am also a solo dad so trying to learn new skills and juggle life. But I am really enjoying it, Apprenticeship next year can’t wait. Cheers!

Let me comment on the Australian system. Australia runs a system of trade schools in each state whom are empowered to train, test and certify apprenticeships, a system of both theory and hands on training supported by industry. This system of training has been industry standard for decades and produced excellent tradesman but has began to deteriorate due to multiple failures, due to becoming irrelevant, loss of certification and ISO standards,escalating costs and industry bring training inhouse and becoming more product specific. I work in the Australian mining industry as a Mechanical Engineer, but started my career as a diesel mechanic. The normal apprenticeship term in Australia is four years, but are now being shortened by up to 2 years under the guise of 'accelerated learning'. Unfortunately, this is producing ' technicians ' whom lack mechanical knowledge, life skills, incentive, common sense and industry knowledge. A very real problem that has no real resolution. I spent 6 years competing my apprenticeship, working under highly skilled tradesmen and senior mentors, in conditions that are now considered extreme. But the knowledge and skills my seniors ' bestowed and passed ownership onto me ', I'm forever grateful for. Thanks for starting the conversation Eric. 👍👍

love what we do, i think this will bring us far ahead instead of focusing which industry will make u earn more money. I like to repair stuffs, from IT to automotive, i like to learn and keep improving. Especially watching your ericthecarguy video which enable me to do some repairs on my own car.

Eric, this is happening not just on the automotive industry, I work in a factory and I'm a maintenance technician and I see it there too.. the younger generation does not have the drive that I was brought up.. it's really wierd.. but I agree with you totally! I really hope that it gets better.. but we will adapted to any changes that come in the future just like we do now.. Keep up the good work!!

I left the field because no respect or good pay to support a family. I did what etcg said. I showed up applied my self and worked hard. For what a dollar or two over minimum wage. I make more now as I entered the education field, and cleaning toilets at the same time. Sadly bit truly.

Well, around here where I live I see a bunch of people that dont wanna work, lol. Lets face it, a career in automotive is hard work. Most of the kids around here just dont wanna do hard work. I see it in the aluminum plant 8 work at too. I got out of the field because I seen the places of business I was working take advantage of customers more than help them. But that was just my experience. It's funny to me though cause there are times the youth makes me feel like a genius when one of them sees me di something and asks me how I did it. When you offer to show them the interest seems to instantly walk away

A plumber charges the same as an auto shop, little tools, liability, knowledge, 1k of plumbing in your house vrs 60k auto with 30 computers

Eric im a long time fan and subscriber i would like to thank you for inspiring me to become interested in the automotive field i am currently attending a motoring institute and looking forward to one day being a master tech just gotta stay motivated and stay dirty 👌🏼

Community Colleges need to continue to offer training for trade jobs (mechanic, plumber, electrician, carpenter, etc). Those jobs are not going away but they do require training. Those wanting to work in those jobs need to find ways to motivate themselves to become qualified to fill trade jobs. Those willing to work hard and excel will succeed. Glad UTI is still going strong and also willing to sponsor your video. Excellent and timely video - thanks for posting!

Valid discussion, Eric, but it's unlikely things will change for the better anytime soon. Charles has pointed out in one of his videos that vehicles need a lot less maintenance than they did 15-20 years ago, so there's that. Dealership service depts. usually operate with one or two master / senior techs, and a bunch of oil change and tire work monkeys. Most flat rate techs are struggling, fighting an uphill battle against getting short-changed by warranty time, starved out by shady service writers (has happened to me more than once), or chasing non-existent complaints by flakey fruitcake customers. Customers, on average, don't seem to give a damn about maintaining their vehicles (doesn't make sense to slack on that, a car represents an investment second only to a house), and often will play the blame game or whatever else it takes to get repair / service work for free.

The Godfather of KZfaq automotive repair! It was nice to meet you at the 2016 meetup and I continue to enjoy your channels. Nice meet up with Charles and Bogie. I didn't realize she had a channel..subscribed.

I've long been one of the guys who would pop the hood and investigate what might be wrong with my car. So watching channels like yours and other car diagnosing & repair tips and tricks is FASCINATING! Your approach is like a detective following the evidence and like a scientist confirming your findings for a successful fix. I'm sure like myself that there are millions of kids out there considering a field of endeavor who are contemplating their careers by watching successful car repair channels like yours. KZfaq content is a WIN-WIN for humanity. I believe channels like yours are helping people in ways you cannot even imagine. And the way I think that auto content like yours can help is by talking about how you got into the industry and the paths you had to cross. Because that information helps the guy who wants to decide now. And it answers the very 1st question on a career path minded person is "how do I start". Oh and thanks for all you do!

Its the fault of the car makers. They put in many useless features that can go bad and make diagnosis more complicated. I would pay top dollar for a new Accord or Civic made exactly the same way as they were built two decades ago.

I've been in the fields now for 14 years. Started at an independent shop when i was 17. 31 at the time of this post. Currently working for a dealership. My biggest thing is that I have gaps in my knowledge and finding a good way to fill them has been difficult. For example I was an ASE certified tech in brakes and steering and suspension when I was 19.Then at my last job that seemed good enough for my boss and I was never pushed to grow and encouraged to grow. So I think its very easy to develop a certain skill level then get stuck at that level in this industry. I'm currently studying to take 3 re certification test and try and push myself to grow. On a separate note I try to help out everyone in the shop if I can. Showing people different ways(hopefully better) to do things or approach a problem should help them learn and grow which is what everyone should be doing. If I know something that can help someone and I don't show them when they ask me for help I feel like I'm doing a disservice to the entire shop and that tech. Sure we all work for our own pay check but if one person loses a customer because an error that could have been prevented then their won't be a next time for the customer to come back which in the end loses business.

I learned fractions and numbers by passing wrenches to my pop, as a very young child (3-4 yrs old). By the time I got into school I knew how to count, do some math and read/write, which eventually got me bumped up to 1st grade after two weeks in Kindergarten. Perseverance is the key to success for anyone. If you don't try, you don't know.

Fantastic video. I'm slowly considering being a technician on diesel vehicles. Hopefully my bachelor's in computer science will help but I fear not being able to score a position. I'll definitely learn more by attending UTI.

If you take your vehicle to a national chain store chances are you will be upsold and spend more. I know of one chain whose practice is that no matter the work needed they will look the entire car over and have a minimum estimate of $1000. Find a decent independent local technician. Ask friends family coworkers where they take their cars. When you find one stick with them. Also the younger generation coming up are different and shops are going to need to adjust.

I have a lovely 10k bill since I wanted to pursue my passion. Job after job, no pay. Left the field to do Uber and I immediately made more money doing that. Also in the HVAC field now. It totally sucked and killed my passion.

Thank you, sir. I really appreciate your opinion. Helps me see Things more clearly.

I always have thought that you do not have to choose what you want to be based on what is more trending or not. You have to choose your profession based on what you are good in, because you will be good in what you like to do and you feel comfortable. This is the only way to enjoy with your job and not to be frustrated when you grow older and look behind what you have done. A good mechanic is that person that feels good when he smells fuel or grease and enjoys with the sound of a V8. I am a telecommunications engineer who has been working in an office for more than 20 years but I envy my son because he is going to be what he always has wanted. I am sure he will be a good mechanic and a happy man. Eric, thanks for sharing your thoughts.

5:30 don't sell yourself short. There's a lot we can learn from you. It's hard to motivate people to work for it if they're constantly being told they'll never make money, slave away for nothing... that attitude is causing a problem too

Eric, I came back into the automotive industry after the military in 05 and it was a much different game than it was in the 90s. I worked on a draw for a dealer and it was nuts. Fast forward and I have my shop in Columbus (not too far from you lol) and I've decided to stop doing open drive up work. Now Im a personal contract tech for multiple people and their families. Helps build a great set of trust. I mentioned that because, like doctors, our insurance is insane. However, we don't make as much. I believe the industry is collapsing from the inside out. I worry about hiring young people. Most aren't willing to put in the extra hours afterwards to learn or those that are don't understand why I want them to understand the fundamentals of a clean shop; meaning they are too good to clean tools and floors. Crap, I was paying a kid $20/hr under the table and I still couldn't get him to pay attention or regurgitate an operation. Sometimes he'd show up and others he wouldn't. I also don't think younger kids even think about being a tech as a "real job". Often enough you don't even see techs working on your cars anymore. Your car goes into a dealership broken, the waiting room is nice, and poof car is fixed. I had a younger guy argue with me at AutoZone that the expensive obd scanners fixed all the problems too and as a mechanic I should know that. ::facepalm::. When a child can't see that person making "magic" to a car due to insurance or management not letting customers watch or see techs work, kids can't dream of that job and that job doesn't exist to them. I think I'm the only person on Earth who gets out of their car at Valvoline to talk with the kids everyone else has blinders (hey I go when I'm too lazy to do something myself). Add to all that, cars becoming more disposable, and people don't associate a big work force with the maintenance of disposable products.

Hi Eric right out of high school in the Bay Area Iwent to a junior college and got my service technicians degree unfortunately I never really used it because I wound up working for winery as a facility maintenance technician, we have trucks and cars that I Im able to lightly work on, just today we had a hug truck Ford F550 box truck with the V 10 and the thing wouldn’t hardly idle it was hunting for an idle, I was able to remember some of my basic troubleshooting skills and found out that the air filter mass airflow sensor and the throttle bodies were all covered with oil etc, after cleaning everything with the appropriate cleaners idle finally stabilized.

I was a telecom technician (retired 11 years now). Yup, we had numerous slackers protected by the union. Advances in technology actually made my job prehistoric after I retired. The crew I worked in was disbanded. I think I was a pretty good hobbyist gear head wrench turner but knew my limits. Now that I'm REALLY old, many times I take my vehicles to shops. I've quit going to dealers as I found that was a giant waste of time. I've tried many local mechanics and finally found one that is about 10 miles away from home but is worth the drive. These guys actually repair and build hot rods so I figured why not. So far they haven't disappointed me. I dread the time when they close. My friend who owned a transmission shop retired this year. I hope my transmissions hold up till I can't drive anymore.

simple, ditch the flat rate system. this system rewards poor practices. instead, make the system pay more for better performance skills, such as complete, proper diagnosis, and complete repairs that fix the problem the first time. pay more for your improved electronic/electric system diagnostic repairs. you cannot flat rate a adaptive cruise control failure to determine vehicle distance, (just a example). High Skill and competency level should be rewarded, not how fast you can cut corners and make high money profit. that will go a long way fixing our image.

In my area it's amazing the number of auto tech selling their tools and running away from the business.

Loved this video. Been a man with honest work ethics I can sertenly appreciate what you have said in this video. Eric I hope your words of wisdom are hear from all age groups and see that listening to one another can get everyone to a better place in this world.

Well done on the transparency Eric. We adore you. I think.

I think it's because being cheap and that's customer-wise. A friend of mine took his car to one of the cheapest mechanics in the area. He came back without *interior side lamps* . This scam could happen, because this *shed* was known for lowest prices and that's it. I often hear about cars that breaks after a month of daily usage. I think it's because of cheapest parts replaced by people who have cheapest stakes for a reason. Another example: my dad put his van to cheapest guy who even didn't do cars daily. He was to replace an axle with a bearings (it was FWD, though). After he did so, we took the car but something did rumble. Turns out he failed to insert the axle properly, so he applied excessive force and speaking of bearing: no grease whatsoever. It had to be taken care of again. I do take my car to one of the most expensive mechanics, because I do have guarantee he can't afford to lose his prestigious name so he won't do anything wrong and I know my ride is ready to go anywhere.

Work hard? Nah, I'm going to be a youtuber! :-)

Great topic. You hit the nail on the head. It's about work ethic and pride in what you do. Millenials need to step up (for those who haven't yet) and make a living through an honest days work. Wether it's wrenching on cars, banging on a keyboard or flipping a burger...get the job and take pride in it. Own it. 34 years ago I started sacking groceries for a local chain of grocery stores. Now I manage a drug store for one of the largest chains of drug stores. And I make damn good money doing it. And I love what I do. I grew up wrenching on cars. I have passed that knowledge and love of doing it on to both of my son's. All three of of my daughter's have helped me in the garage through the years and still do at times. They don't always know exactly what I'm doing but they'll turn a wrench or hold a flashlight for me if I ask. I know have a grandson that I am passing my knowledge on to. Maybe he will be the one to go on and become a service tech. You never know. Through the years of working on cars with my younger son (who is 24 now) one of his friends would come over and watch us, fetch tools for us, etc... his father and grandfather are/were brick masons. He went to college and got a business degree in accounting and planned to take over the family business one day...then one day his plans changed. He says he was inspired by what we made look so easy and he loves BIG trucks. So moved to Cleveland, enrolled in a tech college, did his time there and is now a diesel tech here in Michigan. He loves what he does. So there is always hope for MORE people to find their way to auto tech careers.

sometimes techs get careless, took my SRT8 Jeep for an oil change, usually do it myself but was in there buying some speed parts at the dealership so what the hell.... came home and the next day under my Jeep was a medium sized puddle of oil, the oil pan bolt wasn't tightened properly...went under there and tightened it myself and all was well ...but I did call the shop and tell the manager who I knew for a couple of years about this minor incident and that he needs to have a little chat with his guys...had that bolt fallen off as I was driving home and dumped all that oil out I could've seriously damaged my engine, if not blown it totally, he was doing his version of huge mia culpa and I appreciated it and told me that will never happen again, straight up dude, and he even offered me a free change next time, which was cool since synthetic oil is expensive, twice as much as regular oil... so...shit happens hence why I do what I can on my cars myself...the only person I truly trust anyway!

Just like you need artistic skill to go to art school you need technical aptitude to be a mechanic. And less and less people have that.

Do not do the auto repair industry a disservice advertising TV shows like all girls garage. That is nothing more than a moneymaking propaganda by the velocity channel. It is nothing more than an infomercial for one product or another with very little to know how to actually included. The show has taken a drastic turn for the worst over the years. Not just picking on that one show, it’s all the shows on the velocity channel these days. Much more can be learned by watching KZfaq videos such as yours, then anything produced by velocity. I understand the women all girls garage have to make a living, but it does very little to help the industry other than tell me where to buy one part or another which also I can see by simply watching the commercials.

Awesome vid and spot on points sir! First and foremost, yes, the stigma needs to change. But why did it happen to begin with? Was it regulations, taxes, overall shop expenses, or just bad apples..and or, over expectations? I started because it’s in my blood, but also because of being taken advantage of. Although not ASE certified (yet😉) been doing my own work since a local ‘lube’ shop failed me on service...that was 28 yrs ago. We need to help promote our local shops and mechanics- but they also need to step up too.

I'm doing car hard case diagnosis. As well, module repair(ecu, abs, clusters, etc). This is really interesting work. I have about 15yrs electronics repair experience.

I think that dealerships and bad repair shops really don't help with there attitude of 'profit is god', Rip off the 'Cash cow' or customer if you can. (Honesty is a problem) Who would want to work in such a immoral environment? No one needs or wants more stress in there life, it is destructive. i've been there, no thanks :-( Feeling that you have done a good honest job is the best, not just how much money you get. Just my Opinion, Sorry for waffling.

Not Worth it anymore

We (you) needed a podcast months ago. It would do really well I think, I'd love to see an ETCGPC!

My niece once had a boyfriend who is looking to get into the industry and I told him about UTI. I told him if he gets into the automotive repair industry he will never be for want of work. I do some minor Automotive repairs myself stuff that I can handle stuff that I have the equipment to handle. I tried to get my nephew interested in doing the basic of Automotive repairs but he had no interest. I told my niece's boyfriend about this and that my nephew is one of the reasons why you will always have work. I then proceeded to ask my nephew if his school had shop class, he told me they did. I then asked him, why not take one? You know what his reply was, I don't want to get dirty. I just hung my head in disappointment. Kids today they don't want to do physical labor. While I am not that old that is where I've gained most of all of my skills, that and also by watching people who do physical labor and repair things. My neighbor who lived across the alley was constantly tinkering around in his garage primarily repairing lawn mowers that were thrown out by people that he picked up from his sons salvage yard, this is where I learned how to repair things. Sorry for the long comment if anyone has taken their time to read it thank you.

The lack of people coming into the field is a product of two things. Democrats pushing government dependence and socialism, killing the want for people to earn their own way. Second the declining wages for automotive technicians vs the rising costs of tools and training.

I just started my first day at university for an Engineering degree today, and feel optimistic about it. Was in a dealership for almost 4 years and was good at it, but didn't see much of a future for myself long-term. As you said, both sides need to step-up. Many techs at the dealer left for greener pastures, but came back some time later, which scared me as to where things were headed. I do miss it sometimes, getting dirty with my hands, and being around my co-workers was fun. But rent kept going up, and my paycheck wasn't. I came in at opening and left short of closing too. Maybe after I graduate, I'll become the very thing I hated most when I questioned who the hell built whatever I was working on at the time.

Eric I graduated from UTI, did the ford fact program and bmw Step, worked for bmw of sf for 10 years, now I run my own little one man shop repairing rolls Royce, Bentley and other exotics. The schooling itself was not easy and do not recommend to anyone unless you can commit to the program. If you can make through it. You can become a very wealthy person being an honest technician these days.

Finally a have birthday. I was waiting that moment for like a century. Thank you very much 🔝

Eric I couldn’t agree more with what you are saying.... I’m a tech in Ireland just turned 30 started my apprenticeship when I was 16 and learned my trade from an old school mechanic but kept my new school mentality which has benefited me massively as the years went by. New guys I see coming into the trade now are way behind in both knowledge and skill compared to 8 or 10 years ago and there are very few guys or girls entering the trade here in Ireland. Good mechanics are very very hard to find but yet we still don’t get paid near as much as a plumber or electrician which drives me nuts.... Honestly in Ireland I don’t ever see this changing and in my eyes it is down to one thing and that is the customer and their overall lack of understanding of how their car works and how it needs constant maintenance and yes sometimes repair. Rather than try and be educated by actual professional mechanics/technicians they just jump on google reviews telling everyone how much of a scammer you are cause you replaced a timing belt 3 months ago and now they need an EGR valve and clearly that’s the techs fault 🙄Anyway rant over love the channel dude keep up the good work 👍🏻

I closed my shop 8 years ago and to me, it was a blessing in disguise, I don't miss it. I so much enjoy doing my own repairs

I have a shop but I’m focusing on Hybrid and electric vehicles. Mainly servicing or upgrading battery packs. Its easy money compared to regular automotive service. All these aging EV and hybrid need battery pack service more than ever. They only last 7-10 years. That’s why Tesla warranty the battery pack for 100k miles that’s about 7 years. Price comparison on servicing vs buying a new battery pack is significant. Repaired battery usually last couple of years but much cheaper. Customers do not tend to look into the future, all they want is to get their car running now

I was leaving the business, but I decided to get out of the dealership network instead. It really helped me grow as a tech. I'm better off making salary instead of flat rate but there has to be some sort of profit sharing built in as well. Finding something wrong with a car in the shop and reporting it to the customer starts/ begins with the tech, so he should get something for it if a sale is made. The flat rate system in my opinion is messing up the industry, and doesn't give an average tech enough time to learn everything new coming out and also make a real living wage (at least 75K per. year).

I've seen the work of a specialist electric vehicle/hybrid shop in a big city spend months on a customers electric vehicle, then bill them $4500 for the honor of still having a non running vehicle. Seriously. So the customer got a hold of me years after I stopped repairing/modifying electric vehicles. In 6 hours I had it running. I'm 58 years old. I drew my own schematics of the 3 phase electric vehicles I use to service from customers world wide. This was before Tesla, Nissan, etc had their hardware on the road. There is nobody for me to pass my knowledge down to. After market repair services are becoming mandatory for electric vehicles as they get past their warranty periods. All over Craigslist there are people claiming to refurb battery packs with used parts. It's easy work. But it's not very technical. The demand is getting higher each year. Yet nobody that I can see is being trained for that market. Eric, you have the perfect mindset and skills to be one of those EV techs. In just over a year, Tesla's will start to fall out of warranty for example. Entertainment value aside, the only tech-ish person I've seen on KZfaq is Rich Rebuilds. His knowledge of Tesla is expanding rapidly. I'd like to see you as a serious wrench, collaborate with someone like Rich to broaden your already wide skill set. I don't know him. But I know what I see as his EV skills being valuable, just like your skills.

Love the video I was in automotive repair starting 1980 81. 1993 changed over to diesel truck repair for freghtliner. Today I'm a service manager at a New dealership. You think getting techs for cars is hard lol. Nobody is coming into truck repair. It was easy back In the day techs were everywhere now they are retiring or finding easier jobs. We are at the point that we are hiring guys that barley know anything starting them out at 25 an hour and just hoping with training we may have something. , most of the time they fail. Our flat rate guys are doing over 100,000 a year and hardly getting dirty. Reason is technology trucks are so advanced pretty much tell you what's wrong with them. There's a good living in repairing trucks if you have the initiative

Hi eric i liked your comment about the industry. After thinking about what you said I believe it's a case by case basis. When I started as a Technician I had to learn the old obd1 and OBD2 systems. I remember I had to face reailty in what I got myself into as well and be as fixable as I can.over the years you have to lay down a plan and set your mind too. like ourselves we have to change how each generation thinks and understands.As for older Automotive Technicians like ourselves been in the industry for afew years could be difficult to figure out how to relate to young people. I started out the old fashioned way and earn the respect of my peers as I was only the Apprentices but I like learning. Over time trades people don't give out there deep understanding and skills if you don't put in the time and stay. Some where grumpy and some others where happy to so U have to work out in time who's willing to give that kinda real world based reality. My own throughs about the industry is I believe there has to have a total attitude change in all aspects of the industry. More and more cars are coming very close to fully electrical so there's always something to do . Just a question Eric would you take on a guy from a training program to get a teste for the trade for work experience?

I was an up and coming tech at 19 years old. Showed up for work every day and watched the old dogs work as I did oil changes and tires. I proved my worth to the company and showed my loyalty for 2 years and really stepped up the expectation. I asked for a raise because I was only making 9 bucks an hour. So they paid me my hourly wage plus whatever the job paid. I'd get 30 mins per oil change, an hour for rotate/balance plus oil. I worked so hard that I could squeeze in 5-6 cars an hour alone. I was 1 step shy of running all day. On my down time I'd clean up after the guys. I'd observe and help out with anything, watched engine rebuilds, trans replacements, doing diagnostic. Eventually I started doing recalls and warrantee work. I was excited because I felt I was making progress. Then the dealership owner wants to cut costs. Hires a shop supervisor that sees me, a grease monkey, making almost 2700 a month changing oil and doing minor repairs. 3 months in, he tells me on a Friday at 5 after everyone's gone, after I cleaned 7 bays. That it was my final day, that they have a guy starting Monday. No warning, no "hey we're worried we're paying too much and can't afford you. Maybe we can shuffle things around" I proceeded to do things I regret, because I truly loved working there. I flung my chair in rage, I shouted at the new supervisor who replaced me with a minimum wage burnout with no drive, I called the boss, I told him his pos supervisor is making the workplace hell and that firing me was a mistake. How loyal I was and how much I enjoyed working with everyone. He proceeded to tell me with a smile, he trusts his supervisors decision. People were scared of me because how verbally aggressive I was. I worked for pennies on the dollar for nearly 3 years, just to get canned to intentionally hire some loser who didn't even make it 3 months at my pace. What's funny is soon after 3 other people from the shop left and they were stuck with more repairs than they could handle. Since then I've decided working on my own cars for enjoyment is better, and have bounced around since. I'm 26 now and it still makes me wonder where my life would be if it wasn't for people trying to save a buck

Eric, I think you hit the nail on the head with regards to work ethic. Even things as menial as fast food and minimum wages going up, kids these days need to step it up. So many times I've dealt with them expecting a handout and time and again, they get the boot. That's if they even show up for their first day. Meanwhile old guys like myself, too set in their ways won't instill a level of patience to work with them. Instead, we brush them off and try to prove we still got it by running circles around them. I constantly have to remind myself that the generation that follows has a different mindset and view of the world around them. I need to find a way to appeal to them and make the job look less daunting, or explain it to them like they were little kids without belittling them. Like you said, make a comfortable work environment.

Very good video. Spot on!

Yea I’m an IT person and also love working on cars and electronics it’s always been a passion of mine for both now I repair and look at friends cars etc

7:03 YOURE RIGHT ON POINT ERIC! AND THATS WHAT IT TAKES TO BE SUCCESSFUL IF ANY FIELD WHEATHER YOURE A MECHANIC OR A STOCK BROKER OR A DOCTOR.YOU SOLVE PROBLEMS

Part 1 - (who am I) I am a Data Center Storage Engineer who now freelances talent to business. Having said that, I also have a well equipped garage and just rebuilt a Ford Focus Engine and dropped it back in the other night. So I have both the mechanical and IT. Part 1 - Over the last year or so I was asked by the owner of a local auto repair shop (he actually owns two) that has 10 bays, two buildings. The owner is a friend of mine though another interest. One day he pulled into my driveway (just moved and no one knew where I was) and told me he needs me to redo his business. He wanted new computers, updated shop software, new phones, a video security system, wifi, integration with tablets and print stations for wiring diagrams. All of which I did for him. 70 network ports and counting at this point. Everyone has tablets, Identifix, shop management access, you name it. Access to all the information at their finger tips. During all this I learned from him a LOT about the stress points of a shop like that, got to know the service writers and the mechanics. The owner and the mechanics are all now "integrated" with IT and information to cope with the vast changes going on. This. . . .is were it is going.

Hey Erick could you do a video on shop hygiene, such as how you stay clean and cleanse yourself after working on vehicles?

Here in North Queens, there are 2 issues. Name brand stations replacing mechanic bays with a convenience store, and even busy, well located gas and repair shops, going out because of the value of the real estate they sit on. I worked in Auto Parts for a number of years, and even people I trusted too work on my car, screwed up. So I am hesitant to pay someone to work on my car, and never give anyone recommendations as too where to get their car fixed.

some cars have computers monitoring more things then ever I've got a 50 dollar ob2 reader but the shops have 1000 dollar plus ob2 readers i understand why shops charge certain labor rates they learn a lot thanks like the videos.