Diesel technician here if that counts get a few hino trucks every now and then in the shop. Worked on gas engines at several places .before switching to commercial heavy haulers
Yeah I'm currently looking to get out of this. I've been with Toyota for 8 years now. I'm looking into insurance adjusting. I want to put down the wrenches........this job is just not what it used to be..... 2az water pump, 1.3hrs warranty. 2ar vvti gear 1.9 hrs warranty. 3ur timing cover reseal 9.7 hrs. I can't make a living with that ****.......
Idk man, I make 65k a year on average. Been with Toyota for 8 years, I've gots lots of training and all my certifications. But when gas is 3.55 a gallon and milk is 3 dollars............65 isn't nothing!!! The job over the years is becoming more complex with pay that isn't correlative. Being a professional technician and doing this day in and day out we come across some very difficult problems that no forum or online deal can offer you help with. You can just "google" some problems and expect to find the solution. I think that when it becomes your profession you take a whole new approach on it. It burns you out of working on car fast. Most technicians I know don't work on cars on the week ends. On a bright note. We get access to things like a boat load of free fluids, heavily discounted or free parts, and all the shops equipment. And as you would imagine all the technical resources.
Well said my man ^ I love what I do . But at 31 years of age in six days And teething outta high school kids on the war path .. And watching them finally click and get it ., brings some resolution to my job a lot of pepole forget we make the world go round without techs to fix the wheeled machine the world is at a stand still
With a BAS in Auto tech and several ASEs I could have been one almost anywhere. I was one while in school at a chain then chevy before I quit in favor of working at a parts store (long story). For me, no it isn't. Too much BS dealing with the customers and wear and tear on the body. Then there's the part that if I worked hard and dealt with the crap, I could be doing the exact same thing for a few decades before (maybe) working up to being a shop manager or something. The clincher was that I got home and just wanted to burn my cars/bikes. They say find what you love then find how to make money off it but when you get burned out working on customers cars all day and don't want to do it for fun at home it's not fun anymore. Now I watch engines spin on a dyno for Cummins. Still technically a tech but a lot less wrenching and very different than working on my cars so I don't get home wanting to burn them. While I could do this for the next few decades I can also move around, work in the engineering side or wherever.
As far..... as being a technician worth it .. I hardly wrench anymore I've moved up to a factory instructor for new techs in all departments but still love to get n the mix .as far as earnings I live comfortably in a nice house 2 1/2 car garage 4 bedroom with large yards buy myself ..live a bachelor life have fairly new sport bikes and a dirt bike my yota and camaro and can purchase aftermarket parts whenever .. So is it worth it I think so you start at the bottom getting dirty and push yourself to succeed to higher positions and earnings . And it the fruits of your labor will show And coming home to wrench on my own hobbies never was a problem it's my life my soul and passion . I'm a gearhead for life
