u/Masterburgercrunch

Howdy everyone. I would love to get some outside opinions here. Likely more relevant to dealership A/B techs.

So at my dealership we have a small group of A do anything techs that are paid $60. They get a majority of the warranty and problem cars. They are held to perfect standards and can not refuse work. They turn 8-9 hours a day on average.
The B techs make $50-56 an hour. They have way lower standards and are allowed to pick and choose work. They are released from most of the heavy line work, especially under warranty, they can give away diagnostic cars, really they can avoid any low productivity work fairly often. They turn 10-16 hours a day on average.
The C techs are starting to get most of the maintenance and customers coming in for brake issues. If we had a good one it would be easy to turn 10-16 hours days

So effectively management has made it more profitable and far less stressful to be a B tech than a master tech. Obviously this is done for the company profit with no regard for the workers.

What are your thoughts about this? Any tips for confronting management successfully to make it more rewarding to be an A tech?

At this point our A techs would make more going to another dealer as a B tech.

Management no longer will share tech hours after months of the B techs averaging 150 hours with the A techs averaging 90-100 the pay has always been on an individuals negotiation ability.

Manufacturer has terrible warranty labor times, increased documentation requirements and has reduced diagnostic and 00 time authorizations. It pays less to diagnose a warranty bus concern than to diagnose a cp oxygen sensor fault. Management has further shifted warranty diag to the A techs who can get the company paid. As time goes on A techs get fewer and fewer high milage cars to upsell anything on top of the reduction in maintenance because “why would I pay you when I can pay them less”-upper management direct quote as told to the A techs who

I don’t know an honest tech that flags more than 10 hours a day at this point except the ones that get fed throughout work. I am seeing once honest techs turning to the dark side to survive flat rate

I’m at the end of the rope. I can’t spend 20 hours on warranty transmissions that pay 10, seeing the B techs get the cp one that pays 22. I can’t keep spending 2+ hours on diagnostics to get paid .5 because factory simply doesn’t agree with the paragraphs of documentation

Howdy all I would like some input from people I do not work with.

How do you/your shop arrive at labor times?

How do you handle techs asking for more diagnostic time?

How do you handle the diagnostic hour when it’s a known issue or the diagnostics shouldn’t take a half hour on simple things?

How do you handle a tech who consistently wants to charge more than book time? How do you handle a tech who needs more diagnostic time than anyone else? ie a tech always needs 3+ hours for a no start tow in, needs 2 hours for water leak testing etc

How do you handle a tech that constantly lies about gravy work being needed ie sells 5mm brakes as being 1mm, somehow always needs to sell spark plugs and a fuel cleaning, sells significantly more of that job alldata clearly over bid the labor.

Do you get to know what tech hours look like? Do your best techs (skill, craftsmanship, knowledge) make the most hours?

Does your service manager/dispatcher ever talk about taking advantage of certain techs?

Any service managers prowling around here I have more direct questions and conversations I would love to have with you

I interviewed with a Mercedes dealership in a rich part of a metro area. They are telling me that their techs are 150%+ efficient and it’s not hard to make 200k. They sell a lot of A/B services, they don’t do sprinters, didn’t mention if his techs are running overtime or what, and customer pay times will be double warranty not alldata.

He said the biggest challenge is navigating and understanding service information since it’s been translated from German and something about Tips being complicated to search. Said the techs who can effectively navigate service information do very well. He was supposed to text over a copy of the pay plan but didn’t. The job listing is 37-52+ flat rate depending on experience, certs and training.

I would be leaving Mopar where I’ve been a master tech for a decade+ so he wants to start me at the master level and work me into the product. He did warn me that training is gonna take about 5 years as classes fill up quickly when they’re offered, but the company has deep pockets to get me sent out to Long Beach, Chicago and I forget the third place.

I’ve been a 130% tech for many years but the brand has no new techs to take the heavy line and diag off of me. My management team doesn’t care to support me, the dealers around are scummy or wouldn’t treat me any better. I worked as hard as I could last year an did not hit 100k. With out support I’ve been kicked down to struggling to hit 100% and the writing is on the wall.

At this point I don’t really even care about cars. I enjoy the diagnostics, learning and the idea I am helping people be safe on the road.

Is this manager blowing smoke up my ass? I’d MB a solid career change? I got 30 more years and I can’t ruin my body with Stellantis paying 10 for engines an transmissions that take 15+ then be expected to do 2-4 heavy line jobs a pay period between diagnosing cars I don’t get straight time out of