r/mechanics

What’s up dudes and dudets

Those of you who were mechanics for a good portion of your life, what are you doing now that’s not hands on mechanics or atleast not working in the automotive industry ? I’m a 27 y/o male I’ve been a diesel mechanic since I was 16 from construction equipment/ dump trucks/ tractor trailers to ford diesels for a little while then to working on diesel passenger trains for the last 5 years and I’m currently a facilities technician for the railroad and absolutely hate it ( it’s a lot of piddly handy man bullshit type work like painting things, changing light bulbs, pulling weeds, fixing/ replacing small stuff like signage, benches and crossings and visually inspecting stations) so for the most part it’s a lot of driving/ sitting around and doing nothing for more than half my day it’s a very boring lazy job and when there is actually something to do it’s something really stupid/ annoying, it almost feels degrading a lot of times because it’s not rewarding work and I know I’m worth so much more than the work I’m doing.

What are yall doing that’s not being a laborer mechanic anymore ? Where else can we apply our skills and thrive while making good money and not having to start completely over as I myself cannot afford to start over making less than $37 an hour ( Maryland is fucking expensive).

I’m a very skilled person and can figure out anything I put my mind too very quickly. being a mechanic just isn’t something I want to do as a career for the rest of my life anymore. I became a mechanic because I’ve always been in love with cars and trucks it’s my main hobby but the job has steadily made me not like my favorite hobby as much anymore. I feel defeated yet hopeful someone out there can provide some good insight from a similar experience. tia everyone!

For me, it’s thumb wheel ratchets. I have a set I bought ages ago that just sat in my toolbox for the longest time. With vehicles getting tighter and tighter now, I’m finding myself reaching for them more and more. Usually it’s just for one or two bolts, but those bolts make all the difference.

I’m looking for a new job and I have virtually no experience with cars so I’m just curious as to what I would be doing. I really wouldn’t want to be working on a conveyor belt or something like that with no experience.

https://www.reddit.com/r/Tucson/s/TIeND5Psjt

hi, i’m a 20y/o tech at a classic car shop, i’ve been here for just over 2 years, and started as a shop bitch with very little real experience on classics, as far as now, i’ve become the interior/upholstery guy for the shop, i do carpets dynomatt reupholstery/recovery on seats and headliners/ other trim pieces, i sometimes do wiring but am very fluent in all realms of working on cars besides suspension, i make $15 a hour with a base of 40 hours a week, so bassicly $500, and then $7 a flag hour, i clock anywhere from 10-50 depending on what jobs im doing for that week, anywho im starting to feel stuck, am i being paid to little for the work i produce?

im in austin texas, i have no certifications or ase’s shop rate is $167. $188 pre 1955

there’s 2 other kids my age who make the same amount, however they both still live at home, i have bills. other co workers make $1000 base and $15 a flag,

I wanted to ask you guys what you'd expect someone like me to be getting paid, for context I make 28/hr Hourly, I'm 23 and have been in a shop since I was 16, became an apprentice at 18 and a tech at 19, I can do R&R's, light diesel work (apprenticed under a diesel tech for over a year and did a lot of the work myself), electrical diag, drivability, basically jack of all trades kind of deal, I have an extremely low comeback rate (can think 1 comeback directly related to something I did or misdiagnosed in the last 6 months) I live/work in East TX in a city with about 35k people and work at a small local independent. I guess my question is, am I justified for wanting more money? Or should I just be happy where I'm at for now.

hello all! i’m looking for some specific work boot recommendations, as well as any recs for good socks or insoles.

would also love any recs you’d have on how to keep cool in a shop with no conditioning. midwest corn sweats are no joke! or any other gadgets, any good lights or little tools that have changed your life? let me know

my bf is a diesel mechanic with a whole lotta aches and pains. he supposedly gets boot reimbursement but has yet to see that, and i get huge discounts thru grainger.

so my brand options at grainger that i’ve heard good thing about are: ariat, carolina, keen, reebok, sketchers, thorogood, timberland

unfortunately no redwings nor redbacks. price within the above brands is no issue tho.

requirements: steel toe, wide foot friendly/options, good ankle support, overall quality

he has flat feet but this could be addressed with insoles, just not sure where to start there. he prefers lower ankle coverage but that might be a trade off with ankle support. sweats a lot but down for sock recommendations to help there, since i realize his options won’t be breathable.

any standard traction is fine, as his shop keeps the floors pretty clean. he just keeps repurchasing walmart boots and wears em til they literally fall apart. he is a frugal and humble king who has heard of redwings but that’s it, and it’s one of the few options i can’t get lol.

i also hear it’s good to rotate? we also get pretty harsh summers and winters so any seasonal recs would be great.

thanks!

I’m in school studying automotive technology, today, I’ll be at the dealership at 8am starting as en express technician.
I wonder what are some things I should keep in mind for now and later
From working on the car, down to when it comes to customers

I’d especially love to hear from some women technicians too!!

I don't have any certificate in the USA, I have in Brazil and I know how to do everything in a car. I have a job that allows me to stay 264 days/year off and I am thinking in going back to the USA and work monday to friday when I am over there, as a regular mechanic. (don't ask about permition to work, I was born in the USA, but lived most of my life in Brazil and studied here.

i graduated high school a couple months ago and i literally cannot find an etery level position in this field, , i already aplied to and went to alot of shops to but they dont get back to me and they ask for my name and number but they dont call back what do i do about this i really hate my curent job and i want to get starte becuse i dont want to fall back there is literaly people younger than me that know more and are better than me and i just want to get in and stop wachig vedios on youtube and actually get my hands dirty.

Do all of the techs here write their own estimates? I can’t understand why shops have techs looking for parts and writing estimates. I think it would make more sense for the front of the house to write the estimates and look up parts while the techs produce work. If it’s a matter of making sure hours are charged correctly, the tech could always double check the hours estimated before the estimate is given to the customer. Do you guys like writing your own estimates? Do you feel like it cost you time and money to write estimates rather than repairing vehicles? If you’re front of house writes the estimates, do they do it correctly or do they mess it up a lot? Do they take forever to write the estimate?

So I got myself a dealership job and as yall know you have to bring your own tools. I'm late to the game, I'm 35, and have never worked a job where you have to bring your own tools. It is a Chevy dealership if that makes a big difference.

I know I'll need:

An impact

One of those filter band wrenches

Some impact sockets

Torque extensions

A torque wrench

SAE wrenches

SAE impact sockets

If yall could help me figure out what im missing that would be a great help.

I was wondering everybody’s opinion about switching from a tire chain to a dealership with the Hudson automotive group. This is general. Our shops are a lot slower and not having enough work for the guys we’ve had but the two interviews I’ve done the shops always look full with the dealerships. See the pro and cons are going into one.

22, soon to be 23 M with a Wife and daughter, currently getting paid 27.50 (I was at 25 a hour last month) and I am Flat rate I am electrical certified for my dealership but honestly i want to get out i HATE flat rate , and I no longer enjoy working on cars, I only got into this because i enjoyed working on cars when i was in highschool i regret my decision, while i am still young i want to get out what do you guys recommended, i am open to ANYTHING as long as it has potential, i am willing to take a pay cut whats out there for guys like me, tired of working for greedy scummy dealership tired of working for free and tired of stupid warranty.

I been doing this for two years.

Give me your honest opinions of temu tire machines and wheel balancers. Look for something to put in my home shop. If I start doing enough I’ll get higher end stuff but just to do a few jobs