This video is pretty much spot on, they slam Ford pretty hard at the begining, as they move on with the other manufacturers a pattern repeats. Flat rate really does suck with the new stuff, even if you do the same job over and over.
Not much customer pay repair any more, just warranty.

Been going on for quite a while, it's not really GM or Fords problem, you can go right out of HS if you are proficient, take some classes to be a mechanic and earn 6 figures easily.

Lots of youth were taught that working with your hands was beneath them, we need mechanics, trade people big time, You can't change brake pads with AI.....

quote:

Originally posted by HRK:
Been going on for quite a while, it's not really GM or Fords problem, you can go right out of HS if you are proficient, take some classes to be a mechanic and earn 6 figures easily.

Lots of youth were taught that working with your hands was beneath them, we need mechanics, trade people big time, You can't change brake pads with AI.....

The six figure deal is not true, especially just out of high school, you didn't watch the video, upper level Ford management made a comment about no mechanics.
I believe it's because of the mentality you mention, it is Ford's problem.

I know a 18 year old who got a sweep the floor job at the local benz dealer. Worked it to basic mechanic, then they shipped him to a 3 month master certification course in Jax he make like 80 and is constantly moving his way up.

My neighbor is in the automotive dealer service industry, over 30 years, his comments to me echo exactly what I'm saying, Dealers are scrambling and a good tech can earn over 6 figures.

You are correct right out of HS it's not that level. However, if a kid out of HS chose to go the good trade school route for a year or two, he could get a really good starting position and many dealers will pay for training classes and certifications as they grow with the dealer. MikeRoweWorks offers scholarships to young HS graduates to enter a trade school and start a career in that field so you can get the education without going into debt.

If you specialize in EV repair and maintenance, which younger people like, you can earn more quickly than ICE.

No Doubt the way factories repay warranty work is challenging, however learn to do the job in less time means you earn more per hour/job. Factories though have a responsibility to provide equitable repairs and of course protect the company from fraudulent claims.

It's out there, like anything application, education, effort are rewarded.

If you have done it once, you can almost always beat book time, which is how you make $$. The problem is book time doesn't always take into account diagnostic time and it doesn't take into account complications, both of which kill what $$ you can make.

Vehicles last longer & are more reliable on average than they ever were. That reduces the amount of easy wear fixes, which are where you traditionally made your money. Tie rod ends, sway bar mounts, shocks, structs are all lasting a LOT longer than in years past & were a high-margin item for the individual mechanic (and shop).
spending 2 days diagnosing an electronic gremlin and getting it down to maybe 3 systems that are all a 3k fix & the customer says 'I'll live with it' doesn't put food on the table.

If you know where you can make 6 figures after a couple classes, sign me up. Around here, if you're an 18YO & you break 40 your first year, you'll probably make it to be a good one because you worked your ass off for that 40. That $40/hr book time sounds great until you realize you'll never get 40 book hrs per week doing oil changes.

Having done it or seen it done, I can see why nobody wants to work on Fords. Almost everything they've turned out since discontinuing the Crown Vic in 2011 sucks ass. Do a water pump in a 3.5/3.7 V6 Edge, Taurus and similar FWD (the truck engines are different, but have their own problems) or a 1.5/1.6 Escape Ecoboost; brakes on the Transit; taking the cab off for almost any major engine service on the F-series; the PowerShift DCT transmissions ... Sure, if you do enough of them they become easier. Big whoop.

At a time where they are losing techs left and right the dealerships double down on what used to be a big benefit to the experienced mechanic.

A lot of dealerships are paying by an hourly rate. If a tech makes $40 an hour and works 8 hours then they make $320 for the day.

The huge thing that many dealers have taken away is flat rate. That’s when a tech earns a set amount per completed repair task based on industry-standard time estimate rather than actual hours clocked. That means as you get more and more proficient you can do a job in 8 hours that actually “books” at 10. Basically you work 8 hours and get paid for ten because you are efficient. That can be argued back and forth but that’s the biggest complaint from most mechanics, especially after they have worked under the flat rate system for years.

A look into "The unfortunate truth about the automotive repair industry" from a dealer mechanic now independent repair shop owner. I think worth watching, 23 minutes long.

Oops I posted the wrong link, it's this one.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9cfbhxsqW84

quote:

Originally posted by HRK:
Been going on for quite a while, it's not really GM or Fords problem, you can go right out of HS if you are proficient, take some classes to be a mechanic and earn 6 figures easily.

Lots of youth were taught that working with your hands was beneath them, we need mechanics, trade people big time, You can't change brake pads with AI.....

Agree. I know a number of mechanics and stealers. I remember when I had the recall done on my Focus RS in 2019 (HG but I winked, and got a whole new head). I insisted on a master tech since I consider this major surgery. Kid was mid to late 20’s and he was pulling $125-150k per year. And he only did recall work. Fluid changes were for the newbs.

The reality is much of Gen Z doesn’t want to work. When polled something like 55% of them said they wanted to be a social media influencer. Many of us hustled, busted our ass, certifications, degrees, etc, and grinded. That’s not how these younger generations are now.

The mechanics I used to use for everything aged out, retired, etc. I had to shop around to get the recall done on my truck. I phoned or went in person to multiple dealerships. The one closest to me had scammed me before. I went in there for a state inspection and an oil change. They sent me text videos of a dirty in cabin air filter, dirty air filter, when I had checked both previously and while not mint new, clean. They also said my brake fluid needed to be changed when it didn’t. I was still under factory warranty so I bought both filters so I’d have the receipt. I didn’t want to bleed the brakes myself so I took it to an independent shop and had the brake fluid flushed, and the receipt. Only in case of warranty issues down the line where the Manu stated I didn’t do what was recommended at last stealer visit. I went back up there shopping for my recall and there were Gen Z with shirts hanging out. Ball cap (not dealer hats) turned backwards. Tats, chains. I said fuck this. Took me 2 weeks to find a solid service manager and that’s the last independently owned dealer of that make in my entire area, and they got the work. We are at $150-175 labor hour around here now.

Ford pays half rate for warranty work, they also have more recalls than anyone else. the nature of the work sucks, having to buy expensive brand specific equipment sucks, it's just a bad time all around now.


My name on this forum is not by accident, I was attending trade school for autobody when I signed up. there is zero chance I'll return to that field.

Our local Ford dealer sent a HS kid to a trade school in Nebraska, was paid for by Ford, Two years of training and now he is working at the dealership. He has no debt if he works there for a certain time. It's a really great program for both parties.

I haven't been in that business for several decades but when I was, a competent mechanic could make half that. Just inflation would make that easily over $100 grand today.

As a youngster starting out, I'd try to find a good independent shop to learn where you're not tied down to a particular manufacturer and their corporate policies and pricing. Then go from there.

Hourly vs piece work pay never has a clear winner. But I would prefer to pay a little more to have a good mechanic do the job right vs rushing through in order to do it under book time.

Last year the wife's Audi needed new brakes and a couple of minor things that required the stealership's tools. About 10 months later I discovered that the mechanic had left the cap off of the brake fluid reservoir with a rag stuffed on top. It sits under a cover so it isn't visible without opening it up.

I presume he was in a rush and forgot to install the cap. I wasn't about to burn most of a day of my time taking it back to get the brakes flushed and a new cap installed, and would they even believe me if I complained?

The Ford CEO complaining about no technicians struck a nerve with a lot of exiting employees they have left.
They usually work 9 hr days and a half day Saturday (no overtime).
Buy their own tools.
If the job comes back, rarely do you get paid the second time.
The gripes in the video are legit.
The CEO doesn't understand that if you build a quality product, less
warranty work required.
The numbers like 400 thousand openings, and 50 to $150k income is bullshit. If those numbers were true, he would have more than enough help.

QUOTE:

We have a crisis in our country that and people aren't talking about it - the essential economy - people that build things, drive things," Farley told CNN in a recent interview. "We have a huge shortage. In our industry, for example, we have 400,000 openings for technicians to work on cars. And those jobs go from entry-level $50,000 up to $150,000. Our plumbers and electricians in this country, they don't have a succession plan, there's not people going into these skilled trades like my grandparents and my parents.
END QUOTE

https://fordauthority.com/2026...rkers-a-huge-crisis/

My son turned 18 in May and graduated high school a week later. He decided much younger he didn’t have desire for college. His senior year he took 3 hours a day for high school credit at the local trade college for no cost to him/us in auto tech and earned a handful of entry level ASE certs. He started as a lube tech a week after graduation at a major name brand car dealer and quickly found out he’s making $2 an hour more than a similar age kid just hired with no ASE certs.

Side note want to know about grade inflation ? He graduated with a 2.8 cumulative GPA but in the bottom 17% of his class of 575 kids. My daughter just finished her sophomore year has AP and Honors classes straight A’s and a 4.6 GPA through 2 years and is 38th in a similar 500+ kid class.

He loves it so far and is working 5 days with OT and every other Saturday which is all OT. Lives at home still but is making almost 2k every paycheck net. Not bad for 18. They have already mentioned sending him for factory training next year. He’s working for a brand he doesn’t love but it’s a paycheck. I have told him hey you want to go be the master tech at Ford or wherever because you love the work AND the brand ? Figure out a 5-10 year plan to get there.

As far as the FORD CEO comments, most of his shops work he says is oil changes and air filter changes and tires and brakes. Regular wear items. You’d be surprised how many people take their car to a dealer for basic work Vs local independent shop. I assume it’s mostly women as the demographic I see driving the brand of car he works for is heavily skewed female ( my personal anecdotal sample size) Asian maker of Little compacts and sedans.

It’s steady, reliable work and I think he can end up making more in next few years if he doesn’t screw up. I’ve already discussed with him saving more than $1k per paycheck and spending only a few hundred a week on fun. And avoiding frivolous debt like it’s Ebola. He’s already asking me if he should get a credit card. I told him go to the CU where we bank and he has an account and get a $500 limit card. Around here you can buy a fixer house for 150-200k. A nice turnkey house for close to 300k. I’ve showed him how he can Save 25k a year for 3 years and buy something at 21 ?

I told him he’d be years ahead of his cohort of friends and his 2 cousins each graduating from college with 6 digits in debt. And living at home till 30. Yes they are making a bit more starting out but will have crushing debt payments till middle age not equity building payments. I just want to see him do this before a woman enters his life. He had a little girlfriend for a few months a year ago and pissed away a lot of his savings he had from a really miserable job he had last summer entertaining her.

quote:

Originally posted by ElToro:


He loves it so far and is working 5 days with OT and every other Saturday which is all OT. Lives at home still but is making almost 2k every paycheck net. Not bad for 18. They have already mentioned sending him for factory training next year. He’s working for a brand he doesn’t love but it’s a paycheck. I have told him hey you want to go be the master tech at Ford or wherever because you love the work AND the brand ? Figure out a 5-10 year plan to get there.

I do have some positive advice for him,
Find a large contractor that works for a military type installation, hourly pay, good benefits. Lot of vehicle repair/maintenance goes on.
Mining is big around here, they have training centers, work 20 or so years and retire.
There are great jobs available in auto repair, just avoid flat rate, can make good money in your 20's but as you get older, the more you learn the less you make.
You get stuck with difficult jobs that do not pay enough time.
He also needs to take care of his back, hearing, knees and fingers, he's gonna be wore out when it's time to retire.

quote:

I just want to see him do this before a woman enters his life. He had a little girlfriend for a few months a year ago and pissed away a lot of his savings he had from a really miserable job he had last summer entertaining her.

Well, who hasn't been there... LOL

A quick summary, anybody thinking of a dealership technician job should get in, get the training from the OEM and get state certified as necessary. And get out and find a good independent and go to work there.

Dealerships especially since many are now corporate owned are not the place to go. Eroding benefits, extended hours, arbitrary pay plan restructuring when they feel you are making too much or their profits are down and commonplace.

I’ve been out,of that world (dealership parts for nine years now. It was getting bad when I left and I hear from friends still in it things aren’t getting any better either.

Your results may vary.

quote:

Dealerships especially since many are now corporate owned are not the place to go. Eroding benefits, extended hours, arbitrary pay plan restructuring when they feel you are making too much or their profits are down and commonplace.

I’ve been out,of that world (dealership parts for nine years now. It was getting bad when I left and I hear from friends still in it things aren’t getting any better either.

I have a friend who works as a dealership mechanic. It's a family owned dealership and they are pretty good to their people. He makes very good money... but I think it's because he's good, he's efficient, and they know he could walk and have another job the same day if they really pissed him off.