i've been a gm tech for 20 years (didn 't even need to shave when i started there) mainly transmission guy but do everything writing is on the wall though time to get out
garage level 30 yr+, school level 5 yr, shop level 2 yr, college level 1 yr, changed to collision repair cause college didnt teach me anything, college 4 yr, shop level 5 yr, manufacturing level, coming up 14 yr..........
Not a tech but a GM parts dude for the past 7 yrs. I love steering shafts and crappy tansmissions ($$$). Lately, the 4wd stuff is helping out a ton. It' pretty stupid that I have to have the vin to look up anything anymore. There are 16 mirror options for each side on a new Silverado! Crap!
currently at a GMC/Buick dealer. GM Tech for 10 years. I do everything except the gravy. I get all the transmission, internal engine, diesel and non-GM Jobs that come in the door. I also do alot of driveability stuff.
Not a tech, but.....a Service Advisor for the last 8 years, started at a Buick,Pontiac,GMC dealer, now at a Hyundai/Kia dealer. Seriously amazed at the quality of these Korean cars now. Probably less than 10% of the techs I work with care about old cars. Probably 1/2 of the gearheads are into tuners the other half were into cars but aren't anymore. I think being in the buisiness can burn you out on cars completely. One thing that amazes me is the # of good/experienced techs who don't understand the basics of an internal combustion engine or an automobile.
Been a car guy all my life. 17 years at a Honda Mazda dealer, started off as a helper went on the line as a heavy line tech overhaulin engines and transmissions . Switched to tune up (gravy) tech after a couple years . The shop went to a open shop with team system so went to doing everything and team leader bullshit , the gravy started to fade away, and the asshole service manager hated me and I made his life miserable right back for as long as I could, then a buddy asked me to run his shop I jumped , Been there 4 years now ,I miss the people (old friends ) money and the 401k but not the life. Dealerships Suck if you are there get out before it sucks you in !
Ase Master L1 blah blah blah Master Land Rover Tech 10+ years then Master Aston Martin / Bugatti Tech 5 years ....gave up the glitz for New York City Transit bus maintenance Manager..... 2 major things Pension and I retire with full benefits not finding that at any dealer !
Been at Ford dealers since 99,,,7 of the latter being at the same ford dealer. In my short lived life ive seen alot come and go ,people/cars/technology which for the time being is and has turned too to much accounting trying to make up for overpayed private corporate govt officials salaries . Then the trickle down theory applies and makes us all post like we have here about it being more of a corporate game and weeding out all the individuals and making way for the new diminishing breed of yes men . One of the other pissers is the fact of having to be dishonest to consistently make and or run high hours ,,unless you play toss the dispatcher and managements salads game ,which the majority of us will do to survive when were trying to get where we all want to be in our lives ! I at my work am the only hotrodder in training ,,so can get boring as well when you start rambling about this or that with the older stuff and u can see the deer in h/lights look on there face . Oh well makes me appreciate the H.A.M.B. even more so ,because by far this the best group of guys in any hobby ive yet to come across! Oh well thats my 2 dollars worth! C.D.
Saturn tec for 19 years shop forman for the last 10 untill gm fucked us over!!! fuck gm and all the big wigs that shut us down i hope they all feel the struggle im going thruogh now !!!! its sucks saturn was the first job i had and i stuck it out 19 years now i will move on to another brand. the worst part is now im the new guy in the shop we all know how much fun that is. i hope all of you other guys are at better dealers and can stick this shitty time out i know im bitchen just sucks that all was great one min now no job the next at least i still have my hot rods to keep me busy
Ford/Lincoln/Merc Quick Service/master Tech (certified in most areas but not auto trans or diesel yet). It is better then working at Walmart but not by much. Most of the guys I work with couldn't care less about older/modified cars, but I'm kind of the oddball. Though there are many days when the last thing I wanna do when I get home is work on my shit.
Ford tech five years, service advisor, service manager, parts and service director and now own two Ford dealerships. I love cars, the car business, hot rods and Harleys. Still work on my cars myself and have built all my rods myself except for paint.
Used to be a GM dealership assistant parts manager for two years, a parts manager for nine years, quit that and have been a counterman for the last twenty two years. Started in 1970, just a few more years to go. June will be 40 years.............. Hey flatheadpete, what do you think about the "new and improved" SPAC Department?
Gm tech in 60s, AMC tech , BMC tech, British Leyland tech, Ford tech in seventies. Never did Mopar tech. Thought "What would I do? I d be like the Matag Repairman." ;>) Don
a bit late on this one, but have been a GM tech for 23 years. current job is at a chevy store, going on almost 10 years there. i get to do it all, bumper to bumper. cool part, is we're always busy [we do a huge used car business], and the owner is big into old fords, so i do alot of side work for him on the old stuff, and anything old that comes in the door, i have to do [which isn't bad, meet alot of neat people this way]. i've been an ase master tech for 15 years and have enough GM training to choke a horse. although i don't have an 'old' car at the momment, i think i'm the only guy in the shop that's into them, and can actually fix something older than i am [most of these guys are parts changers]. it's amazing how many tools you can accumulate in 20+ years, thank god the tool bill is no more. i've spent more on tools than i paid for my house i really feel for the guys stuck on the warranty train, we still do alot of gravy work so the hours are still real good without robbing people, makes for a better experience.
almost 40 years in gm parts new and improved" SPAC Department- what a f@@@ing joke the auto industry is and has been totally f@@@ed up for years i still like the older stuff
I've been a Mazda,VW,Kia tech for the past 12 years.The younger guys look at me like I'm stupid when I actually try to repair a part instead of replacing it.You haven't had any fun til you've looked at a vw wiring diagram.
I started in my dads heavy truck repair shop at 13.At 18 I got my first job in a ford dealer.I have been in the business for 31 yrs.I have done just about everything in a service dept.The last dealer I worked at I was shop foreman for a chrysler/jeep,pontiac/gmc/hyundai store.I was a busy guy.I finally got fed up with the bullshit about 5 yrs ago when a large national used car dealer came to town.The used car retailer hired me as a retail tech at a decent wage.I have been here since.I can pull 100k a yr and work less than 40hrs a week.The benefits are great and the stress level is nonexistent.I still get the occasional call about a foreman job from the local dealers.I am not going back to a dealer ever again! It is kind of sad that the recent generation of techs are mostly parts changers.I rebuilt one of the other techs quadrajet the otherday because he could not!Kinda sad.
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