Becoming a Mechanic at Age 41

Hi All,

I am a laid off 41 year old software programmer who is planning on becoming a mechanic (automotive technician). Auto mechanics is something I've always wanted to do since high school and with the recent downturn in the techonology field and with the field's bias towards hiring younger programmers, I thought now might be a good time to pursue becoming a mechanic. My plan is to take two years off to pursue an Associates degree in automotive technology with required internships during the summer. What is the opinion from others currently in the field on the wiseness of this plan? I know one has to be fast and competent to be able to make a decent earning under the flat rate system. What are some of the politics involved with working in a dealership? What is the working environment like given today's higher technology vehicles? Can my 41 year old body handle the work? Will a dealership be willing to hire a 41 year old rookie? Although I've never rebuilt an engine, I've always done my own tune ups and minor repairs on my car and motorcycle.

Thanks, Harry

Reply to
Harry Chan
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I'm a 50 year old auto tech, been doing it for about 30 years, going to school for a computor related job. Would rather sit behind a desk at this stage in my career. Your background may render you a shoe in for diagnostic work, but since the advent of obd systems, the challenge seems gone. Any dealership I've seen tends to let the guys with experience & tenure have the cake & the new guy usually gets the $hit jobs. Good luck.

Reply to
PA-ter

In article , "Harry Chan" wrote:

I don't think it's a bad plan... You gotta do something to put bread on the table. Scant chance that your [new] job will be farmed out to a foreign country to a worker who's willing to make

25 cents an hour. In auto mechanics, youth is not an advantage per-say, it takes years of work experience to become proficient, unlike some careers where once you know the skills, the job goes to the lowest bidder. The politics are/is the politics, some shops are well run and shop politics do not fly, other shops are run by under achievers who couldn't hack it in the trenches, so management gets their jollies by messing with the help. The shops who constantly advertise for help and offer ridiculous hiring bonuses are usually in the later group and should be avoided if possible. Either way, you'll probably have to work your way up the ladder, which is normal in just about any job situation. Don't limit yourself/your choices to working only in a dealership, private shops can be better places to work and offer better conditions and comparable pay. Dealerships automatically include having to do warranty work which at the minimum means a 33% cut in labor hours allowed. Some of the warranty labor times are so ridiculously short it's unbelievable. Fleets and municipalities are another place to consider for employment. As for the working environment versus technology, a good shop will have the necessary needed equipment for the high tech stuff, some of the equipment is expected to be provided by the mechanic (you). A strong aptitude in electronics is is big plus if you have it. The technology dictates that you'll eventually need to become proficient in using such types of equipment as: computers, both desktop and laptop; scan tools, either after-market or manufacturer specific; engine analyzers; lab scopes; various other hand held test devices. You should know how to read a micrometer and a vernier caliper, you should know how to read a wiring diagram, you should be able to read and follow printed instructions such as would be found in a service manual. If you're physically fit, your 41 year old body should do just fine. Hell, I'm 50, I have 16 pins and brackets holding my legs together, an artificial knee, have had two heart attacks, quad by-pass, two angioplasties and two stents and I'm still able to hack more hours than the younger guys. 41 years old to me means a stable employee who's going to show up for work every day, not call in sick because he was out drinking and dancing until the wee hours. (disregard if you're a 41YO dancing drunk) As for your engine rebuilding experience, engines are not usually rebuilt 'in house' anymore, component jobs are done such as intake manifolds and head gaskets which are pretty easy to catch on to, if an engine is trashed totally, a replacement unit is usually procured from a re-builder and installed in the vehicle. Not many shops are equipped to do a full blown rebuild on site.

Find a good technical college and study hard, you'll do fine.

If no one will hire you, you can always strike out on your own.

Reply to
Neil Nelson

Why don't you schedule some informational interviews with a couple service managers at nearby dealers. Do it at their convienance. Ask them for their advice on breaking into the field.

A degree isn't enough. You'll have to work up the ranks and prove your abilities. You might have to start out as a porter or lube jockey working part time.

Sure there's politics. (like every other professional) You can end up being the most technical and get the "driveability" repairs. Since they're under warranty you can end up being the lowest paid while the mechanic in the bay next to you is doing out of warrantee repairs and getting nice commissions.

If you have a natural ability for problem solving and wanting to know how things work then it might be for you. You'll probably not get rich but then there's not much likelyhood of your job going to India.

Reply to
davefr

I've read some of the above replies.......and I'll add:

Experience is the best teacher. There is no substitute for it. All the book learning on earth cannot replace it.

I do wish you luck in your endeavors, though. Perhaps a position in the automotive field that could be an easier career change might be a service writer. Take up automotive repair as a hobby and a job as a service writer and the two would compliment each other rather well.

Hank

Reply to
Hank

It certainly can be done.

Your programming experience has taught you the linear way of things and automotive repair has the same mind set I believe. If it isn't this, it must be this or this, they all flow.

I went from auto to computer hardware Tech at College with low level programming and found it easy for the same reason. It all made sense.

Being computer literate is also a bonus at any shop. Some of them spend big bucks for 'service contracts' that are a basic 'FFR' if things really mess up but just knowing how to load and tune programs and get out of crashes can make for a good side contract...

You will fast find out about muscles you didn't know existed when you start working on a hoist, LOL! Real fast. I went back at it for a bit and for the first couple days needed to hold my elbow up with one arm while turning the wrench with the other hand...

As an older apprentice, you have a benefit of being theoretically more stable for work ethics as well which can be a bonus. Kids seem to miss a lot of work....

I wish you luck! Mike

86/00 CJ7 Laredo, 33x9.5 BFG Muds, 'glass nose to tail in '00 88 Cherokee 235 BFG AT's

Harry Chan wrote:

Reply to
Mike Romain

Hi,

Thanks to all for your info and advice. My plan is to enroll in a technical program sponsored by BMW. Part of the two year program requires me to obtain a coop sponsorship from a BMW dealer. Hopefully by talking with some service managers, I'll get more of a feel for what it's like to break into the field. The coop should also let me know more about working in the field. I am now wondering if I should specialize in GM instead to keep my options open, for example working as a fleet mechanic. The school offers four factory sponsored programs: GM, Chrysler, Toyota and BMW. I also have a concern on how the OBDII systems are going to impact the independent shops, since I've read that lack of access to diagnostic data leaves such shops at an unfair disadantage.

All the stuff about doing sh*t work and warranty work does concern me, although I am willing to do that for a couple of years for the experience. I just have to remind myself that in all fields, politics do occur and that you'll always have to fight for the best projects, assignments, routes, details and so on even though I don't enjoy it. If I can, I rather stay away from a cut throat environment.

Harry.

Reply to
H. Chan

"H. Chan" wrote

I work in Canada and things appear to be different from the States up here. As far as I can tell, from the 24 years I've been working in the trade, dealerships offer the best wages, fairly good training, excellent product knowledge (because you are working on it from the time it hits the road) and quite good job security if you are an honest, good worker. You don't necessarily have to be the fastest tech....just be able to work steadily and do good work.

When I first started as an apprentice, years ago....the word around the technical school that I went to was to "stay away from the dealerships and flat rate.....you'll lose your ass". I started in a GM dealership and have always worked in dealerships. So far, I haven't lost my ass. In the early years, there was plenty of politics and bullshit...but the best way to deal with that is to become "good" at what you do. Lately, because of the rarity of good techs, most places treat you fairly well, as they can't afford to lose even marginal techs.

I'm 45 and I'm feeling the pain in the body. Not real bad, but then again, I've always worked predominantly as a "general" tech, so have usually had to deal with the heavier mechanical work. I actually prefer this to the (quote) high tech stuff, as those poor guys are losing their asses these days. At least in the dealership environment up here.

One more thing, don't be fooled by anyone attempting to contrast a "flat rate" environment and the "straight time" environment. When you get right down to it....someone is always evaluating your productivity....in either scenario. One of the reasons I prefer the flat rate system is that my time is my own....I determine my pace, and it affects my paycheck. I like this as I'm basically a pretty lazy guy and need a good kick in the pants or incentive to work harder.

By the way, another poster mentioned looking at the service advising end of the industry. I'd second this too. Mainly because of the wear and tear on the body. We have two fellows in our shop who have gone from the floor to service advising...they both are doing an excellent job, and making pretty decent money. Depending on the bonus structures, you can make some good money advising. It's definitely something to keep in mind for down the road. Once you get into the trade, there are a lot of other things that you can do within the trade that are a bit easier on the body. I'd make the switch myself, but I am not interested in the substantial drop in wages that I would take at the moment. Maybe later when the kids have moved out and the wife goes back to work.

Ian

Reply to
shiden_Kai

I will have to look into being a service advisor. At the beginning however, I would like to know how to do the actual work, if nothing else, it'll give me a better understanding of what the techs are facing if I do pursue other positions in the trade. Thanks for the info.

Harry.

Reply to
H. Chan

Given a choice, I'd pick the GM program.

It'll give you the most options in terms of employers. For every BMW dealer there are probably 4-5 various GM dealers. You don't want to get stuck in the one and only BMW shop especially if it's poorly managed. Once you get a reputation you can go any direction you choose. Your challenge is to break into the field and get established.

Once you get a good reputation, word will spread and you'll be able to pick and choose your future direction. Even in big cities, mechanics tend to be a tight knit community and there are few secrets in terms of dealers and/or mechanic's reputations.

There are still plenty of older mechanics who can do the heavy stuff but don't have the electronic/computer/diagnostic skills. Your "niche" could be all the computer stuff and there's a lot more to it than pulling an OBDII code and replacing sensors.

If you have a passion, than go for it.

Reply to
davefr

This has been a very interesting thread.

Q#1: how much does this program cost?

Q#2: how much $ are you expected to spend on tools? Is there a standard kit all students are expected to get?

Q#3: what sort of $ is one predicted to make during the coop phase?

But... the BMW repair market may dry up.

After all, many of the BMW customers are in jobs which are being offshored (engineering, finance, accounting, lawyer, medical research, etc).

==> it might be safer to become a Kia mechanic! :-O

Q#4: are mechanics paid by the hour, or by the unit (eg, $50 for each brake job)? Also, how do commissions relate to non-warranty repairs?

Thanks.

-Ted

Reply to
Ted Johnson

----- Original Message ----- From: "Ted Johnson" Newsgroups: rec.autos.tech Sent: Wednesday, April 28, 2004 6:00 PM Subject: Re: Becoming a Mechanic at Age 41

The program I'm planning to enroll in is by a state community college, so the tuition is less than that of a private community or technical college. The cost is about $6500 a year for a full load course. They also make you take English writing and math since they're awarding you an Associates degree after the program. As others have posted in this thread, the degree itself may not be as important as the experience. So you may have a local vocational school that offers a shorter training program at a lesser cost. Then there are the nationally marketed training schools such as Wyotech, UTI and Lincoln Tech, which I believe are more costly.

The big name companies, Snap-On, Craftsman, MAC and others come by this particular school and sell their tools for around 50% off retail. What you buy is up to you.

You are responsible for negotiating the type of work and wages for the coop with the dealership. If you are really good, the dealership might even offer to pay for your training in return for working for them after you are finished with the program. I suspect you can earn up to several grand a year.

No kidding.

Harry.

Reply to
H. Chan

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