need to vent

[lil89ram50]

so ive been with the GM dealer ship now for about 10 months. the first 3 months i was in recon detaiing cars, told them i hate it, but i want to work in the shop, i know my shit fairly well. so they threw me in lube bay. i did a lot more then change oil btw. for shit pay. about $8.75. about 6 months after that, service manager takes me into his office and asks me how i know so much at my age 19 with one semester of collage, and a drop out at 17. i just told him cars have aways been fun to work on,and i enjoy seeing something get completed. he agreed and asked if i would take on responsibility of a tech. he said it would include a raise, and i have 2 stalls of my own. so i agreed and moved my tool box to the other side of the shop to my new stalls, and get to work. well its been a month, and i absolutey love the work, yea its stressful, and sucks at times, but im getting much more knowledgeable about the new stuff.

one thing that sort of get me is the way the service writers schedule stuff. like they will schedule stuff over our lunch breaks, or "accidently" 2 customers at a time, and get mad when one not done on time. and they come out to the shop about every 10 minutes asking if its almost done, i tell them the more they come out and fucking bother me the onger its going to take. there replies are well the customer was asking so i had to come out here. i sais you can tell them it will be done when you see him drive it out, and next time dont be a dumb shit and schedule 2 people at a time or yopu can do one.

then they whine to service manager, and in the end, they get chewed out but nothing ever changes.

 

another thing that makes me kind of up set. no thank you's. ever. i know they dont need to tell me, but every once in a whille, it would be nice to hear that im doing a good job, or thanks for staying late last noght to get that guys truck fixed so he could get back home 300 miles or what ever it is. like this week, a guy came in monday, 2010 chevy silverado miss firing consistently, at 5:00, we close at 6. i took it to my stall. hooked up the tech2 and found all sorts of codes. ran a compression test, found #4 cylinder no compression, took off valve cover and cranked motor. rocker arm did not move, told the man i'd need to take motor apart, its going to be the end of the week before its done. he said he needed to be 500 miles out of town in another city for work on thursday. told him i would do my best. next morning i dissasembled motor, found lifter guides let lifters spin sideways and cause it to chew up cam shaft. so i ordered a new cam shaft, all lifters, lifter guides, vlom, and all the gaskets. along with a afm deflector for a recall. well here comes wednesday. all parts came! ..... and my wonderfu service writers scheduled my for a fuel pump job in a 1008 suburban. UGH!! hutty up and got the pump done in a couple hours, cuase the service manager is anal about us draining the tanks into stupid gas buddy's. so it takes forever.

got back to work on motor, got cam in, motor timed, lifters in..... here comes servive writer walking to me. he said he needs me to drive 15 miles out of town to put a wheel bearing on a car on the side of the road. i told him no, this needs to be done tonight. he said he didnt care, so i told him heas a stupid fuck and he can deal with this guy when its not fucking done.

 

got to the car out of town and fixed it, wheel bearing actually locked up!!! fixed it, recieved check and went back to shop, handed the check to service writer and went back to work. well i ended up staying till about 10:30 that night after all the distractions and shit to get the truck done. thursday morning comes and the guy was pretty happy for the circumstances he was in, i mean its a 2010 chevy truck with 22,000 miles. computer records show he was never past on oil changes, it was hust a defect. and he went on his way...... i did not get one thanks for staying way past hours and completing the job. and the raise i got was to 9:50.... is this too much work for the pay? i am barely making ends meet here.

[Draker]

When I started I was getting paid 10/hr. When I moved to flat rate I got 12/hr. Too much for for too little cash. I would have simply called my service manager and said look, I'm going home at around 8pm. I would have explained this would have been done had the service adviser not have sent me out to do some BS side of the road job. When the guy comes in and it's not done and you get bad CSI scores then the adviser will have to do the explaining.

 

If you've got problems talk to the service manager.. it's his job to make sure the techs and the advisers are working TOGETHER!

 

Also, 9.50 is chump change. Being you are a drop out with no degree and I am guessing no ASE's or factory certifications, they can pay you whatever they want. I mean you are basically an apprentice until you've got some sort of standardized education under your belt.

[datzenmike]

In no particular order:

 

Time is money. You and the garage have to be busy fixing things all the time. If the bay is empty then money isn't being made and they are paying you to stand there. To assure that there is a solid supply of customers, managers will cram them a little, like a doctor's office. It isn't nice but makes sense.

 

You get paid to work. Having a job and pay is your reward. It isn't nice to be unappreciated but it happens.

 

There are labor laws and you are entitled to lunch and breaks every so many hours. Find out what they are and keep them with you. It happens that I sometimes work through my lunch but I get it in full as soon a possible. There are also laws for working over time and the breaks and meal time allowances after the regular 8 hours. Now, no one wants to be difficult and if over time comes up it's nice to help out and it's usually expected. When OT happens all the time this tells me that there are staffing problems and you shouldn't have to do the work on two people. Make damn sure you get the OT pay you are entitled to. If you don't you have to decide if you want to fight them for it, refuse to work OT next time, continue working in a toxic work place or say fuck-it and move on.

 

Before this I would have a talk with the manager and all involved and get a clear description of what they expect from you for what they pay you.

[Draker]

In no particular order:

 

Time is money. You and the garage have to be busy fixing things all the time. If the bay is empty then money isn't being made and they are paying you to stand there. To assure that there is a solid supply of customers, managers will cram them a little, like a doctor's office. It isn't nice but makes sense.

 

You get paid to work. Having a job and pay is your reward. It isn't nice to be unappreciated but it happens.

 

There are labor laws and you are entitled to lunch and breaks every so many hours. Find out what they are and keep them with you. It happens that I sometimes work through my lunch but I get it in full as soon a possible. There are also laws for working over time and the breaks and meal time allowances after the regular 8 hours. Now, no one wants to be difficult and if over time comes up it's nice to help out and it's usually expected. When OT happens all the time this tells me that there are staffing problems and you shouldn't have to do the work on two people. Make damn sure you get the OT pay you are entitled to. If you don't you have to decide if you want to fight them for it, refuse to work OT next time, continue working in a toxic work place or say fuck-it and move on.

 

Before this I would have a talk with the manager and all involved and get a clear description of what they expect from you for what they pay you.

 

This true except if he is flat rate, and then OT does not apply. Breaks and Lunches still do.

[datzenmike]

Unbelievable! Work till 8PM for flat rate? FTS You are being taken advantage of in the worst possible way.

[south of reno]

Yup, all around the world...the same song.

I use to think that this stuff only happened to me:huh:

[Dirk Diggler]

I would tell them to go fuck themselves. When I first started my job (car detailing) I was hired at 10/hr just to wash cars, then promoted to full detailing and more pay. No way in Hell I would rebuild a motor for less than 20/hr. They call them stealerships for a reason

[lil89ram50]

i am flat rate guys, no comission for this guy. and i agree on the not enough staff, we have been looking for another experienced tech. but we cannot find one. been on the look for 6 months now. and we are busy as shit, amost never an empty stal. and we are building a new building, then we wil have a quick lube, and they will be even buiser, cuz right now its by appt only. and as for me being not experienced, they know i have the knowledge for anything that walks in, or i can figure it out. but correct on the not technically trained, but i am doing training. gm has an online training bullshit thing i am doing. every so often we have to go to a hands on training in Minneapolis.

 

i am getting my linch breaks when i want, sometimes i dont take them, but i do not complain about that cuz its my choice. our hours are 8am -6pm with 1 1hour lunch break. from 5pm to 6pm is overtime every day. we also work every other saturday, we all rotate, but saturdays are also overtime, but mandatory

[datsunrides]

This is why I stopped wrenching proffesionally on cars 15 years ago. No respect from either the shop or the customers. Bend over backwards to help someone out, then take it up the @ss. I will say I'm shocked to hear the level of pay. When I left, I was making $20/hr (15 years ago). This was at an independent shop, and I believe dealer techs with the same experience level were at about $30 then. There are jobs out there that pay very well for someone with just a GED (like myself) and you don't have to get dirty or sh!t on.

 

Mark

[albyneau]

Unbelievable! Work till 8PM for flat rate? FTS You are being taken advantage of in the worst possible way.

 

Welcome to the world of flat rate. Sometimes a guy needs more than a paycheck for job satisfaction. Thank you's are a rarity from customer and employer alike. At the end of the day your perks are saving a(n imperfect) stranger from a pissy mood, and a paycheck~ half the reasons why I no longer labour under the dark skies of said flat rate. Having customers that come to you because they want (rather than need) something fixed/modified/rebuilt/painted is truly a joy because in the end they THANK YOU for your efforts. Personally I'd rather starve the wages whilst basking in appreciative newfound friends -n- carnuts~ the alternative contains no attraction for this wrench....

[nismo dr]

hahahaha you want a thank you? those are few and far between in this industry my friend.

[nismo dr]

the alternative to piling you up with work and not giving you breaks? well, they bring in another guy for "help", but then instead of one guy frazlled but overflowing with hours, you have 2 guys making 1 guys worth of hours and they are both broke and pissed

[lil89ram50]

the alternative to piling you up with work and not giving you breaks? well, they bring in another guy for "help", but then instead of one guy frazlled but overflowing with hours, you have 2 guys making 1 guys worth of hours and they are both broke and pissed

yea i wish they would bring in another guy! but they cant find one! all 3 of us techs are scheduled 3-4 weeks out. we are going to be getting behind soon if they dont find some one soon....

[nismo dr]

all 3 of us techs are scheduled 3-4 weeks out.

 

 

hell of a problem to be complaining about :rofl:

[lil89ram50]

no its not that were scheduled this far out, its that the servivce writers are actually turning down customers. we do need help.

[0.C.]

I don't know about your state, but here in California most mechanics get paid at least $16 an hour. if you are required to bring your own tools, you are entitled to 2 times the minimum wage by law.

 

That's why I would never work at service shops. I hate to rely on someone to order my parts, decide how long it takes for a job to be done etc.

[Hardwyre]

I would tell your boss "Look, I know I don't have all the papers, but you know I have the knowledge and skills; my hourly is abusive. I'm willing to bust my ass, but I need to get paid for it. Either $15/hr or pay plus 5-10% commission on work."

[wildmaninid]

I would tell your boss "Look, I know I don't have all the papers, but you know I have the knowledge and skills; my hourly is abusive. I'm willing to bust my ass, but I need to get paid for it. Either $15/hr or pay plus 5-10% commission on work."

Agreed. Attempt to better your situation with your higher ups. You have shown them your ability and willingness to work. If they cannot negotiate, be prepared to walk out. If they are as shorthanded as you say, then they won't let you leave when you do get up to go, and if not, you were looking for a job when you found this one. But honestly, 10 an hour is an insult.

[Shagy]

I have not read all the replys....but....even getting the $23/flag hour that I was getting didn't make up for the bullshit and politics that go in the shops. I've worked in dealers from '99 till a few months ago...I worked for DART for a few months. Ill never go back to a dealer (unless the pay is just too good). Haha...yeah right. Now I wrench I'm my garage and take the jobs I want and lots less bitching.

 

Good luck.....

[king bee66]

sorry if this is dick but i formed my opinion of you when you spelled college "collage," if i was employing you id knock off 50 cents your hourly just for that. the real world doesnt get any better, i suggest working parttime and go back to school, if they wont let you stay on as pt, fuck em, youre really not making that much money. lastly, just get rid of those hopes for a "thanks," that doesnt happen.

[datto510]

Fark that shit man. Go down to the ocean, find work on a boat. Do some time working on deck. In a few years you could be working 28 days on and 28 days off and still bring home $100K. Think of all of the Datsun parts you can buy with that $.

[dennis]

most people wouldnt say thank you because if it warranty work then they are mad because it shouldnt have broke. If it maintenance or out of warranty then they are mad because of the huge bill because of the dealer over head.

 

I always say thank you unless I was wronged. Then its usually a fuck you.

[Hardwyre]

sorry if this is dick but i formed my opinion of you when you spelled college "collage," if i was employing you id knock off 50 cents your hourly just for that. the real world doesnt get any better, i suggest working parttime and go back to school, if they wont let you stay on as pt, fuck em, youre really not making that much money. lastly, just get rid of those hopes for a "thanks," that doesnt happen.

 

Well then it is a good thing you're not employing him because that is about one of the most jackass reasons to under pay someone.

 

"Hey I know that you can rebuild transmissions under water with your toes and a twisty straw; but I'm going to have to cut your hourly a couple dollars because I'm not balls-tickled pleased with some random skill that is virtually insignificant in the greater scheme of things. Hope you understand."

[mklotz70]

LOL! I don't typically chime in on these kind of posts, but I thought it a bit ironic that the comment about the poor spelling was made by a guy who can't type capitals at the beginning of a sentence! Making it much harder to read and comprehend than having one or two misspelled words! :) Too funny!

 

It's all relative!!! I bitch about my job all the time! I have a job that most people would love to have. The pay is great compared to most, but it's never enough and it's not near what I'd like to make. As much as I want to quit, I would not take a job doing repair work on cars, even if it was another $15/hr! I hate, hate, hate wrenching on cars!!!!! I'm talking repair work like the OP is talking about. Modifying, creating and fabricating are a different matter. :) No one is going to pay me $45+/hr to "play" unless I'm self employed. One of the problems with being self employed is that instead of working with several, small, annoying, stupid assholes that I get to leave behind when I go home, I'd have to work for the biggest asshole and idiot I know!!! And I can't escape him! :( But, as I've told my bosses, the only thing wrong with that place is me. The mind can make a heaven of hell or a hell of heaven. I'm currently making a hell of what most people would consider heaven. In my defense, I've watched several other, much better men than I, crack under the incompetence of management! Anyway....I could rant for a couple of hours, but I know there's a lot of guys/gals on here that don't even have a job right now. Kinda like bitching about not having a teflon coated pan to cook my steak while I'm standing in a group of people with no pan or food.

 

 

To the OP... You worked your way up the ranks and proved yourself to get that position. I commend you for that!! But, it sounds like your getting screwed on the pay! You might want to start looking around at similar jobs and see just what they pay. If you find out that there's other places paying significantly more money to guys with the same lack of paperwork, you might be able to use that as leverage for a raise. But, I doubt that will work unless those other places are hiring. Your company is never going to find someone to fill that position because they're probably looking for someone with all the certifications, yet they only want to pay them what you're making. If they were serious about filling the spot, they would pay a premium wage for the right person. It's like trying to catch a shark with a minnow on the line. The shark's not going to bother with it unless you have something like a tuna.....unless, of course, the shark is starving! LOL! Which is often the case in this economy. :( Of course, I question just how many sharks want to live in ND!! :) Are you the only tech? What is the other tech getting paid? What does the shop charge the customer per hour? Do you do side jobs? Charge half what the shop rate is. Some of the detail shops might tell you who the wholesalers are in your area. They're typically looking for cheap($20-25/hr is pretty cheap around here) mechanics that can fix miscellaneous problems on rigs they buy so they can make more when they resell them. I did that kind of work for years. Never did like it or enjoy it, but it sure helped pay the bills for a time!

[datzenmike]

LOL! I don't typically chime in on these kind of posts, but I thought it a bit ironic that the comment about the poor spelling was made by a guy who can't type capitals at the beginning of a sentence! Making it much harder to read and comprehend than having one or two misspelled words! :) Too funny!

 

 

Too funny, well played sir!

 

ll89ram50, change often is proceeded by discontent. You want more then go out and clain what is yours. You're young and have time to better your self. One day you'll want a family and home of your own so start today working on it..... and best of luck.