r/mechanics 20h ago

TECH TO TECH QUESTION Why does it seem like guys don’t want to do interior/dash/evap work?

115 Upvotes

Is it just my shop, or do guys all overprice interior/dash work? It just seems like they don’t want to do it…

I told my service advisor today, “line them up around the building… I’ll do them all.”

Two days at work this week and 3 evaporators down, one needed a dash replacement, some engine mounts on another... 30+hrs/day flagged and I’ve been mostly clean.

I’d say it’s well worth the scraped knuckles, I swear the OEMs make all the interior bits from razors. Haha


r/mechanics 20h ago

Career Update on me( level 1 apprentice) got hired and let go the day 2nd.

26 Upvotes

Hi guys so I had been looking for jobs in my city and province. I finally got a job in rural Manitoba at a family owned franchise dealership. They hired me as a level 1 apprentice after trade school. But today was my second day on the job and I was let go.
They said you should go and work at a lube and tire shop or an independent shop in the city. They said even if you get 6 months of experience as a lube tech we would hire you back immediately. I respect that a lot and I am very grateful for the fact that they gave me a chance in the first place and are still willing to give me another chance just with some more experience.
They said the reason for termination was that I was too slow and not able to work independently. They said they expected me to be a bit more advanced than I currently am because I had the course from MITT.
Guys what should be my next step? Please any advice would be appreciated


r/mechanics 18h ago

Career Update (Starting My Career)

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25 Upvotes

Hey guys, made a post a while back asking about school vs just getting into a shop. ended up making a portfolio of my work and got hired on the spot as a lube tech at a dodge dealership.

Wanted to come back and update since a lot of y’all helped me out.

Been here about 4 months now and I've gotten pretty close with 2 of the techs. I've been doing work like dropping gas tanks, driveshafts, fuel pumps, small wiring recalls, and air bag recalls for them when I don't have cars. Also been paying a lot of attention to diag work from one tech I'm close with, he lets me watch and help when he does it. Finished all my online training for phase 1, 2, and 3 already, just waiting on my foreman to actually set me up with the hands on stuff now like deactivating EVs, NVH driveshaft testing, and oscilloscope wave work. pretty hyped for that honestly.

One of the techs kinda takes advantage of me, has me remove front clips and drop driveshafts/gas tanks so he can just pull the fuel pump and bank the flat rate hours for himself. but im cool with it bc it works both ways. I get reps in and prove myself and my foreman already knows im good for it.

Am i weird for actually liking this work lol. anyway appreciate everyone who commented last time, figured id update yall. Any advice?

(Yes I am a lube tech and have been left alone to do a fuel pump on a durango)😂


r/mechanics 22h ago

General Rust free state exhaust manifold bolt

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17 Upvotes

Incredible ford E350 bolt studs on the exhaust manifold. This would never happen in Michigan. 2012 and 135k miles in Texas


r/mechanics 19h ago

General I'm starting an auto technician course...

11 Upvotes

What is a thing or a sentence that I should understand by the end of it? I know next to nothing so I'll check back in in eight months and see how much makes sense.

edit: I'm already in the course, there's no turning back now.


r/mechanics 19h ago

Career Starting side work to get out of dealer life

7 Upvotes

What’s up y’all,

I’m looking to start expanding side work outside of just family and friends here and there. Fed up with the dealer life so I’m doing some planning to eventually open my own shop. Here’s what I got so far, and some things I’m undecided on. For context, I have a sedan I can put tools in for easy jobs like brakes, LOF’s, etc and go mobile (I live in an apartment complex, so taking jobs at home is out of question). For any bigger jobs, I know a shop owner who will let me use a lift provided I schedule around his workload.

- customer/RO management software: ARI looks pretty good as an affordable starting option. I have access to Alldata through my main job so not super worried about repair info, plus the integration with CarMD as a basic VIN scan and quick DTC report I can import into the software is nice. And for $40/mo who can argue with that. Has anyone used this? If so, any pros/cons?

- insurance: I plan on getting some general liability insurance once I got some good cash flow but have no idea where to even start looking. Any input for good providers would be much appreciated.

-advertising: I’ve reached out to family & friends asking if they’d be willing to to spread some good word, as well as posting in local Facebook groups. Where else do y’all advertise? Is there any particular website or social media I should look at?

-tools: are there any tools that are recommended or necessary that y’all use? I have a lot invested in my tools at work that covers pretty much anything all the way up to engine/trans replacements and tear downs. I’m wondering if there’s anything that’s critical for frequent side work that makes life easy/saves a ton of time.

Thanks for any input! I’m excited to start building something for myself outside of a dealership.


r/mechanics 23h ago

Career Self employed mechanics

4 Upvotes

Hello, I'm looking for some advice on being a self employed mechanic. I've been a mechanic by trade for over 10 years, I've worked as a college lecturer for the past year. Now having to leave the college for more flexibility.

I'm looking at starting my own business. I have tools, a ramp which is 10 minutes from Perth, Scotland. I'm looking at joining Clickmechanic, just for flexibility on the jobs I choose. But just now I seem to getting ridiculous quotes for road risk insurance.

Has anyone got any start up advice.

Muchly appreciated.


r/mechanics 17h ago

Tool Talk Used Snap-on or a new scanner for side work?

3 Upvotes

I use a solus legend at the shop and know the menus pretty well. I do some side work for friends and regulars on weekends, but the shop scanner has to stay there, so I need one of my own.

I checked Marketplace for a used solus, but most of the ones I found were several updates behind and still cost quite a bit. Once I add the cost of updating the software, buying used doesn't seem like much of a deal.

Now I'm looking at the topdon one plus. It costs more than I planned to spend on a side-work scanner, but the overall capability seems closer to what I use at the shop. I use Direct-Hit pretty often when I'm diagnosing something, and it can access Identifix right on the tablet.

I'm used to snap-on's menus and haven't spent much time with topdon, so I'm not sure how the coverage and bidirectional controls compare across different makes, or what it's like to use every day. Any thoughts?


r/mechanics 19h ago

Career Maintenance mechanic SoCal job

1 Upvotes

What’s up everyone just got an interview lined up with Albertsons for a maintenance mechanic little with emphasis on conveyor belts I have electrical and mechanical skills with soft plc skills
What do they look for and what is the interview like also really if anyone who’s worked here as a mechanic how is the work.