Wondering about BMW mechanics or indy shops

[uflnuceng]

What does it take to get qualification to be a BMW mechanic? I know that being pretty handy around a 3-series does not translate to being good on every BMW model, but to be honest most of my local BMW techs are idiots anyway. "Trailing arm bushing... I have no idea where that goes" or not replacing the crush washer when they change the oil. :roll:

I've heard of some people on this board goingt he BMW mechanic route. Is it a long one? Is it worth while? Would it be a huge pay cut from the $50-60k/yr I make now?

People with direct experience preferred...

[BS87]

Probably the easiest way would be to get sponsored into STEP.

[erik325i]

About how much money does a decent mechanic make?

[Madhatter]

the only way to do it is to go through their masters program. You go through as an apprentice or join as a mechanic, then you progess through training each year and pass modules (usually block training divided between a couple of weeks a year). Once you pass them you get your factory certificate which gives you your base qualification (technician). The longer you stay in employment, the more updates you complete, the higher the qualification (and the higher the pay rate).

Edit: Sounds like you are starting from the begining. Down here you go through an apprenticeship program (standard 4 years for apprenticeship), then you spend a year after completition of your apprenticeship working for the company to gain your certificate (certified technician). So here it's 5 years from 1st year apprentice to technician.

I have my certified technicians certificate and i need to complete 2 units (X5 and climate control) to get my diagnostic cert.

Edit 2: To make it a little clearer this is how it works here

Years 1-3: Apprenticeship training
Year 4: BMW technician - Final year of apprenticeship (this is the year of your apprenticeship you dont have any study, you just have to work a number of hours). First year towards certified certificate.
Year 5: Certified Technician
Year 6: Diagnostic Technician / BMW Motorsport program
Year 8: Masters Certificate

If you already have a trade qualification you skip the apprenticeship part and start right at year 4.

[DarkWing6]

The best way to find out if you are seriously interested is go down to your local dealer (or whatever one you would prefer to work at) and ask to talk to the service manager. Tell them that you are interested in becoming a tech and were wondering what the best route is. While you are down there maybe try to talk to a tech or two about their experiance. Just find out what they think the best route is and figure out what would be best for you.

[uflnuceng]

hmmm... interesting... thanks for the info. It was very helpful. I doubt I would throw away 7 yrs of college and give up what I am doing now to start at ground zero, but its nice to see that some techs are E30 fanatics.

I don't know... I think it would be a cool line of work in some degrees. But you know what the say about turning something you enjoy into a job :|

[Madhatter]

Thats why i quit after a dispute with the service manager (i wanted a pay rise) and now i work for myself earning the same amount of money in 1/3 of the time :)

[uflnuceng]

What I would really like to do is open a dealership, but after several letters BMW eventually got back to me saying that SW PA had enough dealerships and that I should look to buy a dealership that is for sale as opposed to opening a new one. That leaves used car dealerships, and this area has a plethora of those already of varying degrees of quality.

quess i'll just stick to being a weekend grease monkey. I read a story about a retired guy who bought a particular kind of car he was familiar with at auctions, brought them home, spent a couple weeks to a month reconditioning them and then sold them on eBay or other auctions. He said he typically made a couple grand per car. That on top of his personal pension gave him some spending money to live quite comfortably and actually do something during his retirement. That was kinda cool.

[DEV0 E30]

I plan on going to UTI, you could do their "Flextech" program its for people who can't give 100% of their time to school.

Then like people say STEP is the easiest way after that if you want to become a tech quickly.

[Brew]

Probably the "best" way to become a BMW tech is to do something similar to what I'm doing. I go to Mass Bay College, which has a BMW-specific and BMW NA-funded program. This summer I'm working full-time at a dealership for my summer co-op, then I return for my second and final year at Mass Bay in the fall. There are a few other colleges which have similar programs.

STEP 1 requires that you attend an automotive technical school beforehand.

The great thing about STEP is that, if you get in and make it through, you leave with the title "Certified Diagnostic Technician" and are only 3 years real-world experience away from achieving the highest "Master Technician" level.

http://www.bmwstep.com/requirements.asp

[m42technic]

I went to UTI, and BMW STEP. Starting out at bottom in a dealership isnt something I'd really wanna do (reaching master would take a hell of a long time in this day and age doing so), so what I did was 100% worth it to me. In another 2 years, I'll be a master level tech.

[DEV0 E30]

I went to UTI, and BMW STEP. Starting out at bottom in a dealership isnt something I'd really wanna do (reaching master would take a hell of a long time in this day and age doing so), so what I did was 100% worth it to me. In another 2 years, I'll be a master level tech.

Which campus you go to?
Rancho Cookamakamongoo?

Haha yes I know I slaughtered the name.

[m42technic]

I went to UTI, and BMW STEP. Starting out at bottom in a dealership isnt something I'd really wanna do (reaching master would take a hell of a long time in this day and age doing so), so what I did was 100% worth it to me. In another 2 years, I'll be a master level tech.

Which campus you go to?
Rancho Cookamakamongoo?

Haha yes I know I slaughtered the name.

Phoenix.

[DEV0 E30]

Damn, too bad it's in the past. I want your wheels. :o

[M3 Ryan]

I guess I will throw in my 2 cents here as well.
I went through my local City College while working in the parts department of the BMW dealer here. It got my foot in the door. After a year of tech school and one more ahead of me, I went into the shop as an apprentice. I then started to go to classes after 6 months, and now I am a BMW Certified Technician. I went on the line last week after graduating from City College with an Associate of Science in Automotive. I have earned all my ASE certifications, A1-A8 and L1, so I am an ASE Master Tech as well.
I am 22 years old, and I have been at the dealership for 20 months now. I am 6-8 months away from reaching Diagnostic Tech and another 2-3 years from Master. I am pretty aggressive in getting my training completed, so I don't think it will take me too long to reach my goals.
My dealership is busy, and in my first 8 days on the line I flagged 110 hours. That’s almost 14hrs a day, working only 8. I am sure I will get more as time goes by and I get more experience.
If I had to go back and do it all over again, I would do exactly as I did. I spent under $2k for my education and I made a living working part-time as I did it. I have purchased around $15,000 worth of tools for my job so far, and its an endless cycle throughout the career, although its never as severe as your first year on the job. Now I am making a damn good living at $1,650+ a week. I don't see many people making that kind of money at 22 years old of age around here very often with a 2-year degree.