Service Advisor or Parts Advisor as a career

[SpecM]

^excellent explanation. Did it for many years. Like he said, you are the face of the repair in the consumers eyes, and you'll always either end up the great guy to the customer, and bad guy to the techs, or bad guy to the customers, and great guy to the techs. It's a balancing act to try and stay an ok guy to both sides.

This

I'm a service adviser / service writer for a local chain, been there about 4 years. It's not a glorious job, but I've had worse. I make about 50-60k / year, gross, 100% commission.

It's not for everybody. You ARE a salesperson...

[e30austin]

I went to tech school. Decided, like you, I didn't want my hobby turned into work.

I did parts for 3 years at an indie shop. Not bad. Felt as though my potential wasn't being reached. Now I do service advising at a different indie shop. Same makes of cars. I hate people, but enjoy my job a lot. Coming from slinging parts to what I do now worked really well. I was already familiar with common fail points on VW, Audi, Volvo, BMW, and MB, as well as P-cars. Thus, I don't look like a dumbass trying to explain stuff to customers. I make more money now. Always can advance. I've been at my current job since Feburary 2014 and already got a hefty raise and basically run the place when the owner goes on vacay.

One hint, you're not here to help people. Your there to sell work. Can't advise people on how to fix their cars. Just what is wrong, how much, when it'll be done.

Only sucky part is if someone isn't happy, it gets directed at me. So far nothing terrible has happened, but we're a pretty tight shop that doesn't fuck shit up.

I can't even explain how accurate this is for me too. I see myself heading in the service advisor direction fairly soon as well.

But, yes, as said above, don't ever make your hobby your job. I did, and I fucking hated it.

[jalopi]

+1 on bending over for the tool man

my advice is to buy as much basic shit as you can on tooltopia.com

if you're really hellbent on getting name brand stuff, see if your local community college has any auto tech courses. sign up for one (maybe $300-500) and you'll be qualified for a SnapOn and Matco online discount for six months or so. 50% off almost EVERYTHING

[TimKninja]

Ive been a tech at an Independent VW/Audi/BMW shop for about 3 years now. I love the job, everbody here is awesome. But the pay isint enough, and as a newer tech you get fucked by tool bills . I spend $75 a week in tool bills.

I'm looking into being a Mechanic in the National Guard right now. RI Sucks, No jobs here.

I wouldnt reccomend doing anything in this feild.

[rturbo 930]

neither sound like much of a career to me. *shrug*

I'd stay in healthcare if I were you..

This.

Aim higher, OP.

[jalopi]

In general, working in the auto industry sucks a whole bag of assholes. Significantly less so at smaller/independent shops. Just no matter what you do, STAY AWAY FROM CORPORATE PLACES. Both coworkers and customers are shitty at places like those.

Working in a small shop can be pretty cool if the owner is easy to work with and he pays decent enough (so you're not working with bottom-of-the-barrel crackhead mechanics)

[QUKBMER]

I would like to note that your LONG TERM employment in management in the auto service industry is not the typical experience especially in the dealership environment. My FIL has been in it for 30+ years, Parts and service, and has worked at a store for an average of 16 months in the 15 years I have known him, before ownership decides he costs too much once hes fixed the broken department(s)..... They then lay him off, or cut his compensation to get him to quit, (normally after the "efficiency expert" comes though, and force a cross country move for another >2 years stint.


Op- Stick with the radiography, go back to to school get more certs, learn more shit for your field, you should be taking a HUGE pay cut from an Xray tech to parts slinger. If not you should be looking for a new position with a different facility with in your current field.

Edit: I assume your a medical Xray tech and not industrial

I have worked in the dealership side of this business and there are to many politics for me. My boss has owned his independent shop since 1988 and his business is always growing. He leaves for months sometimes and goes over to Europe to visit family and i run the shop as if its my own. It depends on how you look at. You are going to have asshole customers but they are far and between the good ones that come in. I can say that i love my job, yes i do and i have worked at shitty ones too. You just have to find the right place i guess and this job just isn't for everybody i guess.

[TurboJake]

Been there, done that.

Wouldn't recommend.

[chadthestampede]

I'm a parts advisor and it's great if you like the aforementioned being shat upon, working crappy hours and feeling generally unfulfilled.

Stay in healthcare.

[einhander]

neither sound like much of a career to me. *shrug*

I'd stay in healthcare if I were you..

This

[LSM3]

One of my good friends is a service advisor at a large Toyota dealership. He earns a bit under 100k. He's been there for about 10 years. Started as an advisor on the oil/lube side and then promoted to the service side. This is in CA so I'm am not sure if its representative of where you are from.

[Exodus_2pt0]

^ this.

I was in it for 10 years straight out of school. There is NO job security for a service manager. They always come and go like the cars you service.

[mrsleeve]

I have been a Service Advisor/Service Manger for some 27 years now. Started out in 1988 and have been doing it since then. My dad did the same thing for 28 years (retired in 1997)and my sister has been doing it for 26 years now. I tried parts dept and didn't like it. I have been working for my current boss since 1994 and we service BMW,BENZ,VW,Audi,Porsche and other euro makes and i enjoy it.

I would like to note that your LONG TERM employment in management in the auto service industry is not the typical experience especially in the dealership environment. My FIL has been in it for 30+ years, Parts and service, and has worked at a store for an average of 16 months in the 15 years I have known him, before ownership decides he costs too much once hes fixed the broken department(s)..... They then lay him off, or cut his compensation to get him to quit, (normally after the "efficiency expert" comes though, and force a cross country move for another >2 years stint.


Op- Stick with the radiography, go back to to school get more certs, learn more shit for your field, you should be taking a HUGE pay cut from an Xray tech to parts slinger. If not you should be looking for a new position with a different facility with in your current field.

Edit: I assume your a medical Xray tech and not industrial

[nando]

neither sound like much of a career to me. *shrug*

I'd stay in healthcare if I were you..

[efficient]

i work in a grocery store in a meat dept for 7years now. i applied to a car place to be a tech because I'm tired of the people at my job and I'm just tired of the grocery business. so i got an interview and the people laughed at me because i wanted to switch careers saying that this career sucks.
i denied the job because i couldn't take a big loss in pay compared to what i was making, i thought they paid more or a little less to that what I'm making but i guess thought wrong. i knew i was going to take a loss but not a big one.