Anybody here work on cars for a living?

[Codym42]

Hey r3v,

Does anyone here work on cars for a living? I'm talking things like collision repair, mechanical repair, restorations, stereo installs, etc. I'm starting to think regular 4 year college isn't right for me. I'm considering going to a technical college and learning something automotive related but I don't know if it would be worth it in the long run.

So, I know a bunch of you guys have shops and do automotive work. Do you enjoy it? If you could do it all over, what would you do?

Thanks!

[Silverdogz]

Never mix your hobby and your job, it never seems to end well.

[slammin.e28]

Never mix your hobby and your job, it never seems to end well.

This.

I went to tech school to work on cars.

I do service writing now. Sometimes I end up in the shop if we're short handed.

Do I like dealing with people? No. I hate people.

Am I burnt out on my hobby of working on cars because I work on cars 40 hours a week? No. I still love it.

I'd say, try it, see if you like making your hobby work, if not, there's always the other side of the counter....and having shop exp makes you valuable as a service writer.

[ST1G]

I think that if I were to drop out of college I would pursue welding, or machining. I love working on cars, but I've never enjoyed working on a friend or family member's car for money.

[bikerbill2021]

I have a BA in media study, never used it, prob never will. I'm a VW tech at the moment, kinda fell into the position, was a lot guy for a while, went to lube tech, now I'm a certified tech. Never had any plans to become a mechanic, but I enjoy what I do. Sure there are days when I hate it, but I'd much rather be working on cars in the shop talking shit to the other techs then have to deal with pissy people and retarded management

[Exodus_2pt0]

IMO tech school is a waste. Just get a job at a dealer as a helper for 2 years and go from there. Study during that time and get your master ASE certs.

I did it for 10 years, then got into the railroad, and a little over a year later I'm the lead PM mechanic at my yard. Tech school won't really teach you anything that a good mechanic won't. The main difference is a good mechanic will teach you how to make money in the process.

ETA: I forgot to mention, I did take 3 years of auto tech in High School before going into the field, so I guess my assessment isn't 100% accurate. That said, in all the shops I worked for no one cared or asked if I ever attended a technical school. The ASE certifications are what they are interested in.

[bikerbill2021]

IMO tech school is a waste. Just get a job at a dealer as a helper for 2 years and go from there. Study during that time and get your master ASE certs.

Tech school won't really teach you anything that a good mechanic won't. The main difference is a good mechanic will teach you how to make money in the process.

exactly, get a job at a dealer or independent shop as a lot guy or detailer, or if you can lube tech, dont go to UTI or anything like that, best way to learn is thru experience. I taught myself how to work on cars when I got my first one, lots of info on the web forums like r3v and vortex etc, and just went from there

[rcsoundn1]

I have worked at small repair shops and car dealers for about 10yrs. I left the field a few years ago after AI got my masters degree. I have done everything from pump gas, manage a gas station/repair shop, auto accessories (the whole gamete), actual mechanic, parts dept. I do miss the work. Most of the places I worked at were cool, and I had a lot of fun, as well as learning a lot. My brother is a full time Chevy tech, I get the sense he is not so happy with it, but cant really tell. I liked the hands on work, and of course at times it really sucked, but what job doesn't have that part. It will come down to if you actually like the work. I also would say just get a job. My brother went to tech school, and the dealer that hired him didn't give a crap about that. I never had 1 day of formal training, and never had a place ask about that. What are you going to school for?

[gazellebeigem3]

I started as a shop bitch after high school, moved around a bit and ended up at a bmw independent doing what I thought i wanted all along. It diminished my passion for the hobby somewhat but I never hated it totally. Access to a shop/lift makes everything easier. I did that for about 8 years and realized I couldn't see myself working in a shop everyday for the rest of my life.

I went back to school in the summer for engineering and work part time as a service writer. I don't regret my time spent in the field, but there's not much room for advancement unless you want to own your own shop- which in my experience requires a special type of insanity.

[ELVA164]

I don't know if I count here, but I just made the decision to work for and eventually take over the family business working on vintage race cars. I definitely understand Slammin's opinion about mixing work and hobbies, and I think you need to really enjoy it for both to work. You need to know you'll be doing a lot of crap work, especially because 95% of your customers will care significantly less about car care than you do. Dirt, oil, mud, water...you get the idea. If you think that will wear you down relatively quickly, that's an issue.

The one thing I can say is working on race cars is much more fun for me. Cleaner, simpler (at least ours are), and owned by real "car guys."

[Codym42]

Thanks guys! I appreciate all of the responses so far.

I'm currently in school for Mechanical Engineering. I want to continue but I'm really burnt out on school right now. Just trying to explore my other options.

I started as a shop bitch after high school, moved around a bit and ended up at a bmw independent doing what I thought i wanted all along. It diminished my passion for the hobby somewhat but I never hated it totally. Access to a shop/lift makes everything easier. I did that for about 8 years and realized I couldn't see myself working in a shop everyday for the rest of my life.

I went back to school in the summer for engineering and work part time as a service writer. I don't regret my time spent in the field, but there's not much room for advancement unless you want to own your own shop- which in my experience requires a special type of insanity.

This is exactly why I'm hesitant about this. I feel like I'll do it for a while, get tired of it, and end up back in school for engineering.

I don't know if I count here, but I just made the decision to work for and eventually take over the family business working on vintage race cars. I definitely understand Slammin's opinion about mixing work and hobbies, and I think you need to really enjoy it for both to work. You need to know you'll be doing a lot of crap work, especially because 95% of your customers will care significantly less about car care than you do. Dirt, oil, mud, water...you get the idea. If you think that will wear you down relatively quickly, that's an issue.

The one thing I can say is working on race cars is much more fun for me. Cleaner, simpler (at least ours are), and owned by real "car guys."

Yeah, I'm thinking I want to stay away from working in just an ordinary shop. I really like the idea of working for a shop that specializes in performance stuff like engine swaps, suspension upgrades, etc. Working on vintage race cars sounds like a damn good job.

[Andy.B]

I dropped out of a 4 year degree program, and got an associates in automotive technology from community college. 5 years later, I got sick of it, went back to school, and got a BS in IT.

I started in the IT field making more than I did when I left the automotive field.

Every day I look around my warm, clean, quiet office and smile.

I would never recommend going into the automotive field, unless you are going into a niche segment (like a vintage race shop). Brakes, alignments, electrical shorts, and window motors all get pretty boring after a while. It really is hard to stay passionate about cars as a hobby when you are wrenching on other people's commuter all day.

Edit: That said, if I had a time machine, and could go back and do things differently, I wouldn't.

[ak-]

Friend went to UTI. (debt)
Friend has a buddy who's dad is the Sales Manager at Audi/Porsche/Bentley.
Nobody cared that he went to UTI, and got hired because of the referral.
Started as an apprentice and 2 years later (now), is finally a certified tech after whatever hoops they make you jump through at the time.

[bimmer8604]

10 years, BMW Master Tech.

I'm 28, finding myself questioning my choice in careers and wishing I would have finished school and received a degree(in anything). I still like what I do, but our new ownership is more interested in us working longer hours + Saturdays and that doesn't sit well with me. Our old shop was strict about M-F 8-5. Now its more 5:30am - 6:00pm and Saturdays.

Dealership life and independent life are two extremes IMO. I worked for a friend at an independent and it was much more relaxed, "cooler" work. Dealership is very money oriented and "numbers".

My advice would be to finish your education, as it only gets harder to go back to school as you get older. I'd love to go back to school and try something else but I have a mortgage, etc to take care of.

Kyle

[kickinindian]

i did for about a week, not as a shop hand, as a tech. it was fun the first couple days but if you really really enjoy it go for it but its def. only a hobby kinda thing for me, was a good experience for me (also showed me the beauty of air tools!) and my boss was cool but just could not do that everyday.