where the field is going?

[Jesse30]

so im writing my midterm paper for my engine rebuild class and i dont know really have any ideas of where the field of auto repair is going.


im thinking i will right the first 3 pages on what the field is like now, then the second half on "the future".


anyone willing to give me a little hand on the future end of it? it would be greatly appreciated.

thanks.

-Jesse

[Mike325]

The future seems like there is less "repair". More of if its broken, remove and replace. Also, most of the repairs will start off by plugging in a diag comp, like the GT1.

[Jesse30]

The future seems like there is less "repair". More of if its broken, remove and replace. Also, most of the repairs will start off by plugging in a diag comp, like the GT1.

so more software controlled repairs?

[PeaveyBassist]

More software diagnosed repairs. Autologic is another common diagnostic tool. Like a touchscreen computer basically. It does BMW, Mercedes, Land Rover, etc. Most of the control units in newer BMWs (e46->) you have to code to the car with the Autologic when you put them in or they wont work Most of the suspension work will still be diagnosed by actually driving the car and then checking things out IMO. It will start costing a LOT of money to own a shop though just because of the initial cost of all the electronic diagnostic tools and other electronic crap you have to buy.

Will

[Jesse30]

thanks man. i'll research those two systems and i think i should have most of what i need to do the paper.


any comments on what the field is like now though? for any of you that are working in independent shops and/or dealerships.

[trent]

get out of the auto repair industry while you can

[Jesse30]

get out of the auto repair industry while you can

haha why do you say that?

[der affe]

haha why do you say that?

lots of low-med skilled labor being exploited at the dealers, by having them work at hourly rate, while being overseen by an experenced tech (5-8 of them for one experenced tech). the experenced tech takes a high percentage of their flag time for the work they have done in exchange for "overseeing" their work. the inexperenced techs barely make it by starting out having to buy tools etc because they are hourly not flag with a garenteed (sp) min. the dealer mankes more $$ the master tech makes more $$, the new blood suffers, then finds a new line of work. there is a shortage of techs out there, turning wrenches is not the most glamorious job in the world, it can make you big $$, but it is hard work.

[Jesse30]

i realize that it is hard work. eventually i would like to become a certified master tech. but not stay at a dealership. i want to work there for a few years to get a customer base together (if its possible) and then move out and own my own independent shop. doing repairs and tuning. sort of like bmp designs.

i know its a long shot, but since im young i figure i dont have enough to loose to not go through with this.

[schmidty]

watch futurecar :D

[Jesse30]

haha is any of it on today. my paper is due tomorrow :(

[der affe]

i realize that it is hard work. eventually i would like to become a certified master tech. but not stay at a dealership. i want to work there for a few years to get a customer base together (if its possible) and then move out and own my own independent shop. doing repairs and tuning. sort of like bmp designs.

i know its a long shot, but since im young i figure i dont have enough to loose to not go through with this.

unfortunately the way things are headed the indy shop my eventually fall by the wayside as cars run more and more ecu's and the info/data is not released to the public. right now the snap-on/mac/matco readers are 1 1/2 to 2 years behind on the data (updates costing $300-$500 for each one/manufacture's data) and even at that it doesn't cover ALL the data for the cars. also working on cars for a living can kill your desire to work on them any other time....sorta like wedding cake does for a woman's sex drive!

[Jesse30]

haha. well i'll take that into consideration. but the problem is there really isnt anything else that im good at and interested in doing..

[FredK]

In the future, there will be no clutch. Just an automatic transmission that magnetically couples to the block, so you just flip a switch and it drops right out onto your force field transmission dolly. Still, the magnetic alignment sequence will take 8 book hours so that the dealer can bill you $840 labor for R&R.

In the future, no fasteners will be made out of steel. They will be made out of plastic. So your magnetic pickup tool will become useless. You will now need a Snap On Dispersion Force Attractor Beam Stick that costs $1050 MSRP, but the truck guy will take monthly payments of $24. For the rest of your life.

People on r3vlimited.com will resort to using a ball of duct tape on the end of a screwdriver to retrieve these plastic fasteners (oh shit, I forgot, BMW parts will have an official supercession, like when they decided to stop producing cad plated parts and instead give us Zn plated garbage), but curse when they drop a piece into their valvetrain. These people will make posts like "will a piece of duct tape in my valvetrain do any damage?" People will then argue whether or not the fibers inside duct tape are fiberglass or nylon. Mr Deagle will say, if you can't duck it, fuck it. Then a lurker will post, it's duct tape not duck tape.

It's a bleak future. Just lock yourself in an E30 in a small garage and turn the car on.

[RVAe30]

^^^ BWAHAHAH you sir are a visionary.