Auto Service

[mlbrowninwa]

I lost my job yesterday. For the last two years I have been a service adviser for a large independent automotive repair shop. I am really not too sad about loosing the job as it was really beginning to get to me. I have been in the automotive field for over 20 years now and it saddens me to see what it has come to. For many years I was in collision repair and have watched that side get beaten down by the insurance companies making is nearly impossible to repair a car back to pre-accident condition.

So a couple years ago I went to the service side thinking that would be better. What I found were that they are driven by just making money, dishonestly if need be. Trying to get customers with new cars with 15k miles on them to do $600 worth of fluid changes is just wrong. It became more and more about the ticket average. As I just wouldn't go lie to people about what their car needed, my average was lower than other advisers. I was also the only one out of seven that was not on straight commission and was paid a good salary. These reasons led me to being let go. Cheaper work force and the commission drives the sales, needed or not.

I know that not all shops are this way, but there are many that are. I am not sure if I will be returning to this field or try to find something else to do. At least I end with still knowing that I did it right and was always honest and can sleep well at night. Hopefully I can find something soon to put my faith back in business.

[pam]

I wish you the best of luck in your job search endeavors my friend.

[bytebear]

It's so hard to find an honest mechanic. I love mine. Why? Because I came in and said when my car goes in reverse, it makes a squealing noise. I came back later to pick up the car, and he said "it's just dust. We cleaned it up, no charge." They could have easily told me it would be $1000 in repairs, and I would have paid it. But instead, they got a customer for life.

I am glad you have that kind of character.

[pam]

It's nice to have a brother in law that is a Nissan master tech since I own a Nissan.

[Lstinthwrld]

I lost my job yesterday. For the last two years I have been a service adviser for a large independent automotive repair shop. I am really not too sad about loosing the job as it was really beginning to get to me. I have been in the automotive field for over 20 years now and it saddens me to see what it has come to. For many years I was in collision repair and have watched that side get beaten down by the insurance companies making is nearly impossible to repair a car back to pre-accident condition.

So a couple years ago I went to the service side thinking that would be better. What I found were that they are driven by just making money, dishonestly if need be. Trying to get customers with new cars with 15k miles on them to do $600 worth of fluid changes is just wrong. It became more and more about the ticket average. As I just wouldn't go lie to people about what their car needed, my average was lower than other advisers. I was also the only one out of seven that was not on straight commission and was paid a good salary. These reasons led me to being let go. Cheaper work force and the commission drives the sales, needed or not.

I know that not all shops are this way, but there are many that are. I am not sure if I will be returning to this field or try to find something else to do. At least I end with still knowing that I did it right and was always honest and can sleep well at night. Hopefully I can find something soon to put my faith back in business.

An honest service adviser:eek:

I too was laid off this year from a shop as their lead tech for some of the reasons you cite here. I understand where you are coming from. With the downward trend of the auto industry it has become even more cutthroat of late. I live in Reno Nv the land of hot august nights so I have been making my living doing custom fab work on classics and writing fiction I will not go back to any type of automotive service ever because of the dishonesty and dog eat dog environment.

Keep your head up. It takes a large variety of skills to do what you do something good maybe better will come along for you.

[Ozone]

Dear Sir; Thank you for your posting, I agree that most auto repair shops are out there to get your money and don't realy care about how they go about it. Pulling into a shop for oil change and 21 spot check knowing that my tail light was out and I was missing a wipper blade and low on brake fluid only to be told that everything is ok after the oil change made me extra mad and demanded to see the manager who really didn't seem to care. And once a well known store changed my ex oil on her van only to have it blow out a gasket and leak oil did nothing to fix the van or even refund any money...

I guess what I trying to say is there is no justice in this world only in the one to come. and that what goes around comes around . I feel you did the right thing and a window will open in some area for you,

might even be nice if you could some how work for the church in with the missionary cars or farm machines , equipment owned by the church that needs to be mantained I bet they could use an honest man.

[Hemidakota]

I lost my job yesterday. For the last two years I have been a service adviser for a large independent automotive repair shop. I am really not too sad about loosing the job as it was really beginning to get to me. I have been in the automotive field for over 20 years now and it saddens me to see what it has come to. For many years I was in collision repair and have watched that side get beaten down by the insurance companies making is nearly impossible to repair a car back to pre-accident condition.

So a couple years ago I went to the service side thinking that would be better. What I found were that they are driven by just making money, dishonestly if need be. Trying to get customers with new cars with 15k miles on them to do $600 worth of fluid changes is just wrong. It became more and more about the ticket average. As I just wouldn't go lie to people about what their car needed, my average was lower than other advisers. I was also the only one out of seven that was not on straight commission and was paid a good salary. These reasons led me to being let go. Cheaper work force and the commission drives the sales, needed or not.

I know that not all shops are this way, but there are many that are. I am not sure if I will be returning to this field or try to find something else to do. At least I end with still knowing that I did it right and was always honest and can sleep well at night. Hopefully I can find something soon to put my faith back in business.

Same as lawyers....driven by money. Reminds my comment to a San Francisco lawyer over two weeks ago, “…what is your soul worth? Is it only $xxxxx?”

Be honorable now! The Lord will not forget this and will bless you for it; it may not happen now but eternally.

Looking at the jobs lost to overseas…what I find offense when I listen to people who complain about loosing jobs to foreigners, is when I ask, what brand of vehicle do you drive? Majority is always a foreigner brand. The summary to this statement, we do this to ourselves when it comes to not thinking out our causes prior to acting.

I pray that it will be a short duration for you in finding another job.

[Guest]

I lost my job yesterday. For the last two years I have been a service adviser for a large independent automotive repair shop. I am really not too sad about loosing the job as it was really beginning to get to me. I have been in the automotive field for over 20 years now and it saddens me to see what it has come to. For many years I was in collision repair and have watched that side get beaten down by the insurance companies making is nearly impossible to repair a car back to pre-accident condition.

So a couple years ago I went to the service side thinking that would be better. What I found were that they are driven by just making money, dishonestly if need be. Trying to get customers with new cars with 15k miles on them to do $600 worth of fluid changes is just wrong. It became more and more about the ticket average. As I just wouldn't go lie to people about what their car needed, my average was lower than other advisers. I was also the only one out of seven that was not on straight commission and was paid a good salary. These reasons led me to being let go. Cheaper work force and the commission drives the sales, needed or not.

I know that not all shops are this way, but there are many that are. I am not sure if I will be returning to this field or try to find something else to do. At least I end with still knowing that I did it right and was always honest and can sleep well at night. Hopefully I can find something soon to put my faith back in business.

You should start your own auto repair business built around the foundation of honesty. Drive those dishonest ones out of business. Your honesty will get customers running to you. Hire service technicians who are honest as well. This is how you fight that beast. If you're in Florida let me know. I have 2 cars needing service.

[john doe]

I think you will find dishonesty in just about every career field. Singling out Auto repair only plays to people's preconditioned notions. Politicians, insurance salesmen, financial planners, investment houses, lawyers, doctors, grocery stores, coffee shops, mortgage brokers, accountants, gas stations, and many many more have just as many if not more dishonest people in them as auto repair.

[BenRaines]

Having been in sales for 34 years I have seen all kinds in all fields. Best source is a referral from someone who has dealt with a person in a trade that you need. If they are good, moral business people they will have all the business they can handle.

Ben Raines

[mlbrowninwa]

Believe me I know that this is not just in the automotive field. It is just the only thing I have been involved in since high school. My father use to own a shop and I started my career there. Things have really changed since then. We sold the shop years ago and I moved on when he needed to retire due to health reasons. But there is no doubt in my mind that our business model would not have worked as the years went on. We were in the collision repair end and my father would have never compromised on doing what is right to satisfy some insurance adjuster. But to make that work, you also have to have the customer ready to pay the bill to fix it right or battle it out with their insurance company. Sadly more often than not, they are unwilling or unable to do that.

From my experiences I would recommend getting personal recommendations from people you know before seeing a mechanic or collision repair center or just about any other service you are in need of. As the downward economic factors continue to get worse, so will these problems. I am happy to be away from it and something better will come along soon.

And Pam.... nice avatar.