What is an Automotive Technician?

What is an Automotive Technician?

You may have ended up here because you are thinking about a career choice of becoming an automotive technician. Or, you may be doing some recon on your local repair center before trusting them with your vehicle. Or maybe you’re just here for some general automotive information, in any case, you have come to the right place.

In this article, I am going to break down the ins, outs, ups, and downs of the life of an automotive technician. If you are a technician and have something you would like to add, please do so in the comments 🙂

Duties of an Automotive Technician:

The roles of the automotive technician start from the front of the vehicle and cover all the way back. A fully trained technician should be able to take on any repair unless of course, they lack a proper lift or specialty tools, etc. A fully trained technician will often have more training under their belt by the end of their career than a lot of doctors out there, simply due to the constant change in automotive technology and design. The human body has remained very similar for thousands of years, while automotive technology and design can change every three or four years, and with every new bit of technology comes more required knowledge and understanding. I am not comparing the two titles, just putting that into perspective.

Along with the added education and required training, you also have to factor in the cost of tools. A technician is responsible for providing all their own tools, and this is not a cheap thing. The base tool investment of most master technicians I have met has been in the $70-80k range including a toolbox. Not cheap at all.

As a technician we follow the three C’s:

• Complaint
• Cause
• Correction

We always need to verify the original complaint, find the root cause and correct the concern with a proper repair.

Always make sure you verify the issue that the client is having before you perform any repairs on a vehicle. Never guess, as that can burn both you and the client later down the road.

Your main focus as a technician should always be making sure your client’s vehicle is safe to drive on the road.

The Difference Between a Good Technician and a Great Technician:

A great automotive technician needs to be as efficient and accurate as possible. They must do this while taking care of both the vehicle and the client. The clients come to us in hopes that we know what we are doing, and it is up to us to make sure their expectations are met above and beyond. Working efficient and fast can be tricky, but most technicians have to be clever about it since we get paid by commission and billable and not by the clock hour. In my experience, the challenge has always been one of the most fun parts of being a technician.

The rewarding feeling after diagnosing and fixing a headache-inducing vehicle is such a satisfying result!

If you want to make good money as a technician, then I suggest you follow these tips and tricks I have learned:

• Learn to efficiently multi-task
• Build a good relationship with your service advisors if you are in a shop
• Do very thorough inspections and advise your clients of all safety and maintenance concerns
• Strive to do your best on every vehicle you touch
• Get more training and learn to do more
• Invest in Tools and Diagnostic equipment to be able to perform any job you encounter

Being an automotive technician can be an awesome career if you like the satisfaction of taking broken things and fixing the problem, or if you like to tear things apart and get dirty. If you do not have the patience for diagnosis, or if you get stressed in rushed environments that can be under pressure, then the career of an automotive technician is most likely not the one for you, unless you can find an hourly position in a shop that does not require as much pressure.

Pros and Cons

Pros:

As stated above, the rewards of fixing something that is broken are awesome and a great way to spend your work time. Being able to help people get back on the road is also an awesome feeling. The choice of being a technician can be beneficial because you have the option to make a great income once you get some experience in and show some motivation. The pay will depend where you are located. I have seen a median pay of around $40k per year. Mid-level technicians seem to be able to do about $60k a year, and some of us heavy hitters do upwards of $100k per year. Remember it takes work to get to that point, and it will depend on your location and shop type.

If you learn how to work the flat rate system you can really start to make a killing. I will be covering the flat rate hustle in another post, but check out the photo below. In one month, I had about 200hrs clocked in but was flagged and paid for 323hrs.

Cons:

As with everything else, it does have it’s own cons as well. The working hours can be long and the environment can be harsh. It also takes a toll on your body after a while. When I first started out some of the guys around 45 would complain about how bad their bodies felt and I never took them that serious. But after twelve years of being a full-time technician, I definitely learned how it can chisel away at your health. I am only 29 and already experience knee/elbow/shoulder problems. Certain tasks can also be quite dangerous to perform, so make sure you never take short cuts and always think of your health before doing something that seems like it could end up getting sketchy.

Shop environments can be very harsh at times and can be a definite culture shock. A lot of the shops I have worked in always just had a very negative vibe, but that is understandable because most were dealerships that were run by really bad management, and the attitude of the employees mirrored that. If you end up in a shop that has a negative vibe, remain happy and keep doing what you love. If things get bad enough, remember that toolboxes have wheels for a reason 🙂

Honesty. Accuracy. Integrity.

As an automotive technician, these should always be the top qualities that you strive to integrate into your life and your work.

If you are honest with your customers, accurate with your repairs, and show integrity through yourself and your work, then you will create lifelong customers who know they can rely on the skills which you provide.

Over the years it seems technicians have received a bad rep as disloyal workers. After 12 years of working with some of the best technicians around, I can assure you that the good far outweighs the bad. But, as with all professions and walks of life, there will always be crooks out there. So be sure you stay educated, and get to know the people who you trust to work with your vehicle.

Outcome

This career is a test to determine if you really love working on cars or love working on your own car as a hobby. Many people quit once they find out what it is like to be a technician for a full time living. The technicians that stay are the ones that actually enjoy working on vehicles and can make it through the nitty-gritty, or they are the ones that are miserable but refuse to make a change, therefore they stay stuck and tell people how horrible it is. It is currently a very in-demand skill, so there are jobs available all over. Once you become trained and develop your skill, REMEMBER YOUR WORTH! A lot of shops act like technicians are easy to replace, but if you are skilled, then that is truly hard to come by.

It is a hard, but fulfilling career and most of us gearheads would have it no other way!

If you have any questions about what it takes to become an automotive technician please comment below. If you are a student who is curious about your options, let me know, I have been there before and would be happy to answer any questions 🙂

Make sure to check out the Adept Merch Shop for some awesome technician related gear!