My Car Mechanics Post Labor Rate = $110 per hour. Why don't more HS kids train as mechanics?

[Anonymous]

Auto repair is physically strenuous; it can break your body down, and it's hard to have a backup plan. And the fact that you're good at fixing cars doesn't mean that you're good at running a business--totally different skill sets. Most of my family is in the trades, and they ALL wanted me to go to college so I could have what they saw as a better life.

[Anonymous]

Being a car mechanic at a non-premium brand is a horrendous living. Even at a premium brand, if you are at the stealership, it is a terrible experience. I guess the people around here that work at the BMW/Porsche/Mercedes/Audi/Lexus dealerships do OK. That said, a bunch of that work is....you guessed it, warranty work! What a bag of sh1t that is!

Independent shops are also basically impossible to start from scratch now. There is a guy that left Lindsey VW to start his own business and seems to be doing well work on that crowd's modified cars, but still. He is by himself, and one injury aware from being completely screwed.

[Anonymous]

Because electric cars are mechanically much simpler so they will be unemployed within 15 years.

[Anonymous]

Electric cars will never be widely driven as long as oilmen Are in power.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:$110 per hour is good money, more than a living wage. Plus fewer education expenses. Seems like a steady occupation, why don't more kids train for this job?

Long answer made short: The U.S. has largely abandoned the vocational track in its schools. To our detriment, IMO.

Not true in McPS or in our Pa home towns. MCPS has Edison which is very competitive to get in.

But one concern about auto mechanics as a profession is the risk of injury.

[Anonymous]

Op has some kind of agenda. People responding don't, Op does.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Op has some kind of agenda. People responding don't, Op does.

What possible agenda??? The original post is just an observation about the hourly rate in decent paying career for some young people who aren't college bound. Sheeesh!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Because electric cars are mechanically much simpler so they will be unemployed within 15 years.

That isn't true. In many respects they are far more complicated. From the basic electrics to the charging pack to the regen systems. Then the remainder of the vehicle is the same. Transmission, brakes, cooling (is more complex), steering, etc. So then, your "mechanic" at that point will need to be a mechanic, electrician and fully competent in software diagnostics.

It is easy to believe that it is "simpler" because it is just a big battery, but the reality is much different.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is your mechanic part of a garage or does she own it?

110 an hour pays for the mechanic (probably 18 an hour. Up to 25/30 depending on experience and models worked on), rent, warranty, tools like lifts and air compressors, shop supplies, consumables, etc, etc.

Then the mechanic’s personal expenses. Tools (probably 50k worth), education, certifications, etc.

Yes. You can make a decent living. But the mechanic is not making 110 an hour. Nope.

If a mechanic is working in a shop he/she probably gets half or $55 per hour ($110k per year). But if he self employed he can earn much more than that.

My brother is a mechanic at a Mercedes dealership. They sent him to Germany for 6 months to train. Do you havr ANY idea how expensive it would be to own your own shop? He's pratically an electrician. The computer diagnostic systems alone. He's fixing software most of the time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Because electric cars are mechanically much simpler so they will be unemployed within 15 years.

No they are not. They are much more complicated. I just posted about my brother. The profession as it relates to new cars is morphing into software fixes. Many of this computerized cars SUCK because you can no longer get under the hood yourself and fix things becausr its now too complicated and takes specialized equipment. Thisnis a boom for dealership service centers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Because electric cars are mechanically much simpler so they will be unemployed within 15 years.

No they are not. They are much more complicated. I just posted about my brother. The profession as it relates to new cars is morphing into software fixes. Many of this computerized cars SUCK because you can no longer get under the hood yourself and fix things becausr its now too complicated and takes specialized equipment. Thisnis a boom for dealership service centers.

MECHANICALLY simpler. The software and electronics are very sophisticated, so much so they will require component replacement in general rather than any kind of 'repair' something that can be done with an uneducated tech or robot -- no need for skilled or $$$ mechanic

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Because electric cars are mechanically much simpler so they will be unemployed within 15 years.

No they are not. They are much more complicated. I just posted about my brother. The profession as it relates to new cars is morphing into software fixes. Many of this computerized cars SUCK because you can no longer get under the hood yourself and fix things becausr its now too complicated and takes specialized equipment. Thisnis a boom for dealership service centers.

MECHANICALLY simpler. The software and electronics are very sophisticated, so much so they will require component replacement in general rather than any kind of 'repair' something that can be done with an uneducated tech or robot -- no need for skilled or $$$ mechanic

https://cleantechnica.com/2013/09/27/tesla-model-s-almost-maintenance-free/

An electric propulsion system’s mechanical parts consist of the propulsion motor, the fans in the speed controller, radiator fans, a coolant pump (if there is a liquid cooling system), and that’s it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Because electric cars are mechanically much simpler so they will be unemployed within 15 years.

By that logic, most people should be able to fix their home appliances, since almost all are electric.

I bought a $1,000 Miele a few years ago. They're the best vacuums on earth. It's worked perfectly since buying it, but I'm under no illusions that I'd be able to fix it if it broke.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Because electric cars are mechanically much simpler so they will be unemployed within 15 years.

No they are not. They are much more complicated. I just posted about my brother. The profession as it relates to new cars is morphing into software fixes. Many of this computerized cars SUCK because you can no longer get under the hood yourself and fix things becausr its now too complicated and takes specialized equipment. Thisnis a boom for dealership service centers.

MECHANICALLY simpler. The software and electronics are very sophisticated, so much so they will require component replacement in general rather than any kind of 'repair' something that can be done with an uneducated tech or robot -- no need for skilled or $$$ mechanic

https://cleantechnica.com/2013/09/27/tesla-model-s-almost-maintenance-free/

An electric propulsion system’s mechanical parts consist of the propulsion motor, the fans in the speed controller, radiator fans, a coolant pump (if there is a liquid cooling system), and that’s it.

You are quite adept st copying and pasting.

The Tesla currently has a single gear power transmission system. But only because they couldn’t figure out the multi-gear system. They will. They have to if they want to compete with GM and Ford in terms of efficiency, performance and range.

Furthermore, the braking system is not simpler. You still have to slow the car AND add a regen system. Simply using an electric motor to slow down doesn’t work.

So now we’ll just have a car with a different power source. The AC will be the same (you’ll have to add an electric heater too), brakes will brake, transmission and gear box, suspension system, far more complicated electrics, far more complicated engine management, basically everything but the ICE will be the same of similar but far more complicated in its implementation.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Because the mechanic only gets a fraction of that once you count for business expenses, rent, health insurance, etc. I bet they are lucky if they clear $40/hour.

That's more than I earn as a teacher and I have a Master's degree.