Bribe the mechanic???
Cummins Guru
Joined: Feb 2008
Posts: 4,191
Likes: 65
From: Sunny Southern California Land of Fruits and Nuts
I usually have WRO printed for a free brake check. Then during my lunch break I do what ever needs to be done. If your off the clock they can't say anything about working on company time. If all your work is done they don't care but better punch off first.
Chapter President
Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 1,327
Likes: 0
From: Near Mt. Pleasant, Tennessee
They did'nt have us punch off, usually it was us sitting around looking at gun mags, sleeping on toolboxes and sitting on our roll around stools in groups of three or four talking. At that point what can you do? You gotta make money somehow, your not gonna have a paycheck cause your not getting paid cause your not working on a car for the dealer cause there ain't no cars there to work on. If your lucky you might break 2 hours in a day.
Most of the guys I talked to said they would like to have some sort of base pay per week in case of slow times when there are no cars in the shop to feed all the techs. No cars equals no commission, and you can't do anything else during the week to make money cause your there "at work" reading a book for the lack of anything to do. A friend of mine had a 5 hour paycheck one week, been doing trannies for 20+ years. They did'nt even cut a check for him that week. Does he do side work....yeah a bunch, does it at the dealer, parks the cars in the dealer lot and uses their special tools. Are they gonna fire him? Doubt it, guy can build a tranny or differential like nobody's business and probably forgotten more about cars/trucks than most people know. But he also likes to eat and feed his kids. I spent my time in a dealer and all the general line techs are doing what they can to survive. The front end guys stay busy and do better. You can't control when people come in, drag them in off the street. Putting bids on jobs around home people are looking for the cheapest way out and at times the quality of the work is questionable. That's how they shop, what can you do. I'm not trying to ruffle feathers or torque people off, but there are different angles, the "business owner" and the guy trying to scratch out a living. I've been on both sides of the fence.
Most of the guys I talked to said they would like to have some sort of base pay per week in case of slow times when there are no cars in the shop to feed all the techs. No cars equals no commission, and you can't do anything else during the week to make money cause your there "at work" reading a book for the lack of anything to do. A friend of mine had a 5 hour paycheck one week, been doing trannies for 20+ years. They did'nt even cut a check for him that week. Does he do side work....yeah a bunch, does it at the dealer, parks the cars in the dealer lot and uses their special tools. Are they gonna fire him? Doubt it, guy can build a tranny or differential like nobody's business and probably forgotten more about cars/trucks than most people know. But he also likes to eat and feed his kids. I spent my time in a dealer and all the general line techs are doing what they can to survive. The front end guys stay busy and do better. You can't control when people come in, drag them in off the street. Putting bids on jobs around home people are looking for the cheapest way out and at times the quality of the work is questionable. That's how they shop, what can you do. I'm not trying to ruffle feathers or torque people off, but there are different angles, the "business owner" and the guy trying to scratch out a living. I've been on both sides of the fence.
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