Currently working as a Ford senior tech in a retail dealer. On £10.50 an hour in Sheffield. Been offered a job at an independent Bosch service centre which is more money. The retail dealer I'm at is owned by two brothers in there 50's. There's no one in there family's that wants to take it over when they retire. I'm 43. So would be mid 50's if/when they retire,which would make it bloody hard to get another job. There are only 4 in the garage and 7 non earners. So it's not brilliant. Has anyone gone from a main dealer to an independent and how did it go? We do repair other makes but the majority are fords.

 

My lad did his apprenticeship with Mercedes. He completed that and stuck it for another year and felt he was going nowhere as he was always going to be 'the junior'. He jumped ship and went to an Independent BMW specialist. Again that started ok, but there wasn't really any future in it for him, no prospect of any sort of promotion, and with only 3 techs in the place opportunities were limited.
He's now moved back to a main dealer (Jaguar/Land Rover), which being part of a much larger group (Sytner), gives him far more scope to progress.
I know his situation's different to yours, but I guess what I'm saying it's probably horses for courses. If where you're at isn't well paid and the prospects aren't looking good, then a better paid job in an independent is likely to look good, but accept that any opportunities to move 'up' are likely to be few and far between.
He also did find in a few of the interviews he's just been to, he felt that his move from an established main dealer to a small indy, was viewed with a little suspicion by the interviewers.

 

I've worked in independents for over 20 years since I left school. I've tried 3 main dealers now and didn't like it at all. I found it to be really regimented and almost like a robot at times. I'm back in an independent garage after a year working at a Mitsubishi dealer and I'm much happier. I'm on more money (£12 an hour) and it's a rural country garage. The main dealer is still paying the guys £10.75 per hour and they are rushed like mad to hit targets. I'm given a job to do and left alone untill it's done. Would never go back to a dealers now. I get to do a lot of welding again which I enjoy and work on a lot more classic stuff. Because it's a rural garage I work on anything from a 3 year old car to 1930s cars to motorbikes and even tractors and petrol gardening equipment! The main dealers I was at had sod all equipment, wouldnt buy any equipment, I never went on one training
Course and learned bugger all. I learn new stuff everyday in our garage. My boss pays for any training for diagnostics that come up (we have 3 diag scanners) the dealers shared one scanner between 3 sites over 20 miles apart! We have an entire room u could fit 3 cars in full of every piece of equipment u could even need. All the timing tools the lot. We've even got a lathe! My boss calls us "motor engineers" as we still make stuff as and when we need too

 

Don't worry about getting another job mate due to age. I know one guy who's just turned 70 this July who started a new job at a garage last year and I know another guy well past retirement age who works round different garages Doing mot testing. We've had a new mechanic start at our garage 4 months ago on trial period and he's 49.

 

My mate is a tech and has worked for BMW and Audi and a merc Indy, hated all of them for different reasons but he's now moved to Honda and says he loves it, work is a bit boring but always gets good bonus's for reaching targets.

 

I`ma Ford tech, and have £20.10 an hour, and that is shit paid here. A big different just over the sea, of course it`s more expencive to live here.

 

I started at independent garage for my first 5 years then moved to dealer at 22yrs old for more money started main on £7.5 then went on courses took the lead on all bigger jobs and progressed up to £13ph then like your place could see it being sold for development as its was massive used to be 60 techs garage. Moved to the AA for 3 years ok then started a garage with a so called mate (I paid for setup) soon realised I was being had over left the lease after 5 years took some months off then looked dealers were offering circa £10 ph then a friend sent me to a independent garage and I work 8.30-5 mon-fri on £15ph no bonus left to it mostly. I do like it but sometimes your expected to know how to diagnose every fault on 1000's of different cars and sometimes you need a lot of different diagnostics to talk to cars which I'm getting my boss to buy were 6 mechanics and 1 full time tester jump ship if deal is right but be ware if your going to work for friends then I'd stay out for redundancy. Ps I'm 21 ;-/ just turned 40.


QUOTE=DangerousBryan;6696426]Currently working as a Ford senior tech in a retail dealer. On £10.50 an hour in Sheffield. Been offered a job at an independent Bosch service centre which is more money. The retail dealer I'm at is owned by two brothers in there 50's. There's no one in there family's that wants to take it over when they retire. I'm 43. So would be mid 50's if/when they retire,which would make it bloody hard to get another job. There are only 4 in the garage and 7 non earners. So it's not brilliant. Has anyone gone from a main dealer to an independent and how did it go? We do repair other makes but the majority are fords.[/QUOTE]

 

The independent is a Bosch service centre so has all the Bosch/Delphi diagnostic stuff plus another 5 diagnostic computers for other makes. There's 6 techs there and the owner and his son who do reception/accounts. It's been around since 1990 and when I went there were 2 rs turbo's,a Delorean,a 2 year old golf and a 60's yank. So plenty of variety, I suppose the only thing bothering me is the diagnostics on other makes. I'm going to see if I can get my current boss up to £12 per hour and see what his retirement plans are. If he won't go for it then will seriously consider leaving. Will be on trial at the new place for 6 months before a full contract.

 

Can I throw a curve ball in here.

Would you be interested in running the garage, maybe the brothers would like it to continue after they have retired.

Just a thought.

 

It can't make money as it is. Sales looses money,bodyshop just about breaks even. They rely on the mechanical side to make money and pay all the bills. There are only 4 techs including me. There's a partsman,a receptionist(one of the brothers),a salesman,an accountant,a valetter/handyman,a bodyshop man and another women that does paperwork. The other brother helps out in the bodyshop. There's just too many wages to pay. The place I've been for an interview,everybody earns money. They charge 20 quid less an hour and are far better off. We can't work on transits properly because the roof is too low.so we take them to another garage which costs us 50 quid a day to hire.

 

Some dead wood needs cutting out then, harsh but true. a business needs to make money to survive.
From what I've seen the competition for bodywork our way is fierce so we have specialist firms doing it.
A mate runs an indy charging 58 an hour and he is always busy and covers all makes.
MoT and repairs will do welding for MoT as well.

I heard M D charge out at around 100 an hour don't know how accurate that is.

 

So, if you took it over, you get rid of the sales and bodyshop, concentrate on the mechanics side, and even if you still only pull in the same revenue, your profit is up as you're not paying the dead weight that isn't contributing. I'm no business owner, but seems simple enough economics? Then whatever money you make in extra profit, get the roof redone, and you can work on more commercial vehicles

 

A ford senior tech gets £10.50 an hour.....? I didn't realise main dealers paid so little out of the high labour costs to the guys doing the work . You get paid more labouring on building sites !

 

This is true, labourers round my way are on £120 a day.

 

When we've got to pay out for our own tools too it's a joke the pay. I pay the snap on man £50 a week out my wages

 

Change brands.

The guys where I work @ BMW get £17.50ph if they do not hit target and £25.xx if they do hit target on any hours over their target. They have to sell around 6-8 hours depending on role. One guy starts @ 5.30am and finishes between 4 and 5pm every day and is always busy.

 

But your basic rates are the same so you need even more mechanical to cover the costs.

Body shop makes its money on the profit in parts and not labour, so that will not keep you going unless you run it as a machine belt running insurance work. Sales never makes money, except in rebates from manufacturers. Independents will obviously be different.

If you remove the car sales and body shop you may have different rates or planning issues as usage has potentially changed from allowed, the list goes on.

 

what sort of targets are you talking about? saving hours by doing mechanical works in less time than book estimates?

 

Kind of. The tech has to sel 6-8 hours, but if he wants to get in early and leave late, selling 12 hours he is allowed to as he is on a flat wage up until the bonus hours. They have to work Saturday on a rota for no extra pay, but if they can get their carryover work done in that time, it adds to their hours. So, 4 hours per day extra every day and say 5 hours sold on a Saturday over a month adds up.

It is all down to the write-up as much as anything. If you say you cleaned a part to inspect it but do not describe how, I.e. "inspected area visually and then cleaned inspected area with degreaser thoroughly with a paintbrush to loosen dirt before washing off and drying area" will get you a lot more time than "cleaned area".

I can go into detail, but am on phone at moment.

 

Unfortunately yes. Some might be a bit higher but not much. We charge 70 quid an hour but there's only 4 techs and 7 non earners. So we have to support all those and pay the bills.

 

We're not on a bonus system,just a flat hourly rate. How the garage is set up a bonus system wouldn't work. We clock ourselves on and off jobs and many times we have to move cars out of the way to get to the one we want.

 

Luckily I've pretty much got all the tools I need so only have to buy odd bits and pieces every now and again.

 

Stop buying off strap-on then bud. The prices are a fucking joke these days. Plenty of other decent makes about. £200+ a month on tools is ridiculous tbh. You have been on the trade many years, I would presume you have a good selection of tools already?

 

Just as a side mention re tools.

Apply for a Halfords trade card and wait for their offers on their professional range.

Life time guarantee and apparently they have the tools coded so no need to keep the receipt as proof of purchase.

Im not in the car trade but the tools all feel good and not cheap cr*p

I don't think you would have issues with change of use regarding dropping the body shop and sales as you arnt applying for planing permission.

I think you might be surprised what profit that can be brought in.

 

its the same with joiners, thousands of pounds of tools required but until recently the pay was relatively low . in the last 2 year joiners rates have went up about 50% though to an average of £17 in Edinburgh but time and a half on overtime is common with agencies now as well.

 

Depends what your current permissions are. Our current place would need full permissions if the Sales Dept was closed for example.

Also spent 7 years in a body shop environment do know how quickly it can go from profit to loss, depending on insurance companies.

 

No need to actually close the sales just don't sell any cars, just keep a few outside with tickets on the windows.

I would doubt the trading permission was make specific.

 

Yeah got a fair old bit so far but I'm still paying this bugger off



Plus there's so many tools that come out that make the job a lot easier. Most mechanics I know and work with buy at least one new tool every month and always in debt with the snap on man. Now it seems a lot of the other tool suppliers that used to be looked on as "hobby tools" are becoming such good quality that I tend to price it up between all the tool suppliers when I'm looking for something (snap on, Mac
Tools, sealey, laser etc) and buy the cheapest of
Same quality. I've bought a fair few bits of eBay over the last year tool wise but most of it has been pretty crap to be honest and it's just gone in the scrap pile or taken home for my little toolbox in the garage as it'll hardly ever get used at home. I'm a great believer in having the best possible tools I can afford for the job. I look a right prat when I'm working with cheap Chinese tools. I bought an impact driver off eBay and it ruined what I was trying to undo and the job took 3 times as long. My boss thought I was mental lol. Borrowed his snap on one to do the other side of that I was doing and one swift hit with the hammer and job was a goodun. Yeah I've got one of those halfords trade cards and quite a few of the halfords professional tools from years ago and there very good! There range is OK for the weekend home mechainc but bar sockets, ratchets and spanners which I bought when I was an apprentice 20 odd years ago I haven't found anything in there that I haven't got or need. Good quality stuff mind!

 

Had a talk with my current boss and he doesn't know when he's going to retire but it won't be anytime soon. Also agreed a wage rise so it looks like I'm stopping where I am for the meantime.

 

Good on you mate nice one

 

People knock snap on but when you work in a garage it's convenience lol. Take what you want and give him 20 quid a week. Plus the tools are good. Yes there's other makes but can I be arsed to go find and buy them not really.

 

Like I said, I'm not business mogul, but if sales is losing money, i.e. not turning a profit and thus costing more to run than it puts back in, then cut it off. You're saving money right there - lets say for arguments sake it costs you £10k a year to facilitate the sales department, and it only brings in £7k - cut it off, and you're £3k a year better off already.

Body shop just breaks even - so, again for arguments sake, it costs you £10k a year to run the body shop, and it brings in £10k, then it's not returning a profit. Cut it off. If it's returning £11k, then cut it off anyway, as it's not worth the hassle for such a small return, and you're now £2k better off than you were.

Mechanics costs you £10k a year to run, and it brings in £18k, then as it was all running before, you're total revenue would be £35k, with an operating cost of £30k, you're profit is £5k. So, by cutting out sales and body shop, you're £10k better off - the same £8k from the mechanics side, plus the £2k you're saving from running the other departments. Boom, you've doubled your profit.

 

A lot of the rural dealerships near to where I live have a few new cars for sale and half the small showroom has old cars in there. A small rural ford dealership I had a job interview at near us has old classic fords taking up most of the showroom with ridiculous prices on them as there not really for sale. His offered wage was still stuck in the old times along with the rest of the garage so needless to say I didn't go for that one. I was gutted though as they get a lot of old fords in there all the time for work

 

The only thing I would say is you've said that the garage struggles to make money in certain areas and is supported by the techs. You've asked for more money, which may well be entirely justified and to be honest I thought techs were paid higher, but at the same time it's that little bit harder for the garage to make money.

The garage may have raised your wages, but that means the employers contributions and National insurance are also higher.

I'm probably getting off topic but when you employ someone at, for example, £25k a year it costs the company much more than that, which most people seem to forget. The workplace pension scheme, even if you employ 1 person, was the the cherry on top of the icing on the cake for my brother and I, so we shut up shop and 3 people lost their jobs. Well done to the government helping small businesses

I'm just saying money is a short term motivator and if you're not happy in your job, you'll find yourself back in the same position. However, glad you've come to an arrangement with your boss!