Hey I was wondering for all the Honda technician out there. Can you make a good living from being a honda dealership technician? My school is offering a shadowing position where i follow a master techinican around all day and learn from him. Whenever i get a chance to work at a dealership, i wanna make that as my career. So therefore, I gotta make sure I choose the right dealership. So yea any advice about honda dealerhship will be nice.

 

What dealership? Just curious since I'm in ATL. Wish I could tell you something about being a tech or how much money they make. GL with it though

 

It the one in Georgia Mall. It look pretty big but iono how busy it is all the time

 

Depends on how big of a spender you are, i myself would probably have a hard time surviving on my own on a tech's salary.

 

Unless you can get good AND fast, i wouldn't bother. The money isnt there unless you can really work. Plus prepare for a 5-8000$ tool bill, unless you have your own tools. I went from an hourly job, quit and went to a dealer, and the inconsistency of pay sucks. One week you'll have a 1500$ paycheck, the next you could have a 300$ paycheck. The guys at the Honda dealer here ive heard can make up to 250 hrs for a two week period, and they earn 25$ an hour. But thats a good week, and it doesn't happen often.

 

There is only 2 things you need to know about working as a tech at HONDA. 1 is your only as good as you best tool. 2 find a dealership and stay there for ever. You will never make alot of money jumping from dealer to dealer. I know that most Honda Dealers have programs that send you to Honda Tech Trainging school. We got paid for every test and a healthy raise after Honda Master Cert.

Good luck in what ever you do. But if you do it. Stick with it or get out early.

 

Honda @ mall of GA does alot of business. I'm sure they have plenty of service work. Go check it out and see how it is, and definately go for your Honda master cert. I know some managers at dealers on the southside if you wanted to come check them out.

 

Thank IT GUY but it ok, ill just ask my teacher to get me in the shadowing program for Honda. O btw, what time during the day do dealership get the most busiest. I wanna stop by during that time and check how that honda dealership is doing. Thanks for all the reply

 

that is how i became a mechanic however on the west coast dealerships arent trusted as much or at all. in the west coast NO midwest probably, strike that you can make a hefty salray.

as for me i quit and am now a full time student, picked up welding and just growing my skillset...............no clue what to do in life yet

 

out here in New Hampshire times are changing a little bit, THe dealerships are slowing down, there is more and more warrentee work which doesn't pay well at all. Services are the only things keeping my techs at my dealership alive. You'll notice that the older techs all have their toys and are financially sound but times are changing. A lot of them got in easily and at just the rigth time, THe mechanic boom they call it. THere was more work then the tons of techs, those were the good years but everything now aday is going to 100k mile warrentee's and hybrid technology. It's a good career if that is what you want to do but just be aware that times are changing from when the older techs you talk to went through this process. Good Luck with everything you choose to do

 

a friend gets 28 dollas and hour as lead tech, and also puts in a heep of over time.. = baller status = VIP roller, haha

 

I've been a honda dealer tech for almost 18 years. i'm comfortable.

 

its also depends on how big of a town u live in..at my dealeship we only have 6 techs including me and its mainly reg. maint. and SOMETIMES there are some good jobs but rarely...i think one of our master techs is around the 70-80k year mark and hes been there 30+years

 

You'll have a LOT of money to invest into tools. Store bought tools won't cut it.

You'll have varying hours week-week.

Your pay will vary depending on the work (customer pay, warranty, federal).

There is no set time of the day when you'll be the busiest. If you have a few jobs lined up, you'll get them done as fast as you can so you can get to the next one. If a job pays 1.5 hours and you get it done in 1 hour, you get paid 1.5 unless you say otherwise. If its a slow day or week and you have no jobs, you'll be sitting around not making any money. If you want to support yourself and another with a comfortable house, cars, and bank account, you'll need to put in 40hrs/week. If you want extra money you'll need to do more than that. Best way to get more hours is work fast, do it right the first time, and make good relationships with the service drive (the consultant/advisor you work for, service manager, shop foreman, etc). If your work speaks for itself, you will evenutally have customers come in and ask for you to work on their car.

If you're comfortable at a dealership, and get a lucrative offer from another, turn it down. They usually will not live up to their end of it.

I worked in a Chevy/Caddy dealership for 5 years in the service drive and this is the best advice I can give you. My uncle was a ASE Master and GM Master at a Chevy dealership in MO and now has his own Snap-On franchise since the pay wasn't cutting it for supportin himself, his wife, and 2 kids. My grandfather was Plant Manager for GM's Leeds plant in MO, and my father was Area Service Manager for Oldsmobile in the Lansing, MI area, and ASM for Chev/Cad in the NETN/SWVA/WV area. So if you have any more questions let me know. GM works about the same as Honda (in my area at least), so I might be able to help more.

 

Thanks for the info aquafina, it was some very helpful advice.

 

It also really depends on the dealership you are at.
I started as a (master ase) honda technician and they would only give me $9.50 an hour.When all they feed you is warranty work, it is HARD to flag 40 hrs a week.Especially because warranty work doesnt pay very well.
When I told them I was leaving to work for a different dealer, they tried to get me to stay with $20 an hour.
I just smiled...
So personally, I could not make it as a honda tech. Instead Im a porsche technician which IMO has a much higher income potential. If my old boss wasnt such a cheapskate *** jew, Id probably still be working on Hondas...There still my favorite

 

Yea I should just do something like you pyro, work at a dealership like Honda for a couple of years and get experience and try to move on to bigger dealership. O btw, wut does warrenty work mean? And changing subject, what does ITB mean also?

 

Warranty works is just what it sounds like. Work covered by warranty, and not by the customer. Warranty pays crap because it comes from the company (Honda, GM etc.).

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by PyroProblem &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">It also really depends on the dealership you are at.
I started as a (master ase) honda technician and they would only give me $9.50 an hour.When all they feed you is warranty work, it is HARD to flag 40 hrs a week.Especially because warranty work doesnt pay very well.
When I told them I was leaving to work for a different dealer, they tried to get me to stay with $20 an hour.
I just smiled...
So personally, I could not make it as a honda tech. Instead Im a porsche technician which IMO has a much higher income potential. If my old boss wasnt such a cheapskate *** jew, Id probably still be working on Hondas...There still my favorite
</TD></TR></TABLE>

lol... 9.50? our lofer guys get paid that..

you dont have to work at a porsche dealer to make good money..

 

My friend who started with honda the exact same day i did is now up to 18 an hour.
Hes flagging 50 hrs a week consistently, so the money is def not bad.
My suggestion is start at a honda dealer,get as much training as you can.
Be a sponge. Eat,sleep,learn, and absorb everything you can about hondas. Once you get some experience and get good and fast, you will make good money as long as you have a good/fair service manager.
Impress the manager and show him your eagerness to work and hopefully he will give you a good hourly rate...
Warrany work is any job you do while the car is in warranty. Customer pay is anything not coverec under warranty.
Example. A leaky oil pn gasket might pay 1.0 hrs to fix under warranty. If the ar is out of warranty(customer pay), then the exact same job might pay 3.0 hours...
We LOVE to make CUSTOMERS PAY...Bwahahahaha

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Aquafina &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">You'll have a LOT of money to invest into tools. Store bought tools won't cut it.

You'll have varying hours week-week.

Your pay will vary depending on the work (customer pay, warranty, federal).

There is no set time of the day when you'll be the busiest. If you have a few jobs lined up, you'll get them done as fast as you can so you can get to the next one. If a job pays 1.5 hours and you get it done in 1 hour, you get paid 1.5 unless you say otherwise. If its a slow day or week and you have no jobs, you'll be sitting around not making any money. If you want to support yourself and another with a comfortable house, cars, and bank account, you'll need to put in 40hrs/week. If you want extra money you'll need to do more than that. Best way to get more hours is work fast, do it right the first time, and make good relationships with the service drive (the consultant/advisor you work for, service manager, shop foreman, etc). If your work speaks for itself, you will evenutally have customers come in and ask for you to work on their car.

If you're comfortable at a dealership, and get a lucrative offer from another, turn it down. They usually will not live up to their end of it.

I worked in a Chevy/Caddy dealership for 5 years in the service drive and this is the best advice I can give you. My uncle was a ASE Master and GM Master at a Chevy dealership in MO and now has his own Snap-On franchise since the pay wasn't cutting it for supportin himself, his wife, and 2 kids. My grandfather was Plant Manager for GM's Leeds plant in MO, and my father was Area Service Manager for Oldsmobile in the Lansing, MI area, and ASM for Chev/Cad in the NETN/SWVA/WV area. So if you have any more questions let me know. GM works about the same as Honda (in my area at least), so I might be able to help more.
</TD></TR></TABLE>


I work at a Toyota dealership and thats pretty much how it works. The better you are and the faster you work, and work well. Then the more money you'll make, end of story, period.

 

i work @ Acura and this will be my best year do just under 100k and loving it.
of course product knolage and experience pay's off.unlike the rookies that will do about 40-60 k. with little fatory schooling and little experiecne.
if you make the journey stick with it and learn as much as you can. if you put the time in it will pay off in the end good luck .

 

Yea after reading all this and talking to my teacher, I got a shadowing position at Honda and will be following a master tech around for a couple of weeks. I guess this is where my career will start. Service manager sound like a really nice guy and my teacher happen to know him so that also a good thing. But yea, I guess this Honda dealership at Georgia Mall will be my new home.

 

He seems like a nice guy because thats how he plays himself. In reality, he might be a dick. So do as you're told unless it is against any dealership rules or laws, but don't be a total kiss ***. Your teacher knows him, good. Don't play off that since you don't know him. Instead just show him you're willing to learn and work hard and you should be in.

 

I was wondering, how much dollar per hour can a technician go up to. Some people told me somewhere like 25 buck a hour is the max u can go up to even if you work for like 30 years at a dealership. Is this true?