I'm an aspriing tech and I was wondering what are some resources I can look into to gain some experience and insight. Any really Good books on Honda/Acura engines? Or just great material in general? Thanks

 

all depends on how you learn....if you learn by reading books i cant help you there haha. me personally am a hands on learner. just try to get your foot in the door at a local honda dealership as a lof tech. go to school while you do that and move up to tech. you will learn a lot while working at a dealership. i know i have learned more there than any classroom! i used to LOVE being a tech too now not so much. rather do it as a hobby than a career its hard to do both.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by EK 2 9K &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">all depends on how you learn....if you learn by reading books i cant help you there haha. me personally am a hands on learner. just try to get your foot in the door at a local honda dealership as a lof tech. go to school while you do that and move up to tech. you will learn a lot while working at a dealership. i know i have learned more there than any classroom! i used to LOVE being a tech too now not so much. rather do it as a hobby than a career its hard to do both.</TD></TR></TABLE>

thats true, im also the hands on type and cant really learn from books..the school i went to that was suppose to be 80% hands on and 20% class/lecture was all BS, it was more like 30% hands on and 70% class/lecture and i couldnt learn anything...a good way to learn is find some buddies that are really into cars and help them out when they work on their cars bcuzz u will learn alot...i learned from my 1st swap and after that i did 2 other swaps that came out good and now im attempting the K swap on my own car...after going to school for 2 years to learn about cars and now working almost 2 years in a Honda dealership i dont even want to work on cars anymore bcuzz its pretty hard work...like EK 2 9K said " it as a hobby than a carrier"

 

I was going to get a start as a lube tech at a Honda Dealership, but I really just want to work there to obtain skills to work on it as a hobby. How much were you making doing work at a dealership?

 

Its easier IMO to get your "toes wet" in the mom and pop style garages. I went to a tech school in addition to my highschool, and got a job at a "mom and pop" style garage. It was me, another friend I knew who graduated a few years past, and the boss (who really never worked). It was a learning experience alright, as I agree with the above. It was something I thought I wanted to do, but after really doing it I would much rather keep it as a hobby and do body work as my career.

As for the pay...I was still in highschool and started at $10/hr within a 1.5yr of being there and my sr yr I was at $15/hr and offered $18/hr to stay but I decided to quit and go to college for auto body. Not too great of pay considering what I get now, but pretty damn good for a sr in highschool I think .

 

Body Work definitely seems like the place to be. Seems like diagnosing electrical systems wouldn't pay too bad either.

 

im still the new guy at my work even tho ive been ther almost 2 years now...im flatrate now and only makin $16hr...honda is mostly warranty **** and it doesnt pay well at all..there is only 6 guys workin here including me and the masters techs here make about 70-80k a year...the work at honda is mostly, maint stuff like 30,60,90ks, t-belts, and every so often we would get a car that needs a shortblock and thats about it...if u wanna make the big bucks work at a Ford dealership..the guys next door to us makes 2x as much as we do...they are usually busy all year round and we are only busy in Summer time and totally dead in the winter time until springs rolls around...winter is so slow that the lube guy will sometimes only get .4hrs out of the whole 8hr day

 

Read books there are a lot of people out there with a ton of info. However you must also get a lot of hands on experience.

I worked on cars for about 4 years and decided to go to a tech school to clarify all the litttle things I didn't completly understand. Then I started working at a BMW dearership...5 years later the money is too good to leave but my once favorite hobby is almost lost due to the fact I get spoiled using a lift and all my expensive tools @ work, when I get home its just a headache. But I'm still trying to get back to my roots...

 

Right now I am trying to get my BS degree in mechanical engineering that some day I could be head tech for one of the major racing teams like Titan motorsports or something.

 

its really hard for me and i sure im not the only one. to do work on cars as a hobby and a career. i want to get out of it as a career because it ruining my hobby. after working on cars all week and then you go to do your own work on the weekend you just dont want to do it.

 

So, what do you think you'll do now that you are going to drop it as a career?

 

go back to school find something else and keep it as a hobby

 

What about electronics or body repair, those are well paying right?

 

I started out buying a junk car 1991 integra with a bad trans, and i put in a swap from information i found on honda-tech and other swap sites. then i did brakes, suspension and drivetrain upgrades, eventually leading to a turbo kit. get a car that needs work and fix it, thats the best way. i was a shade tree mechanic for 1.5yrs. i had a pine tree, craftsman 205pc mechanics tool set, cardboard box for a tool box, flat part in the cement driveway, and a barrowed cherry picker. next i went to a 2 year auto program at stark state, (best in ohio and surounding states hands down). then i got a job at a Honda dealer. (whish i had started at a smaller shop, but i moved to a line tech within 4 months. now im a heavy machenery tech for Rayco MFG. really whish i was working on cars but this is paying the bills. dealers pay anywhere from $9-$20hr flat rate within a year. depends on location, skill level and managment. i make $14.25hr currently and im ASE certifed in 7 catigories. but i have great hrs, and get 8 paid holidays. at the dealer i worked 45hrs a week, and had to work saterdays, and only got like 5 holidays. i have a friend making 18hr flatrate at a toyota dealer. to bads its over an hr drive or id be there. ill be a partner in a frieght company within the year fixing the companies semis and trailors and delivering local loads. but i still turn wrench on hondas on the weekend. and the frieght job ill have a huge shop all to my self, so ill be working on alot more hondas.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Westboarder &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">What about electronics or body repair, those are well paying right?</TD></TR></TABLE>

Depends where you are, the shop your at...and how quick you can turn around something. Painters can make alot of money. Its not really uncommon to turn 80+ hrs in a week working 40hrs flat rate.

Example...my pay checks average $1000-1300 per week...and I work 30hrs counting my lunch breaks and running for some supplies here and there. And im 19 and still in college

 

I started out doing hobby work and working with my dad (aircraft mechanic) so for me it was pretty well going to happen one way or another. I'm learning alot of things quickly to advance within my company, firestone.

you can study things online and get a good idea about how things work. when I was studying for my ase's, I would go through my study guide and if I couldn't picture the abs system, or internal design and funciton of a master cylinder, I would google it and found alot of info. Hell, I even stumbled upon some manufacturer diagrams and training material.

But knowing the cars inside doesn't mean you are going to be ready to check them out and go straight into being a high end mechanic. It takes some time or a very apt person to become skilled in this work. Honestly, if you are doing this to expand your hobby skills, don't waste your time trying to make it your job. Just work harder at doing your hobby and learning from others and online.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Depends where you are, the shop your at...and how quick you can turn around something. Painters can make alot of money. Its not really uncommon to turn 80+ hrs in a week working 40hrs flat rate.

Example...my pay checks average $1000-1300 per week...and I work 30hrs counting my lunch breaks and running for some supplies here and there. And im 19 and still in college</TD></TR></TABLE>


How'd you get started as a painter?


Modified by Westboarder at 6:05 AM 2/6/2008

 

I started at a lube/gas station. Oil changes and fullservice gas. Got my foot in at Toyota. went to school then lotus and now i'm 21 and a personal Ferrari/track tech. Never stop looking for your next step. People get used to a place and stick around and never advance. FYI i still love it as work and hobby.