DealersEdge Professional Forums

My Service Manager and I were talking the other day and it came up our pay.

Our highest tech is $30/hr guaranteed and any time he gets over 80 a pay period he gets additional. My service manager and I get a COMBINED 32/hr. Currently we are not on any commission or anything. He gets a demo and gas card and I don't really get any perks.

After talking, 3 of our techs that are hourly are paid more than each of us. I think this is absolutely ridiculous. I am curios as to what some of you think of this? Is this normal or are we getting screwed?

My advice would be to stop worrying about what the techs make, unless you have plans to become a tech.

I would focus on what other parts managers in similar size dealership earn. Also, the net profit generated by your department would also be a factor.
Comparing yourself to a technician will just give you a headache.

Frank

This is an example of why no one should know how much someone else makes, someone will get there feelings hurt.

You also don't have a mortgage out on your tool box, and have to do a task in 5 hours and get paid for 3.

Parts007 wrote:You also don't have a mortgage out on your tool box, and have to do a task in 5 hours and get paid for 3.

well, as previously stated, he is guaranteed 80/hrs of pay every 2 weeks. If he gets more, he gets paid more. But he's guaranteed 80. So if a task takes him 5 hours, he gets paid 5 hours.

Whoa tough guy!

This forum is an exchange of ideas.. from a large, diverse group of people in the OEM auto parts industry. When you post something here you should expect to hear different ideas, not necessarily what you want to hear. When I look out into the shop and I see $30000+ tool boxes and I complain that I have to buy my own pen, I think I am doing alright.

It is rare these days for a flat rate tech to get guaranteed hours. Kudos to that tech, he must have proven his worth. That is not where the industry is going now. Service Managers are complaining of not having a pool of technicians to choose from, that is because they don't pay them what they're worth. Other tech industries do. My buddy was an A-tech and got out of the business because of all the bull.. He is an elevator tech and making double what he made as a auto tech.. Bottom line to this is the auto industry lost a good tech and probably many more like him.

If you know that your dealer principal is willing to pay a premium for a valuable employee, use this to your advantage.. . prove your worth. Decide how far you want to take it... Start interviewing for another position elsewhere?

With his post from last October:

"I'm about 5 months into being Parts Manager here, been with the company for 2 years. "

it seems like you may be getting a little too big for your britches with that attitude...

just sayin

Parts007 wrote:Whoa tough guy!

This forum is an exchange of ideas.. from a large, diverse group of people in the OEM auto parts industry. When you post something here you should expect to hear different ideas, not necessarily what you want to hear. When I look out into the shop and I see $30000+ tool boxes and I complain that I have to buy my own pen, I think I am doing alright.

It is rare these days for a flat rate tech to get guaranteed hours. Kudos to that tech, he must have proven his worth. That is not where the industry is going now. Service Managers are complaining of not having a pool of technicians to choose from, that is because they don't pay them what they're worth. Other tech industries do. My buddy was an A-tech and got out of the business because of all the bull.. He is an elevator tech and making double what he made as a auto tech.. Bottom line to this is the auto industry lost a good tech and probably many more like him.

If you know that your dealer principal is willing to pay a premium for a valuable employee, use this to your advantage.. . prove your worth. Decide how far you want to take it... Start interviewing for another position elsewhere?

I don't really see the tough guy reference. But that's the answer I've been looking for.

Here lies the problem where the service manager and I both got promoted from within the company. Obviously they think we are doing something right. However, neither promotion came with anything of a raise as if they had hired an outside employee. What are you going to do? Say you don't want the promotion?

Zep33 wrote:With his post from last October:

"I'm about 5 months into being Parts Manager here, been with the company for 2 years. "

it seems like you may be getting a little too big for your britches with that attitude...

just sayin

I apologize, it's mostly frustration with waiting 9 months+ to get the raise I've been waiting on, only to find the service manager has been waiting 2.5 years since promotion.

No worries man, good things come with patience