Originally Posted by blackout

put it this way... in my opinion there is no substitute for experience. that being said, however, having a master cert is paramount to making money in the auto repair field. it would definitely give you a leg up... especially if there is any kind of job placement assistance going on. to my experience toyota takes care of their techs. if you can get on at a reputable toyota dealership, you could be on your way to a successful career.

but one thing i noticed about a lot of the guys who came out of big money schools is they really didn't know how to fix anything. yeah maybe they learned how stuff works, but the key to making good money is being able to diagnose quickly- for example, knowing common problems on specific car platforms can give you a huge advantage in knowing exactly what part is associated with a certain symptom. i know that if a mercury mystique comes in with an a/c inop, the harness and switch for the blower motor is a frequent problem so that's the first place i'm going to look, and most likely that will be what's wrong. another tech who'd never seen it could spend hours trying to figure out what's going on. this is just one example... but you only get to know these types of things through experience. but having the knowledge will definitely help you out... i'm just not sure if it's worth the price you might be paying for it.

and i wouldn't be overly optimistic on a starting salary either, unless like i mentioned previously there's some kind of really good job placement hookups that goes along with the training. i think a lot depends on how dedicated you are to learning the field, and definitely where you end up working. i for one knowing what i know now would not choose it over college, but it's still a good trade.

Originally Posted by Woodrow

Warranty can pay if you know how to work it. Not always, but sometimes it is easy gravy

Originally Posted by FR3SHT0D3F

Cool, toyota supposedly does a large amount of hiring of the people who complete their program, so i'm pretty sure i'll be able to get a job....i'm just worried about ending up making 14k a year...but i guess i'll just have to take my chances....i appreciate your input though always good to hear from people who've had experience.

Originally Posted by Woodrow

Warranty can pay if you know how to work it. Not always, but sometimes it is easy gravy

Originally Posted by Woodrow

You wont make shit your first few years. They will be spent buying tools and being the new guy on the team. Plus the big hard jobs wont come to you as you dont have the experience yet.

Originally Posted by blackout

.8 for replacing a hose in the fuel line under recall on a villager that takes literally 30 seconds= gravy

8.0 for replacing an engine in a navigator that involves taking both dohc heads and intake off OR removing the body from the frame that takes 4.5 days when you break a thermostat housing from removing the head when the engine is sitting on the ground because your supervisor told you to for no reason and not finding out until you've got the engine back in and running and it sprays coolant all over the place and you can't get a part for 3 days while it's stuck on your rack= BULLSHIT.

fuck warranty work, fuck commissioned hours. the above mentioned job on the gator is what pushed me over the edge...

Originally Posted by FR3SHT0D3F

would hands on experience in the program likely count for anything? but assuming it doesn't....after a few years, the salary will go up substantially i hope?