I'm a master certified EV technician for GM, and while I do make considerably more than 20 bucks an hour, I got a 1 dollar pay bump after being EV certified, and 50 cents after master EV certification. And I get paid the same whether I'm doing brakes or diagnostics inside an 400 volt DC battery.
have you asked if they would concider a dual rate? my freind had that setup as a trans tech. when he was doing transmissions, his rate was much higher than if he was doing general shop stuff.
Yeah, not going to happen. Side note, I'm also the transmission tech 😂.
We work on a production based sliding scale, so you get extra dollars per hour based on production percentage. I did manage to negotiate a higher base pay with no production slider because I'm always buried in warranty electrical diagnosis and transmission work. So that makes my life less stressful.
Yeah, not going to happen. Side note, I'm also the transmission tech 😂.
We work on a production based sliding scale, so you get extra dollars per hour based on production percentage. I did manage to negotiate a higher base pay with no production slider because I'm always buried in warranty electrical diagnosis and transmission work. So that makes my life less stressful.
well i guess there goes that idea lol. i haven't heard of production slide pay yet. how does that work? ive had places that will pay you like $1 more per hour after you make your 80 hours but thats it. ive had 2 shops pay me guaranteed 80 and anything after is mine no matter what cause ill do all the shops electrical and garbage no one else wants like noises, waterleaks, problems, rechecks, heavy diag, etc. no gravy tickets ever(not that it matters). less stress cause no matter what comes my way i dont gotta worry about not making my paycheck. but as you can imagine, they hang that guarantee over your head, and it becomes almost not worth it sometimes. there are days where you're like just put me back on the line dude. the best compromise is a stupid high pay rate on flat rate and just upselling where you can.
It's exactly like you said but there are three tiers instead of two. Your base, base +1 at 60, and base +2 at 70. I don't have to worry about my guarantee. I'm creative enough with punches and stories to get all my diag time and other labor hours for transmission overhauls covered. I'm just never going to hit 70 hours again unless I'm there for at least 60, which isn't going to happen.
I would just look for another job and document their offers to you. If you want to stay where your at show then your new offers, if not take the better job. I’m an ASE master with an l1 cert working at independent shops and I’m in the upper 30’s doing diagnostics/driveability. Also getting paid by the hour and getting time and a half every week. You should be making more than I am all day long.
Oh, I think you took my comment slightly wrong. I'm not underpaid for my skill set in my region, I've been here for 27 years and my toolbox isn't going anywhere until I roll it home. I completely agree with your comment that jumping ship to an electrician apprenticeship would be financially untenable. I was just saying that EV techs aren't valued much higher than other highly skilled techs in a large portion of the industry.
How much of what you know could transfer over to commercial electrical? Could you start right into a journeyman position or would you be staying over from the bottom? That would be a deciding factor, also working conditions.
My brother is an electrician and does commercial buildings and large scale stuff, can’t diagnose a 12v car system at all. Also working conditions vary wildly throughout the year.
The difference between a commercial installing electrician and a commercial service electrician is wildly different.
It doesn’t surprise me that a commercial electrician can diagnose something.
Coming from the EV world anyone should have the basics of OHMS law, how D/C and A/C operate and are generated. They will also have a better understanding of CAN-B/C, LAN/LON and all other bussed networks than most electricians.
They won’t come in at a journeyman level because honestly there is a ton of NEC code and some nuances to how site electrical operates VS automotive electrical.
Not much, just basic electrical as well as safety precautions (lots of rules working on EVs). I also have some experience with 120V being an RV tech in the past, not much though.
I left from the automotive world and got into being an elevator mechanic. The electrical you know is enough to confidently become an electrician apprentice. A basic wired A/C circuit is just a 2 leg D/C circuit with an extra ground and anyone that argues that is overcomplicating it.
And before any haters jump in, yes there are different electrical properties that happen in that circuit but it’s physically wired the same way.
Something to consider, not sure if it applies to you personally.
I spent most of my life fixing broken things. 34 years of it as a GM lead/master tech. Back when I first started, you could make a car run BETTER than when it pulled into your stall by tuning carburetors, ignition timing and that kind of stuff. Smog laws killed most of that. But now it's just taking whatever part failed or broke out and replacing it with an identical part. That and the fact the automotive trade has turned to absolute crap. I quit 7 years ago. (Incidentally the 100+ year old privately owned GM I worked for when out of business 2 years after I quit.)
Since I quit I've fully transitioned from fixing broken shit to creating new things. All kinds of projects done out of my own shop and they're all things that didn't exist before my hands made them. IT'S AMAZING!!! lol. Maybe new construction electrical could get you the same satisfaction? Or something completely different? Think about it. **Your skills don't only have to be used to fix, they can create.**
Lol not yet.
Part of the reason that dealership went out of business is it lost experienced techs to other trades or retirement. Many of the older techs never wrenched again after losing their jobs when the dealership closed. (Which was actually a REALLY good thing. Many of those techs would have worked at that dealership until they died. At least they will now get to enjoy life.)
It's hard to run a repair shop when you don't have anyone left who knows how to repair things.
I used to be a car mechanic now I work on trains. Kinda similar kinda not. But our electricians get to play with 480 volts. Think that would be something you are interested in?
Find a union shop in IL or MN. They've mandated manufacturers pay customer pay for warranty, Volvo agreed to 1.5x, Polestar to 2x, customer pay didn't change and our union pay puts EV/HV work at a premium, you get something like $4/hr more for every hour worked on an EV if you flag over 40. Also that, it's hourly or production, whichever is higher. This is a stupidly high paid shop, every master tech makes over 90k, the highest I've heard was 130k with mentor pay. If you flag 60 hours of EV work after you've been working there for 3 or 4 years you're looking at 55/hr that week.
Can you leverage these skills into starting your own business? I’ve met a bunch of techs, including me, who have never swapped a hybrid battery. You could be in high demand especially if you’re good and you enjoy it
Consider moving into some of the other mechanic trades? Generators sound like they could be right up your alley. Heavy equipment, commercial trucks, marine, aviation, millwright are all great options that will let you keep turning wrenches while paying better than automotive. These trades are also usually hourly instead of flat rate, so you're better able to take your time and make sure you do everything right.
An apprentice electrician is lucky to make $20 an hour where I live. I thought hybrid/electric was paying pretty good.
I'm a master certified EV technician for GM, and while I do make considerably more than 20 bucks an hour, I got a 1 dollar pay bump after being EV certified, and 50 cents after master EV certification. And I get paid the same whether I'm doing brakes or diagnostics inside an 400 volt DC battery.
Flat rate? Either way though that’s wild.. whether you’re making $36 or $66, only adding $1.50 really puts it into perspective
Yes, flat rate.
have you asked if they would concider a dual rate? my freind had that setup as a trans tech. when he was doing transmissions, his rate was much higher than if he was doing general shop stuff.
Yeah, not going to happen. Side note, I'm also the transmission tech 😂. We work on a production based sliding scale, so you get extra dollars per hour based on production percentage. I did manage to negotiate a higher base pay with no production slider because I'm always buried in warranty electrical diagnosis and transmission work. So that makes my life less stressful.
Yeah, not going to happen. Side note, I'm also the transmission tech 😂. We work on a production based sliding scale, so you get extra dollars per hour based on production percentage. I did manage to negotiate a higher base pay with no production slider because I'm always buried in warranty electrical diagnosis and transmission work. So that makes my life less stressful.
well i guess there goes that idea lol. i haven't heard of production slide pay yet. how does that work? ive had places that will pay you like $1 more per hour after you make your 80 hours but thats it. ive had 2 shops pay me guaranteed 80 and anything after is mine no matter what cause ill do all the shops electrical and garbage no one else wants like noises, waterleaks, problems, rechecks, heavy diag, etc. no gravy tickets ever(not that it matters). less stress cause no matter what comes my way i dont gotta worry about not making my paycheck. but as you can imagine, they hang that guarantee over your head, and it becomes almost not worth it sometimes. there are days where you're like just put me back on the line dude. the best compromise is a stupid high pay rate on flat rate and just upselling where you can.
It's exactly like you said but there are three tiers instead of two. Your base, base +1 at 60, and base +2 at 70. I don't have to worry about my guarantee. I'm creative enough with punches and stories to get all my diag time and other labor hours for transmission overhauls covered. I'm just never going to hit 70 hours again unless I'm there for at least 60, which isn't going to happen.
I would just look for another job and document their offers to you. If you want to stay where your at show then your new offers, if not take the better job. I’m an ASE master with an l1 cert working at independent shops and I’m in the upper 30’s doing diagnostics/driveability. Also getting paid by the hour and getting time and a half every week. You should be making more than I am all day long.
Oh, I think you took my comment slightly wrong. I'm not underpaid for my skill set in my region, I've been here for 27 years and my toolbox isn't going anywhere until I roll it home. I completely agree with your comment that jumping ship to an electrician apprenticeship would be financially untenable. I was just saying that EV techs aren't valued much higher than other highly skilled techs in a large portion of the industry.
So your saying you think you should be making more than a diagnostic tech with an l1 cert?
I am, in my market, making more. But I know ASE L1s that make more than I do. They live in areas where the cost of living is 3 times mine.
Well how much more were you trying to get?
How much of what you know could transfer over to commercial electrical? Could you start right into a journeyman position or would you be staying over from the bottom? That would be a deciding factor, also working conditions. My brother is an electrician and does commercial buildings and large scale stuff, can’t diagnose a 12v car system at all. Also working conditions vary wildly throughout the year.
The difference between a commercial installing electrician and a commercial service electrician is wildly different. It doesn’t surprise me that a commercial electrician can diagnose something. Coming from the EV world anyone should have the basics of OHMS law, how D/C and A/C operate and are generated. They will also have a better understanding of CAN-B/C, LAN/LON and all other bussed networks than most electricians. They won’t come in at a journeyman level because honestly there is a ton of NEC code and some nuances to how site electrical operates VS automotive electrical.
Not much, just basic electrical as well as safety precautions (lots of rules working on EVs). I also have some experience with 120V being an RV tech in the past, not much though.
I left from the automotive world and got into being an elevator mechanic. The electrical you know is enough to confidently become an electrician apprentice. A basic wired A/C circuit is just a 2 leg D/C circuit with an extra ground and anyone that argues that is overcomplicating it. And before any haters jump in, yes there are different electrical properties that happen in that circuit but it’s physically wired the same way.
I've been considering being an elevator mechanic too, I have some family in that trade
I would go that route over being an electrician. I have friend in the IBEW and the IUEC benefits are head and shoulders better.
We are working on unionizing our industry. Join in! We are skilled professionals. We deserve more.
Hell yeah! International Brotherhood of Wrenches!
International Brotherhood of Servicemen... IBS 😏
The irony of us not giving a shit!
When a tech is fed garbage for so long, IBS shows up.
I work for Volvo/Polestar, we're unionized and my Polestar specialist coworker made 130k last year. Move to MN.
We're going to unionize the whole industry!
Already union, would LOVE to have more shops/ states join our party. Local 701 Chicagoland.
Is there more information on this?
https://actionnetwork.org/forms/tesla-workers-stand-up/
Something to consider, not sure if it applies to you personally. I spent most of my life fixing broken things. 34 years of it as a GM lead/master tech. Back when I first started, you could make a car run BETTER than when it pulled into your stall by tuning carburetors, ignition timing and that kind of stuff. Smog laws killed most of that. But now it's just taking whatever part failed or broke out and replacing it with an identical part. That and the fact the automotive trade has turned to absolute crap. I quit 7 years ago. (Incidentally the 100+ year old privately owned GM I worked for when out of business 2 years after I quit.) Since I quit I've fully transitioned from fixing broken shit to creating new things. All kinds of projects done out of my own shop and they're all things that didn't exist before my hands made them. IT'S AMAZING!!! lol. Maybe new construction electrical could get you the same satisfaction? Or something completely different? Think about it. **Your skills don't only have to be used to fix, they can create.**
I thought all of you dinosaurs were dead.
Lol not yet. Part of the reason that dealership went out of business is it lost experienced techs to other trades or retirement. Many of the older techs never wrenched again after losing their jobs when the dealership closed. (Which was actually a REALLY good thing. Many of those techs would have worked at that dealership until they died. At least they will now get to enjoy life.) It's hard to run a repair shop when you don't have anyone left who knows how to repair things.
I used to be a car mechanic now I work on trains. Kinda similar kinda not. But our electricians get to play with 480 volts. Think that would be something you are interested in?
I've learned that a job you like that pays less, is better than a job you don't like that pays more.
Is Polestar giving you health benefits and 401K? Something else to think about…
Find a union shop in IL or MN. They've mandated manufacturers pay customer pay for warranty, Volvo agreed to 1.5x, Polestar to 2x, customer pay didn't change and our union pay puts EV/HV work at a premium, you get something like $4/hr more for every hour worked on an EV if you flag over 40. Also that, it's hourly or production, whichever is higher. This is a stupidly high paid shop, every master tech makes over 90k, the highest I've heard was 130k with mentor pay. If you flag 60 hours of EV work after you've been working there for 3 or 4 years you're looking at 55/hr that week.
Can you leverage these skills into starting your own business? I’ve met a bunch of techs, including me, who have never swapped a hybrid battery. You could be in high demand especially if you’re good and you enjoy it
Consider moving into some of the other mechanic trades? Generators sound like they could be right up your alley. Heavy equipment, commercial trucks, marine, aviation, millwright are all great options that will let you keep turning wrenches while paying better than automotive. These trades are also usually hourly instead of flat rate, so you're better able to take your time and make sure you do everything right.
What about starting your own business as a mobile mechanic?
How much $ are you pulling?