Oil change at dealer - am I imagining this?

Ron said:
Warranty work is an interesting one. For example I know when I worked for CMI Service managers loved to bitch about the warranty rate ($65/hr at that time) and how it was killing their profitability, yet none of the techs were flat rated more than $28. Mean while they were also allowed to bill for consumables, shop supplies, software depreciation and overhead. These soft costs were done on the back-end at quarterly billings as a % of total warranty revenue but they totally existed.

I find it funny I know about 8-10, what I would call true technicians (not mechanics, not parts changers, not oil drum donkeys, true technicians) and all of them make ~ $100k/yr.
Yet what I find the strangest thing is they never have the biggest toolbox in the shop. Seems they use the same tool (their brain) to manage their life as they do their job and are rewarded appropriately for it.

I know for a fact there are bad unscrupulous dealerships out there. If you are a good tech and stuck at one, quit. Now. Or at least as quick as you find another job to go to. Watch your money, do your job, but dont allow yourself to be pushed around and you will do great.
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Reminds me of a former dealer tech I know. Wasn't gonna make any more per hour as he was "maxxed out" in pay according to management. He took a different career path and then opened a shop himself doing just the jobs he was, ahem is, best at.
 
Jody Treadway said:
Reminds me of a former dealer tech I know. Wasn't gonna make any more per hour as he was "maxxed out" in pay according to management. He took a different career path and then opened a shop himself doing just the jobs he was, ahem is, best at.
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Nah that dude left because he had the hots for the new boss.
 
RatLabGuy said:
Maybe I'm crazy - but telling an employee they must work for 0$/hr is against the law.
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This is actually a very valid point as well.

I am going to have to be vague in how I state this for legal reasons, but a former company I worked for paid production based and if it wasnt done right you fixed it on your time and at your cost.

A disgruntled former sued said company and WON.
The company was guilty of failing to pay min wage to an employee (who was a high school drop out btw) who made $75k+ 10+ years ago.

The rule was "in the instant that he was performing warranty work he was not being compensated minimum wage."

There is a way around that, but its paper work intensive for all involved. I suspect most techs are being paid min wage or similar for "freebie" jobs. Which feels like nothing compared to what they normally make or are worth but isnt in fact nothing.
 
OP here. Just for the sake of the original discussion, this 'free' oil change was one of 4 that came from Chrysler. When I bought the truck basically all FCA vehicles were getting that tossed in with the purchase. Doesn't matter what dealer (I had these done at two different dealers and they always knew it without me even having to ask to get my freebie - the service paperwork listed the filter, oil and labor then automatically zero'd out any payment required since the system knew it was one of the changes included with purchase from FCA, so this wasn't a special dealer promo. When I was talking with the service manager I told him I was just there to let them look at it per their request when I called to just ask if it was insane for me to wonder about the filter not being swapped and I wasn't asking for them to do it again, I would be content just doing it myself at home at that point. Again just trying to ensure the truck was serviced was my objective. He told me point blank, we will do it (the dealer) since you already paid for it when you bought the truck.

Carry on.....
 
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