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Are you having trouble getting repair work done on your vehicle? You are not alone.
Car owners are reporting on social media that, too often, certain repair needs are unmet by garages because the repairs are profit killers for the garage and/or they lack technicians and mechanics to do the work, according to a recent Wrenching with Kenny YouTube channel video titled “Flat Rate Has Killed The Automotive Industry.”
FLAT RATE IS A FLAT LINE FOR THE ECONOMIC AND PHYSICAL HEALTH OF MECHANICS
“I belong to several different mechanics pages and several different dealership type pages, and it is amazing how many people every day on videos saying, ‘I’ve had it. I’m done. I’m never coming back to this anymore. I’m done with mechanic life.'”
Finding a good qualified, good quality technician can be difficult, especially nowadays…Mechanics need to be paid more.” ―Wrenching with Kenny
In a flat-rate system, mechanics are paid a predetermined amount based on the assigned number of hours for each job. For example, if a repair “books” for 2.5 hours, the mechanic earns pay for 2.5 hours of work—regardless of whether the job takes one hour or four.
On the surface, it might sound like a merit-based model that rewards productivity. But in practice, flat rate pay often leaves technicians overworked, underpaid, and constantly stressed. It turns a skilled profession into a gamble, where your paycheck depends not just on your ability, but on factors you can’t control: vehicle condition, part availability, customer approval delays, and how many cars come through the door on any given day.
Related article: “Why I Left Toyota” ―Former Toyota Mechanic Shares What It Is Like Drinking the Dealership Kool-Aid
“Wrenching with Kenny Host” Shares His Experience
Here’s the video posted by the host about his experiences with flat-rate pay. However, the key points are summarized below the video for your convenience in case you do not have the time to watch the entire video.
Flat Rate Has Killed The Automotive Industry
“Wrenching with Kenny” Video Summary
“Now, almost every dealership I know of is flat-rate, and there’s benefits and there’s downsides to flat-rate. As far as I’m concerned, flat-rate breeds crappy technicians. Why do I say that? I was flat-rate. I was flat-rate for over 21 years.
The reason being is because if a job pays five hours and I can get it done in three, I’m still getting paid five. Okay? You follow?
So, as a mechanic, as a technician, we’re crafty people. We have a tendency to look at something and say, I can shortcut this in a certain way to get the job done. The “Book” tells you that you got to do this, this, this, and this to do the job.
Well, you know what? I don’t have to do this, this, this, and this. I can kind of go this way a little bit, and I can get the end result accomplished.
Some people, and I’ve seen this many times, some people will take shortcuts that are so drastic and so extreme, it hurts something else in the process.” ―Wrenching with Kenny
The host tells us that while flat-rate technicians have it bad, believe it or not, flat-rate mechanics with the highest level of training are actually paid less!
Here’s how that works: Flat-rate technicians, as we mentioned earlier, are paid based on the assigned number of hours for each job.
However, the higher-level mechanics are assigned to more complex jobs appropriate to their skill level.
The problem with this is that complex repairs often exceed the allotted book time for the repair. For example, diagnostics (which are not usually included in the mechanic’s pay), a complicated disassembly and reassembly where any number of things can slow down the repair, and numerous little details involved in a repair such as test driving the vehicle, putting it on a lift, draining the fluid, getting parts, etc. take up a lot of time that the trained mechanic winds up not being compensated for.
By the end of the day, the flat-rate beginning tech can put in a 10-12 hour day and be paid the full price they earned. The flat-rate experienced mechanic, however, has put in more hours than the book rate pays for and winds up making less by the end of the day.
Warranty Work is the Worst for a Mechanic
Additionally, the complex work assigned to experienced mechanics often involves warranty work, resulting in significantly lower pay for the mechanic.
Essentially, experienced mechanics work longer hours for less pay because the system is rigged to save money.
I have two son-in-laws. One was with Chrysler and one was with Ford. Same exact thing happened to them. Once they reach the pinnacle, the highest point they could be, all they got was warranty work. And warranty work doesn’t pay squat.
So it hurts the industry when you’re paying a flat rate. The flat rate is the absolute worst thing that has ever happened to the automotive industry. And basically, if you think about it, all it does is boil down to greed on the part of the owner of the company. You know, whoever is setting up these pay scales.” ―Wrenching with Kenny
Lack of Respect for Mechanics
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Another factor is the lack of respect for mechanics by both their managers and their customers.
If anything goes wrong during the repair, the experienced mechanic is held responsible, regardless of the cause or circumstances. In short, experienced mechanics are often undervalued by their managers, who are more focused on the clock and the progress of every repair.
Do a thousand things right. Nobody says a word. Crickets. There’s crickets. But do that one thing wrong and you are the worst person on earth.” ―Wrenching with Kenny
Respect from customers is also a problem: When a customer sees an itemized work order or bill and notices that labor is $150 per hour, the automatic assumption is that that is what the mechanic earns.
The truth is that the mechanic only receives a small portion of that labor charge, with the rest going toward the business’s overhead: salaries, insurance, rent, etc.
You know, rent for a six-bay shop, you’re talking upwards of $8,000 to $10,000 a month. So, you know, it’s like people, for some reason, hear $150 an hour and they think you’re just taking that money and just shoving it in your pocket. You’re not. You’re not doing that. Mechanics are not doing that.” ―Wrenching with Kenny
Where Are The Mechanics Going?
The host tells us that experienced mechanics are going where the grass is slightly greener for them:
- Fleet jobs
- Diesel mechanic jobs
- Mobile mechanic services/side jobs
- Independent garages
- Profession switching as Electricians and Plumbers
And the shortage of qualified, experienced mechanics will only grow worse, unless things change in the dealerships,
What Can Be Done to Keep Mechanics in the Garage
The automotive repair industry is facing a quiet crisis. Across the country, skilled mechanics are walking away from their profession—not because they’ve lost passion for the trade, but because the system they work under is breaking them down primarily due to an outdated, unfair, and unsustainable flat-rate pay system.
As a result, many experienced mechanics are leaving the industry, and fewer young people are entering the trade. The industry’s talent pipeline is drying up, not due to a lack of interest in cars, but due to the instability of the work environment.
Can this problem be fixed?
It could, and some states are beginning to create laws against some of the worst aspects of the flat-rate system. But more needs to be done.
For example:
- Shifting toward hourly or hybrid pay structures, combining a base hourly wage with bonuses for efficiency or performance.
- Dealerships investing in their mechanics by offering paid training, health benefits, tool stipends, and better work-life balance.
- Industry-wide reforms through union efforts, legislation, or a cultural shift in how dealership service department managers view and value their technicians and mechanics.
One Important Point Not Mentioned: The Human Cost
Mechanics aren’t just quitting over money—they’re quitting because of what flat-rate work does to their bodies.
To “make hours,” technicians and mechanics often work through lunch, skip breaks, and hustle to squeeze in as many jobs as possible. This results in repetitive stress injuries, exhaustion, and mental burnout.
Many mechanics are expected to provide their own tools—sometimes investing over $50,000 out-of-pocket—while receiving no benefits, no sick leave, and no guarantee of a livable income if the shop slows down.
A comment from a follow-up video from the Wrenching with Kenny YouTube channel titled “Multiple Reasons Made Me Leave Dealer Life” summed up the human cost by one mechanic with this profound statement:
I am a recently retired master mechanic of 40 years and one thing that nobody mentions is how much of a toll it takes on our bodies. My body is done. My brain is 17 but my body is 80. And I’m only 64 ―@johnrpizzaguy
For example, my brother worked as a fleet mechanic for many years and had to have shoulder surgery from all of those years wrenching AFTER he was able to retire―just one of several common ailments shared by working mechanics.
And finally…
Flat-rate pay may have once been a solution for driving productivity in the shop, but it’s become a liability in today’s world of complex vehicles and rising expectations. Mechanics aren’t quitting because they don’t love the work—they’re quitting because the system doesn’t love them back.
If the industry wants to survive and thrive, it’s time to move past flat-rate and toward a model that values the mechanic as much as the machine.
If You Have Worked Flat Rate Let Us Know How You Felt About It: Share your story and thoughts with us in the comments section below.
For additional “It’s a Mechanic’s Life” type of articles, here are two for your consideration:
- Car Repair Horrors Mechanics Face Every Day
- Six Things You Should Never Say or Do to Your Car Mechanic
Timothy Boyer is an automotive reporter based in Cincinnati who currently researches and works on restoring older vehicles with engine modifications for improved performance. He also reports on modern cars (including EVs) with a focus on DIY mechanics, buying and using tools, and other related topical automotive repair news. Follow Tim on Twitter at @TimBoyerWrites as well as on Facebook and his automotive blog “Zen and the Art of DIY Car Repair” for useful daily news and topics related to new and used cars and trucks.
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Source: torquenews.com
