any BMW techs?

[gdhillon]

im looking at pursuing a career as a bmw tech...was wondering if there are any BMW tech rsers would like to know type of education you went through and how you like it.....feedback from general auto techs would also be greatly appreciated

Thanks,
Gavin

[//RacingSpirit>>]

Best thing to do is to start as a shop cleaner at a BMW dealership, then get an apprenticeship. Going this route will require no experience at all. Otherwise, you can go through automotive training at a school like BCIT, get an apprenticeship at a shop, get your full license, then apply at a BMW dealership when you have enough experience fixing cars.

[skyxx]

If you go through BCIT's "Automotive Service Technician Program", Brian Jessel has a sponsorship with them.

[!SG]

i believe its like 4 years as an apprentice, take ur test, then a few more years as a journey man, then u become a full tech.

then u can take even more courses to be more specified and become a master technician

[?NR]

why specifically a BMW tech?

in anycase, it's quite a few years to become a full fledged red seal tech. Make certain that it is what you want to do for a career, as I've seen alot of young guys questioning themselves during pre-apprentice and apprentice periods.

[JL9000]

The Red Seal certification process still applies, but like many other manufacturers BMW offers it's own training programs. There are four levels which require you to attend various week-long courses in Richmond or in Whitby. Each level also has its own online courses and online theory/practical exams. Level 3 and 4 require completion of live practical exams in Whitby.

Information regarding the red seal program can be found on itabc.ca.

[lexluthor09]

Originally Posted by !NiteRaven

why specifically a BMW tech?

in anycase, it's quite a few years to become a full fledged red seal tech. Make certain that it is what you want to do for a career, as I've seen alot of young guys questioning themselves during pre-apprentice and apprentice periods.

This is so true.

Couple of thousand in tools, Couple of thousand in schooling, and 6400 Workplace hours and I've seen people decide this isn't for them.

Mostly because people over glorified the trade, or they decided to become techs because they want to "mod cars".

Truth be told, more than half the time you're fixing peoples idiocy, lack of maintenance/car, and at DIYers who "read it online" and mess up.

It's not the greatest job in the world, but make sure it is what you want to do. Work a couple of weeks for experience in a small shop and see if you like it. Granted its work environment that makes the work place, but if you can handle the shit that goes down in small shops, you can handle anything

[ericthehalfbee]

Originally Posted by lexluthor09

but if you can handle the shit that goes down in small shops, you can handle anything

Stereotype much?

I work in a small shop and make more money than any of my friends who work for dealers (including one guy at BMW). And our work environment is excellent (not just the pay but everything else).

I never wanted to work for a dealership. Sure you might like BMW's and therefore think it'd be cool to work on the newest BMW's, but the novelty will wear off. Then you realize you don't really like doing warranty work and the same types of repairs over and over and over. Because warranty work is about all you'll be doing. The retention rate for dealerships is horrible (something like 85% of customers no longer visit when their warranty is up). You'll be constantly training and upgrading on new vehicles so you can work on them for a few years before you have to learn the next crop of vehicles while the previous ones leave the dealership for the independent shop.

Many dealerships also use the flat rate system, which can make you a lot of money if you can consistently beat the "book" times, but does little to promote a "team" atmosphere among fellow co-workers when everyone is out to maximize their billable hours (and pay). I also find a lot of techs who aren't inclined to "share" ideas and tricks they've learned as they want to keep their competitive advantage over other techs (and put themselves in a position where they think they are "invaluable" to the dealership).

Plus your diagnostic skills will suffer. Sure you might be able to solve a BMW problem quickly, but what happens when you need to work on a vehicle that does things "differently"? IMO, nothing beats working on a wide variety of vehicles. Then you'll really begin to understand how to solve any type of automotive problem, not just BMW specific problems. Nothing worse than tunnel vision when trying to tackle something new.

And if you're a seriious car nut who wants to build their dream machine some day, nothing beats working on a lot of vehicles to expand your mind to the many different ways of doing things so you can decide what's really best for your own car.



Not trying to say dealerships are all bad (you can make good money if you're a fast worker and they can often have good benefit packages), but they are not as good as people assume. And independent shops are not as bad as many people think either.

[Iron Chef]

What is the tech rate at BMW?
What system do they use, full flat rate, guarantee with performance incentive?

I would suggest if you decide you want to persue this as a career you start off at an independant shop and do your apprenticeship there, it will make you way more desirable then getting an apprenticship at a dealer

i know its not for everyone but i really enjoy working on car's for a living.

[lexluthor09]

Originally Posted by ericthehalfbee

Stereotype much?

My bad, I should have stated it was based on my past experience working in my the smaller shops I've worked at.

But looking at the stuff you've done via your other thread, you are on the better end of the stick than most people for sure.

I think I've just been left with a bad taste for smaller shops or I've been really unlucky.

Very good point on being able to diagnose all types of vehicles, hell even being able to apply something from another vehicle to the one you're working on! Really does expand your mind.

Wasn't trying to say that small shops are shit at all.

[ericthehalfbee]

Another thing I forgot to mention is that working on cars takes "talent" and you can't just decide to become a mechanic and expect to do well. Just like you can't decide to learn piano and expect to become a world-class musician.

You need to be mechanically inclined and you need to be able to "think" and be logical about things. Good mechanics can solve problems, which means you have to look at the "evidence" before you and "diagnose" what the problem is with the vehicle.

Anyone can be a "parts changer". Not everyone can diagnose vehicle problems.

If you're the type of person who looks at something and wonders "how does that work" or you like to tinker with things then you're probably a good candidate. If you can't even be bothered to fix a broken doorknob in your house, then you might want to look at a different career.

[Iron Chef]

have you ever worked at a dealership?

Originally Posted by ericthehalfbee

Another thing I forgot to mention is that working on cars takes "talent" and you can't just decide to become a mechanic and expect to do well. Just like you can't decide to learn piano and expect to become a world-class musician.

You need to be mechanically inclined and you need to be able to "think" and be logical about things. Good mechanics can solve problems, which means you have to look at the "evidence" before you and "diagnose" what the problem is with the vehicle.

Anyone can be a "parts changer". Not everyone can diagnose vehicle problems.

If you're the type of person who looks at something and wonders "how does that work" or you like to tinker with things then you're probably a good candidate. If you can't even be bothered to fix a broken doorknob in your house, then you might want to look at a different career.

[ericthehalfbee]

^ Briefly. Flat rate shop and couldn't stand the "politics".

Although that's changing with many new dealerships. Some now use a system where jobs are handed out round-robin style so the techs with seniority can't cherry pick the good money-making jobs and leave the shit for the new guys.

If a dealer paid me the same as I make now (salary) and gave me the same benefits I still wouldn't work at one.

[gdhillon]

thanks for the info rsers

[Mugen EvOlutioN]

Originally Posted by ericthehalfbee

Stereotype much?

I work in a small shop and make more money than any of my friends who work for dealers (including one guy at BMW). And our work environment is excellent (not just the pay but everything else).

I never wanted to work for a dealership. Sure you might like BMW's and therefore think it'd be cool to work on the newest BMW's, but the novelty will wear off. Then you realize you don't really like doing warranty work and the same types of repairs over and over and over. Because warranty work is about all you'll be doing. The retention rate for dealerships is horrible (something like 85% of customers no longer visit when their warranty is up). You'll be constantly training and upgrading on new vehicles so you can work on them for a few years before you have to learn the next crop of vehicles while the previous ones leave the dealership for the independent shop.

Many dealerships also use the flat rate system, which can make you a lot of money if you can consistently beat the "book" times, but does little to promote a "team" atmosphere among fellow co-workers when everyone is out to maximize their billable hours (and pay). I also find a lot of techs who aren't inclined to "share" ideas and tricks they've learned as they want to keep their competitive advantage over other techs (and put themselves in a position where they think they are "invaluable" to the dealership).

Plus your diagnostic skills will suffer. Sure you might be able to solve a BMW problem quickly, but what happens when you need to work on a vehicle that does things "differently"? IMO, nothing beats working on a wide variety of vehicles. Then you'll really begin to understand how to solve any type of automotive problem, not just BMW specific problems. Nothing worse than tunnel vision when trying to tackle something new.

And if you're a seriious car nut who wants to build their dream machine some day, nothing beats working on a lot of vehicles to expand your mind to the many different ways of doing things so you can decide what's really best for your own car.



Not trying to say dealerships are all bad (you can make good money if you're a fast worker and they can often have good benefit packages), but they are not as good as people assume. And independent shops are not as bad as many people think either.

very well said

[CorneringArtist]

I've done a work experience at a Toyota and a Nissan dealership as part of a work experience program at my high school. Even though I signed up for the Toyota option at BCIT, I did it by choice since I couldn't pick up a high school apprenticeship in time (also read somewhere that in the general AST program the teacher likes to disappear for two hours at a time and leave students like zero shop time).

At those dealerships, it wasn't too far off from what Eric said. Helping out mechanics, it was the same shit day in and day out, with the odd time that something interesting came into the shop. However, most of the people I worked with were pretty tight-knit, it was fairly laid back there and I never felt that the techs didn't want me around. I had questions about the business, they gave their insight, and the work rolled in so it was hard not to get bored. Problem was, there were a couple techs that didn't want to have anything to do with me helping them out, assuming I'd slow them down. I got pissed at those assholes because they told me to clear their trash bins when I was supposed to be helping working on cars.

In the end, my math marks weren't the best for going into the universities like UBC or SFU. Didn't really want to do some low-requirement bullshit at a community college since I knew I'd get bored there. I liked working on cars when I took the program twice so I took that into consideration as a career. However, maybe I'll try to find an apprenticeship at an independent shop despite my Toyota-focused program once I complete it; doing the same shit isn't my bag.