I've come to realize
 

That my profession is dead. Auto Collision Repair. Employers have been screwing the help for years. Paid time off, what a joke PTO all encompassing personal time, includes personal days, vacation and sick time. No raises for years at a time. No incentive pay. I think that I'm about done with chit after 40 years, I'm I-CAR Platinum certified, an I-CAR Certified automotive mig welder, 20 years Chevrolet certified, Licensed Appraiser and it all adds up to jack squat. I don't mind working hard at 57 years old but I sure do mind getting stuffed if I don't keep an eye on HR. I'm an honest and reliable employee who always looks at the company's interest, but the constant chiseling of benefits and compensation is driving me out of my gourd.Eff this, I looking for something else.

Man Fred, that is a shame. :( With your qualifications and hard work you would
think you would be in high demand, but the way this country has changed and the way employers treat their employees today is sick.
It's epidemic. :mad:

that truly stinks Fred....keep your chin up....someone out there must need someone like you with those qualifications....if your not getting what you want ....looked elsewhere...good luck

Absolutely a dead industry !!!
I've been in the same line of work my whole life.
Cost of everything has gone way up every year, vehicles are much more complicated to fix, labor rate stays the same, it's a joke.
Only people we see now getting into the line of work are the illegal immigrants.

hey fred get into plugs everyone else has

:rotf2:

Fred
 

that's certainly a dilemma .......

what if you took it on the road....

your appraisal skills ...that is...

work strictly for yourself...

i need some welding done
on my frame -just so i can
bolt on a towing hitch...

it's rusted out a little on just one side :hs:

sucks having to lift the Jon boat
into your car... my back is :fury:

i dream of owning a KAYAK

Your profession is simply another victim of the donward pressure on wages as a result of "Free Trade" and "Open Borders". Hard pressed to find another profession because everything is effected. The only ones making any real money are the ruling elite who are supposed to be working for us. Rant Complete.

That's what happened in the printing industry where I used to work. There's not too many people working for someone else in a non-union blue collar job who are doing well. We're at the point now where people who are not professionals are viewed as one step above vagrants and treated as such.

At least you HAVE a job. Some of us are not so lucky.

Yes, there's that. 3 years ago I was out of work for a month, short time, I know but very stressful no health ins.

When I posted Ronnie I was afraid that my blanket statement would have been insulting to you. I have worked for 3 employers in the last 29 years. I'm making 30% less than I did in 2000. I have had no increase in rate for 16 years. ANd the Insurance companys say that they're keeping their rates low. My boss told me that I was impatient when I tried to discuss this with him. Impatient!? I put a nose on a new BMW suv yesterday and didn't have a crying jag. Talk about harder to repair...:smash:
I feel better today than yesterday, thanks to you all. Plum Crazy good luck if you or a loved one is looking for work. I know that it's tough out there.

Sorry Fred. I see it in my trade too. 30 plus years doing what I do and I would quit tomorrow if I could think of something I would like better and got paid the same. At one time if you worked with your hands you were revered now you are a dinosaur. Good luck with your search. Takes a lot of guts to go out there looking to start new at your age. I wish you luck.

Tough industry, I ran a body shop in Burley Idaho back in 1988 and checking around, now, the pay is not a whole lot better than it was then. Americans used to fix their cars and wanted it done right, now it's the cheapest they can get by with. Or if the insurance company totals the car, just about any crash in an aluminum foil car results in the insurance company totaling the vehicle, then they get something new or a used one similar age. I remember rebuilding starters and alternators, but now you throw em away and buy an new one ( I don't think you can buy the parts anymore). Same as auto body, I spent a long time to become a good metal finisher, but now, it's either slapped full of bondo, or the fender is replaced. I left the industry in 1989 and joined the navy.... Eventually paid off and now I'm in the IT field working for the navy as a Blackberry Customer Service Rep in Newport.

And about the ilegal comment, Earl Shibe and Maco have always used them to scotch brite (pretend to sand) the cars and mask em off. Only guy there getting paid squat is the guy shooting the paint.

Good luck, also one possibility is do like I did and sideline in custom jobs. Always make good money specializing in Hot Rods..... Painted 5 for car shows back then and made more than I made at the shop all year.....

I also looked around and found a local truck company and made an offer to paint several of his trucks at a much lower price than a shop would charge, and would paint them on the weekends, easily pull $400 a weekend. But of course back then the environmental police didn't get on you for painting in an old shed or even outside after a good rain. I once painted a Cesna twin prop plane in a hanger bay for $600, plus materials. took me 3 days. Look around for jobs like these for the occasional weekender and they really help out.

the door was rotted out
 

on the wife's camry where the road salt finally took it's toll

the whole bottom of the driver door had rotted out

so when you closed it .....it would flutter/wiggle in two halves :smash: ahhhhh

so i inserted a flat steel bar and used bondo and fiberglass
and this construction super adhesive that works with metal to make it rock solid again .... all fixed

then i did the right rear wheel well ...this is the one where your
passenger side front tire throws salt at it when your on the "on ramps and off ramps. "

next up, i will be doing the hood ! and where the air foil meets the trunk .... rust spots
....saving at least $1000 buckaroonies

I worked at Earl Schibe in Providence for a day and a half when they would paint a car for $19.95. I quit when an elderly woman came in to pick up her car and burst into tears..

CARS STILL CRASH SO ITS GOTTA BE THE INSURANCE CO CUTTING WHAT THEY PAY SHOPS-of course some shops will cut the prices to get the jobs and that kills your pay and shop.same with all the auto dealers sell no cars all the mechanics out of work.sad to see what this country has become with economy and workforce.fred i hate to say your between a rock and hard place.hope its works out for you.:fury:

took our car to a friends shop
 

the guy said............

Don't worry ...i'm gonna take real good care of ya....

yeah right !!! :hs: :doh:

not only did they not even sand the car
and they painted right over stickers...

especially the roof
that had some kind of clear coat
protective surface on it....

but all the paint they applied just peeled right off....:wall::fury:

Unionize.................and organize a strike.

The job before this was Union. If you had seniority you were golden. You worked hard, you earned every dime, it was flat rate, but you were guarenteed work and pay. If you were new, without seniority you were screwed. Work came to you after the senior guys guarentees were met. I lasted there a year after taking hope 2 to 3 hundred bucks a week for a year. Half of that became my guarentee. I saw the writing on the wall. Manager hated me, we had competed for his job.

Fred, no one cares if your the best worker they have .
Trust me.
Unless your union , your an employee at will and they can show you the door for no reason at all.

VB

Idea
 

Go solo and open a shop that caters to European imports in an affluent area. I know a surfer who did this with an auto repair shop and he has all the work he can handle. He bought an old gas station and turned it into a modern shop specializing in BMW, Audi, Volvo, Porsche, Mercedez etc..

Another little shop near me run by an old guy who just plain loves doing body work is ALWAYS busy.

Time to make the jump to being your own boss maybe?

Good luck,

Jon

PS Been thinking that the surfer's success may be due to the fact that he is located in a vacation community where the wealthy spend time in their summer homes, hence they can't take their cars back to their home town for service.