Ford Dealership Employment Experiences.....

Just curious if anyone here has any experience working at a dealer? If so, how was it? I'm looking into making a change and was thinking about getting on with one of the local dealers doing delivery or porter type work to start out. I know it probably depends on the ownership/managemant, but Just wanting to hear experience with others??

16 years as a diesel/trans tech slash headlight scratcher.... They take real good care of me, but we a are a smaller store. Honestly I doubt I could work at any other store but this one as the people are good and its real laid back.

richter69 wrote:16 years as a diesel/trans tech slash headlight scratcher.... They take real good care of me, but we a are a smaller store. Honestly I doubt I could work at any other store but this one as the people are good and its real laid back.

Thanks for the input. The ones I am looking at are smaller stores as well

my dealer is great. ford sucks!

richter69 wrote:16 years as a diesel/trans tech slash headlight scratcher.... They take real good care of me, but we a are a smaller store. Honestly I doubt I could work at any other store but this one as the people are good and its real laid back.

Laid back? What is that. I work for a high line store that see 100-150 cars a day and is money driven. I make good money but I could do with out all the pressure.

Ace

Oh the pressure is there, just not so like the big city dealers.

Thanks for the replies gentlemen. I'm looking at getting on with the parts department, does anyone have any idea what the going pay rate is for an entry level parts position, something like a delivery driver. I know I'm going to have to start at the bottom to gain some experience, just looking to see what the pay is like. Thanks

I've been a Ford parts man for 45 years. Starting pay here would be $10.00 an hour for a driver. This job is not one I would recommend getting into. Unless you are
mechanically inclined this job is not an easy one. You also have to learn to basic numbers.

514F-1 wrote:Just curious if anyone here has any experience working at a dealer?  If so, how was it?  I'm looking into making a change and was thinking about getting on with one of the local dealers doing delivery or porter type work to start out.  I know it probably depends on the ownership/managemant, but Just wanting to hear experience with others??

So which direction do you want to go? parts or service. I cant really speak for the parts side... but in the service side as a tech it sucks in a BIG dealer. 95% of our work through the shop is ford warranty. our customer pay labor rate is 135.00 an hour. and goes up from there on a matrix scale. needless to say that keeps our independent shops real busy. FORD bends over backwards to help the independent shops out. but shits on us dealer guys. I don't get it really. at the end of the day the only reason dealers have certified techs is to fix them while in warranty. THATS IT... after that its up to the dealer to get them in for cp repair work. example... independent shop buys a trans or a engine. they get the same warranty parts and labor I can give them as if they ran it through our serv dept. they install the unit. make all the money on it. and kick it down the road. now it needs warranty work. they bring it to the dealer. and we have to fix it for the crappy warranty times. and have to go through the cost cap prior approval b/s. so we loose on the cp sale and we loose having to work on it under warranty with all the crap that goes along with it. like I said in my first post in this thread. ford sux. but my dealer or G/M is great. ill leave it at that. been w ford 24 yrs now. the garbage ford is pumping out amazes me...

torino501 wrote:

514F-1 wrote:Just curious if anyone here has any experience working at a dealer?  If so, how was it?  I'm looking into making a change and was thinking about getting on with one of the local dealers doing delivery or porter type work to start out.  I know it probably depends on the ownership/managemant, but Just wanting to hear experience with others??

So which direction do you want to go? parts or service. I cant really speak for the parts side... but in the service side as a tech it sucks in a BIG dealer. 95% of our work through the shop is ford warranty. our customer pay labor rate is 135.00 an hour. and goes up from there on a matrix scale. needless to say that keeps our independent shops real busy. FORD bends over backwards to help the independent shops out. but shits on us dealer guys. I don't get it really. at the end of the day the only reason dealers have certified techs is to fix them while in warranty. THATS IT... after that its up to the dealer to get them in for cp repair work.  example... independent shop buys a trans or a engine. they get the same warranty  parts and labor I can give them as if they ran it through our serv dept. they install the unit. make all the money on it. and kick it down the road. now it needs warranty work. they bring it to the dealer. and we have to fix it for the crappy warranty times. and have to go through the cost cap prior approval b/s.   so we loose on the cp sale and we loose having to work on it under warranty with all the crap that goes along with it. like I said in my first post in this thread. ford sux. but my dealer or G/M is great. ill leave it at that. been w ford 24 yrs now. the garbage ford is pumping out amazes me...

l

I have to,agree with the above statements except the stuff ford is pumping out ! It very well maybe junk but  all of the other Auto manufactures are pumping out junk and in a lot of times worse than Ford .I tell all of my students that dealerships anymore are only to get you some work experience . I also tell them to start looking for jobs at places that pay well and have good retirement. I usually start with places like UPS , Ryder , Penske ,  FedEx , carmax , Drive Time  Pepsi , Coke . Ect  these places pay well and have a lot to offer and most promote from with in the company .

I was fortunate to have worked in the cheverolet dealer then Chrysler,and last the Ford dealer back in the mid to late 80s and through to the mid 90s. The dealers I worked in were awesome to work in and had a lot of customer pay jobs back then.  A good shop reputation along with good shop Forman and service writer will make you money as amechanic . Also if I had to go back to the dealer flat rate would be the only way I would work . Then after you have school and about 5 years experience work flat rate .Good luck !

Our warranty and cp work is about 50/50, not many independants around here can or will fix them, i stay pretty damn busy.

richter69 wrote:Our warranty and cp work is about 50/50, not many independants around here can or will fix them, i stay pretty damn busy.

You are very fortunate ! Most around here are all warranty work . All of the independent shops are swamped with customer pay jobs and most independent shop rates are no higher than 75 bucks an hour . Most dealer rates start at 100 plus an hr .

It is a real shame that dealers don't pay there mechanics the way they should and use too ! When I was in the dealers in my area the dealer would pay there good flat rate techs on a 60/40 pay scale . They would also send them to training for a week rental car , credit card for food ,gas , motel and a good pay check on Friday . They would also pay for your ASE provided that you passed them. Times have changed !

everything with ford and its dealers are to support and promote sales only...

torino501 wrote:

514F-1 wrote:Just curious if anyone here has any experience working at a dealer?  If so, how was it?  I'm looking into making a change and was thinking about getting on with one of the local dealers doing delivery or porter type work to start out.  I know it probably depends on the ownership/managemant, but Just wanting to hear experience with others??

So which direction do you want to go? parts or service. I cant really speak for the parts side... but in the service side as a tech it sucks in a BIG dealer. 95% of our work through the shop is ford warranty. our customer pay labor rate is 135.00 an hour. and goes up from there on a matrix scale. needless to say that keeps our independent shops real busy. FORD bends over backwards to help the independent shops out. but shits on us dealer guys. I don't get it really. at the end of the day the only reason dealers have certified techs is to fix them while in warranty. THATS IT... after that its up to the dealer to get them in for cp repair work.  example... independent shop buys a trans or a engine. they get the same warranty  parts and labor I can give them as if they ran it through our serv dept. they install the unit. make all the money on it. and kick it down the road. now it needs warranty work. they bring it to the dealer. and we have to fix it for the crappy warranty times. and have to go through the cost cap prior approval b/s.   so we loose on the cp sale and we loose having to work on it under warranty with all the crap that goes along with it. like I said in my first post in this thread. ford sux. but my dealer or G/M is great. ill leave it at that. been w ford 24 yrs now. the garbage ford is pumping out amazes me...

Our customer pay R.O. count is 5-1/2 times the count for warrant claims.

Does your dealership have one of those Quick Lane operations that pull most of the maintenance, tires and light repair out of the main shop?

We only have 4 full time techs including myself, i have one kid helping me thats an asset student, my other helper os on his own now. There are two other helpers on the other side and one lube tech. I have a minimum of 10-12 ro's in my stack at all times..... I dont sit around since the 6.0 came out lol.. Joke all u want but its a fact.

Again I could never work for a big city dealer

Definitely not looking to be a tech. I barely have the patience to work on the racecar...

Lem Evans wrote:

torino501 wrote:

514F-1 wrote:Just curious if anyone here has any experience working at a dealer?  If so, how was it?  I'm looking into making a change and was thinking about getting on with one of the local dealers doing delivery or porter type work to start out.  I know it probably depends on the ownership/managemant, but Just wanting to hear experience with others??

So which direction do you want to go? parts or service. I cant really speak for the parts side... but in the service side as a tech it sucks in a BIG dealer. 95% of our work through the shop is ford warranty. our customer pay labor rate is 135.00 an hour. and goes up from there on a matrix scale. needless to say that keeps our independent shops real busy. FORD bends over backwards to help the independent shops out. but shits on us dealer guys. I don't get it really. at the end of the day the only reason dealers have certified techs is to fix them while in warranty. THATS IT... after that its up to the dealer to get them in for cp repair work.  example... independent shop buys a trans or a engine. they get the same warranty  parts and labor I can give them as if they ran it through our serv dept. they install the unit. make all the money on it. and kick it down the road. now it needs warranty work. they bring it to the dealer. and we have to fix it for the crappy warranty times. and have to go through the cost cap prior approval b/s.   so we loose on the cp sale and we loose having to work on it under warranty with all the crap that goes along with it. like I said in my first post in this thread. ford sux. but my dealer or G/M is great. ill leave it at that. been w ford 24 yrs now. the garbage ford is pumping out amazes me...

Our customer pay R.O. count is 5-1/2 times the count for warrant claims.

Does your dealership have one of those Quick Lane operations that pull most of the maintenance, tires and light repair out of the main shop?  

yes we have 6 Q/L guys. I really don't care to do the flushes and what not... but. the cp labor rate runs our cust off. and thanks to the internet info and help is just a mouse click away. from and independent shop stand point. I did like working at a small dealer. my dealer principle was a gear head also. had some old mopars and 2 cobrajets. loved bench racing w him. what I don't get is we knock our fleet labor down to 85.00 an hour. no matrix. and they get cost plus 20% on parts... but normal joe gets nothing. parts will sell a part to the indep shop at cost plus 20% the install it at 85.00 an hour. im sure they marked up the part 10-15%... but hell its cheaper than what they will quote me...AND... all the cp stuff in here they all want clp so we wind up doing it for warranty rates anyway...

richter69 wrote:We only have 4 full time techs including myself, i have one kid helping me thats an asset student, my other helper os on his own now. There are two other helpers on the other side and one lube tech. I have a minimum of 10-12 ro's in my stack at all times..... I dont sit around since the 6.0 came out lol.. Joke all u want but its a fact.

Again I could never work for a big city dealer

I've always wondered why you guys have so many train wreck engine jobs. Seems it's like I though.

My little store only sold...at retail...310 units last year....your place only sold 154 units at retail....so, you guys sell 1/2 what my deal does but, have 10 times more issues than we do.

My customers are owner/operators. The only way that you guys have that much warranty work is if you have to service the national fleet customers from the oil/nat. gas accounts which have operators and no ownership. Just fuckers that run'em into the ground because it ain't there ass that owns them.