| Author | Message | ||
| Eric Stringer (Vette79)
New member Username: Vette79 Post Number: 18 Registered: 12-2002 |
well one of the main reasons I looked into ferrari is because of the many, many models that require engine out services almost as often as oil changes. the way i see it, if you couple that with an area that is rich in cars(ie california or nevada),and nice in weather and full of people who can and do drive their cars everyday, you have a lot of potential business with people who are constantly needing that damn little belt replaced in the engine. it is just a thought however. as far as the UTI graduates, well, you can send the largest idiot you know to harvard and he can cheat, lie or skimp by on the learning, still graduate, and you know what? hes still an idiot. schools just provide the knowledge. you have to take advantage of that and learn it. UTI has been rated as one of the top auto schools in the nation. by who? im not sure. who the hell rates these places anyway?? in any case I have considered that option, V.Z. since there are no ferrari programs you have to get by with another exotic program that deals with foreign, high end midengine cars, and foreign high end brake/suspension etc etc systems. I would have to start with either bmw or porsche for a course, and go from there. at the end of either course, if you do a good job, you are open for a deal with the companys themselves, where they will repay you for your complete schooling costs at UTI, in return they hope to draw more mechanics into the field and also you are required to spend a minimum of one year at a corrosponding(sp?) dealership. I very well could end up at a dealership and see more opportunity at that brand of car then I would at ferrari. ill cross that bridge when i get there. for now, just getting into the business and doing a good job are the main priorities. if I can get to the point where I have the opportunity to choose where and what kind of cars I work on, then I can decide what might be the most lucrative. I just gotta keep my options open and get the first part- the training and the reputation- down. | ||
| Patrick Denonville (Arizonaguy)
Member Username: Arizonaguy Post Number: 369 Registered: 4-2003 |
He did not have any opinion to UTI prior to that...Se he didn't know what to expect. | ||
| V.Z. (Ama328)
Junior Member Username: Ama328 Post Number: 209 Registered: 11-2002 |
did the race shop owner have a good opinion of UTI prior to hiring the bozos? May be that UTI is good and this guy just happened to strike out... btw, i have no affiliation, don't know nuthin' about UTI, just wondering, as the guy *did* actually hire these dudes. | ||
| Patrick Denonville (Arizonaguy)
Member Username: Arizonaguy Post Number: 368 Registered: 4-2003 |
I haven't heard good things about UTI...I was talking to a race shop owner and he said he hired 2 UTI grads and he fired them in the first week because they were about as bright as a light appliance bulb...Then he said the scary thing is that they got jobs at Audi. | ||
| V.Z. (Ama328)
Junior Member Username: Ama328 Post Number: 206 Registered: 11-2002 |
you might even find that you would be better off being a non-Ferrari mechanic and working on YOUR own Fcars as a hobby and way to cut ownership costs. When looking at something like you're considering, it's easy to get too focused on 'i wanna become a FERRARI mechanic/technician', when you might be considering 'i wanna get into the most solid, lucrative, enjoyable mechanic/technician' career i can find, and along the way, generate enough income to fund Ferrari projects for myself on the side. There are a hell of a lot more BMW & MBenz shops out there in the world than there are Ferrari shops, so plan accordingly, and see how things work out. You've already got the hardest part licked - attitude  | ||
| Bart Duesler (The_bart)
Junior Member Username: The_bart Post Number: 232 Registered: 1-2003 |
All I can say is I have known my Ferrari mechinic for 20+ years. He lives in a very nice home, raised two kids (one is in college), takes vacations, and works very hard at it. He only works on Ferrari. As a small business owner, you must understand you will work long hours for little money, pay good money to people who are worthless, and have many headaches. tHE END PRODUCT DOES JUSTIFY THE WORK. dARN cAP lOCK. | ||
| Eric Stringer (Vette79)
New member Username: Vette79 Post Number: 16 Registered: 12-2002 |
thanks for the encouraging words... ill probably need them! | ||
| JRV (Jrvall)
Intermediate Member Username: Jrvall Post Number: 2067 Registered: 11-2002 |
>>my greatest fear at this moment is that i will rack up over 30,000 in schooling costs to find out that there are really not that many places looking for a specialty mechanic for exotics, and that ill end up as just another guy working at the truck shop down the street.<< Nahhhhh...you won't be workin on trucks for a living. ;-) keep your attitude right, your eyes and mind open, and your Goals High...develop personal Standards as High as your goals and stick to them....You'll Make It !!!! | ||
| Eric Stringer (Vette79)
New member Username: Vette79 Post Number: 15 Registered: 12-2002 |
the schools im looking at are the universal technical institute, otherwise known as UTI- they provide the european specific training. they have no specific ferrari program, and neither does ferrari. in fact there are no training programs out there for ferrari in this country that I know of. you have to take a european car course at UTI and get some experience with the dealership that they place you with(if you are a good student). so after putting in a year or two with a porche or a bmw dealership you can go out looking for a job at say a ferrari dealership. ive talked to the head technician at six ferrari dealerships, and most of them have said that they will gladly take you even if you are a bmw mechanic as long as you have about a year or two of experience. two shops told me that the best mechanics they have are bmw mechanics that graduated from UTI. there is also an accredited school in wyoming called WyoTech that has a very stout reputation for being one of the best in this side of the country. they would provide the ASE certification for general automotive at the cost of 5,000 dollars per 3 month lesson. if I am correct there is a full year of school required for the ase certification so I am planning on coughing up about 20 grand for the general automotive certification. UTI - well I havent gotten a price from them yet. they have a representative that is supposed to contact me. both schools were very interested in me two years ago when I was debating between the electical career and the "car" career. ive had two years of machine shop training, and have taken a class on electrical concepts and engineering, a high school year long course called electronics, along with taking computer repair, welding one and two, and small automotive at the high school. I also worked on a detail shop for a period of 8 months so I have grown accustomed to knowing what kind of care and what kind of service people expect with their prize cars. electronics have always come naturally for me- at the age of 17 (which wasnt that long ago... as I said im still young) I worked as an assistant network technician for a computer engineering firm, assembling and setting up high end computers to run on a large network. along with the job came a lot of computer diagnostics and network technical service. ive always looked at things with the "how does it work" view and have learned that i seem to have a natural aptitude for addressing a problem and finding solutions. these are some of the reasons im looking into this career, ive always been interested in stuff like this and i put them all together and it seems to point towards a career in this direction. that and the fact that it just makes me laugh to think someone would actually pay me to work on high end cars. hell some of the best reccomendations ive gotten is from mechanics that ive met by showing up at the shop saying ill work for free I just want to learn, and I pride myself in doing a better job than the next guy. ive been a perfectionist with mechanical workings and I have very little doubt that I would not excel in the mechanical world, but then again im still young and foolish so I could be very wrong. my greatest fear at this moment is that i will rack up over 30,000 in schooling costs to find out that there are really not that many places looking for a specialty mechanic for exotics, and that ill end up as just another guy working at the truck shop down the street. | ||
| Alex Bunich (Eyeguy)
New member Username: Eyeguy Post Number: 5 Registered: 5-2003 |
This advice applies to any profession. Return business is how you become sucessfull. If you repair every F-car in the city only once, you will be unemployed very quickly. Note that I am not a mechanic. | ||
| JRV (Jrvall)
Intermediate Member Username: Jrvall Post Number: 2064 Registered: 11-2002 |
<<There's huge demand for top qualified technicians. You must be the best though. << The Best in the eyes of the customers. Be willing to go the extra mile to insure the customer has the best trouble free car you the Tech can make it. Happy customers leads to a more rewarding career in all the ways. <<There are too many techs unwilling to learn something new every day,<< Unfortunutely for the consumers Mediocrity is the norm. The first thing one must learn imo, is self discipline and self motivation. Be willing to accept that learning doesn't pay well on the day of the lesson, and smart enough to realize that after you've learned the lesson that the knowledge you gained from it is far more valuable asset than what it cost. >>Just getting the degree starts to set you apart, graduating on top is better. Troubleshooting electrical problems is the most difficult aspect for a technician. A great tech knows about as much as an electrical engineer. He also has vast knowledge of metallurgy, material properties, mathematics, and physics. Problem solving methodology, and people skills - teamwork - are the keys to success. << AMEN to that !!!! plus knowledge & experience, and a heavy emphasis on the ability to truly listen. Once one learns to truly listen, they are on the path to be able to truly see. Understand that to be the best requires taking this profession with the seriousness of a Martial Arts Discipline. >> Top technicians in metropolitan areas across the US make $100,000 per year and have 98% positive CSI scores. If anything, a Ferrari tech may not have the income that a BMW, Mercedes, Toyota, etc. tech has due to seasonal flux and volume of cars, depending on climate. << Agree this business is seasonal and affected by the economy overall. There can be lots of bumps along the way. Learn to take the good with the bad and stay focused on delivering quality service to the customers and you'll stand out and move up the ladder. | ||
| rob guess (Beast)
Junior Member Username: Beast Post Number: 114 Registered: 5-2003 |
Eric; What schools are you looking at???? | ||
| Rob Schermerhorn (Rexrcr)
Member Username: Rexrcr Post Number: 744 Registered: 11-2002 |
Eric, There's huge demand for top qualified technicians. You must be the best though. There are too many techs unwilling to learn something new every day, lots of 'old school' "let's just plug a new one in and see what happens" rather than proper diagnosis. Just getting the degree starts to set you apart, graduating on top is better. Troubleshooting electrical problems is the most difficult aspect for a technician. A great tech knows about as much as an electrical engineer. He also has vast knowledge of metallurgy, material properties, mathematics, and physics. Problem solving methodology, and people skills - teamwork - are the keys to success. If you want to do Ferrari, learn Bosch, especially CAN protocol. Bosch systems are in nearly every European marque, and their ABS / stability systems are integrated into some domestics, too. Top technicians in metropolitan areas across the US make $100,000 per year and have 98% positive CSI scores. If anything, a Ferrari tech may not have the income that a BMW, Mercedes, Toyota, etc. tech has due to seasonal flux and volume of cars, depending on climate. Go for it, stand out above others on your abilities and accomplishments. Good luck, Rob | ||
| Red (Redhead)
Member Username: Redhead Post Number: 262 Registered: 12-2001 |
Wait for Rob S. ...I would say he is the most qualified to talk about this... But good luck...it is a dog eat dog world... | ||
| Eric Stringer (Vette79)
New member Username: Vette79 Post Number: 14 Registered: 12-2002 |
well, ive just been laid off again for the second time in two years at my job working for an electricians business, and im seriously considering a change of careers. ive always been a hardcore gearhead so this only seems natural. im still young and ive got about 23k in the bank to cover schooling cost. in any case, ive got two good schools who are willing to train me for the basic ASE certification/associates degree and also for highline import specific cars. both are accredited and highly reputable. I have a natural aptitude with mechanics and cars in general so there is close to no doubt in my mind that I would excel in this. is there anyone out there who can tell me the pros/cons of this and whether or not there is a job market out there for good highline import mechanics? keep in mind that I plan on moving to a large city, ie somewhere in nevada or california. thanks for any help I can get! |