Service Advisors: In here

[Double"O"]

Yeah that sounds sketch as hell.



Congrats man! My buddy went from being a "floating" advisor at BMW to a full time advisor for an independent shop, the hours are much, much better and it's so much more laid back. He lost out on a big chunk of money but he is still doing fine and really enjoys it.



The best advice I got when I started was "the techs are going to bitch at you no matter what, so make sure they are so busy they don't have time to bitch at you."

My team lead was very vocal, he would radio me while working on a car to tell me how much of a piece of shit I am and that he wants better work. I would just say "ok, bring me the RO when that car is done, I have 3 more up here for you to take."

lol.

Lol there is always one like that...and tn ey are the one that's usually behind

 

[jeffh81]

A good service writer is hard to find and when I get one. I dont turn them loose. I do the surveys and write comments on how well they did

 

[RedVenom48]

I've been in the automotive industry for almost 15 years, 10 of which was in the service write/service manager/store manager role of independent shops, never a dealership. The pay was typically decent to good($800-$1200/wk depending on role and company) but the hours were always 50+ hours each week and salary positions plus monthly commissions if goals were hit. That meant they could work you as many hours as they wanted without worrying about paying additional. The other perk was paid holidays, vacations, insurance etc.

For the past 5 years I have moved into the performance side of the industry managing Black Market Racing and RPM Outlet, which is something I have always dreamed of since being a kid. I love coming to work every day and that its a 40 hour work week but the pay isn't near what I was making before and no benefits of any type.

I am constantly torn about what to do and would like to funnel my extra time into a side gig but I can't figure out what. This thread brings back many of the memories of the things I hated about being a service advisor. I just can't decide if a dealership setting is right for me or if I should keep holding out until we take the current company up a couple more levels and we all make more.....decisions decisions, I need to decide soon though.

I have absolutely been meaning to come check out your shop! You invited me to a dyno night but unfortunately got tied up with some stuff at my shop. Im fairly envious actually, working at a speed shop would be a fun career. I love wrenching on my own Shelby but professionally all Ive worked on is Lexus/Toyota. Where do your techs have their backgrounds from?

I work at Earnhardt Lexus and the Earnhardt's run a good ship. Ive heard sales can be a grinder, but they are a good family and seem to care about their employees. Service side is pretty straight up. Id definitely recommend checking them out if you get to a point youre considering getting back to the dealer market.

Biggest hurdle I have right now is paying of my Shelby. Once I get that done, I feel Im free to explore my options. I may look into BMW or Mercedes someday as my Lexus background will help being its a luxury brand. I could always ask my service director about any openings that may pop up in the future for junior writer positions. The pecking order for advisors favors 2 guys though, so I may just use it as an experience builder when the time comes. There is always Toyota too, but hell I want to find a dealer that works on cars that actually break lol.