Here's the deal, I'm a junior in Highschool and my future is approaching fast. I want to become a mechanic for Ford, I just have a few questions.
1) Does the Ford training require you to have an associates degree or bachelor degree or no degree.(Do you have to go to college before training with ford)
2) Are you happy working with Ford, how are the benefits?
3) What can I expect to make my first year working with them?

Thanks for any help

 

I believe that you have to be ASE certified.

 

I think you mean a dealership mechanic. If so, you re not an employee of Ford, your are employed by the dealer, and what they desire is up to them.

Ford training requires that someone pays for the training, you will find non-dealer techs in the classes.

The benefits depend on your employer.

That's up to you. You may have to start as an hourly employee, doing oil changes and that sort of thing. Show some enthusiasm towards the job, show the manager you have some aptitude and get some training out of the dealership. To become a full-fledged flat-rate technician, you will most likely have to go to another dealership unless you start at a really open-minded, progressive place. I've seen it happen with a few really talented guys.

Good luck, by the way, you will be buying your own tools, be prepared to spend!

 

Thanks alot for your help. I plan on going to U.T.I. then working for a dealership. The tools thing I was expecting and my parents said they would help get me started with them.

Thanks again

 

Depends on the training. If you're enrolling in a program like ASSET through a tech school, I think you'll end up with a degree or diploma of some type in the end. Frankly, most dealerships are interested in people with a warm body and a tool box. In regards to training, new guys generally start off doing light line stuff, quicky oil changes, and gradually work their way up the food chain. Dealerships will send you to school; when you start turning wrenches as a flat rate technician, you technically can't work on anything under warranty if you haven't been to at least the basic electrical and electrical systems classrooms. I started working for a dealership without any sort of college degree. I've got a diploma in automotive fundamentals and technology from a local tech school now though.
As momalle said, dealership personel don't work for Ford. We work for a dealer principal who owns the dealership. Just like anything else, it has it's ups and downs. Truthfully though, unless you really love the work, I'd find another career field. Benefits depend on the dealership. I get all the standard stuff, 401k, health, dental, life insurance, vacation, etc. I feel that it benefits me too, knowing that I can fix the cars we own without having to rely on someone else.
Um...not a lot. You'll probably start off hourly, which is a good gig, seeing as how you're guaranteed at least 40 hours a week and maybe overtime if they have you coming in on weekends for Saturday service or whatever. As you get better and more knowledgable, and you're put on the line, you'll more than likely be paid by a system called flat rate, in which you are not paid for standing around doing nothing. You're paid for what you turn.

For example, let's say you're doing a job on a car that according to the manual (shop's fee, Mitchells, WrongData, etc) pays 3 hours. You clock on and finish that job in one hour. You beat the time and made money. Or let's say you finish it in 3. You broke even. Let's say it's a really pain in the *** job and it takes you 5 hours. Even though you've spent 5 hours on it, guess what Bubba, you're still only getting paid 3. How these times are determined is a controversial subject. Now, that's for customer pay jobs. Jobs that you do under manufacturer's warranty is a whole 'nother ball game. Ford figures their labor times out using a group of super techs from the SLTS (Service Labor Time Standards) group. And most of these times make no sense whatsoever.

Flat rate has it's highs and lows. If you're a fast worker and you're lucky enough to get a good job here and there, it can be good. If you're landing a lot of warranty jobs or stuff that doesn't offer avenues to upsell, like oil changes on vehicles with less than 20K miles or so, you're gonna be hating life. Flat rate is dependent on time of the year too. Obviously people aren't gonna be dumping lots of money in their cars during the fall and winter and around the holidays. But when spring/summer rolls around and people get ready to hit the road to go on vacation or when tax time rolls around, life is good. And above all, your work has to be good. Working fast and busting out a lot of time doesn't mean much if every other job you finished comes back because the original concern wasn't repaired.

Flatratetech has a lot of info in regards to this stuff. It's all a confusing mess of low and high times, stressful situations combined with cars that are getting more and more complex everyday. If you're serious about becoming a Ford or Lincoln-Mercury tech, I'd drive down to a local dealer around you and talk to some of the techs there and get their opinion straight from the horses mouth.

I've been a dealer tech for about four years now. Policies and pay vary per shop, so I can only relate to you my experiences.

Hope that helps.

 

Read no further, Quintin just gave a great a wrapup about this subject. Having worked for a dealer the past 7 years on the other side of the wall, becoming a tech is not something I recommend anyone become these days. There are far better careers out there that make more money putting up with less BS..... The manufacturers have taken the fun out of working for dealers, not to mention the dealers are getting cheaper and cheaper every year while they make more and more money.....
Goto Flat Rate Tech, true there are some whiners on there, but most are hard working techs whom are getting screwed over on a daily basis!

 

I just got around to reading all the responses, thanks a bunch. I really am interested in the field, I love working on cars, plus I also think it's beneficial being able to fix your own car.
I talked to my Auto tech teacher at school and he said pretty much the same things. I know that I want to be a mechanic just don't have everything nailed out.

 

Whereabouts in the US are you?

 

Training can be bad too. If you get all the training Ford offers than you will get more than your share of warranty work. Spend most of your time doing warranty and you won't think very highly of Ford Motor Company. Warranty pay sucks. If I had too do it all over again, I wouldn't. I get a better trade.