I actually like that we don't fully agree on this topic, well accept for the raise part ;) For me it is just a title. It doesn't not really change the day to day flow of my job. Some days I spend the day slinging tires, others I am waist deep in diag of fiber optics dig. It is the beauty of being a dealer tech I guess. (see what I did there) I understand why some feel the need to differentiate the mechanic from the tech. But, then does a "C" level tech become a mechanic? Is a "B" tech truly a technician? I like doing brake jobs and timing belts, are those mechanic's jobs not tech jobs? Part of me feels like it is just a way to move past an old way of thinking about someone who fixes cars. There is a mindset that a "mechanic" is one thing, and a "tech" is another. Personally I don't really care. If we were having a conversation, I would tell you that I am a VW tech. Why? All of the verbiage in the dealership is around the word tech. Would I get tweaked if someone called me a mechanic. Uh, nope. But I will say that it is a pretty fun discussion to have.
Some great points you bring up here. I'd say we're more in agreement than disagreement. The video and discussion were based on prevailing opinions on the subject, this was just my answer to that. I suppose when you break it down, it's really just a matter of meaningless labels. Take away the labels and you're still fixing cars. A rose by any other name I suppose.
HumbleMechanic I agree with you there they're just labels. Here in sweden I would guess they would signify different education levels. Where a mechanic would be the basic level and technician the one with the higher education level however you don't seize to be a mechanic because you graduate tech school you have just added to your formal qualifications which often means nothing in the real world. If you go to tech school before working you still have no experience when you really start working. Id rather trust a mechanic that has worked for 5 to 10 years than a technician that just started because the mechanic will have done the work even without the formal qualification. For example when I was working in a machine shop I taught myself how to program the cnc multi mill and cut significant machine time out of the program that a production engineer had written 10 or 15 years earlier even though my education is in social studies and I have no formal qualification in machine work. I don't like labels because they are very inflexible and only provide part of the the description to who or what you are.
I completely agree with what you said. I'm currently in school learning Diesel Mechanics but it is called "diesel Technology", so when people ask I say I'm getting my certification as a diesel tech. The truth is both words mean the same but since, like you said, a lot of verbiage is geared to "technician" it's just what I use.
Hey Sorry to bring up an old video pal but I'm becoming a technician apprentice tomorrow. This video helped me quite a lot in being able to know the definitive difference between a technician and a mechanic, Thank you!
ETCG1 Hey dude. It went very well thanks! First car I learnt to do a service on today was actually a C63 AMG! Quite frankly, it couldn't have gone better.
I agree with your point that a lot of skills of technicians and mechanics do overlap in the field of automotive repair. I would also argue that some modern vehicles are for lack of a better word a royal pain in the ass to work on not only for DIYers who may not necessarily have all the expensive equipment required to do such simple jobs like bleeding brakes but also for mechanics/technicians whatever you wanna call them. On the other hand I'm sure they make more money in the process of completing these repairs but I also wonder if in the future a lot of DIY work will become obsolete as a result of technological advancements.
I spent twenty years as a Master Tech, diagnostician, always did mechanical work as well. Finally decided to transition into the aviation field where my heart always longed to be. Got two and a half years of additional training. Does that make me a traitor to my gear head buddies? I never felts we got treated nicely as auto tech and working in dealerships affirmed that feeling when I noticed sales people revered as kings/queens while we were the dogs. Can you shed some light on why we are treated as such in such a prestigious vocation? Thank you.
I will commit to this; Salespeople have an opportunity to interact whereas shop people make their sales possible. I worked at a Toyota, BMW, Porsche-Audi dealer. I was the senior Porsche-Audi-BMW person. The salespeople frequently approached me to help them make sales and they would split their commission with me. I facilitated many sales based on technical aspects alone but I never saw a dollar, even a cup of coffee. I have a low opinion of salespeople. They will say anything to make a sale that the shop has to live up to. They tell jokes, entertain and serve coffee while we make things happen but customers never have an opportunity to interact with the shop people. The thing is, when sales collapse, it is the shop, the mechs and techs, that keep the dealer in business. I have been on both sides so I know this well.
Hello ETCG1, Can you recommend a low to reasonably cost scan tool that allows access to vehicle functions (CAN), such as initializing ABS module for break flush? I am DIY automotive engineer using my own tools. Thanks in advance.
the latest audi (a4 b8 at least) does have a drain plug, but it does not come with a dipstick. you have to use the computer to get the oil level, and the most frustrating part is you need to wait about 12-24 hours for it to recalibrate. you can retrofit it, but .. just why, audi, WHY?
Hey Eric I have a 07 honda pilot that has the "eco" mode that comes on and off all the time real annoying. do you know of any way to get it to not use that mode at all? The only way I know of so far is pulling some fuse "one that's not running anything major" that will throw a engine code witch cancels the eco out. I mean is there a computer program or something that can go into the cars computer and cancel this thing out that you know of? I'm sure you won't get this but I thought I'd give it a try. Maybe someone else can chime in on it..
l think technician is a buzz word that came around in the late 80s, and is just another name for a mechanic, when you were strong in one feild you were a specialist,,just like garbage man became sanatation engineer,,,it just sounded better,
Give a mechanic a Verus and he'll read codes. Give a tech a Verus and he'll read codes, utilize the 4 channel scope and use the component tester. There really is a difference. Trust me, I see it everyday
I agree somewhat. There are some people where the title is warranted (like scannerdanner who uses oscilloscopes to find leaks and misfires) and there's times where the company or individual applies the name without meaning. Like when employees became associates. A part timer working 12 hours a week isn't sitting in at corporate board meetings.
jeff bissey The difference I have found is the business model of the employer. From what I've seen, most employers (and employees in the flat time world) would rather not spend any time diagnosing at $140/hr when they could pump out 2 hours worth of flat rate suspension work in 45min. There isn't much motivation for people to go beyond the easy flat rate work. I prefer diagnostic work followed by correcting the problem, but it took a long time to find an employer who felt the same way.
Can you, are you, willing to pay the price or not? That is the real issue. Nowadays, people buy used cars they cannot afford to pay to repair and they come in wanting good prices. I don't do good prices, I do perfect work. Good prices you can find at WalMart, Costco, BJ's. Perfect work costs money because it requires time, training and a huge investment in tools. I have had this discussion more than once. After listening to their story, and getting my opinion, I have had customers tell me that, "The shop down the street would do it for less." I have told them, then what are you doing wasting your time here? Go over there and get it done before the price goes up. And I have often had them say something like, "Well, I already had it there and I am not happy with their work." I have said, Look, I am not fixing their mistakes. Take it back over there because you already paid them to do it. If I take the job, I will have to start all over and check what they did and I am going to charge you for it. I do not use junkyard parts and often do not even used reman unless they have a lifetime limited warranty. I cannot make the car better than the hundreds of engineers who designed it so I tend to adhere to their repair protocols. I have had less than ten come backs in over 30 years and they were for unrelated issues. Training, good diagnostic routines, and more training because as soon as you are about to master a repair topic, they change everything and it never ends. Mechanics stop training, Technicians never stop. That is the difference between the two, plus the level of perfectionism. I have watched a lot of medical programs and I think I can do an appendectomy but would you want me to do it for you? Training my friends, training and specialization just like physicians.
You're too caught up in titles. There are mechanics who can do circles are techs just the same as there are techs who can do circles around mechanics. We all know great ones on both sides, and we all know shit ones. We all know mechanics who charge more than techs, and techs who charge more than mechanics. It's cars, not rocket science, and like you said - experience is king.
I don't think there are many mechanics left,they call them selves technicians now.they don't fix anything they just replace parts.mechanics learn from experience, technicians go to school and very few become mechanics
sandy nell indeed I'm constantly hearing that good mechanics are hard to find because the millennials of America aren't interested in it and the old school experts are slowly retiring. who knows what the future holds they may have to start paying them what they're really worth to see quality work.
@@macuse2008 If anything I've learnt learning car mechanics in the UK, it's that the scan tool is NOT the first thing to jump to, lol. And when you do jump to it, all it's telling you is "this sensor that can pick up on MANY things is showing a fault somewhere, find where the fault is!", and not "this is the fault."
Mechanic = OBD-I, Technician = OBD-II. Give a technician an OBD-I vehicle and watch the head scratching marathon commence. God forbid if it's a carburetor. If you can rebuild a carburetored engine you're automatically a mechanic in my book.
I feel that working on some of the older OBD I cars and trucks can make you a better technician because some older OBD I cars and trucks do not get you live data so this makes you have to go the component and backprobe connectors to get reading from a multimeter or maybe an scope
Carbureted motors are dead with rare exception, so it doesn't really matter if a modern tech doesn't know what to do with one. Your argument is as silly as expecting an IT guy to know how to operate a computer that fills a whole room and uses punch cards. It just doesn't matter anymore.
dchawk81 Its your own opinion man! I was referring to OBD I diagnostic work. No carbs involved. I think if you know how to work on a carbs and distributers you have an advantage. There are still classic cars and trucks and other older stuff still on the road and some small engines still have carbs chainsaws, lawmowers, etc. I have talked to people and they are feed up with shops not working on there old cars and trucks because a tech will look at it and say oh its got a carb! I cant fix that! But yes in this day a age electrical diagnostic work it more imporant! It also depends on what your working on too. maybe your right when it comes to the computer and IT industry. But in the the auto/truck/small engine industry to be successful you should know both the new and old
uprednecked Carbs are outdated....Not saying we shouldn't know it, just that I've NEVER had the opportunity. I eat up every TH-cam video from my favorites that I can get on the subject, but hands on experience hasn't yet been an option. Small engines? Mine still haven't needed service. OBD I...harder to diagnose? Yes and no. They're simpler, and aren't compatible with my scanner, but I can still do direct testing. Solutions tend to be easy to find based on skills I developed before knowing how to use OBD II to help me. True testing needs great knowledge, but OBD I is kinda of a fun change on occasion. :)
I worked in car dealerships for years and one of the best I ever worked with always made it a point to say, "I'm not a technician; I'm a mechanic. I can fix things"
My husband is a really good mechanic and been doing it over 40 years but a technician he's not. Thanks to all the great TH-cam technicians doing videos, I've been studying my butt off and have a few scan tools now to help guide him and do the diagnostic part or we work on it together and come up with the solutions. Hubby said today that he would've had to have called it quits in the trade, if it wasn't for my help but really, we teach each other and always have something to talk about over dinner. Automotive technology has changed so much! It just seems like yesterday when I was a wide eyed lot lizard watching guy's use the Snap-on "red brick" and talking about the different modules coming out, or curiously watching someone hook up a scope, not realizing I was learning also😳
I thought the opposite. Im a GST (General Service Technician) and all I is oil changes and tires. I thought a mechanic is the guys who been in it for years and years and perform more diagnostics and harder repairs.
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Why the fck is this not a repair video?!?? Oh I'm fucken pissed !!! I'm going to take my INGERSOll rand w1130 break it and then fix it with better machine milled parts and then fix my sex swing and paint it pink to match my personality. Fuxk!!
Nope. It pretty much goes like this. Old wrenches are mechanics, younger ones are technicians. And then there are the freaks, old wrenches that learn new technician stuff and young technicians that learn the old mechanic stuff. I have been spinning wrenches for over 45 years now and I have had MANY more technicians ask me for advice then me asking a technician for advice.
I've been binge watching these videos for the past couple of days...and I have to say, I'm very impressed with the work that you and a lot of techs do. You, Scotty Kilmer, ChrisFix, Humble Mechanic, Engineering Explained...so much more! It's inspired me, I look forward to working on my vehicles now! I hope someday I can reach the caliber that you guys have, hell, maybe I'll be able to make some money off of it ;) ...if I could, I'd give you a raise! ...but the closest I can do, other than saying thanks, is to just keep on watching your stuff! :)
I prefer mechanic. I am working on machines, mechanical devices. Some of the machines have gotten very technical and I might use some electrical technology to repair them but it's still a machine. Even when I'm working on rebuilding or adjusting guitars I call myself a guitar mechanic. ( Luthier seems a bit pretentious, especially since I never worked on a lute).
I see it as there are mechanics/technicians and there are diagnosticians/troubleshooters. 98% of people are strictly the former, 1%of people are strictly the latter and 1% are both.
Schrodingers Box I personally believe that the 1% that can perform reliable diagnostics should be able to perform reliable repairs as well. I know many techs that cannot perform higher level diagnostics.
Agreed, I take things apart and set myself a methodical approach to reassembling them so I don't have any setbacks for reassembly..... However I can rip apart and rebuild most Toyota and Honda motors from memory from repetition. It comes with practice and good "practice" of helping yourself do it. if you want to think of being "Good" in equivalency; Diagnosticians of vehicles would be the neurosurgeons of cars. Most "Mechanics" are idiots with a wrench that can remember where bolts go. Technicians are people that can handle the physical and mental stress of having to competently do a proper job while diagnosing an issue scientifically. People forget that a vehicle was designed by people that think scientifically. If you take a caveman approach to something that should be delicately thought out, you will always be wrong. This is why techs that are intellectually well versed and tend to last longer than others.
Technicians = know "when & why" to change based on manufacture's recommendations. Mechanics = know "what, when, where, why, how" to change based on real experience, personal skills/development. Rely less on recommendations and more on fortifications. Specialists/Engineers = think they are always right when really its the Mechanics who are right.
I feel like it would be very hard to get everyone to realize cars are becoming more and more difficult to work on and that mechanics deserve more compensation nobody likes an expensive mechanic bill.
Your repair videos taught me so much in the past 2 years, im stoked to see this new branch of videos you have put up, answers so many questions I have thought about while under the cars working!! Keep it up +ETCG1☝
I've been an A&P Mechanic/Aircraft Maintenance Technician working on everything from Cessna's to fighter jets for over thirty years, using all kinds of electronics diagnostic tools, hand and power tools, lathes, milling machines, welders etc.. I've also been an auto mechanic, worked in several garages and built numerous cars, motorcycles and boats, and worked as an outside Machinist on submarine dry docks, rebuilding pumps motors, gear boxes, cranes etc. In my mind, a mechanic can fabricate, repair, troubleshoot, test anything and gets real dirty doing it. And a technician fixes cash registers and copy machines, and would have a hard time changing a tire and has baby soft clean hands.
+Jojo Diver People like you are Magicians, but today employers only want mechanics that changes wheels and stuff like that or technicians looking on the computer that such probe is broken but the mechanic is fine.... The other job that can not be settled in this kind of workshop is for magicians.
+ALMIGHTY ED I've been an A&P "mechanic" for 24 years and refer to myself as such. (My "title" at work is Test Cell Master Technician). Anyway.... I have a 13 year old AUTISTIC son who loves minecraft, which I will play with him, so don't judge if someone watches videos on the subject. You don't know his situation.
Sorry Eric, I was working as a mechanic back when "technician" started to get used which was the same time that the garbage man started getting called a sanitation engineer, secretaries started being called assistants, etc. It was nothing more than part of the make everyone feel good about themselves movement because the old name was too degrading movement. Now 30 years later that the old name "mechanic" is still being used there seems to be a need to try and differentiate between the two when there really isn't a difference. I agree that today there are more "specialized technicians" but a really good mechanic is able to do all or just about all of it.
+BlameRepublicans I take extreme offense to that post ! I'm politically libertarian-conservative, socially liberal, and fiscally a conservative ( I don't like the socialist-liberal-democrats who are currently running for President and who are trying to "Out-Socialist-the-other") - I'm also a member of MENSA, and I have almost 40 years of fixing MY OWN car. (So much for ruining the "average" demographic for nearly every category of voter) TO ETCG1 : I started doing tuneups at 14, when I bought my own engine analyzer which only measured dwell and tach. Does a technician even know the term "dwell" anymore ? Does that type of knowledge make me a "mechanic" ? In my opinion, like ETCG1, a "mechanic" uses less technology to diagnose, but I think he/she also uses a lot more "guess work" and hence, probably a lot less unnecessary "replacing" because they don't "guess" what is wrong as much. "Technicians" don't do as much "repair", because it is my opinion that they lose at least some of the mechanical skill it takes to diagnose without elaborate equipment. ... Can a "technician" with very little experience diagnose a deep engine problem by only "listening" to it ? Probably not. Conversely, can a technician with little experience correctly diagnose and repair the correct part if he uses expensive diagnostic equipment ? Of course ! The result is usually inversely proportional to merely making an "educated-guess" at what is wrong,(and an overall better quality of service to the consumer) and only something that comes with experience. However, both types of car "repair-persons" are prone to the same type of customer abuse if the repair shop isn't basically honest. My experience is that most dealerships and most chain lube places are honest, (but more prone to forget to replace the drain plug - I personally have 3 close friends and a brother-in-law that had to replace engines because of that "little bit" of experience lesson in forgetfulness) BUT about 75% of my friends who went to no-name "mechanics" were severely misdiagnosed, with unnecessary repairs/replacement. The financial incentives seem to be just too hard to resist for even a basically honest church-going Christian person when it comes to making a lively-hood. Surprisingly, the best mechanics I ever heard of were the "shade-tree" guys who worked part-time replacing parts for friends in their drive-way. btw.......Is there anyone I forgot to "tick-off" in this reply, including ECTG ? Hey man, everybody's life-experience is different, that's why we all have opinions. The key is to not take things personally. When did being so afraid to offend someone makes us afraid to speak our mind ? Thanks politically correctness ! "opinions are like butt-holes, everybody has one" ;)
Exactly! A technician is a title that started in the 80's during the "feel good" movement. Now it has evolved into a term that is used in place of mechanic and it should not be. It should designate a specialist on a particular system or vehicle line. A "mechanic" to me is one who can pull a trans, but takes it to a transmission "technician" for repair and then reinstall's it. A "master mechanic" is one who pulls the trans and then rebuilds it in his garage, can fabricate tools to use if the special ones are not available, and then puts it back into the car. But he also understands PWM used to control fuel pump pressure or drive by wire throttles, and can change out the u-joints in the front stub shafts of a 74 Chevy Blazer out on the trail.
You are just saying all that to feel like authoritative. Make you feel like a big man huh? Bet you can't even pin-point diagnose a fuel-trim problem using freeze frame data. lol You are saying a lot, but saying nothing. I see no automotive proficiency in any of that little monologue you gave.
No, there is more to mechanics than just part swapping. You sound like a shade tree mechanic. A real tech should know how to diagnose switching devices and if the primary or secondary coils are being energized. lol You don't know get out of here. haha
Ahh....the world of political correctness. You can dress it up, paint it, diamond coat it, or put it on your mantle, but a turd is still a turd. I agree that there is a huge difference in the trade from before the age of electronics to now, but you still repair vehicles. Nothing has changed in that regard. The mechanic, grease monkey, gouging thief reputation that so many people see the trade as is a reality, and I believe the reason for the change in title was solely meant to distance the industry from it. My son is an apprentice automotive service technician, and I am very proud of him for it. But when you tell anyone over 40 what he is doing, they don't have a clue what it is until you say "mechanic". No matter what your chosen vocation, do it well, be proud of it, and don't worry about titles and impressions.
Well said, very well said. Most mechanics will not be mechanics in the future, even to replace a engine and a transmission needs programming. Even a trans repair or engine will need a scanner to perform a relearn. Not knocking nobody, just saying we all need to stay ahead. -present Ford Senior Master.
I'm not a mechanic or a technician, I am a mechanical engineer an electrical engineer and a chemical engineer, I design, and fabricate and build, I also have my masters in duct-tape-ology and my jerry riggins degree, and when I dont know I look to technical data and the al o mighty "hey gooogle"
😂😂😂🤣 why, why, did i read this?!!! 😂 soon google will start charging for any information they give you.... lets pray they don't think about it though or else we'll be doomed!!
I agree man, Zach at my work is the tech with the wizardry of the computer junk and Jason is the mechanic he knows a little bit of electronic stuff but mostly, well mechanical stuff, he’s an Encyclopedia of torque specs of all kinds of engines , I’m just a parts changer. Well a body man but just if they need an alternator, battery, coolant hose, stuff like that I do it.
There are some mechanics (80s-90s) are better than most Technician’s, as their experience is a learned by trial and error over time but evolved to be correct on diagnosing vehicle’s through elimination of fault. I know a few dealership techs, total dumbasses, without that first plug in to the DTC port they couldn’t diagnose Yoo-hoo from a thick shake, coming up with a process as to remembering from other vehicles with the same fault because they automatically wipe it from their memory is pretty much the normality, and changing from vehicle to vehicle is impossible, working at BMW dealer then working at an Audi dealer is like starting again for them but going from German to Asian is a no go.!! Newly trained (factory) techs cannot problem solve, there’s no back way or trying an alternative, it’s not their fault entirely but more of the way of modern training and vehicles requiring 10 hours of diagnostics.!!
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As a fleet tech for a major shipping company I wear several hats. Mechanic, technician, secretary, EPA specialist, spill clean up, and several others. We don't get involved with transmission overhauls or engine rebuilding, it's too time consuming with 72 trucks and 2 techs. I change a lot of oil, brakes and tires. But I also have a fleet of diesels that have the DEF systems that are problematic to say the least. Mercedes Sprinters are the bulk of them. I don't know how many of you have had the joy of installing a turbo on one of these, but there are a few bolts that are done by Braille, seriously!! But as Eric pointed out Mercedes has computers that monitor and talk to each other, one simple problem can cause the truck to be in limp home mode. We see it daily, when they had less than 150 k they weren't to bad, now they are creeping up on 200k to 250k we've gotten a lot busier.
Mechanics are basically parts changers who can visually identify a problem and repair it, but have trouble diagnosing intermittent problems. Technicians are the ones who have to track down intermittent problems through scan tools and electrical troubleshooting to diagnose a problem so a mechanic can repair it!
I think I can sum it up in a pretty simple way: Non-electronic mechanic systems = mechanic; Electronically assisted mechanical systems = technician. Non-electronics = mechanic; Electronics = technician.
+ChrisKsan Some Techs are also good mechanics. Some mechanics are sometimes good Techs too. I got my first engine analyzer when I was 14 (it only measured dwell and tach - doesn't count as tech now, probably). I now have 37 years of shade-tree experience in all major manufactures, basically from the Old Beatle (the most simple engine) to a Competition Ion Redline from GM Performance Division, with a stage 2 mod that only had a 1,089 production run over all 4 years, and has a suspension set up for racing on the Nurburgring. (The base car can still be bought for a song by people who don't know what they are, and modded to 300+ WHEEL hp not shaft hp, ..very high for a 2800lb car...and modded for under $2,000, but they are very rarely available for sale, most are in collections, not mine....which is driven, ...as how ALL cars should be enjoyed !! Even that $3mil Carroll Shelby Cobra #1 !!, well maybe not THAT one, since Shelby himself can't drive it... anymore, but I don't believe in Trailer Queens. They become pieces of Art, not cars anymore.)
+ChrisKsan pretty good summary there, in my country(australia) we refer to ourselves as mechanics who do the majority of the things on cars mechanical, diagnosis using scan tools ect and light to medium electrical work, then we have dedicated auto electricians for those hard to find electrical problems, complete rewiring of cars ect. the only people who refer to themselves as "technicians"in my country are mostly just pretentious snobs have the need to feel self important , but each to their own :)
MrTechsupport87 Interesting insight. Thank you. Well, I believe that is something that happens anywhere in the world. Aside from the facts, some people like to use terms and overuse or exaggerate them in order to feed their egos or shortcomings whether they deserve it or not. Facts remain facts regardless of opinion. That sort of behavior is especially prevalent in corporations where titles are thrown around for people to feel overly important, but that's another topic. :)
This is interesting. I always thought that technician is the opposite of what you are saying. When i think of a technician I think of the guys at Valvoline who have a basic knowledge of this that and the third. Which was making me weary of going into an automotive technician program because I didn't want to learn a small range of repairs compared to a master mechanic who knows all aspects of the vehicle. Thanks for the clarification!
+Chris C Agreed! I always thought of it that way too, so, mechanics have trained and have an understanding of the whole vehicle and knowledge and skills that they can apply to almost any type of system they might come across, whereas I thought technicians were trained to perform specific tasks or jobs, rather than diagnosing and fault finding.
+Chris C I also agree....you're going to learn how to bust your butt for little pay, under a hot car, changing oil that is going to give you 2nd degree burns, and you are going to end up hating cars. You would be better off and probably learning more by buying a used late model Camry, (which has one of the better laid out engines, IMO) that needs a lot of rebuilding, and then just re-building every thing on it, and then keeping it. They are good for over 300k miles when cared for. They will rust before they break. You have to REALLY TRY to kill a Toyota. And there is a ton of stuff on You-Tube about them. You don't even have to pay for school. Hey, I have a very rare car, only 1,089 ever made over 4 years, but I still find stuff on the ole' You-tube about it... you can learn anything here, and there's a ton of stuff on the Camry....Its the most produced car since the VW Beatle and made car since the model T.
+T Andrews I agree. Most of these auto tech programs are a bad deal at best and one step above a scam at worst. I've learned everything I know about cars from the internet, and the only irritating thing is that a lot of people won't take you seriously without a piece of paper that says you took a basic class on it. These days you can teach yourself to do anything if you have the time, patience, and motivation.
I think the use of Mechanic and Technician is directly reversible. You can call a mechanic or a technician either or. A specialist in something like diagnosing issues would be a specialist. You'd get a Brakes specialist, an Exhaust specialist, Ignition and Air specialist, Suspension and Running Gear specialist, Engine Building specialist, Electrical specialist and Bodywork specialist. They're all under their own categories when they're named by their strengths. I'd probably be a brakes specialist, but only because it's something I do a lot of. All of the above are still mechanics or technicians however you call it. Where I work, we have a guy who's been in the trade for the best part of 45 years and has 'seen it all', a guy with engine mechanical and technical diagnosis and repair qualifications, a guy with modern electrical components and operations qualifications and we have a guy who is a Jack-Of-All, Master-Of-None dealio. When a car rolls in with a horrendous noise, the guy with engine mechanical technical qualifications could probably take a quick guess before starting, do a full diagnostic process on that part and then find his initial guess was correct, followed by checking everything else, where the others would just diagnose the problem and then find the problem after the full process. If there was an electrical fault, the others are hopeless in comparison to the guy with the electronics qualifications. But each and every one of them can do exactly the same job. They have done the time to be able to make accurate guesses to aid speeding up the diagnostic process, being able to pin-point a good idea what's causing something and checking if they're right. If they're not, they'll make their next best guess and go from there and so on. Whilst they all could make their best guesses, someone with technical experience with those problems would be able to do a more accurate guess of where their diagnostic process starts. Do they do a compression test first, or do they do an exhaust gases coolant test, ect. Being able to make a quick, accurate guess on where to start diagnostics is one of the best ways to save time, and the better you are, the higher your success rates are and the less you get comebacks, though you should never realistically have comebacks if you're doing your job right. Right fix first time is the best thing to follow.
I think your are dead on. When the Electronic Fuel and Electronic Control Modules were put on "ALL" vehicles-- mid 80's ALL mechanics had to adapt to new Technology and became Technicians. And during their transition they brought their mechanical skills. Fast Foward to year 2000+ everything in cars is electronically controlled. Therefore mechanic title is gone. All the previous Mechanics/Technicians as they retire or quit the profession we end up with less and less mechanics and only Technicians with some mechanical skills. To me: A mechanic is a person that relied on experience, advice, trial and error, and common sense to fix or maintain a motor vehicle. To me: A technician is person that relies on a computer to correct a malfunction on a motor skills. But they require mechanical skills to remove and replace the parts the computer reported as malfunctioning.
Mechanics are becoming an endangered species. Used to be a mechanic worked on the complete vehicle often without manuals or documentation of his skill. It was a brave world and they knew things, many things, even things that the educated white collar designers of the vehicle would never understand. Today as you pointed out everything is overcomplicated and specialized. Technicians of many different disciplines are required to attempt to diagnose and repair a vehicle. Often they fail as they work like a committee meeting or a true democracy. Without a strong knowledgeable shop foreman, they most likely would be unable to find there way out of the break room.
"Often they fail as they work like a committee meeting or a true democracy." Have you ever been to or listened to a gov't committee meeting? Lot's of talk (some of it very intellectual) but little if anything gets fixed or resolved. Same thing here. I mean really does a real mechanic need a hot-shot shop foreman to say:" loosen and remove this, this and this and I'll be back in 20 minutes". No - a real mechanic can think for himself under all circumstances. Whether it's an air ratchet or sophisticated scope/meter, any mechanic worth his salt will take it on. Do you want to know a secret? The most important tool in your shop is the millions of pages of information we pay a pretty price for that tells you what to do and how to do it. I'm getting fed up with semantics. Whether it requires a wrench or a scope JUST GET IN AND DO IT !!! Back when I used to have mechanics working for me I'd tell them: " I don't want to be told something can't be done" - So whether it requires you taking the information home and studying it, sleeping on it, coming back and tackling it when you're refreshed, IT CAN BE DONE. Customers sometimes ask me: Can it be fixed? I always tell them: ANYTHING can be fixed, it's just how much do you want to spend on it? To be honest this is not a profession for the faint in heart - personally I think we're all a little crazy. ThanksRod
DE Nichols I have made a video the other day which sort of encompasses about needing to leave the EU called facts what you are not told, and I only got two views and that was me. I do know I need help or advice upon making my youtube channel more popular.
No, I completely disagree. I have been a Mechanic for 16 years. I do a lot of technical work, but didn’t go to trade school and don’t wear a lab coat to work on a vehicle. I know how to rebuild things without a manual, and although I respect Eric, I disagree with this point completely. I will post my rebuttal video shortly.
Easy, one is happy they can put brake pads on with the correct side facing the rotor, the other knows where a G101 ground is and has fixed them. Come on, relax mechanics, it’s just a joke.
To me a Mechanic does everything , diagnose and fix , a Technician , I like to call them specialty people does one specific thing , like diagnose , a trans ,or electronic car stuff . then there are parts changers , they change what someone , most likely the technician tells them needs done. I guess it is all terminology and depends on what part of the country you live in . Like take pop, or soda or what ever you call it , it is all the same just another word. I believe terminology is used more i dealerships and as much in smaller shops.
Hi Eric, your videos are great, especially since I'm training to become a technician myself. You would be a great instructor if you ever choose to become one (maybe at the college I attend? lol). Well anyway, your vids are great guides, and thanks for posting good content. Cheers.
@@mumzybeast6230 Were you able to jump into the technician world and found an answer to that question which i would gladly love to know since im on the road to choosing automotive over auto mechanic?
being a "mechanic" is a lost art. The old guys in the shop are usually the only real mechanics left. While a technician can diagnose and replace broken parts, the old school mechanics often repaired cars with raw materials. Most technicians cant weld or do metal work, or figure out how to make something work with a hammer and a bailing wire.
To me the difference is superfluous. I don't see that there's more prestige in calling my self a technician over a mechanic or vise versa. My general attitude to this is call me what you like, the job is the same. Title does not equal ability. It should, but rarely does. I'm a former air craft mechanic/technician. At the end of the day 15 an hour to find a way to fix/fabricate on air craft is a waste of life. I decided I didn't want to be a smurf with a wrench and now I'm looking for a better job that doesn't stress me out, take from my body, and dictate my schedule. I've had it with the ridiculous, and now I have 15k in tools that'll chill in my garage until I need to use that talent for myself. It's a waste of resources being a mechanic if you're not going to get rewarded for it. So here's what it means to me. If you can jockey the title to get a better wage then be the technician or be the mechanic - whatever you want to hear. However, if you need an emotional attachment to a specific title. I dunno, pick your pony and take what you can get? Best of luck to all my fellow knuckle draggers! =)
me personally i would say that the person who fix a car when broke down is a mechanic...no matter what type of problem the car may have...now people who installed parts on a car per say like the persons who work at a car factory that has to install new fenders, bumpers, windshields or any part on a brand new car or chassis or frame those ppl should be called technicians because they are not repairing just are just making a car comes alive for the 1st time and they dont do the dirty work..not disrespecting dont get me wrong am just saying that the subject mechanic it came when your car broke down and who was going to fix it? the technician? nope it is nobody else but the mechanic!! right?
Yep, All true, Eric. For me, I was a Mechanic. I have been out of the profession for many many years now. But I still spin the wrench. I could never keep up in my later years of wrenching with the Technicians. So I left the field. I am probable more able to do more technical things these days and understanding the computers and electronics of vehicles, now. Then I did back then. So I have tried to get back into the business in the form of service adviser. But I'm told that i have been out of it too long and the business has changed. LOL! So yes. There is a difference between Technicians and Mechanics. But something has been lost because some of those Technicians have written off us old Mechanics. So something has gotten lost to where I think cars are not getting properly repaired these days. I've just seen way too many horror stories coming out of modern shops and dealerships. The respect from the Technicians for the Mechanics is just not there. I saw it in my last days in the profession. They felt they were above us. There is still a need for us Mechanics. And yes, the pay should be MUCH higher for Techs and Mechanics. But the public will always look at us as ripping them off when they look at how much the labor is on a service ticket. That was another reason I got out of it, but that's for another video. Love your channels!!
I say it's everybody's birthday on every video. The knowledge you bestow upon us with each video is like a birthday present! I'm gonna use the knowledge you give me, especially on your main channel, when I get more mechanically inclined with my '16 Forte after its warranty expires. Stay dirty!
Calling urself a Technician doesn't make you better. I prefer being called a Mechanic. I think the verbiage Auto Technician is just a way of making urself feel better about what you do. I know some Techs that can't change oil correctly and a mechanic that can fix a hybrid. So throw a great sounding name to show off but if u are not good... Well.... It's not going to impress anyone.
As a 20+ year veteran "Mechanic " I have worked on, rebuilt, diagnosed or repaired everything from multi million dollor pieces of heavy equipment all the way down to Rc nitro engines and just about everything in between. including welding, fabrication and machine work. I can't hardly stand the term "technician ". Yes, I do have ASE "Master Tech" certifications in both diesel and automotive but the ONLY time those silly papers ever get shown or even talked about for that matter is in a job interview. Because in this redicules "politically correct " world we live in, those papers equate to more $$. I have so much more respect for the guys (and gals) that are out in the field getting their hands dirty, learning the trade from experience than I do for the ones that call themselves "tecnicians" and feel they have to prove it to everyone by wearing a patch on their sleeve
I've summed it up... Technicians are the proud (of their skills/achievements/specialty) who like to distinguish themselves apart from other people who "do mechanic work".... Mechanics are proud of their skills and like to distinguish themselves among people who don't know how to work on stuff at all. I've worked with both types of automotive repair people so i would know LOL
I am a Mechanic. I was trained as an Aircraft mechanic. Now I work on heavy equipment. I rebuild engines, transmissions, gearboxes and differentials. I also build custom hydraulic systems, troubleshoot navigation and autosteering systems as well as fixing a/c systems, chasing CAN problems and repairing electrical systems. I am required and execute any and all repairs that come into my shop and while I fix cars as a hobby, I am and will all ways be a Mechanic.
my input as a mechanic in England for 25+ years, It doesn't really matter how you label yourself, We see "fast-fit" centre guys calling themselves technicians so the "Tech" badge doesn't cut a lot of ice here in the UK (not that all fast fit guys are less able than anyone else of course) The biggest difference is individual ability, experience counts for everything in our trade, even if your working on a model you've never worked on before experience tells you how things are supposed to work or come apart. My biggest gripe especially with modern vehicles is how much we are expected to know in order to remain up to speed and how our wages are completely non reflective of that, Electricians, Plumbers, software technicians/programmers, etc all earn more than us humble mechanics yet we are expected to know a fair amount of all the above trades. I would argue also that "most" mechanics (that I know of anyway) are all pretty able to carry out electrical or plumbing repairs in the home, most of us have pretty decent IT knowledge too but ask any one of the above tradesmen to replace a set of brake pads on their cars and most wouldn't have a clue. we also invest a great deal more into our prefession than most other tradesmen too, how much 5is the average snap-on roll cab full of tools worth? I know I've spend a small fortune over the years, Conclusion: I think we need a worldwide strike to get better pay for mechanics... Food for thought. 😀
At a transmission shop, you have the R&R techs, and the rebuilding techs. Some places they do both. If your main items are tools in your trades, you are considered a technician in my book. Mechanic or technician we are all the same, it's what you do that you are comfortable with. I don't mind being called a " grease monkey " I love what I do.
Good description. Especially with modern techs. I work at a Toyota dealership. Most days are pretty normal diagnosing sensor failures or mechanical failures. Then there's those days where you have a vehicle that comes in with a ball of electrical issues and you gotta put your thinking cap on. I'd say there is people better in one aspect of repair than the other but it seems everybody is pretty well rounded
Aviation Maintenance Technician here, we're called Mechanics, technicians, both are basically the same meaning in our field. We do both, hands on wrench turning, diagnosing with equipment, etc. Not sure about the auto field, I suppose they're different.
+sacr3 When you're dealing with anything above, say 2005... They really aren't. Not by much anyway. Heck, the other day I had a 2008 Audi with a sunroof that doesn't work. Turns out that because one body control module was not talking to another, the sunroof control module only relieved one of two activation triggers. The complexities of modern cars is confounding sometimes. It's like that joke, "How many engineers does it take to change a light bulb?" Well, how many computers does it take to open a sunroof?
I have changed oil on countless Audi's. Yes you CAN suck the oil out through the dip stick, but that is not how you traditionally do it. There is a drain plug on the bottom just like any other car. The oil filter can be a challenge but you just need the right tool to unscrew it.
A Canadian AST (Automotive Service Technician) chiming in. When I began my career in the early 1990's and doing my apprenticeship, 9000 hours of hands on work was required before you could write the MTO (Ministry of Transportation of Ontario) Exam to receive your Certificate of Qualification. This stated Class "A" Automobile Mechanic. If you did very well, you would get a Red Seal Certification (Inter-Provincial). Class "A" allows repairs to any vehicles and their related systems, below a certain GVWR. During the two years of Apprenticeship and the previous two years of an Automotive Service Technician course at my local college, the MTO changed the Certificate of Qualification. I am a Licenced Class "S" AST, JP Class. (Journey Person). So basically, I am a Technician that was trained as a Mechanic, who has a Technicians Licence, with Red Seal Qualification in the Journey Persons Classification. Damn ! Crazy Stuff, eh Eric ? Don't even ask about the recent Licence fee hike !
What happened to the "Date" being included in the information above... When was this video posted ? Eric, thanks for all your fantastic videos... You are blessed sir. Question for you though, when do you start considering yourself a "Mechanic" in the first place ? Just landing a cool job in a shop doesn't make one a mechanic, right ? Umm, tools ! How many tools do you have to own to call yourself a mechanic ? At what point in one's greasy smelly journey through the shop, across the concrete floor on your back, through the E.R. department for a busted knuckle (or two) and some stitches, and investing thousands of dollars of hard earned money on tools of every sort can you call yourself a mechanic ? I never claim to be a mechanic... I just fix things. I never claim to be a carpenter... I just build things. I never claim to be an electrician, a plumber, or anything else, but I get the work done. I run a small Mowing & Repair business for myself. Been doing it for a few years or so and I still don't feel that I qualify to be called a mechanic. But I can do almost any kind of work on most older vehicles, except rebuild the engines and transmissions, but only because I have never tried yet. A few months ago I took a stroll through my 26' x 30' shop and tried to count at a quick glance "how much money have I invested in tools and equipment". Well a twenty minute stroll revealed around $37,000. Does that make me a mechanic ? I don't think so.
Just dealt with a TECHNICIAN yesterday. The deal was a broken clip on a fuel line. Tech had no idea how to fix or replace the clip, but could replace the whole fuel line, for $900. Brought the truck home, went to parts store and bought a selection of 6 clips for $4.30. If you can't find a mechanic, muddle through the job yourself, way better than having a TECHNICIAN that probably can't WRITE his own name.
In Germany if you finished your education after 2003 you will be a technician if you finisched before 2003 you will be an mechanic. If you are an mechanic you have to do some vocational education to be an technician.
Eric, I come from the generation that the vehicles did NOT have all this fancy computer stuff. I could do my own work WITHOUT the use of a computer to clear out codes, clear check engine light problems. I could do a 'tune up' (points, plugs, condenser, rotor, pcv.) Now unfortunately, I can't even do a simple thing as replaces brake pads with out needing a computer to clear out the car computer. I guess I fall into the category "backyard mechanic". I enjoyed working on cars from the 1950's and 60's.
Came back to watch this again. The employee probably wants to specialize but the employer (more at the independent shop) wants a "bumper to bumper" guy. I retired in 2005,the GM Dealer I left in 2000 let us specialize but the BMW Dealer I left in 2003 wanted us to be "bumper to bumper". It seems backwards.Dang I look back at these dates and I think things must have changed in the shop some. Last time I was in my old AZ BMW Dealer was 2010,I was visiting a guy I worked next to for a number of years, this fellow "Technician" had moved (bypassing Service Adviser) all the way to Service Manager, it is an amazing story. The other amazing part is a guy (mechanic) even older than me was still out in the shop flat rating it. We all thought he was going to drop dead in 2001 and here it was 10 years later and he is still going. I am really glad I got the chance to work with a car line like BMW. At school (I went to a school in Schamburg Il) they treated you so darn good. If you can find a spot at a BMW Dealer get in it ,it may be a place you can stay. By the way, I like family owned Dealerships much better than corporate owned Dealerships but the family owned is getting harder to find.
I am a DC electronics repair technician. I would have to agree, even though I usually work on smartphones and household electronics, I am a single board computer expert with a B.C.S., and can fix the electrical systems in cars, or even replace them entirely with different micro-controllers or RISC chips, wire-tuck harnesses, auxiliary fuse boxes etc, as well as reprogram them 100% with open source third party software. However, I am really only comfortable doing simple mechanical repairs, and get apprehensive about doing much beyond brakes or a bad gasket. Even though I usually don't work on cars, I have to say, when I do, I am almost always fixing something a mechanic screwed up.
Whatever "type of car-fixer" you are, mechanic or Technician, I hope you take pride in having one of the most responsible jobs on the Planet, more so than even a Doctor. No one else except mechanics are responsible for ensuring the safe transport of our most valuable possession - our family, (and that of an on-coming driver), inside what is essentially a 2-ton lethal guided missile. Stuff just doesn't get more important than that. And no I'm not a professional car-fixer-person. Just thought I would give you guys some well deserved Props. (my brother is Neurosurgeon, before you Doctors start hating me, Doctors only heal your selves, and most people would gladly give their life to save their own family, and there are WAY more car accidents than brain surgeries !!! So, sorry to my Bro'..(he is pretty proud of himself), but in reality, your mechanic is more important than you) Funny Doctor Joke "What is the difference between God and Doctors.....God doesn't think he's a Doctor". And no I'm not a professional car-fixer-person. Just thought I would give you guys some well deserved Props. - I just wish drunk drivers would wrap their heads around that concept. Drunk drivers killing their own families happens more often than you'd think - This dude was drunk driving and killed his own wife - on Valentines day !! fox6now.com/2016/03/23/valentines-day-turned-tragic-hartford-man-accused-of-killing-wife-in-drunk-driving-crash/
To me a Technician is brand specific , Ford, Toyota etc. Mechanic is bring it in I'll fix it. Jason Strathom did not do a movie called The Technician...Electronic shmonic, it's what's involved today. A Mechanic has a 6th Sense of what's wrong, technician needs a scanner's help, so they can tell customer when it's not fixed, it's the computers fault. Mechanic just says, Your Cars Ready. Technician refers to Tech, Wimpy. Mechanic says I'll date you and your daughter, and you'll buy dinner.
I'm not in your field but I've thought of the difference as a machanic fixes mechanical parts such as rebuilding a carb on an older car. A technition repairs computerised car components.
I know its semantics to a point, but I am a tech. and agree with you 100% My biggest challenge is trying to explain this to my customers. So many times, I hear "billybob down the street can fix this --------- for $50.00" when in reality, to do it correctly, safely a $ 3500.00 job.
So what you are saying is, a technician knows more about diagnostics and electrical/electronic systems than a mechanic..... Funny how GM dealers call their apprentice's techs....... hmmm Good to know an apprentice knows more than a skilled, qualified, experienced, job tested mechanic knows. My woman is a technician............ a lab tech!! I am a mechanic in the automotive repair sector
45 years ago school janitors wanted to be called "custodians" because they thought it made their job sound more respectable. Forget the fact that the word "janitor" was directly derived from the Latin "Janus" - the Roman god of doors and entranceways. I think they were following the lead of New York garbagemen, whom a few years before, had successfully lobbied to be called "sanitation workers". But if you ask me (or Gertrude Stein) "a rose, is a rose, is a rose." Being a "mechanic" is a respectable profession. I don't have to call myself a "technician" to feel good about myself.
I did cars for 8 years and decided to change to commercial trucks. Bin two years with diesel trucks. The change is the best decision I've ever made in my life and career. Job wise it isn't saturated. More opportunity to find work for large company's or city jobs. pay scale is on average $10-15 more and offer better bonuses and retirement plans. You would think bigger is harder but in reality it's easier. With the assist of cranes and forklifts and larger more powerful tools now and days, it def make your life easier. Working on bigger things is way better period! no more of that small cramped engine bay with a gazillion wires not to mention all the latest computers. Cars are like a customers baby. A truck however is a working vehicle, they are less picky! Diesel mechanic or any industrial equipment mechanic is the way to go!
***** car mechanic $20 to $35 cap. Diesel mechanic $30 - $60 cap. With overtime you can make $200k a year. This is in Alberta. I get paid $40 an hour straight time.
I actually think mechanics started becoming technicians when carburators became fuel injection systems; in other words, when TECHnology took the place of MECHANICal systems.
I used to work on all sorts of vehicles half my life ago. I do some work on some vehicles still, but I stay away from anything under the hood on modern cars. I don't know shit about them and everything is computerized now. I only buy old cars that are about ready to be junked and milk the last few years out of them because I can work on those. You might even say, they... MECHANICAL cars...
Technician is a term that is wasted on jobs like the stereo install guys at bestbuy, or tire "technicians" oil change "technicians" etc. It isn't that I don't like the title "Technician" it is just extremely overused. Rebuilds are usually done (not always) by uncertified and unlicensed "technicians". I really don't like the ASE system of certification and regions where the Vehicle Repair trades are voluntary vs. compulsory.
Cars used to be so simple before computers. I'm not even a mechanic, but I changed the carburetor, spark plugs and changed all fluids in my 1959 Cadillac series 62 without any help. Litterally the easiest thing ever. Computers have made everything a lot harder to fix.
Okay, here's why I don't like the term "Technician", because when I first started; Technicians (me) were the oil changers and W/S wiper changers and the true car guys were the Mechanics. The guys who could do it all. Then Mechanics were a step up from Technicians. I totally understand what your saying, because I lived through that evolution.
This falls into the same category Good Mechanic Good Technician verses Bad Technician Bad Mechanic. There's alot BS how these people get away with doing shady work, just to fill their pockets. If they tried make an effort do it right correctly, life would be less stressful. Unfortunately, life don't work that way there's always those who give mechanics and technicians, a bad rep.
I agree with most of the posters, there are very distinct differences. When I started wrenching the word technician was used to describe a person who had a specialized skill. When I joined the Air Force in 1981 I was a "Flightline Technician." As a dealer wrench I was a "mechanic" until about the mid 80's when the computer started taking over the functions of the car, the complexity now required someone who just dealt with a specific area of the vehicle and they were called Technicians. Just by my age I consider myself a Mechanic with Technician skills. I can and have rebuilt an electronic controlled automatic transmission, calibrated PCM's with electronic tunes and still know how to set points gaps and dwell or jet a carb.
Self taught mechanic here with 3 years of mech engineering and 20+ years wrenching. I have worked in many garages, dealerships, etc. and worked on everything from weed eaters to 60 Liter V16 diesel powered frac pumps and generators. I consider a technician someone who is taught to do something specific and can't get outside of that box comfortably. Mechanics know theory, and deep knowledge of inner workings. When computers cant tell you which sensor to change you're gonna need a mechanic. A mechanic can learn what ever they need to in order to repair what is before them. Technicians learn what someone else teaches them. My current company lists my job as a field service tech, but our daily routine here is troubleshooting things that you have never seen before. You have to know the system, not what a system tells you. Honestly, my take on it is just my opinion, but the industry uses the terminology inconsistently with either view point.
Great topic, terrible names. Do you remember when we used to compare what we did to Doctors in their medical field? Last I checked, Doctors don't use "parts changers" (what some people now consider mechanics). Sure there are specialties in the medical arena, I get that. But I believe the word "Technician" was born from a vehicle manufacture's mentality to boost the image of the person working on their cars, and it worked. Heck, at one time I believed it too. (I was a chassis technician) Then I noticed there are tire technicians, lube and oil technicians, and so on. It's a name not well defined, but important sounding enough to make any average joe, or mechanic, or parts changer, or specialist... a technician. I understand the root words- MECHanic (of mechanical origins), TECHnician (of technical origin), I get that part too. But what did the doctors in their field do when technology changed? They got continuing education on new procedures and still called themselves Doctors. "Technician" sure sounds professional, but what I think is missing (good for another topic) is the personal connection between shop and customer. I don't mind being called a mechanic, if the name sounds warmer and welcomes more customers. I'm just a mechanic with a bunch of computers that will help calm their fears and fix their problems.
Well as I say we had our time the Old School Way Is Dying And the New Way Is Comin so we Hav to A Just Life Was fun know ya hav to hav the bank in your Pocket to fix the old Wreck we got good Pay for What we did we Kept the Shop,s goin So good Bye MecNEc you lived good Ther it,s Been said Done
I do mostly electronic diag stuff. But I get my hands dirty. Yay local area network systems. (AKA can bus) I don't want to hear another person ever say that a cars computer is as fast as my I5 4690k.... That's 4 cores that use 64 bit addressing and perform hundreds of millions of operations per second. A standard computer in a car is either 29bit or 32 addressing and it is no where near the processing power of a modern pc. It's what's called risc processing where one computer has one job and that's it.
I'm an Aircraft Engineer, and in the aircraft build and maintenance industry, we specialise even further. I, for example, specialise in mechanics, engines, transmission, airframe, landing gear etc. Then there are people who specialise in avionics (Aviation Electronics), such as radios, engine management, instruments, lights etc. And never the two shall meet, a Mechanical Engineer cannot work on avionics and vice versa. I think this is due to two things. The training involved is pretty heavy, systems knowledge, mathematics, mechanical principles etc are all taught, tested and re-tested every 6 months to 1 year. Another reason is the accountability. If I, for example, change an engine, I must sign and print my name for every single component/operation I was involved in, not simply "engine changed". And I can be held accountable in a court of law if it was found my workmanship caused death or destruction of the aircraft. My question after this ramble, however, is do you think that the automotive industry is heading this way? Do you think the future will see uber specialised automotive electricians and mechanics? Also, what about increased accountability, the type I see on aircraft, where you can pinpoint failure on one person and hold them accountable?
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I actually like that we don't fully agree on this topic, well accept for the raise part ;) For me it is just a title. It doesn't not really change the day to day flow of my job. Some days I spend the day slinging tires, others I am waist deep in diag of fiber optics dig. It is the beauty of being a dealer tech I guess. (see what I did there)
I understand why some feel the need to differentiate the mechanic from the tech. But, then does a "C" level tech become a mechanic? Is a "B" tech truly a technician? I like doing brake jobs and timing belts, are those mechanic's jobs not tech jobs?
Part of me feels like it is just a way to move past an old way of thinking about someone who fixes cars. There is a mindset that a "mechanic" is one thing, and a "tech" is another.
Personally I don't really care. If we were having a conversation, I would tell you that I am a VW tech. Why? All of the verbiage in the dealership is around the word tech. Would I get tweaked if someone called me a mechanic. Uh, nope.
But I will say that it is a pretty fun discussion to have.
Some great points you bring up here. I'd say we're more in agreement than disagreement. The video and discussion were based on prevailing opinions on the subject, this was just my answer to that. I suppose when you break it down, it's really just a matter of meaningless labels. Take away the labels and you're still fixing cars. A rose by any other name I suppose.
You are a true tech-mechanic-technician-or the bull names that exist....in other words...you are a top guy on the job!!
HumbleMechanic I agree with you there they're just labels. Here in sweden I would guess they would signify different education levels. Where a mechanic would be the basic level and technician the one with the higher education level however you don't seize to be a mechanic because you graduate tech school you have just added to your formal qualifications which often means nothing in the real world. If you go to tech school before working you still have no experience when you really start working. Id rather trust a mechanic that has worked for 5 to 10 years than a technician that just started because the mechanic will have done the work even without the formal qualification. For example when I was working in a machine shop I taught myself how to program the cnc multi mill and cut significant machine time out of the program that a production engineer had written 10 or 15 years earlier even though my education is in social studies and I have no formal qualification in machine work. I don't like labels because they are very inflexible and only provide part of the the description to who or what you are.
I completely agree with what you said. I'm currently in school learning Diesel Mechanics but it is called "diesel Technology", so when people ask I say I'm getting my certification as a diesel tech. The truth is both words mean the same but since, like you said, a lot of verbiage is geared to "technician" it's just what I use.
rimmersbryggeri I ALSO AGREE WITH YOU.
Hey
Sorry to bring up an old video pal but I'm becoming a technician apprentice tomorrow.
This video helped me quite a lot in being able to know the definitive difference between a technician and a mechanic,
Thank you!
I'm happy to help. Thanks for your comment and good luck with your apprenticeship.
ETCG1 Hey dude. It went very well thanks! First car I learnt to do a service on today was actually a C63 AMG! Quite frankly, it couldn't have gone better.
Glad to hear it! Thanks again and good luck.
I agree with your point that a lot of skills of technicians and mechanics do overlap in the field of automotive repair. I would also argue that some modern vehicles are for lack of a better word a royal pain in the ass to work on not only for DIYers who may not necessarily have all the expensive equipment required to do such simple jobs like bleeding brakes but also for mechanics/technicians whatever you wanna call them. On the other hand I'm sure they make more money in the process of completing these repairs but I also wonder if in the future a lot of DIY work will become obsolete as a result of technological advancements.
I spent twenty years as a Master Tech, diagnostician, always did mechanical work as well. Finally decided to transition into the aviation field where my heart always longed to be. Got two and a half years of additional training. Does that make me a traitor to my gear head buddies? I never felts we got treated nicely as auto tech and working in dealerships affirmed that feeling when I noticed sales people revered as kings/queens while we were the dogs. Can you shed some light on why we are treated as such in such a prestigious vocation? Thank you.
+Michael Bonnici th-cam.com/video/wwfp0dyylqA/w-d-xo.html
I will commit to this; Salespeople have an opportunity to interact whereas shop people make their sales possible. I worked at a Toyota, BMW, Porsche-Audi dealer. I was the senior Porsche-Audi-BMW person. The salespeople frequently approached me to help them make sales and they would split their commission with me. I facilitated many sales based on technical aspects alone but I never saw a dollar, even a cup of coffee.
I have a low opinion of salespeople. They will say anything to make a sale that the shop has to live up to. They tell jokes, entertain and serve coffee while we make things happen but customers never have an opportunity to interact with the shop people. The thing is, when sales collapse, it is the shop, the mechs and techs, that keep the dealer in business. I have been on both sides so I know this well.
Thank You Eric for sharing your videos, knowledge and expertise. It is really appreciated.
Hello ETCG1,
Can you recommend a low to reasonably cost scan tool that allows access to vehicle functions (CAN), such as initializing ABS module for break flush?
I am DIY automotive engineer using my own tools.
Thanks in advance.
the latest audi (a4 b8 at least) does have a drain plug, but it does not come with a dipstick. you have to use the computer to get the oil level, and the most frustrating part is you need to wait about 12-24 hours for it to recalibrate. you can retrofit it, but .. just why, audi, WHY?
Awesome topic, great response gives us techs a good look
Hey Eric I have a 07 honda pilot that has the "eco" mode that comes on and off all the time real annoying. do you know of any way to get it to not use that mode at all? The only way I know of so far is pulling some fuse "one that's not running anything major" that will throw a engine code witch cancels the eco out. I mean is there a computer program or something that can go into the cars computer and cancel this thing out that you know of? I'm sure you won't get this but I thought I'd give it a try. Maybe someone else can chime in on it..
what do you consider briansmobile1 ?
l think technician is a buzz word that came around in the late 80s, and is just another name for a mechanic, when you were strong in one feild you were a specialist,,just like garbage man became sanatation engineer,,,it just sounded better,
Give a mechanic a Verus and he'll read codes. Give a tech a Verus and he'll read codes, utilize the 4 channel scope and use the component tester. There really is a difference. Trust me, I see it everyday
i love the george carlin skit on changing names
I agree somewhat. There are some people where the title is warranted (like scannerdanner who uses oscilloscopes to find leaks and misfires) and there's times where the company or individual applies the name without meaning. Like when employees became associates. A part timer working 12 hours a week isn't sitting in at corporate board meetings.
jeff bissey The difference I have found is the business model of the employer. From what I've seen, most employers (and employees in the flat time world) would rather not spend any time diagnosing at $140/hr when they could pump out 2 hours worth of flat rate suspension work in 45min. There isn't much motivation for people to go beyond the easy flat rate work. I prefer diagnostic work followed by correcting the problem, but it took a long time to find an employer who felt the same way.
+mustie1 People that work at McDonalds consider themselves technicians.
I don't care what you call it or what the title is because it all boils down to this: Can you fix it, or not?
Can you, are you, willing to pay the price or not? That is the real issue. Nowadays, people buy used cars they cannot afford to pay to repair and they come in wanting good prices. I don't do good prices, I do perfect work. Good prices you can find at WalMart, Costco, BJ's. Perfect work costs money because it requires time, training and a huge investment in tools.
I have had this discussion more than once. After listening to their story, and getting my opinion, I have had customers tell me that, "The shop down the street would do it for less."
I have told them, then what are you doing wasting your time here? Go over there and get it done before the price goes up. And I have often had them say something like, "Well, I already had it there and I am not happy with their work."
I have said, Look, I am not fixing their mistakes. Take it back over there because you already paid them to do it. If I take the job, I will have to start all over and check what they did and I am going to charge you for it. I do not use junkyard parts and often do not even used reman unless they have a lifetime limited warranty. I cannot make the car better than the hundreds of engineers who designed it so I tend to adhere to their repair protocols. I have had less than ten come backs in over 30 years and they were for unrelated issues.
Training, good diagnostic routines, and more training because as soon as you are about to master a repair topic, they change everything and it never ends. Mechanics stop training, Technicians never stop. That is the difference between the two, plus the level of perfectionism. I have watched a lot of medical programs and I think I can do an appendectomy but would you want me to do it for you? Training my friends, training and specialization just like physicians.
You're too caught up in titles. There are mechanics who can do circles are techs just the same as there are techs who can do circles around mechanics. We all know great ones on both sides, and we all know shit ones. We all know mechanics who charge more than techs, and techs who charge more than mechanics. It's cars, not rocket science, and like you said - experience is king.
I don't think there are many mechanics left,they call them selves technicians now.they don't fix anything they just replace parts.mechanics learn from experience, technicians go to school and very few become mechanics
sandy nell indeed I'm constantly hearing that good mechanics are hard to find because the millennials of America aren't interested in it and the old school experts are slowly retiring. who knows what the future holds they may have to start paying them what they're really worth to see quality work.
@@macuse2008 If anything I've learnt learning car mechanics in the UK, it's that the scan tool is NOT the first thing to jump to, lol. And when you do jump to it, all it's telling you is "this sensor that can pick up on MANY things is showing a fault somewhere, find where the fault is!", and not "this is the fault."
Mechanic = OBD-I, Technician = OBD-II. Give a technician an OBD-I vehicle and watch the head scratching marathon commence. God forbid if it's a carburetor. If you can rebuild a carburetored engine you're automatically a mechanic in my book.
I feel that working on some of the older OBD I cars and trucks can make you a better technician because some older OBD I cars and trucks do not get you live data so this makes you have to go the component and backprobe connectors to get reading from a multimeter or maybe an scope
uprednecked Kinda more fun in a way. Not a time saver, but sometimes their simplicity is to your advantage.
Carbureted motors are dead with rare exception, so it doesn't really matter if a modern tech doesn't know what to do with one.
Your argument is as silly as expecting an IT guy to know how to operate a computer that fills a whole room and uses punch cards. It just doesn't matter anymore.
dchawk81 Its your own opinion man! I was referring to OBD I diagnostic work. No carbs involved. I think if you know how to work on a carbs and distributers you have an advantage. There are still classic cars and trucks and other older stuff still on the road and some small engines still have carbs chainsaws, lawmowers, etc. I have talked to people and they are feed up with shops not working on there old cars and trucks because a tech will look at it and say oh its got a carb! I cant fix that! But yes in this day a age electrical diagnostic work it more imporant! It also depends on what your working on too. maybe your right when it comes to the computer and IT industry. But in the the auto/truck/small engine industry to be successful you should know both the new and old
uprednecked
Carbs are outdated....Not saying we shouldn't know it, just that I've NEVER had the opportunity. I eat up every TH-cam video from my favorites that I can get on the subject, but hands on experience hasn't yet been an option.
Small engines? Mine still haven't needed service.
OBD I...harder to diagnose? Yes and no. They're simpler, and aren't compatible with my scanner, but I can still do direct testing. Solutions tend to be easy to find based on skills I developed before knowing how to use OBD II to help me. True testing needs great knowledge, but OBD I is kinda of a fun change on occasion. :)
I worked in car dealerships for years and one of the best I ever worked with always made it a point to say, "I'm not a technician; I'm a mechanic. I can fix things"
Was looking for this lol thank you
My husband is a really good mechanic and been doing it over 40 years but a technician he's not. Thanks to all the great TH-cam technicians doing videos, I've been studying my butt off and have a few scan tools now to help guide him and do the diagnostic part or we work on it together and come up with the solutions.
Hubby said today that he would've had to have called it quits in the trade, if it wasn't for my help but really, we teach each other and always have something to talk about over dinner.
Automotive technology has changed so much! It just seems like yesterday when I was a wide eyed lot lizard watching guy's use the Snap-on "red brick" and talking about the different modules coming out, or curiously watching someone hook up a scope, not realizing I was learning also😳
A title like that sounds expensive, lol I'm a backyard technician
+Faster The Dragster
Jeez, according to most of these guys, you just insulted yourself !!
T Andrews not the first time and I'm sure it won't be the last !!
I thought the opposite. Im a GST (General Service Technician) and all I is oil changes and tires. I thought a mechanic is the guys who been in it for years and years and perform more diagnostics and harder repairs.
Comparing technician to a mechanic is like comparing a red apple to a red apple.
Bryson Caudle yet we have organic red apples that taste better and red apples grown with chemicals which taste bland.
Give me an organic apple and a chemically "assisted" apple 3 minutes apart and I'll have a hard time telling the difference.
@@trevordg419 organic apples are smaller
Hey men check this out , all data repair low cost , lol
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Thanks, it’s my birthday. Automotive technician in training, like the video, solid discussion.
Why the fck is this not a repair video?!??
Oh I'm fucken pissed !!! I'm going to take my INGERSOll rand w1130 break it and then fix it with better machine milled parts and then fix my sex swing and paint it pink to match my personality. Fuxk!!
Well OK then.
A "mechanic" knows HOW to change a part. A "technician" knows WHY to change a part.
Lol ok
Your completely wrong on that. A lot of people I seen work on cars have now Idea what most things do.
Why would you just change a part when you don't know if there's something wrong or right it's actually dumb
Nope. It pretty much goes like this. Old wrenches are mechanics, younger ones are technicians. And then there are the freaks, old wrenches that learn new technician stuff and young technicians that learn the old mechanic stuff. I have been spinning wrenches for over 45 years now and I have had MANY more technicians ask me for advice then me asking a technician for advice.
Does a tire tech know why to change the tire and a libe tech know why to change the oil?
I've been binge watching these videos for the past couple of days...and I have to say, I'm very impressed with the work that you and a lot of techs do. You, Scotty Kilmer, ChrisFix, Humble Mechanic, Engineering Explained...so much more! It's inspired me, I look forward to working on my vehicles now! I hope someday I can reach the caliber that you guys have, hell, maybe I'll be able to make some money off of it ;) ...if I could, I'd give you a raise! ...but the closest I can do, other than saying thanks, is to just keep on watching your stuff! :)
#StayDirty
I prefer mechanic.
I am working on machines, mechanical devices. Some of the machines have gotten very technical and I might use some electrical technology to repair them but it's still a machine.
Even when I'm working on rebuilding or adjusting guitars I call myself a guitar mechanic. ( Luthier seems a bit pretentious, especially since I never worked on a lute).
CorollaNut68 true
Can you do a video explaining the difference between a "stripper" and a "dancer"? Jokes aside, you rock
HEY!, THIS ISN'T A REPAIR VIDEO:(
50gunner no shit he said off the rip this wasn't a repair video!!!!!
lol sarcasm
Do you know how to read(ETCG1) is a talk chanel and (Eric the car guy) is a repair and diagnos cars
Happy Birthday!!
😂😂😂 why am i laughing??
I see it as there are mechanics/technicians and there are diagnosticians/troubleshooters. 98% of people are strictly the former, 1%of people are strictly the latter and 1% are both.
And you sir are all four.
Schrodingers Box I personally believe that the 1% that can perform reliable diagnostics should be able to perform reliable repairs as well. I know many techs that cannot perform higher level diagnostics.
Schrodingers Box being a mechanic is NOT easy try taking this apart and putting it back together from memorywww.clubvw.org.au/oldart015
Hayden Fontaine Ummmm- don't do it from memory and it's not a problem. Smart people take notes.
Agreed, I take things apart and set myself a methodical approach to reassembling them so I don't have any setbacks for reassembly..... However I can rip apart and rebuild most Toyota and Honda motors from memory from repetition. It comes with practice and good "practice" of helping yourself do it. if you want to think of being "Good" in equivalency; Diagnosticians of vehicles would be the neurosurgeons of cars. Most "Mechanics" are idiots with a wrench that can remember where bolts go. Technicians are people that can handle the physical and mental stress of having to competently do a proper job while diagnosing an issue scientifically.
People forget that a vehicle was designed by people that think scientifically. If you take a caveman approach to something that should be delicately thought out, you will always be wrong. This is why techs that are intellectually well versed and tend to last longer than others.
Technicians = know "when & why" to change based on manufacture's recommendations.
Mechanics = know "what, when, where, why, how" to change based on real experience, personal skills/development. Rely less on recommendations and more on fortifications.
Specialists/Engineers = think they are always right when really its the Mechanics who are right.
Will the pay ever meet the needs of todays evolving cars? Low pay is why good techs are hard to find. Lots of headache for such low pay.
I feel like it would be very hard to get everyone to realize cars are becoming more and more difficult to work on and that mechanics deserve more compensation nobody likes an expensive mechanic bill.
Your repair videos taught me so much in the past 2 years, im stoked to see this new branch of videos you have put up, answers so many questions I have thought about while under the cars working!! Keep it up +ETCG1☝
I will and thanks!
+ETCG1 there is no devide a tech does it all ere in ireland full stop.ye yanks are light years behind on technology in motor trade and plumbing!!!!
ETCG1 Just wondering what kind of ABS scanner do you got and where can I get one??
I've been an A&P Mechanic/Aircraft Maintenance Technician working on everything from Cessna's to fighter jets for over thirty years, using all kinds of electronics diagnostic tools, hand and power tools, lathes, milling machines, welders etc.. I've also been an auto mechanic, worked in several garages and built numerous cars, motorcycles and boats, and worked as an outside Machinist on submarine dry docks, rebuilding pumps motors, gear boxes, cranes etc. In my mind, a mechanic can fabricate, repair, troubleshoot, test anything and gets real dirty doing it. And a technician fixes cash registers and copy machines, and would have a hard time changing a tire and has baby soft clean hands.
So what your saying is when you were aircraft tech you had baby soft hands and only fixed cash registers?
+Jane Smith That's what I got out of that hahaha
Jane Smith Reading comprehension is a problem for you eh?
+Jojo Diver People like you are Magicians, but today employers only want mechanics that changes wheels and stuff like that or technicians looking on the computer that such probe is broken but the mechanic is fine....
The other job that can not be settled in this kind of workshop is for magicians.
+ALMIGHTY ED I've been an A&P "mechanic" for 24 years and refer to myself as such. (My "title" at work is Test Cell Master Technician). Anyway.... I have a 13 year old AUTISTIC son who loves minecraft, which I will play with him, so don't judge if someone watches videos on the subject. You don't know his situation.
Sorry Eric, I was working as a mechanic back when "technician" started to get used which was the same time that the garbage man started getting called a sanitation engineer, secretaries started being called assistants, etc. It was nothing more than part of the make everyone feel good about themselves movement because the old name was too degrading movement. Now 30 years later that the old name "mechanic" is still being used there seems to be a need to try and differentiate between the two when there really isn't a difference. I agree that today there are more "specialized technicians" but a really good mechanic is able to do all or just about all of it.
+BlameRepublicans Tl;dr mechanics and technicians are the same thing, just more friendly term. Lazy ass
+BlameRepublicans
I take extreme offense to that post !
I'm politically libertarian-conservative, socially liberal, and fiscally a conservative ( I don't like the socialist-liberal-democrats who are currently running for President and who are trying to "Out-Socialist-the-other") - I'm also a member of MENSA, and I have almost 40 years of fixing MY OWN car. (So much for ruining the "average" demographic for nearly every category of voter)
TO ETCG1 : I started doing tuneups at 14, when I bought my own engine analyzer which only measured dwell and tach. Does a technician even know the term "dwell" anymore ? Does that type of knowledge make me a "mechanic" ?
In my opinion, like ETCG1, a "mechanic" uses less technology to diagnose, but I think he/she also uses a lot more "guess work" and hence, probably a lot less unnecessary "replacing" because they don't "guess" what is wrong as much. "Technicians" don't do as much "repair", because it is my opinion that they lose at least some of the mechanical skill it takes to diagnose without elaborate equipment. ... Can a "technician" with very little experience diagnose a deep engine problem by only "listening" to it ? Probably not.
Conversely, can a technician with little experience correctly diagnose and repair the correct part if he uses expensive diagnostic equipment ? Of course ! The result is usually inversely proportional to merely making an "educated-guess" at what is wrong,(and an overall better quality of service to the consumer) and only something that comes with experience.
However, both types of car "repair-persons" are prone to the same type of customer abuse if the repair shop isn't basically honest.
My experience is that most dealerships and most chain lube places are honest, (but more prone to forget to replace the drain plug - I personally have 3 close friends and a brother-in-law that had to replace engines because of that "little bit" of experience lesson in forgetfulness) BUT about 75% of my friends who went to no-name "mechanics" were severely misdiagnosed, with unnecessary repairs/replacement. The financial incentives seem to be just too hard to resist for even a basically honest church-going Christian person when it comes to making a lively-hood. Surprisingly, the best mechanics I ever heard of were the "shade-tree" guys who worked part-time replacing parts for friends in their drive-way.
btw.......Is there anyone I forgot to "tick-off" in this reply, including ECTG ? Hey man, everybody's life-experience is different, that's why we all have opinions. The key is to not take things personally. When did being so afraid to offend someone makes us afraid to speak our mind ? Thanks politically correctness ! "opinions are like butt-holes, everybody has one" ;)
Exactly! A technician is a title that started in the 80's during the "feel good" movement. Now it has evolved into a term that is used in place of mechanic and it should not be. It should designate a specialist on a particular system or vehicle line. A "mechanic" to me is one who can pull a trans, but takes it to a transmission "technician" for repair and then reinstall's it. A "master mechanic" is one who pulls the trans and then rebuilds it in his garage, can fabricate tools to use if the special ones are not available, and then puts it back into the car. But he also understands PWM used to control fuel pump pressure or drive by wire throttles, and can change out the u-joints in the front stub shafts of a 74 Chevy Blazer out on the trail.
You are just saying all that to feel like authoritative. Make you feel like a big man huh? Bet you can't even pin-point diagnose a fuel-trim problem using freeze frame data. lol You are saying a lot, but saying nothing. I see no automotive proficiency in any of that little monologue you gave.
No, there is more to mechanics than just part swapping. You sound like a shade tree mechanic. A real tech should know how to diagnose switching devices and if the primary or secondary coils are being energized. lol You don't know get out of here. haha
Ahh....the world of political correctness. You can dress it up, paint it, diamond coat it, or put it on your mantle, but a turd is still a turd. I agree that there is a huge difference in the trade from before the age of electronics to now, but you still repair vehicles. Nothing has changed in that regard. The mechanic, grease monkey, gouging thief reputation that so many people see the trade as is a reality, and I believe the reason for the change in title was solely meant to distance the industry from it. My son is an apprentice automotive service technician, and I am very proud of him for it. But when you tell anyone over 40 what he is doing, they don't have a clue what it is until you say "mechanic". No matter what your chosen vocation, do it well, be proud of it, and don't worry about titles and impressions.
Well said, very well said. Most mechanics will not be mechanics in the future, even to replace a engine and a transmission needs programming. Even a trans repair or engine will need a scanner to perform a relearn. Not knocking nobody, just saying we all need to stay ahead.
-present Ford Senior Master.
I'm not a mechanic or a technician, I am a mechanical engineer an electrical engineer and a chemical engineer, I design, and fabricate and build, I also have my masters in duct-tape-ology and my jerry riggins degree, and when I dont know I look to technical data and the al o mighty "hey gooogle"
It's so true its terrible
😂😂😂🤣 why, why, did i read this?!!! 😂 soon google will start charging for any information they give you.... lets pray they don't think about it though or else we'll be doomed!!
I think automotive mechanics is one of the most difficult trades to learn and make a living of, and its getting harder by the time.
I agree man, Zach at my work is the tech with the wizardry of the computer junk and Jason is the mechanic he knows a little bit of electronic stuff but mostly, well mechanical stuff, he’s an Encyclopedia of torque specs of all kinds of engines , I’m just a parts changer. Well a body man but just if they need an alternator, battery, coolant hose, stuff like that I do it.
Its my birthday!! That was kind of exciting haha
Eric, I love your channels so much. You are probably one of the most logical and well spoken youtube mechanics, and you have so much great content!
There are some mechanics (80s-90s) are better than most Technician’s, as their experience is a learned by trial and error over time but evolved to be correct on diagnosing vehicle’s through elimination of fault.
I know a few dealership techs, total dumbasses, without that first plug in to the DTC port they couldn’t diagnose Yoo-hoo from a thick shake, coming up with a process as to remembering from other vehicles with the same fault because they automatically wipe it from their memory is pretty much the normality, and changing from vehicle to vehicle is impossible, working at BMW dealer then working at an Audi dealer is like starting again for them but going from German to Asian is a no go.!!
Newly trained (factory) techs cannot problem solve, there’s no back way or trying an alternative, it’s not their fault entirely but more of the way of modern training and vehicles requiring 10 hours of diagnostics.!!
"Mechnician or Techanic" lol :D
'Techanic'
Sounds precariously close to 'Titanic'.
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As a fleet tech for a major shipping company I wear several hats. Mechanic, technician, secretary, EPA specialist, spill clean up, and several others. We don't get involved with transmission overhauls or engine rebuilding, it's too time consuming with 72 trucks and 2 techs. I change a lot of oil, brakes and tires. But I also have a fleet of diesels that have the DEF systems that are problematic to say the least. Mercedes Sprinters are the bulk of them. I don't know how many of you have had the joy of installing a turbo on one of these, but there are a few bolts that are done by Braille, seriously!! But as Eric pointed out Mercedes has computers that monitor and talk to each other, one simple problem can cause the truck to be in limp home mode. We see it daily, when they had less than 150 k they weren't to bad, now they are creeping up on 200k to 250k we've gotten a lot busier.
Mechanics are basically parts changers who can visually identify a problem and repair it, but have trouble diagnosing intermittent problems. Technicians are the ones who have to track down intermittent problems through scan tools and electrical troubleshooting to diagnose a problem so a mechanic can repair it!
My birthday is on June 16! So you better make a video on that day! Lol
LOL I'll have to figure out what day of the week my birthday is. I might feel left out by Eric.
dainternetguru When it was a day off I just counted it good enough. :)
I think I can sum it up in a pretty simple way:
Non-electronic mechanic systems = mechanic;
Electronically assisted mechanical systems = technician.
Non-electronics = mechanic;
Electronics = technician.
+ChrisKsan
Some Techs are also good mechanics. Some mechanics are sometimes good Techs too. I got my first engine analyzer when I was 14 (it only measured dwell and tach - doesn't count as tech now, probably). I now have 37 years of shade-tree experience in all major manufactures, basically from the Old Beatle (the most simple engine) to a Competition Ion Redline from GM Performance Division, with a stage 2 mod that only had a 1,089 production run over all 4 years, and has a suspension set up for racing on the Nurburgring. (The base car can still be bought for a song by people who don't know what they are, and modded to 300+ WHEEL hp not shaft hp, ..very high for a 2800lb car...and modded for under $2,000, but they are very rarely available for sale, most are in collections, not mine....which is driven, ...as how ALL cars should be enjoyed !! Even that $3mil Carroll Shelby Cobra #1 !!, well maybe not THAT one, since Shelby himself can't drive it... anymore, but I don't believe in Trailer Queens. They become pieces of Art, not cars anymore.)
+ChrisKsan pretty good summary there, in my country(australia) we refer to ourselves as mechanics who do the majority of the things on cars mechanical, diagnosis using scan tools ect and light to medium electrical work, then we have dedicated auto electricians for those hard to find electrical problems, complete rewiring of cars ect. the only people who refer to themselves as "technicians"in my country are mostly just pretentious snobs have the need to feel self important , but each to their own :)
MrTechsupport87 Interesting insight. Thank you.
Well, I believe that is something that happens anywhere in the world. Aside from the facts, some people like to use terms and overuse or exaggerate them in order to feed their egos or shortcomings whether they deserve it or not. Facts remain facts regardless of opinion. That sort of behavior is especially prevalent in corporations where titles are thrown around for people to feel overly important, but that's another topic. :)
Why did I waste so much time in college learning nothing, when I should have gone to trade school and learned something useful.
This is interesting. I always thought that technician is the opposite of what you are saying. When i think of a technician I think of the guys at Valvoline who have a basic knowledge of this that and the third. Which was making me weary of going into an automotive technician program because I didn't want to learn a small range of repairs compared to a master mechanic who knows all aspects of the vehicle. Thanks for the clarification!
+Marissa Monster Your first thought was right......
+Chris C Agreed! I always thought of it that way too, so, mechanics have trained and have an understanding of the whole vehicle and knowledge and skills that they can apply to almost any type of system they might come across, whereas I thought technicians were trained to perform specific tasks or jobs, rather than diagnosing and fault finding.
+Chris C
I also agree....you're going to learn how to bust your butt for little pay, under a hot car, changing oil that is going to give you 2nd degree burns, and you are going to end up hating cars. You would be better off and probably learning more by buying a used late model Camry, (which has one of the better laid out engines, IMO) that needs a lot of rebuilding, and then just re-building every thing on it, and then keeping it. They are good for over 300k miles when cared for. They will rust before they break. You have to REALLY TRY to kill a Toyota. And there is a ton of stuff on You-Tube about them. You don't even have to pay for school. Hey, I have a very rare car, only 1,089 ever made over 4 years, but I still find stuff on the ole' You-tube about it... you can learn anything here, and there's a ton of stuff on the Camry....Its the most produced car since the VW Beatle and made car since the model T.
+T Andrews I agree. Most of these auto tech programs are a bad deal at best and one step above a scam at worst. I've learned everything I know about cars from the internet, and the only irritating thing is that a lot of people won't take you seriously without a piece of paper that says you took a basic class on it. These days you can teach yourself to do anything if you have the time, patience, and motivation.
I think the use of Mechanic and Technician is directly reversible. You can call a mechanic or a technician either or.
A specialist in something like diagnosing issues would be a specialist. You'd get a Brakes specialist, an Exhaust specialist, Ignition and Air specialist, Suspension and Running Gear specialist, Engine Building specialist, Electrical specialist and Bodywork specialist. They're all under their own categories when they're named by their strengths. I'd probably be a brakes specialist, but only because it's something I do a lot of. All of the above are still mechanics or technicians however you call it.
Where I work, we have a guy who's been in the trade for the best part of 45 years and has 'seen it all', a guy with engine mechanical and technical diagnosis and repair qualifications, a guy with modern electrical components and operations qualifications and we have a guy who is a Jack-Of-All, Master-Of-None dealio. When a car rolls in with a horrendous noise, the guy with engine mechanical technical qualifications could probably take a quick guess before starting, do a full diagnostic process on that part and then find his initial guess was correct, followed by checking everything else, where the others would just diagnose the problem and then find the problem after the full process. If there was an electrical fault, the others are hopeless in comparison to the guy with the electronics qualifications. But each and every one of them can do exactly the same job. They have done the time to be able to make accurate guesses to aid speeding up the diagnostic process, being able to pin-point a good idea what's causing something and checking if they're right. If they're not, they'll make their next best guess and go from there and so on. Whilst they all could make their best guesses, someone with technical experience with those problems would be able to do a more accurate guess of where their diagnostic process starts. Do they do a compression test first, or do they do an exhaust gases coolant test, ect.
Being able to make a quick, accurate guess on where to start diagnostics is one of the best ways to save time, and the better you are, the higher your success rates are and the less you get comebacks, though you should never realistically have comebacks if you're doing your job right. Right fix first time is the best thing to follow.
I disagree with your interchangeability thesis.
I think your are dead on. When the Electronic Fuel and Electronic Control Modules were put on "ALL" vehicles-- mid 80's ALL mechanics had to adapt to new Technology and became Technicians. And during their transition they brought their mechanical skills. Fast Foward to year 2000+ everything in cars is electronically controlled. Therefore mechanic title is gone. All the previous Mechanics/Technicians as they retire or quit the profession we end up with less and less mechanics and only Technicians with some mechanical skills.
To me: A mechanic is a person that relied on experience, advice, trial and error, and common sense to fix or maintain a motor vehicle.
To me: A technician is person that relies on a computer to correct a malfunction on a motor skills. But they require mechanical skills to remove and replace the parts the computer reported as malfunctioning.
Mechanics are becoming an endangered species.
Used to be a mechanic worked on the complete vehicle often without manuals or documentation of his skill.
It was a brave world and they knew things, many things, even things that the educated white collar designers of the vehicle would never understand.
Today as you pointed out everything is overcomplicated and specialized.
Technicians of many different disciplines are required to attempt to diagnose and repair a vehicle.
Often they fail as they work like a committee meeting or a true democracy.
Without a strong knowledgeable shop foreman, they most likely would be unable to find there way out of the break room.
Indeed.
"Often they fail as they work like a committee meeting or a true democracy."
Have you ever been to or listened to a gov't committee meeting? Lot's of talk (some of it very intellectual) but little if anything gets fixed or resolved. Same thing here. I mean really does a real mechanic need a hot-shot shop foreman to say:" loosen and remove this, this and this and I'll be back in 20 minutes". No - a real mechanic can think for himself under all circumstances. Whether it's an air ratchet or sophisticated scope/meter, any mechanic worth his salt will take it on.
Do you want to know a secret? The most important tool in your shop is the millions of pages of information we pay a pretty price for that tells you what to do and how to do it. I'm getting fed up with semantics. Whether it requires a wrench or a scope JUST GET IN AND DO IT !!! Back when I used to have mechanics working for me I'd tell them: " I don't want to be told something can't be done" - So whether it requires you taking the information home and studying it, sleeping on it, coming back and tackling it when you're refreshed, IT CAN BE DONE. Customers sometimes ask me: Can it be fixed? I always tell them: ANYTHING can be fixed, it's just how much do you want to spend on it?
To be honest this is not a profession for the faint in heart - personally I think we're all a little crazy. ThanksRod
RodsAutomotive We all are a little crazy, but I love it. Just got my first interview offer to do this professionally instead of a side business.
DE Nichols I have made a video the other day which sort of encompasses about needing to leave the EU called facts what you are not told, and I only got two views and that was me. I do know I need help or advice upon making my youtube channel more popular.
No, I completely disagree. I have been a Mechanic for 16 years. I do a lot of technical work, but didn’t go to trade school and don’t wear a lab coat to work on a vehicle. I know how to rebuild things without a manual, and although I respect Eric, I disagree with this point completely. I will post my rebuttal video shortly.
Easy, one is happy they can put brake pads on with the correct side facing the rotor, the other knows where a G101 ground is and has fixed them.
Come on, relax mechanics, it’s just a joke.
To me a Mechanic does everything , diagnose and fix , a Technician , I like to call them specialty people does one specific thing , like diagnose , a trans ,or electronic car stuff . then there are parts changers , they change what someone , most likely the technician tells them needs done. I guess it is all terminology and depends on what part of the country you live in . Like take pop, or soda or what ever you call it , it is all the same just another word. I believe terminology is used more i dealerships and as much in smaller shops.
Hmmm...to be or not to be!!
That is the question?
🤣🤣🤣
You cut off your intro music. Not cool. That organ riff has soul. Please do not do that again. I want to enjoy the whole riff damn it.
It's a lot different ballgame in the automotive field compared to 10 - 15 years ago
Hi Eric, your videos are great, especially since I'm training to become a technician myself. You would be a great instructor if you ever choose to become one (maybe at the college I attend? lol). Well anyway, your vids are great guides, and thanks for posting good content. Cheers.
whoaAZN is it worth it since there are more moderen cars or would that benefit the career
@@mumzybeast6230 Were you able to jump into the technician world and found an answer to that question which i would gladly love to know since im on the road to choosing automotive over auto mechanic?
i am one of the professionals, but I do not accept the label of technician. I'm a mechanic. I work on trucks, I get greasy.
Well said! #StayDirty
Mechanics use wrenches to fix cars. Technicians use computers to fix computers.
being a "mechanic" is a lost art. The old guys in the shop are usually the only real mechanics left. While a technician can diagnose and replace broken parts, the old school mechanics often repaired cars with raw materials. Most technicians cant weld or do metal work, or figure out how to make something work with a hammer and a bailing wire.
You are partially correct and I agree n those parts.
To me the difference is superfluous. I don't see that there's more prestige in calling my self a technician over a mechanic or vise versa. My general attitude to this is call me what you like, the job is the same. Title does not equal ability. It should, but rarely does.
I'm a former air craft mechanic/technician. At the end of the day 15 an hour to find a way to fix/fabricate on air craft is a waste of life. I decided I didn't want to be a smurf with a wrench and now I'm looking for a better job that doesn't stress me out, take from my body, and dictate my schedule. I've had it with the ridiculous, and now I have 15k in tools that'll chill in my garage until I need to use that talent for myself. It's a waste of resources being a mechanic if you're not going to get rewarded for it.
So here's what it means to me. If you can jockey the title to get a better wage then be the technician or be the mechanic - whatever you want to hear. However, if you need an emotional attachment to a specific title. I dunno, pick your pony and take what you can get? Best of luck to all my fellow knuckle draggers! =)
me personally i would say that the person who fix a car when broke down is a mechanic...no matter what type of problem the car may have...now people who installed parts on a car per say like the persons who work at a car factory that has to install new fenders, bumpers, windshields or any part on a brand new car or chassis or frame those ppl should be called technicians because they are not repairing just are just making a car comes alive for the 1st time and they dont do the dirty work..not disrespecting dont get me wrong am just saying that the subject mechanic it came when your car broke down and who was going to fix it? the technician? nope it is nobody else but the mechanic!! right?
Yep, All true, Eric. For me, I was a Mechanic. I have been out of the profession for many many years now. But I still spin the wrench. I could never keep up in my later years of wrenching with the Technicians. So I left the field. I am probable more able to do more technical things these days and understanding the computers and electronics of vehicles, now. Then I did back then. So I have tried to get back into the business in the form of service adviser. But I'm told that i have been out of it too long and the business has changed. LOL!
So yes. There is a difference between Technicians and Mechanics. But something has been lost because some of those Technicians have written off us old Mechanics. So something has gotten lost to where I think cars are not getting properly repaired these days. I've just seen way too many horror stories coming out of modern shops and dealerships. The respect from the Technicians for the Mechanics is just not there. I saw it in my last days in the profession. They felt they were above us. There is still a need for us Mechanics.
And yes, the pay should be MUCH higher for Techs and Mechanics. But the public will always look at us as ripping them off when they look at how much the labor is on a service ticket. That was another reason I got out of it, but that's for another video.
Love your channels!!
I say it's everybody's birthday on every video. The knowledge you bestow upon us with each video is like a birthday present! I'm gonna use the knowledge you give me, especially on your main channel, when I get more mechanically inclined with my '16 Forte after its warranty expires.
Stay dirty!
This channel is great, and I liked this video, Eric keeps it real, thank etcg1!
Calling urself a Technician doesn't make you better. I prefer being called a Mechanic. I think the verbiage Auto Technician is just a way of making urself feel better about what you do. I know some Techs that can't change oil correctly and a mechanic that can fix a hybrid. So throw a great sounding name to show off but if u are not good... Well.... It's not going to impress anyone.
As a 20+ year veteran "Mechanic " I have worked on, rebuilt, diagnosed or repaired everything from multi million dollor pieces of heavy equipment all the way down to Rc nitro engines and just about everything in between. including welding, fabrication and machine work. I can't hardly stand the term "technician ". Yes, I do have ASE "Master Tech" certifications in both diesel and automotive but the ONLY time those silly papers ever get shown or even talked about for that matter is in a job interview. Because in this redicules "politically correct " world we live in, those papers equate to more $$.
I have so much more respect for the guys (and gals) that are out in the field getting their hands dirty, learning the trade from experience than I do for the ones that call themselves "tecnicians" and feel they have to prove it to everyone by wearing a patch on their sleeve
I've summed it up... Technicians are the proud (of their skills/achievements/specialty) who like to distinguish themselves apart from other people who "do mechanic work".... Mechanics are proud of their skills and like to distinguish themselves among people who don't know how to work on stuff at all. I've worked with both types of automotive repair people so i would know LOL
I am a Mechanic. I was trained as an Aircraft mechanic. Now I work on heavy equipment. I rebuild engines, transmissions, gearboxes and differentials. I also build custom hydraulic systems, troubleshoot navigation and autosteering systems as well as fixing a/c systems, chasing CAN problems and repairing electrical systems. I am required and execute any and all repairs that come into my shop and while I fix cars as a hobby, I am and will all ways be a Mechanic.
my input as a mechanic in England for 25+ years, It doesn't really matter how you label yourself, We see "fast-fit" centre guys calling themselves technicians so the "Tech" badge doesn't cut a lot of ice here in the UK (not that all fast fit guys are less able than anyone else of course) The biggest difference is individual ability, experience counts for everything in our trade, even if your working on a model you've never worked on before experience tells you how things are supposed to work or come apart.
My biggest gripe especially with modern vehicles is how much we are expected to know in order to remain up to speed and how our wages are completely non reflective of that, Electricians, Plumbers, software technicians/programmers, etc all earn more than us humble mechanics yet we are expected to know a fair amount of all the above trades.
I would argue also that "most" mechanics (that I know of anyway) are all pretty able to carry out electrical or plumbing repairs in the home, most of us have pretty decent IT knowledge too but ask any one of the above tradesmen to replace a set of brake pads on their cars and most wouldn't have a clue.
we also invest a great deal more into our prefession than most other tradesmen too, how much 5is the average snap-on roll cab full of tools worth? I know I've spend a small fortune over the years, Conclusion: I think we need a worldwide strike to get better pay for mechanics...
Food for thought. 😀
At a transmission shop, you have the R&R techs, and the rebuilding techs. Some places they do both. If your main items are tools in your trades, you are considered a technician in my book. Mechanic or technician we are all the same, it's what you do that you are comfortable with. I don't mind being called a " grease monkey " I love what I do.
It's literally in the names. MECHANic. Mechanical.
TECHNIcian. Technology.
Good description. Especially with modern techs. I work at a Toyota dealership. Most days are pretty normal diagnosing sensor failures or mechanical failures. Then there's those days where you have a vehicle that comes in with a ball of electrical issues and you gotta put your thinking cap on. I'd say there is people better in one aspect of repair than the other but it seems everybody is pretty well rounded
Aviation Maintenance Technician here, we're called Mechanics, technicians, both are basically the same meaning in our field. We do both, hands on wrench turning, diagnosing with equipment, etc.
Not sure about the auto field, I suppose they're different.
+sacr3 When you're dealing with anything above, say 2005... They really aren't. Not by much anyway.
Heck, the other day I had a 2008 Audi with a sunroof that doesn't work. Turns out that because one body control module was not talking to another, the sunroof control module only relieved one of two activation triggers. The complexities of modern cars is confounding sometimes.
It's like that joke, "How many engineers does it take to change a light bulb?" Well, how many computers does it take to open a sunroof?
I have changed oil on countless Audi's. Yes you CAN suck the oil out through the dip stick, but that is not how you traditionally do it. There is a drain plug on the bottom just like any other car. The oil filter can be a challenge but you just need the right tool to unscrew it.
A Canadian AST (Automotive Service Technician) chiming in. When I began my career in the early 1990's and doing my apprenticeship, 9000 hours of hands on work was required before you could write the MTO (Ministry of Transportation of Ontario) Exam to receive your Certificate of Qualification. This stated Class "A" Automobile Mechanic. If you did very well, you would get a Red Seal Certification (Inter-Provincial). Class "A" allows repairs to any vehicles and their related systems, below a certain GVWR. During the two years of Apprenticeship and the previous two years of an Automotive Service Technician course at my local college, the MTO changed the Certificate of Qualification. I am a Licenced Class "S" AST, JP Class. (Journey Person). So basically, I am a Technician that was trained as a Mechanic, who has a Technicians Licence, with Red Seal Qualification in the Journey Persons Classification. Damn ! Crazy Stuff, eh Eric ? Don't even ask about the recent Licence fee hike !
What happened to the "Date" being included in the information above... When was this video posted ?
Eric, thanks for all your fantastic videos... You are blessed sir.
Question for you though, when do you start considering yourself a "Mechanic" in the first place ?
Just landing a cool job in a shop doesn't make one a mechanic, right ?
Umm, tools ! How many tools do you have to own to call yourself a mechanic ?
At what point in one's greasy smelly journey through the shop, across the concrete floor on your back, through the E.R. department for a busted knuckle (or two) and some stitches, and investing thousands of dollars of hard earned money on tools of every sort can you call yourself a mechanic ?
I never claim to be a mechanic... I just fix things.
I never claim to be a carpenter... I just build things.
I never claim to be an electrician, a plumber, or anything else, but I get the work done.
I run a small Mowing & Repair business for myself.
Been doing it for a few years or so and I still don't feel that I qualify to be called a mechanic.
But I can do almost any kind of work on most older vehicles, except rebuild the engines and transmissions, but only because I have never tried yet.
A few months ago I took a stroll through my 26' x 30' shop and tried to count at a quick glance "how much money have I invested in tools and equipment".
Well a twenty minute stroll revealed around $37,000. Does that make me a mechanic ?
I don't think so.
Just dealt with a TECHNICIAN yesterday. The deal was a broken clip on a fuel line. Tech had no idea how to fix or replace the clip, but could replace the whole fuel line, for $900. Brought the truck home, went to parts store and bought a selection of 6 clips for $4.30. If you can't find a mechanic, muddle through the job yourself, way better than having a TECHNICIAN that probably can't WRITE his own name.
In Germany if you finished your education after 2003 you will be a technician if you finisched before 2003 you will be an mechanic. If you are an mechanic you have to do some vocational education to be an technician.
Eric, I come from the generation that the vehicles did NOT have all this fancy computer stuff. I could do my own work WITHOUT the use of a computer to clear out codes, clear check engine light problems. I could do a 'tune up' (points, plugs, condenser, rotor, pcv.) Now unfortunately, I can't even do a simple thing as replaces brake pads with out needing a computer to clear out the car computer. I guess I fall into the category "backyard mechanic". I enjoyed working on cars from the 1950's and 60's.
Came back to watch this again. The employee probably wants to specialize but the employer (more at the independent shop) wants a "bumper to bumper" guy. I retired in 2005,the GM Dealer I left in 2000 let us specialize but the BMW Dealer I left in 2003 wanted us to be "bumper to bumper". It seems backwards.Dang I look back at these dates and I think things must have changed in the shop some. Last time I was in my old AZ BMW Dealer was 2010,I was visiting a guy I worked next to for a number of years, this fellow "Technician" had moved (bypassing Service Adviser) all the way to Service Manager, it is an amazing story. The other amazing part is a guy (mechanic) even older than me was still out in the shop flat rating it. We all thought he was going to drop dead in 2001 and here it was 10 years later and he is still going. I am really glad I got the chance to work with a car line like BMW. At school (I went to a school in Schamburg Il) they treated you so darn good. If you can find a spot at a BMW Dealer get in it ,it may be a place you can stay. By the way, I like family owned Dealerships much better than corporate owned Dealerships but the family owned is getting harder to find.
I am a DC electronics repair technician. I would have to agree, even though I usually work on smartphones and household electronics, I am a single board computer expert with a B.C.S., and can fix the electrical systems in cars, or even replace them entirely with different micro-controllers or RISC chips, wire-tuck harnesses, auxiliary fuse boxes etc, as well as reprogram them 100% with open source third party software. However, I am really only comfortable doing simple mechanical repairs, and get apprehensive about doing much beyond brakes or a bad gasket.
Even though I usually don't work on cars, I have to say, when I do, I am almost always fixing something a mechanic screwed up.
Whatever "type of car-fixer" you are, mechanic or Technician, I hope you take pride in having one of the most responsible jobs on the Planet, more so than even a Doctor. No one else except mechanics are responsible for ensuring the safe transport of our most valuable possession - our family, (and that of an on-coming driver), inside what is essentially a 2-ton lethal guided missile. Stuff just doesn't get more important than that.
And no I'm not a professional car-fixer-person. Just thought I would give you guys some well deserved Props.
(my brother is Neurosurgeon, before you Doctors start hating me, Doctors only heal your selves, and most people would gladly give their life to save their own family, and there are WAY more car accidents than brain surgeries !!! So, sorry to my Bro'..(he is pretty proud of himself), but in reality, your mechanic is more important than you) Funny Doctor Joke "What is the difference between God and Doctors.....God doesn't think he's a Doctor".
And no I'm not a professional car-fixer-person. Just thought I would give you guys some well deserved Props.
- I just wish drunk drivers would wrap their heads around that concept. Drunk drivers killing their own families happens more often than you'd think - This dude was drunk driving and killed his own wife - on Valentines day !!
fox6now.com/2016/03/23/valentines-day-turned-tragic-hartford-man-accused-of-killing-wife-in-drunk-driving-crash/
To me a Technician is brand specific , Ford, Toyota etc. Mechanic is bring it in I'll fix it. Jason Strathom did not do a movie called The Technician...Electronic shmonic, it's what's involved today. A Mechanic has a 6th Sense of what's wrong, technician needs a scanner's help, so they can tell customer when it's not fixed, it's the computers fault. Mechanic just says, Your Cars Ready. Technician refers to Tech, Wimpy. Mechanic says I'll date you and your daughter, and you'll buy dinner.
I'm not in your field but I've thought of the difference as a machanic fixes mechanical parts such as rebuilding a carb on an older car. A technition repairs computerised car components.
I know its semantics to a point, but I am a tech. and agree with you 100%
My biggest challenge is trying to explain this to my customers. So many times, I hear "billybob down the street can fix this --------- for $50.00" when in reality, to do it correctly, safely a $ 3500.00 job.
So what you are saying is, a technician knows more about diagnostics and electrical/electronic systems than a mechanic.....
Funny how GM dealers call their apprentice's techs....... hmmm
Good to know an apprentice knows more than a skilled, qualified, experienced, job tested mechanic knows.
My woman is a technician............ a lab tech!!
I am a mechanic in the automotive repair sector
45 years ago school janitors wanted to be called "custodians" because they thought it made their job sound more respectable. Forget the fact that the word "janitor" was directly derived from the Latin "Janus" - the Roman god of doors and entranceways. I think they were following the lead of New York garbagemen, whom a few years before, had successfully lobbied to be called "sanitation workers". But if you ask me (or Gertrude Stein) "a rose, is a rose, is a rose." Being a "mechanic" is a respectable profession. I don't have to call myself a "technician" to feel good about myself.
More technical more difficult. Shit pay job. Go into heavy duty ftw
I did cars for 8 years and decided to change to commercial trucks. Bin two years with diesel trucks. The change is the best decision I've ever made in my life and career. Job wise it isn't saturated. More opportunity to find work for large company's or city jobs. pay scale is on average $10-15 more and offer better bonuses and retirement plans. You would think bigger is harder but in reality it's easier. With the assist of cranes and forklifts and larger more powerful tools now and days, it def make your life easier. Working on bigger things is way better period! no more of that small cramped engine bay with a gazillion wires not to mention all the latest computers. Cars are like a customers baby. A truck however is a working vehicle, they are less picky! Diesel mechanic or any industrial equipment mechanic is the way to go!
***** car mechanic $20 to $35 cap. Diesel mechanic $30 - $60 cap. With overtime you can make $200k a year. This is in Alberta. I get paid $40 an hour straight time.
I actually think mechanics started becoming technicians when carburators became fuel injection systems; in other words, when TECHnology took the place of MECHANICal systems.
I used to work on all sorts of vehicles half my life ago. I do some work on some vehicles still, but I stay away from anything under the hood on modern cars. I don't know shit about them and everything is computerized now. I only buy old cars that are about ready to be junked and milk the last few years out of them because I can work on those. You might even say, they... MECHANICAL cars...
Technician is a term that is wasted on jobs like the stereo install guys at bestbuy, or tire "technicians" oil change "technicians" etc. It isn't that I don't like the title "Technician" it is just extremely overused. Rebuilds are usually done (not always) by uncertified and unlicensed "technicians". I really don't like the ASE system of certification and regions where the Vehicle Repair trades are voluntary vs. compulsory.
Cars used to be so simple before computers. I'm not even a mechanic, but I changed the carburetor, spark plugs and changed all fluids in my 1959 Cadillac series 62 without any help. Litterally the easiest thing ever. Computers have made everything a lot harder to fix.
Okay, here's why I don't like the term "Technician", because when I first started; Technicians (me) were the oil changers and W/S wiper changers and the true car guys were the Mechanics. The guys who could do it all. Then Mechanics were a step up from Technicians. I totally understand what your saying, because I lived through that evolution.
This falls into the same category Good Mechanic Good Technician verses Bad Technician Bad Mechanic.
There's alot BS how these people get away with doing shady work, just to fill their pockets.
If they tried make an effort do it right correctly, life would be less stressful.
Unfortunately, life don't work that way there's always those who give mechanics and technicians, a bad rep.
I agree with most of the posters, there are very distinct differences. When I started wrenching the word technician was used to describe a person who had a specialized skill. When I joined the Air Force in 1981 I was a "Flightline Technician." As a dealer wrench I was a "mechanic" until about the mid 80's when the computer started taking over the functions of the car, the complexity now required someone who just dealt with a specific area of the vehicle and they were called Technicians. Just by my age I consider myself a Mechanic with Technician skills. I can and have rebuilt an electronic controlled automatic transmission, calibrated PCM's with electronic tunes and still know how to set points gaps and dwell or jet a carb.
Self taught mechanic here with 3 years of mech engineering and 20+ years wrenching. I have worked in many garages, dealerships, etc. and worked on everything from weed eaters to 60 Liter V16 diesel powered frac pumps and generators. I consider a technician someone who is taught to do something specific and can't get outside of that box comfortably. Mechanics know theory, and deep knowledge of inner workings. When computers cant tell you which sensor to change you're gonna need a mechanic. A mechanic can learn what ever they need to in order to repair what is before them. Technicians learn what someone else teaches them. My current company lists my job as a field service tech, but our daily routine here is troubleshooting things that you have never seen before. You have to know the system, not what a system tells you. Honestly, my take on it is just my opinion, but the industry uses the terminology inconsistently with either view point.
Great topic, terrible names. Do you remember when we used to compare what we did to Doctors in their medical field? Last I checked, Doctors don't use "parts changers" (what some people now consider mechanics). Sure there are specialties in the medical arena, I get that. But I believe the word "Technician" was born from a vehicle manufacture's mentality to boost the image of the person working on their cars, and it worked. Heck, at one time I believed it too. (I was a chassis technician) Then I noticed there are tire technicians, lube and oil technicians, and so on. It's a name not well defined, but important sounding enough to make any average joe, or mechanic, or parts changer, or specialist... a technician. I understand the root words- MECHanic (of mechanical origins), TECHnician (of technical origin), I get that part too. But what did the doctors in their field do when technology changed? They got continuing education on new procedures and still called themselves Doctors. "Technician" sure sounds professional, but what I think is missing (good for another topic) is the personal connection between shop and customer. I don't mind being called a mechanic, if the name sounds warmer and welcomes more customers. I'm just a mechanic with a bunch of computers that will help calm their fears and fix their problems.
Well as I say we had our time the Old School Way Is Dying And the New Way Is Comin so we Hav to A Just Life Was fun know ya hav to hav the bank in your Pocket to fix the old Wreck we got good Pay for What we did we Kept the Shop,s goin So good Bye MecNEc you lived good Ther it,s Been said Done
I do mostly electronic diag stuff. But I get my hands dirty. Yay local area network systems. (AKA can bus) I don't want to hear another person ever say that a cars computer is as fast as my I5 4690k.... That's 4 cores that use 64 bit addressing and perform hundreds of millions of operations per second. A standard computer in a car is either 29bit or 32 addressing and it is no where near the processing power of a modern pc. It's what's called risc processing where one computer has one job and that's it.
I'm an Aircraft Engineer, and in the aircraft build and maintenance industry, we specialise even further. I, for example, specialise in mechanics, engines, transmission, airframe, landing gear etc. Then there are people who specialise in avionics (Aviation Electronics), such as radios, engine management, instruments, lights etc. And never the two shall meet, a Mechanical Engineer cannot work on avionics and vice versa. I think this is due to two things. The training involved is pretty heavy, systems knowledge, mathematics, mechanical principles etc are all taught, tested and re-tested every 6 months to 1 year. Another reason is the accountability. If I, for example, change an engine, I must sign and print my name for every single component/operation I was involved in, not simply "engine changed". And I can be held accountable in a court of law if it was found my workmanship caused death or destruction of the aircraft. My question after this ramble, however, is do you think that the automotive industry is heading this way? Do you think the future will see uber specialised automotive electricians and mechanics? Also, what about increased accountability, the type I see on aircraft, where you can pinpoint failure on one person and hold them accountable?