I've been an Audi tech since the fall of 2007 and finally have had it. Trying to deal with Audi (the company) and repair Audi's thoroughly, cleanly, right the first time and satisfy the customer while attempting to make a living just doesn't work. Doing warranty work on flat-rate is a guaranteed money loser. Last week, had to replace a 3.2L in an A4. Warranty pays 8.1 hrs. Remove, transfer (and clean) manifolds, brackets, etc, install the new engine, fill/bleed the cooling system, wash everything down, do a PROPER road test, run a scan to be sure there's no faults, prep and recrate the core engine, do the paperwork all for 8.1 hrs. I'm not a slouch or inept. Worked as fast as I could while still doing a good job and it took 14.5 hrs. So, that means I worked 6.4hrs FOR FREE. This is only an example, 99% of all warranty repairs are similar. We get a whopping 1 hr to diagnose, no matter what the concern. If it's a sporadic thing that requires a 20 mile road test on top of everything else, we get paid 1 hr. Anything over that hour , again we're working for free. It's impossible to make a living. Yeah I know what you're saying, whine, whine, whine. Well, why don't you be at work 42 hours a week and only get paid for 25-30 of them (or less)and see how you like it. The benefits suck on top of it all. The health insurance is useless (and I still get $43 a week deduction on my check for it), no dental even offered, and am making the same per booked flat-rape hour now as I was when I started. Almost makes the $50K of tools I've bought in the past 25 years worth having. Don't forget, tech's have to buy their own tools, they are NOT supplied by the employer (aside from Audi/VW mandatory special tools). When it's slow, it's even worse. Most people don't realize if we aren't working on a car, we're making exactly ZERO. Last week I booked 21 hours, the week before was 18. I'm sorry but that doesn't pay the bills. Wish you knew what it's like to work on $40,000-$180,000 cars with all the knowledge and skills we need as an Audi tech and I couldn't afford to buy one wheel and tire off the car. In roughly 6 months (if I can last that long), going to an indy shop that's always busy, with way less stress and no warranty crap. Figure my weekly income will average about double what I make on the best week at the dealer. There's a reason dealer tech's get a bad name. it's because we have to make a choice between doing a good job or earning a reasonable living. I can't make myself do a crappy job on a car so the only other choice is to get out and go indy.
Thanks guys for listening to me vent. I have to wait until late August to start at the new shop when another tech is retiring and it's going to seem like a looooooooong wait.

 

Damn, I hope my A4 doesn't break under Warranty. That doesn't sound right, does it? Is this guy for real?

 

Yes I am for real and yes, what I said about how dealer tech's on flat rate get paid, or rather not paid, is for real. I always tried to do my best work, fix it right the first time, satisfy the customer, etc... Working 40-45 hours a week and getting paid for 25-30 (there is no base salary on flat rate) wears a person down both emotionally and financially. The 5 1/2 years I was at the Audi dealer I was going backwards money wise.
Do not blame the tech for rushing a job and missing things simply because he or she is just trying to pay the bills. OK, if the tech is an incompetent, dishonest or something well then yeah, blame the tech. I was and always will be a good tech that refuses to do anything less than a perfect job and will NEVER be dishonest.
I've been at an EXCELLENT indy shop since early June and have never been happier or stress free. It's hourly, the shop is a relaxed atmosphere and keeps 5 tech's busy from 7:30am to 4:30pm every day. Plus, being relaxed and not rushed, I'm actually getting 4 times the work done with absolutely no comebacks. Added bonus, I take home 1/2 again as much, the benefits are WAY better than the dealer and the boss/owner is awesome. Best decision I've made in my entire life leaving the Audi dealer and going to this indy shop. It isn't just Audi dealers that are that way, it's every new car dealer.
Do not be afraid. Despite the way it sounds, most dealer tech's are out to do the best work they can, even on warranty. As the title says, I was venting what was on my mind at the time.
I have not been happier in my entire life than I am right now. The job I have now will be the last job I ever have because when I do leave, it'll be for retirement.

 

Aspen79's been around long enough, helped enough of our members, and proved his credibility 10,000 times over. If he says it, I believe him 110%.

Good luck with the move, Aspen.

 

Good luck. That sounds horrible.

 

Thanks! Yes, my new job is AWESOME! I love it and don't have one single complaint. I haven't been this happy going to work in years.

Being at an indy shop now, sort of on the outside looking in, I fully understand now why so many people hate the dealers, call them "stealerships", etc... Seriously. I would never, ever, go back to working at a new car dealer of any brand. Lot's of good tech's stuck in them trying to follow the dealer and manufacturers rules, working on flat-rape, and just generally getting screwed in a majority of cases.

I knew I didn't like my job at the Audi dealer (and don't take that as any kind of a cut on Audi's!) but now I realize I really bleeping hated it with a passion. The longer I'm gone from there, the more I see how bad it was.

As I mentioned before, most dealership technician's do their best to fix the car, fix it right the first time, do a quality job, keep the customer happy while still attempting to make a living (flat-rape again) and so on but they're hindered every step of the way.
At the dealer it seems to be more about quantity than quality of work through the door vs the indy quality over quantity. Like I said above though, with the relaxed atmosphere, working hourly and quite frankly with less equipment but run WAY more efficiently, I'm turning out 4 times the work as I did at the dealer and it doesn't really seem like I'm working that hard. The best thing is, with the time to PROPERLY diagnose instead of guess (due to flat-rape times) I haven't had one single comeback. Yes, comebacks happen no matter what you do and even the best tech in the world with have them from time to time but the goal is to have none.

My original post was mainly to vent and also to maybe give a little perspective into the business from a tech's point of view. That way, maybe you the customer could understand a little why things are the way they are at the dealer service dept. I hope I succeeded without coming off as whining(?)
Thanks for reading and have an excellent day!

 

You are so right, the dealers charge the customer $80.00 and hour and the tech only gets $30.00 of that. SO WRONG, warenty work never pays and probably never will. I rather pay an indy $40.00 to $50.00 and hour that all of it is going into his pocket and not someone elses. With todays auto technology it pays to stay ontop of thing, most mechanics are going to class on there dime.

 

Glad to hear things are working out for you. I just don't understand how/why a manufacture like Audi that cares so much about quality engineering and production and build such a beautifully executed machine could or would EVER support the kind of environment you say exists.

I don't know you, and of course, this is my first Audi and I'm an admitted Audi noob, even tho I've wanted one for 25 years now. I'm just wondering if you can give us any explanation as to why they would do or allow this to be done by Audi USA? My perception, and I think most of the general public is that yeah, you pay more at the dealer, but you get factory trained Tech's, using factory procedures, and doing quality, factory approved work.

Maybe this is a pipe dream. I'm 50 years old, have owned around a dozen NEW cars of all types. I always take NEW cars, within the Warranty at least to the Dealer. Are Audi dealerships totally independent of the factory? Is there a difference from Audi to other manufacturers dealerships?

I'd appreciate it if you would enlighten me more on the subject, from an insiders POV! Thank you for giving us this insight. The truth can be disturbing at times.

 

Thats the sad part of working for a foreign brand... its best to extort you at a low rate.. its sad.. maybe you can do work on the outside.. however I guess it goes against audi integrity..but there is money to b made!

 

First time Audi owner, first post to the forum; hope I don't start off on a bad foot...

It's nothing to do with being a foreign brand, it's all manufacturers. I was the Service Manager of a high-volume Ford dealer and it's the same there. Tech's getting paid 4 hours to replace the torque converter on a Taurus, or 1.8 hours to replace the rear axle on a Windstar when these jobs take considerably longer.

Manufacturers never go by "book time" and come up with their own convoluted and delusional system to determine the "average" time it should take for warranty work. The benefit of a non-luxury brand is we see our fair share of non-warranty work so even though the techs get screwed by Ford, the good techs can more than make up for it with customer pay.

Sounds like the OP made a great choice and I wish him the best in his new position!