legacycentral bbs

well ive been looking at 2 schools in particular, Nashville Auto-Diesel and UTI, im pretty sure though im going with Nashville asuming that ill be able to get in and pay for it, anyone heard much about this school?
ive heard it is supposed to be well regaurded as far as the diesel portion goes

I think im wanting to get more into diesels than anything, the only thing is ive never really had a history with diesels. Actually the first diesel motor i ever touched was 2 weeks ago in auto tech class, 6.9L IH out of a 86' F250, i tore it down and the teacher ordered a rebuild kit, new crank and some other things, so im about to put it back together as soon as he gets the parts in, i honed the cylinders out yesterday. Its a pretty simplistic engine, no turbo, much simpler computer, no 10 billion vaccum lines.
i havent worked with a new one yet, but in a little bit we are going to put together a Cummins 14.0L from a Volvo that has been 100% disasembled and stored in a big crate, that should be entertaining.

UTI here in Orlando sucks apparently.

A buddy of mine is currently burying himself in student loans to go there, and he said he's not learning anything. He said the teachers skip over all the theory in the textbook.

So you'd think that the students are mostly getting all hands-on experience right, so at least they know how to turn wrenches right?

Well, we had a girl who started working here who was CRAAAZY about Subaru and would gladly prostitute herself for an STi....

... until she got fired for almost pulling a Jiffy Lube on an STi. Almost drained the transmission instead of the engine. The master tech caught her and it wasn't long before she was let go.



I was considering going to UTI myself after getting out of college, but I'm 99% sure I won't now.

I've heard good things about Wyotech myself, although I dunno if they have a campus local to you.

Deffinatelly go Diesel. There the only mechanics who really make any money. There are some union crews that make really good bank. Heavy equiptment apprenticeships will usually start around $17/hr, and journeyman prolly make high $30s/hr. Regular auto mechanics dont make shit, and there is never really anywhere to move up, unless you want to own your own shop. In that case, I still feel that the amount of work vs. the pay isnt as much as if you went and got a buisness degree instead and found something white collar to do. Id go make enough money to keep it just a hobby, if I could do things over again.

Im trying to get out of the auto buisness right now before I get to old to learn something new.

Yeah, there's not much money in car mechanics unless maybe you work on exotics. Definitely diesel is a good idea, not only that, I'd look into marine mechanics. You can make damn good money working on marine diesels and the rich people who own them frequently give large cash tips just for stepping aboard if they have a problem. Pleasure craft that are diesel are always big money. Just that option over gas power can run about $40k on an average half-mil cruiser. Not sure what there is for work in your area as far as that goes, though. The other great thing about diesels is that they are robust and simple. The only problems I've seen are weak batteries/contacts/cables, the fuel system needs to be bled, or the fuel tank has been consumed by growth (sailboats - the idiot owners don't like to use the engines so the fuel sits and fungus grows until it chokes off the tank).

i havent really thought about the marine repair/maintenance before, but for now anyway im looking at big rigs, im honestly not that concerned with pay as long as i can make a good $40k, which i should make much more than that if i went to someone like Peterbuilt or Volvo
theres no real job opportunities in my local area, unless i get at least 2 hours drive away, which is about how far Nashville is from Owensboro, i will probably go further away after school depending on the job opportunities i can get and if i end up hating Nashville (im not a city person)

i actually think UTI is out of the question, with the shear cost and the fact that the closest campus is 8 hours away, i couldnt afford to go home. they sent me and email today and at the very top in big bold letters it said Algebra: NO Alternators: YES, lol they must have been looking at my report card

I went to Wyotech myself, although I did the diesel program. It's about the same price as UTI however you can finish a program in 9 months (6 moth core + 3 moth add-on, can be applied service management, street rod,trim/upholstery, or chassis fabrication / hi perf. engines), I was there for 18 months cuz I did the auto core + street rod + chassis fab + ASM, cost me about $36k in student loans but it was worth it. They have a campus in Blairsville, PA which is outside of Pittsburgh, that's the closest to you. I went to the Laramie, Wyoming campus, they also have one in Sacramento but it wasn't fully completed so I went to Wyoming (Wasn't too crazy about going back to CA anyway). You can go to www.wyotech.com and request an information packet that'll tell you all about it.

Another option is check community colleges in your area, the one here has a pretty good diesel program.

UTI up here sux too
go Diesel, the pay is better and a lot more people are going diesel right now due to mpg concerns and bio-hazard I mean diesel

i work as a toyota technician and have worked with quite a few guys that went to DADC, AAI, Wyotech, UTI and alot of other institutions. personally i went through a manufacturer program at san juan college in farmington nm. there is one huge difference between the 4 institutions i mentioned (all of which are currently or have been heavily advertised in my area) and the community college i went to is that when i graduated i walked out with an associates degree, the guys that graduate from uti and the others only get a certificate. another big difference is that uti charges 30k+ in tuition for the program, my cost was a grad total of 15k for tuition, books, tools, housing (the school is 300 miles from my house so i had to get an apartment) and most importantly alcohol (and the booze acounts for about half that total ). i have had quite a few people ask my advise on this industry and my first responce is don't, but if you really want to, go to a community college where you will actaully learn something. and while you are going to school try to work part time in the industry, i was lucky enough that the program i was in was a co-op program where i worked at a dealership for half the semester and was in class for the other half the semester. a few other peices of advise are avoid flat rape especially in dealers and if you do end up on flat rate play dumb, ase's and training lead to more money but with the flat rate system the more you know the more nightmares you deal with which leads to you making less money in the long term.

I have been doing this for 3 years and am a ase master tech and toyota expert tech, thanks to the certification i am the 2nd highest qualified tech in a shop of 30 techs which means that i help out the other techs when they have a problem, i deal with the toyota fts, and when a cluster **** comes in it ends up im my bay. whats really sad is that those 3 responsibilties should be done by the team leaders but because i havent been turning wrenches for very long they wont even consiter me for that position

Up here you can't survive on the starter money you get paid working auto mechanics either. $8.50 won't get you more than a cardboard box to live in and that was better than what some of the flat rate guys made depending on the week. Boats started on an acceptable living wage, but I'm glad I'm in telecom now even if the job is boring and I miss working on boats.

well, i found this Nashville auto-diesel because some other kids in my class were looking at it and one of them enrolled for next year. He said that a few days after he finished his enrollment he got a call from Peterbilt wanting him to work for them while he was at school. The first year he would make $25k and they would pay for his classes, the second year would be $35k and thats the lowest paid position there.

im not sure i could land a deal like that, but there are several trucking companies in the Nashville area, thats part of why the school is there, so hopefully there is plenty of opportunities for a good job
another option ive been considering is waiting until the next school year rolls around, ill stay here at home and just work for the year and save up some money since im sorta lacking in that area, the place does have dorms so i dont have to worry about an apartment luckly, just worried about how fast i can get a job when i get there, and student loans

btw, thank you all for the responses, youve had alot of good advice

I go to CSU-Pueblo in Colorado. The AIM program is one of the best for Automotive students. You get a Bach. in business and associates in automotive. (99)% placement. If you want more mechanic avenue this may not be for you though.

CSU? Colorado State University?
im trying to stay away from colleges and universities
what do you mean by mechanic avenue?
i talked to a lady from Nashville Auto-Diesel, it sounds like a nice school and some of my friends are going, but at $31k a year, im not sure how i could pay off the loans, especially if im not making much for a while after i get out
its not out of the question, just considering other options

our local community college has a diesel program, but its diesel engines only, not trucks and heavy equipment, and they definitely arent up in the latest technology, i know since i take an automotive tech class there

ive been looking at Advanced Technology Institute in Virgina, im supposed to call tomorrow and ask about it, not sure yet what all im going to ask her, just know i need to somewhere learn about cost and financial aid

Well its a small College in pueblo affiliated with Colorado State University in Fort Collins. Its more training for working for like Toyota, Honda, Subaru, MHC, Kenworth, in their corporate area and not the technical side although we have tons auto classes.