“At my shop…”
A Toyota service technician says a dispute over the flat rate guaranteed by a warranty ultimately cost him his job.
In a TikTok with over 748,000 views as of this writing, former Toyota technician (@thatyotaguy1) claims an aftermarket warranty job led to him losing his job of 11 years.
“Y’all really want to see why ain’t none of us trying to be technicians anymore?” Yota Guy begins.
The former technician says a 2019 Toyota Tundra fuel tank replacement entails removing the skid plates. The labor time in the system was quoted at 2.3 hours with 1.4 hours under warranty. After the initial quote, the service advisor purportedly came back to inform him about an aftermarket warranty. Yota Guy says the adjustment meant he’d earn roughly a third of the original quote.
“So we went from 2.3 to 0.8 and that right there is just a sad reality of being a dealership technician. It happens a lot more than you think,” Yota Guy vents.
He complained in a post about the situation. Yota Guy says this did not go over well with his now former employer. As the post gained popularity online, he alleges that Toyota Panama City asked him to take it down. In a follow-up, he claims he refused and quit.
Yota Guy says he worked there for over a decade. But apparently the dispute over his social media post about getting shorted an hour-and-a-half of labor was the final straw.
“I’ve had enough of being exploited for my labor. I have had enough of being told I’ll get back on the next one and nothing ever happened. I’m tired of just all of it,” he says in the follow-up.
He believes his experience is one of the reasons why there’s a shortage of techs and mechanics.
“I really hope that there is change in the automotive industry, but I’m not going to be a dealership technician to find out,” he says.
There are many examples of technicians and mechanics who believe their work is being exploited. The stress, pay, and purported lack of respect are all factors that people have cited as reasons why they left the automotive repair industry.
Car Guys Inc reports that great technicians don’t quit over one thing. The frustration is built up over time and caused by multiple things leading to the decision to quit.
Many say the pay doesn’t match the effort that’s put into the job. According to Wrench Way, 84% of technicians believe that paying mechanics higher wages can fix the worker shortage.
A flat rate means automotive workers are paid based on a predetermined time instead of the actual time spent on the job. So if the job time is assigned an hour, but the technician takes two hours, they’ve essentially worked one hour for free. This pay structure is designed to reward mechanics that are highly skilled and efficient. But many say that’s easier said than done. There are also rampant complaints that flat rates grossly underestimate how long a job will take even a seasoned mechanic.
Stress and issues with management are also cited as factors that lead people to leave the industry.
Viewers in the comments section suggested that different management practices could better protect workers like Yota Guy.
“At my shop, customers have to pay the difference. We don’t make techs suffer because warranty companies wanna be cheap,” one wrote.
A second said their shop does the same. “Service advisor here, if book time is 2.3 and aftermarket warranty will only pay 0.8 then the customer is paying for the 1.5,” they wrote.
A third agreed, writing, “Customer pays the difference in labor.”
Other viewers agreed with Yota Guy’s decision to quit the Toyota dealership.
“Your service writer is not working for you,” one claimed.
“I support you 110%. You’re a great tech and I agree with you about the warranty times,” one wrote.
“Labor items are exactly why I’m trying to go salary. I love working on cars, but warranty is horrible, and the lies about ‘being paid for this job on another ticket’ crap is even worse,” one shared.
Someone else wrote, “Toyota has atrocious warranty times. I left over warranty aswell.”
Another commenter commiserated about the job that Yota Guy says was the final straw. “I knew that 0.8 fuel pump was gonna make you or someone snap. I would’ve just said NO to the manager. I don’t care,” they said.
Motor1 has contacted @thatyotaguy1 via TikTok direct message and commented on the post. Toyota Panama City acknowledged receiving Motor1’s inquiry sent via online submission; we also left a voicemail for the general manager of the dealership. This post will be updated if either replies.
We want your opinion!
What would you like to see on Motor1.com?
– The Motor1.com Team