Commission vs Salaried Mechanics – Why it Matters

By December 13, 2013 June 2nd, 2015 Blog

If you’ve read any of the content on our website or met us in person, you’ve already heard about this issue of commission-based versus salaried auto repair shop employees.

When we tell you that most dealership technicians are commission-based employees, your initial thought may be, “So what? Why should I care?” Well, you definitely should care because how a mechanic is paid plays a HUGE part in the treatment you and your car get from that shop.

You already know that commission-based means the more an employee sells, the more money they make. In the auto repair world, that means the more repairs and services a technician sells, the more money he makes.

Most people already have a distrust of auto mechanics. Auto mechanics is foreign territory for most car owners, so we already don’t know if we can believe what the mechanic is telling us. And there are way too many stories out there of people being taken advantage of and ripped off by auto repair shops.

So how can you know if you’re being told the truth or just being duped into unnecessary (and very costly) repairs?

Red Flag #1 is if the technician is paid on commission.

In our experience, commission-based mechanics are likely to push unnecessary or untimely repairs onto customers. Many car owners feel pressured to agree to these repairs but don’t receive enough education from the mechanic to know if the repair is indeed warranted or not. (Educating the customer takes time and requires transparency that commission-based technicians often lack.)

Also, commission-based employees are not going to work together on projects, because they are in competition with one another – so you have this “looking out for number one” mentality. This never benefits the customer.

At Coast Motor Werk, we take pride in the fact that our employees are salaried. This is truly unique in our industry. 

  • We stress quality over quantity with repairs and services.
  • We encourage our technicians to develop friendly, trusting relationships with customers.
  • We take the time to perform accurate diagnostics (on our own dime) rather than rushing into quick and easy repairs that make us money.
  • We require honesty and transparency.
  • We encourage teamwork and collaboration among our technicians.
  • We keep our employees happy and motivated in other ways so they benefit from doing good work, and YOU the customer benefits as well!

Our technicians have been hand-picked by us because they are trained experts at BMW repairs, they are passionate about BMWs, and they are Bimmer owners and enthusiasts just like you!

So next time you think about taking your beloved Bimmer to the dealership or just another auto repair shop, ask yourself whether that’s best for you, your car, or your pocketbook.

Come to Coast Motor Werk where you’ll never be pressured to make unnecessary repairs, where we keep everything on the up and up, and where we protect your investment, helping to extend the life of your BMW, make it safer and more reliable, and even increase the resale value!

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