Flat Rate Tech Podcast

By Tech, Flat Rate Life Media™Comedy Leisure Automotive

Flat Rate Tech Podcast episodes

September 28 Your Manager Says You're Not Producing Enough
Your manager calls you into the office and says:
"You're not producing enough."
Now what?
Is the problem you? The shop? Dispatch? The work you're getting?
In this episode, we talk about how to handle that conversation, how to look at the numbers, and how to figure out what's really going on before you start blaming everyone or looking for another job.
Get the facts. Then decide what to do with them.
Support the show
SPONSORED BY BAY DIAGNOSTICS
www.BayDiagnosticsGroup.com
You've heard the problems on this podcast for years — technician turnover, broken communication, bad dispatch, lost productivity, pay-plan issues, and shop culture problems.
Bay Diagnostics helps dealership managers find out what's actually happening inside their service department.
Built from more than 30 years of firsthand dealership experience, Bay Diagnostics provides anonymous technician feedback, workflow analysis, and diagnostic reports designed to identify the problems that can cost a shop technicians, hours, repair orders, and profit.
Truth from the bays. Solutions for the shop.
Dealership managers: Want to find out what's really happening in your shop?
Email: [email protected]
THE BOOK
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FK654G57
Follow the Facebook page
Follow the instagram page-- Flatratetech_podcast
Check out the website
Flatratetechpodcast.weebly.com
[email protected]
Don't Forget To Rate And Review!

Thanks For Listening, and Thanks for your support!
Tech

18 min
September 21 What’s Happening to Technicians in the Automotive Industry?
www.BayDiagnosticsGroup.com
The automotive industry has changed a lot in the last 25 years.
Technology has changed. Dealerships have changed. The way technicians work has changed. And so has the pressure on technicians to produce more while dealing with more procedures, more documentation, more delays, and more problems outside of their control.
So why are technicians leaving?
In this episode, I talk about what I think is happening inside the automotive industry, why good technicians are getting frustrated, why many technicians don't actually want to leave automotive but do want to leave the dealership, and why dealerships can't keep relying on hiring their way out of the technician shortage.
The technician shortage isn't just about finding more people. It's about keeping the good technicians you already have.
Because the real question for every dealership should be:
Why would a good technician want to work here?
And if you don't know the answer, you might want to find out before one of your good technicians walks out the door.
That is exactly why I built Bay Diagnostics Group.
Support the show
SPONSORED BY BAY DIAGNOSTICS
www.BayDiagnosticsGroup.com
You've heard the problems on this podcast for years — technician turnover, broken communication, bad dispatch, lost productivity, pay-plan issues, and shop culture problems.
Bay Diagnostics helps dealership managers find out what's actually happening inside their service department.
Built from more than 30 years of firsthand dealership experience, Bay Diagnostics provides anonymous technician feedback, workflow analysis, and diagnostic reports designed to identify the problems that can cost a shop technicians, hours, repair orders, and profit.
Truth from the bays. Solutions for the shop.
Dealership managers: Want to find out what's really happening in your shop?
Email: [email protected]
THE BOOK
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FK654G57
Follow the Facebook page
Follow the instagram page-- Flatratetech_podcast
Check out the website
Flatratetechpodcast.weebly.com
[email protected]
Don't Forget To Rate And Review!

Thanks For Listening, and Thanks for your support!
Tech

15 min
September 14 I Can't Tell Technicians They're Wrong
I get emails from technicians who are thinking about quitting. I talk to technicians who are frustrated, burned out, and seriously considering leaving the automotive industry.
And a lot of them are good technicians. Technicians with experience, ability, and a lot of potential.
The hard part is, I don't always have an argument for them.
Because I understand what they're talking about. I'm dealing with a lot of the same things myself.
I don't want to see good technicians leave this industry. I don't want technicians to suffer through a career they should be proud of.
But I also don't think we're making this stuff up.
In this episode, I talk about the technicians I've heard from, why they're thinking about leaving, why I understand where they're coming from, and why I still believe there's a lot of potential in this industry and in the people working in it.
If this is you, Tell your manager about Bay Diagnostics Group.
Support the show
SPONSORED BY BAY DIAGNOSTICS
www.BayDiagnosticsGroup.com
You've heard the problems on this podcast for years — technician turnover, broken communication, bad dispatch, lost productivity, pay-plan issues, and shop culture problems.
Bay Diagnostics helps dealership managers find out what's actually happening inside their service department.
Built from more than 30 years of firsthand dealership experience, Bay Diagnostics provides anonymous technician feedback, workflow analysis, and diagnostic reports designed to identify the problems that can cost a shop technicians, hours, repair orders, and profit.
Truth from the bays. Solutions for the shop.
Dealership managers: Want to find out what's really happening in your shop?
Email: [email protected]
THE BOOK
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FK654G57
Follow the Facebook page
Follow the instagram page-- Flatratetech_podcast
Check out the website
Flatratetechpodcast.weebly.com
[email protected]
Don't Forget To Rate And Review!

Thanks For Listening, and Thanks for your support!
Tech

8 min
September 07 The Problem Isn’t Your Technicians. It’s Management
Technicians think management is the problem.
Management thinks technicians are the problem.
And that disconnect is killing shops.
Leadership isn't about a title. It's about trust, communication, accountability, and actually listening to the people doing the work.
Because when technicians stop believing their voice matters, they start checking out.
And eventually, they leave.

Bay Diagnostics Group
Truth From The Bays. Solutions For The Shop
Baydiagnosticsgroup.com
Support the show
SPONSORED BY BAY DIAGNOSTICS
www.BayDiagnosticsGroup.com
You've heard the problems on this podcast for years — technician turnover, broken communication, bad dispatch, lost productivity, pay-plan issues, and shop culture problems.
Bay Diagnostics helps dealership managers find out what's actually happening inside their service department.
Built from more than 30 years of firsthand dealership experience, Bay Diagnostics provides anonymous technician feedback, workflow analysis, and diagnostic reports designed to identify the problems that can cost a shop technicians, hours, repair orders, and profit.
Truth from the bays. Solutions for the shop.
Dealership managers: Want to find out what's really happening in your shop?
Email: [email protected]
THE BOOK
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FK654G57
Follow the Facebook page
Follow the instagram page-- Flatratetech_podcast
Check out the website
Flatratetechpodcast.weebly.com
[email protected]
Don't Forget To Rate And Review!

Thanks For Listening, and Thanks for your support!
Tech

6 min
August 24 The Service Drive Problem: When Numbers Replace Common Sense
The service drive used to be the bridge between the customer and the technician.
The customer had a problem. The advisor listened. The technician diagnosed it. The shop fixed it.
Somewhere along the way, that got replaced with numbers.
Hours per RO. Effective labor rate. Gross profit. CSI. Retention. Customer pay.
There’s nothing wrong with tracking numbers. A dealership has to make money.
The problem is when the numbers become more important than the people.
Because customers don't care about your metrics. They want to know one thing:
Can I trust you?
And technicians are caught right in the middle. They want to diagnose problems, fix cars, and do the job right. They didn't get into this business to become another number on a production report.
When the focus shifts from taking care of people to squeezing every possible dollar out of every repair order, trust starts disappearing.
And once customers stop trusting the service drive, even a fair repair can feel too expensive.
The numbers might look good on paper.
But if your customers don't trust you, your technicians don't trust management, and your advisors and technicians aren't working together, those numbers aren't telling the whole story.
Numbers are supposed to measure the health of the business. They aren't supposed to become the reason the business forgets what it's there to do.
Want to know what’s really happening in your service department? Check out @BayDiagnosticsgroup
Support the show
SPONSORED BY BAY DIAGNOSTICS
www.BayDiagnosticsGroup.com
You've heard the problems on this podcast for years — technician turnover, broken communication, bad dispatch, lost productivity, pay-plan issues, and shop culture problems.
Bay Diagnostics helps dealership managers find out what's actually happening inside their service department.
Built from more than 30 years of firsthand dealership experience, Bay Diagnostics provides anonymous technician feedback, workflow analysis, and diagnostic reports designed to identify the problems that can cost a shop technicians, hours, repair orders, and profit.
Truth from the bays. Solutions for the shop.
Dealership managers: Want to find out what's really happening in your shop?
Email: [email protected]
THE BOOK
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FK654G57
Follow the Facebook page
Follow the instagram page-- Flatratetech_podcast
Check out the website
Flatratetechpodcast.weebly.com
[email protected]
Don't Forget To Rate And Review!

Thanks For Listening, and Thanks for your support!
Tech

6 min
August 17 Shop Supplies: Legitimate Expense or Hidden Revenue?
You’ve probably seen it on a repair estimate. Shop Supplies.
Maybe it’s $20. Maybe it’s $50. Maybe it’s even more.
But have you ever stopped and asked, what you’re actually paying for?
In this episode of the Flat Rate Tech Podcast, we take a closer look at one of the most overlooked charges on a repair order.
Gloves. Brake cleaner. Shop towels. Chemicals. Electricity. Waste disposal. Equipment. Those things cost money. There’s no question about that. But how much should a customer actually be charged for them? How is that number calculated? Where does the money go? And if a shop is collecting hundreds of thousands of dollars a year in shop supply fees, should some of that money be making its way back into the shop?
Better equipment.
Working lifts.
Updated diagnostic equipment.
Properly maintained tools.
Better working conditions.
We also look at the customer side of the equation. Because when you see a repair estimate with labor, parts, diagnostics, shop supplies and other charges stacked together, do you actually understand what you're paying for?
And if the charge is legitimate, shouldn't the industry be able to explain it? This isn't about saying shops shouldn't make money.
It's about asking questions.
It's about transparency.
And it's about the disconnect between what customers are charged and what technicians actually experience in the shop.
Support the show
SPONSORED BY BAY DIAGNOSTICS
www.BayDiagnosticsGroup.com
You've heard the problems on this podcast for years — technician turnover, broken communication, bad dispatch, lost productivity, pay-plan issues, and shop culture problems.
Bay Diagnostics helps dealership managers find out what's actually happening inside their service department.
Built from more than 30 years of firsthand dealership experience, Bay Diagnostics provides anonymous technician feedback, workflow analysis, and diagnostic reports designed to identify the problems that can cost a shop technicians, hours, repair orders, and profit.
Truth from the bays. Solutions for the shop.
Dealership managers: Want to find out what's really happening in your shop?
Email: [email protected]
THE BOOK
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FK654G57
Follow the Facebook page
Follow the instagram page-- Flatratetech_podcast
Check out the website
Flatratetechpodcast.weebly.com
[email protected]
Don't Forget To Rate And Review!

Thanks For Listening, and Thanks for your support!
Tech

18 min
August 10 The Technician Trust Crisis: Why Good Techs Stop Caring
Why do good technicians stop caring?
The automotive industry loves to talk about the technician shortage, but nobody seems to ask why experienced technicians are becoming burned out, frustrated, and ready to walk away.
After 25 years in the dealership world, I've seen what happens when technicians lose trust in the system. Training, flat rate pay, master technician programs, production numbers, management pressure, difficult jobs, and a culture that can reward the wrong behavior all play a role.
This isn't about saying every dealership or every manager is bad. It's about looking at what happens when technicians stop believing that their hard work, experience, and honesty actually matter.
When good technicians stop caring, everybody pays the price, the technician, the shop, the customer, and ultimately the entire industry.
This is a conversation about why that happens, what causes it, and what the industry needs to start looking at if it actually wants to keep good people.
Flat Rate Tech Podcast is brought to you by:
Flat Rate Life Media™ Real Conversations about the Automotive industry from the people who live it.
Support the show
SPONSORED BY BAY DIAGNOSTICS
www.BayDiagnosticsGroup.com
You've heard the problems on this podcast for years — technician turnover, broken communication, bad dispatch, lost productivity, pay-plan issues, and shop culture problems.
Bay Diagnostics helps dealership managers find out what's actually happening inside their service department.
Built from more than 30 years of firsthand dealership experience, Bay Diagnostics provides anonymous technician feedback, workflow analysis, and diagnostic reports designed to identify the problems that can cost a shop technicians, hours, repair orders, and profit.
Truth from the bays. Solutions for the shop.
Dealership managers: Want to find out what's really happening in your shop?
Email: [email protected]
THE BOOK
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FK654G57
Follow the Facebook page
Follow the instagram page-- Flatratetech_podcast
Check out the website
Flatratetechpodcast.weebly.com
[email protected]
Don't Forget To Rate And Review!

Thanks For Listening, and Thanks for your support!
Tech

8 min
August 03 Why Your Car Comes Back Broken From the Dealership
Ever picked up your car from the dealership service drive, only to have the check engine light pop back on before you even made it home? You’re not alone and it’s not an accident.

Here’s the truth: most mechanics out there actually give a damn. They want to fix your car right the first time. The problem is, under the current dealership model, doing the job right means taking a financial hit. Between 0.4 warranty diagnostic limits, insane management quotas, and flat-rate pressure, the system actively punishes techs who refuse to take shortcuts.

In this episode, we expose how corporate bean counters turned service bays into assembly lines, why master techs are walking away, and why you need to respect the mechanics who still take pride in their craft because they’re literally paying out of their own pockets to fix your car right.
Support the show
SPONSORED BY BAY DIAGNOSTICS
www.BayDiagnosticsGroup.com
You've heard the problems on this podcast for years — technician turnover, broken communication, bad dispatch, lost productivity, pay-plan issues, and shop culture problems.
Bay Diagnostics helps dealership managers find out what's actually happening inside their service department.
Built from more than 30 years of firsthand dealership experience, Bay Diagnostics provides anonymous technician feedback, workflow analysis, and diagnostic reports designed to identify the problems that can cost a shop technicians, hours, repair orders, and profit.
Truth from the bays. Solutions for the shop.
Dealership managers: Want to find out what's really happening in your shop?
Email: [email protected]
THE BOOK
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FK654G57
Follow the Facebook page
Follow the instagram page-- Flatratetech_podcast
Check out the website
Flatratetechpodcast.weebly.com
[email protected]
Don't Forget To Rate And Review!

Thanks For Listening, and Thanks for your support!
Tech

6 min
July 27 (Favorite) How To Play The GAME 6/24/24
One of my favorite episodes is back. Recorded back in 24, How to play the game.
Thats all the shop is, a GAME. Play it. The manager plays all day same with the owners and everyone in the building. Play them cause they are playing you.
This was a fun episode I was turning into a video episode for YouTube. I decided to reupload it back onto here again. Subscribe to the YouTube channel.
Support the show
SPONSORED BY BAY DIAGNOSTICS
www.BayDiagnosticsGroup.com
You've heard the problems on this podcast for years — technician turnover, broken communication, bad dispatch, lost productivity, pay-plan issues, and shop culture problems.
Bay Diagnostics helps dealership managers find out what's actually happening inside their service department.
Built from more than 30 years of firsthand dealership experience, Bay Diagnostics provides anonymous technician feedback, workflow analysis, and diagnostic reports designed to identify the problems that can cost a shop technicians, hours, repair orders, and profit.
Truth from the bays. Solutions for the shop.
Dealership managers: Want to find out what's really happening in your shop?
Email: [email protected]
THE BOOK
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FK654G57
Follow the Facebook page
Follow the instagram page-- Flatratetech_podcast
Check out the website
Flatratetechpodcast.weebly.com
[email protected]
Don't Forget To Rate And Review!

Thanks For Listening, and Thanks for your support!
Tech

28 min
July 13 The Recruiter Scam: How They Profit From the Technician Shortage
Mechanics are in demand everywhere, so why are recruiters and hiring platforms making money off the technician shortage?
In this episode, we expose how third-party recruiters, placement fees, and hiring apps profit from the automotive industry while technicians take all the risk. Before you jump to another shop, watch this first.
NEW MERCH available on Fourthwall link on my website
Support the show
SPONSORED BY BAY DIAGNOSTICS
www.BayDiagnosticsGroup.com
You've heard the problems on this podcast for years — technician turnover, broken communication, bad dispatch, lost productivity, pay-plan issues, and shop culture problems.
Bay Diagnostics helps dealership managers find out what's actually happening inside their service department.
Built from more than 30 years of firsthand dealership experience, Bay Diagnostics provides anonymous technician feedback, workflow analysis, and diagnostic reports designed to identify the problems that can cost a shop technicians, hours, repair orders, and profit.
Truth from the bays. Solutions for the shop.
Dealership managers: Want to find out what's really happening in your shop?
Email: [email protected]
THE BOOK
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FK654G57
Follow the Facebook page
Follow the instagram page-- Flatratetech_podcast
Check out the website
Flatratetechpodcast.weebly.com
[email protected]
Don't Forget To Rate And Review!

Thanks For Listening, and Thanks for your support!
Tech

6 min

About Flat Rate Tech Podcast

From the publisher's feed

If you are an Automotive Mechanic or in the industry this is the show for you! The #1 automotive mechanic podcast! We talk about the good and the bad.

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