Autobody/Paint - Is it worth learning to earn a living?

Hey all. I'm a bit more of a lurker than a poster, but I hope that doesn't make me a bad guy. I wanted to ask some of you experienced autobody guys for some advice. I'm kind of in a dead-end job scenario and have been pondering what makes me happy in life while I think of expanding my horizons. Like many of you, it always comes back to cars. I used to work at a tint/vinyl graphic shop several years ago and miss all the neat stuff rolling in and out of the place.

I always wanted to learn how to do body repair and paint and really admire the people who make it an art-form. Do guys love what you do or is it necessity at this point? Do you guys make a decent living?

I'm at a cross-roads and would really like to hear from some that have done this for awhile and hear your honest opinion if I should pursue a dream or run far, far away. When a body shop wants to hire based on "experience", how did you gain yours? Are college auto-tech courses worth anything or is it a scam? Sorry for all the questions, but I'm genuinely interested in your opinions. Thanks for listening and I look forward to your feedback.

-Rob

 

A lot of guys will tell you to run. It's hard work. The new cars are incredibly complex. I wouldn't advise trying to get into the profession without education. Unless you want to spend the next five years detailing and playing clean up boy for minimum wadge. If you want to make money you have to be both good and fast. The trade was good to me the last ten years I did it. Before that it was still kinda cave man mentality in Spokane. I teach it now, 11 years..........much better!
A lot of it has to do with you. It takes a mix of mechanical aptitude and a creative artistic streak. You don't have to be an artist, but most guys that do well in this work are wired that way.
I don't know what else to say It worked for me, I made good money, (women took most of it!) It was a good fit for me, but most that know me say I'm a "little different" Oh and if your in your mid 30's or older I'd think about something else.

 

Lot's of toxic chemical's involved. To make really good money you need major skill's and speedy work ethic's without mistakes. Sober. No time to party. Work-family-fitness. Getting wasted is a no whereville habit. Any natural skill/talent right now?

 

I do it as a hobby and I hate it.
If I did it for a living I would hate it with a passion.

 

I'm in my very early 30's and looking for something I can do for side work and maybe have it take over my "real" job someday. I'm a trained graphic artist (not my current profession) and have an eye for quality work. I would say I'm creative. I've grown up in a shop environment as my dad is a fabricator, but this isn't a field I have real experience in other than prepping. I was looking into taking a 2 year course at my local community college, but I would have to take a night job to accomodate the inconvenient schedule. I just don't know if it's one of those scenarios where I would be spending alot of time and money for a piece of paper that's useless. I'm not a stranger to hard work, but I try to stay grounded in reality. That;s why I thought to ask some of you that are experienced.

 

Go to school. Not for the paper, but for the skill set and knowledge. You'll also know if this is really what you want to do. Learning part time on your own can be a long process.

 

I can't really help you, but two things:

I learned how to build hot rods instead of paint them. Every time I've dropped my resume off, they were looking for a body man instead of a fabricator.

Look into doing paintless dent repair. Secondhand information, but a friend of a friend apprenticed for one of the companies, fulfilled his commitment and waited on his non-compete contract to expire, and now makes a killing by going around to dealerships and fixing damage that would otherwise require sanding, filling, and repainting.

 

I've been a painter in the collision industry for close to 30 years. It gets harder on my body every year. I tell the young guys that it's a crappy way to make a decent living. If your local community collage offers a night school class maybe take it first to see if it's what you want to do.

 

Over 38 yrs here and no i would not do it again. It's a dirty, filthy, demanding grunt that will take your health eventually just to make a living. Some guys do well opening their own shops later on and do well. But having a keen business sense is another requirement and education is the ticket there. I got into it because i love cars and still do. There is no pension plan waiting for me not like a lot of my friends who do have and are set. Yes there are worse jobs out there i suppose.
It takes years to hone skills and if your a natural, a lot aren't, the rewards are minimal in the end. I can't remember the last time so much as bought me a coffee for doing a great job on their car. Oh Whaaa you say. You want to get treated like second class go ahead be a freaking bodyman.
There...i vented...you've been warned.

 

right now quality bodymen are hard to find.its easier to find a body tech job than a painters job. i made good $ in collision repair before i started teaching and enjoyed the heck out of it. if thats what you think you want to do,go for it.

 

If Autobody Repair/Paint is your thing, go for it, but learn as many aspects of the trade as possible. For me it was frame repair and fabrication. I liked to make stuff fit and be safe. Making it pretty to look at, I left to the guys who liked to spread mud and apply color, not that I couldn't, I just found I enjoyed the other more. Especially as I grew older.

 

Do it if you don't mind being poor and haveing no motivation to work on your own projects, i spent almost 20 years in restoratin and smash repair and im glad i got out.This work might be fun at first but it gets old quick.

 

Ive been in it for 16 years now. All the money is in collision ,not custom work( at least in my area). I do love what I do though, its tough job at times. I painted the first 5 years and got burnt out and switch to body and frame work. Painting is very redundant. I like the body work end of it better. Nowadays filler work is at a minimum , everything is usually replaced rather than repaired.

 

Around here body techs are real hard to find. If you have the patience for teaching that is a option down the line but personaly that would not be for me at all.So it's all has to do what motivates you. Some become insurance estimators later on as well. So it can open others doors.

 

There is a reason they call it bodywork and not bodyfun.

 

amen

 

its a great profession...ive been in it since 82 and a lot of things have changed...i sell body shop equipment now, and i see whats really going on, and i'll tell ya what i know...

first you must have a good work ethic.

you have to decide early if you want to make money or earn bragging rights...you must be able to read each car and deliver what it needs..in other words...some short cuts work for 100,000 mile cars that would never fly on a car thats got 20...ya gotta figure that out early,,,,im not saying butcher....just know what the car deserves...

first ya work on quality then you gain speed....

if you have no organizational skills youre in trouble..me personally if i dont feel like im behind, im not in a good spot..i had to have 10 or 11 cars in line...

it took me 10 years to make money...i was afraid to go to a dealership..i went to small independent shops..and all i learned what was going on in the shop and it held me back...not saying all small independents are bad..just dont think its the only shop out there.....when i went to a big (the biggest in my area) independent, i learned i was behind everyone else..in 2 years, they made me a journeyman..the previous 8 i just played.....it was hard to get a job in the 80s-90s but not now...

you need some professional training..wyotech is where i'd go today..you will get a general idea what it takes to work on a car, and be around cars..thats important..ya need experience touching and feeling cars..what not to do, make a few mistakes in school..it weill help you in the real world...and just because you went to school doesnt make you special...it just shows desire to make yourself better...dont leave school and think ya know everything or youre going to reinvent the profession..your a grunt...be open to others input and put the ego away...you'll get a lot further..i see it all the time...

theres no young people..its critical..theres going to be a shortage so big, if your in the right mind set to good work and get to the point you can do quantity...you will be able to go where ya want, and make demands...

Im in shops dailey and mangers and the whole industry cries theres no young people coming up...its a great time to get it as a mind set for it to become a career

pay your dues..you have to..my first 3 jobs where sweeping floors, mixing paint and cleaning the toilet...back then it bummed me out...but i learned something...how to do what i was told...when i got past my own attitude, and followed directions accurately, i got to work on cars....and i had to start at the bottom...and theres the thing im getting to..i was 18...not 30..so you know this..but you still have to pay your dues...


You aint coming out of a tech school and gonna make money like Jesse James or OCC...aint happening...you have to pay your dues...those guys wherent famous or rich overnight, the worked for it...i see kids coming out of tech schools wanting to make 60 or 70 in the first year...aint gonna happen..it took me 8 r 9 yeats to make 60....then when i got to 80, i knew i was there, and i could ave made more, but the shop i was in controlled the jobs...there where guys next to me in the 90s and 100s...but they had 5-10 years on me...I learned a lot

Hell yes its a great career...hell yes its got lots of harsh cheicals...hell yes i hate painters...buncha cry babies...but i understand them now, and i torture them every chance i get..even though i'm not on the line....anyway...theres 50 painters out there for 1 good technician...think about that...

last point..dont buy a big box and get in debt...i see it all the time..that tool payment comes every week..and it becomes a big wall...buy a modest used box...when you fill it with tools then think about a bigger box...i cant tell you how many people buy a $10,000 box and it has 25 dollars worth of buffalo tools, because they cant buy tools, the box payment kills them..stay out of the tool race..buy what ya need..although snap on is nice cornwell gets it done...


the best thing i ever did was becoming a bodyman...ive made a lot of money..unfortunately i blew most of it on fast women...junk cars...and good food..lots of beer..and lots of recreational drugs..lol...but id do it all again, id just do it a little different...its a hands on...high reward job...and you get a lot of freedom when youre good..

 

That's going to be my new favorite saying

 

That pretty much sums it up! Some people have it and some don't. Body work and painting is just A talent you wired for. But in my case it was the only thing I was great at.

 

Boy Matthew that last line really sums it up for me too. LOL. Lippy

 

I did it for twenty years, and there is a lot of good advice here. Tech schools will help you get some quality skills, but OTJ training is where you will learn the most. Stay away from the tool truck, several used toolboxes will do just as well as those megaboxes (and have patina!). Late model collision was where the money was at, I doubt that has changed. Always seemed if you could do heavy hits, the damn shop would give them all to you. 4-door side hits were always my favorite, or so they thought. Made a good living at it, blew most of it on all the things mentioned previously. Painters are prima donna whiners (IMO), I was glad to stop painting and live and breath a little longer. Never worked at a dealership, always liked quality indie shops myself (emphasis on quality). Wear your PPE, like gloves and eye protection.

 

I used to have my own shop in Orange Ca in the '80s. Never worked for someone elses shop. Took welding and auto body and fire science at local JC. Learned more from books and stuff about painting. Couple other guys in our shop complex did auto painting too. Saw some dangerous stuff healthwise one of the guys was doing. Damn !
Glad I got into concrete pumping back then. I still do some striping, lettering and signs and some painting

 

I left my dads small body shop ready for the big time. it lasted six weeks. thats when i learned commisioned techs dont get fired. they get starved out. Spent two years as a helper at the chevy store where i am now a journeyman. its been satisfying 90% of the time. the other 10% i want to sell it all and live in a wal mart parking lots in my winnebego. seems like there is always some one to please. the manager, the cutomer, the writer, the general manager, the f***ing painter. in my opinion tinbender and marxjunk did a great job of laying out the profession. good luck on your quest.

 

Why not prep/paint a car and see if you like it?

I'm 42, finally doing bodywork on my project car, and would appreciate this numb feeling in my hands going away.

This is some ******** hard work. Lotta bending and stooping.

 

these are some good comments from people who have probably climbed in to bed with they're wives and got yelled at for bringing red oxide dust with them! to tired to even shower.

 

x2 pretty much

 

35+ years here and i will tell you this, back in the day we made 50% commission and it was a true 50% of the labor on the ticket. now a days you are lucky if you make 15% of what is on the ticket if you take what they charge an hr vs what you are paid hr vs book hrs. As everyone has pointed out very good points take their experience to heart and make a decision. One my kids wanted to learn body and paint so i let him help (he did most of the work) and when we were done he had a whole new found respect for his dad and is now graduating from firefighter school!!!

 

actually ..on reflection ...if I hadn't paid out an ex-wife, had a few health hiccups with extended layoffs and a few others bit n bobs along the way, I'm probably even with most of the wage workers I know,and I haven't had to be at work for 8 hours a day religiously .."ya makes ya choices and pays ya money" or "dues"
Can only add...don't be afraid to take a risk....but its risky i know!

 

1st off it depends on the level if you want to do show car crazy stuff then my take is to be good it has to be an obsession, there isnt a "is it worth it to earn a living" you either love it and want to do it or dont.....

Now making a living doing collision is anouther story...

 

here is my take on this.i am a custom upholsterer,have been for over 40 years,lately i have been helping my body guy.he's working on my premiere and still doing other work.anyway,i beat panel weld a little,my opinion is buy a sewing machine,learn to do interior work.much easier,make more money.less chemicals.there are chemicals in trim work,glue,fomaldihyde,etc.but if you are an artist,you will do fine.and no one cares about the noise a sewing machine makes.good luck jack