big question. Pay rate for a starter at a body shop??

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PostPosted: Mon Dec 31, 2012 10:15 am
Ok guys, i attended an auto body trade school , it was okay.. not the best but i have learned just a few things than i didnt know before. After i graduated, i was dropping off my resume at shops and i got referred to a shop and i showed him my resume and immediately got hired. My first day i started buffing and my boss asked, what should i pay you? i dont even know what the rate is at anymore? he said i will give you $8.50 an hour and so i said ok sure why not? he doesnt know what i can do. So after a week comes by, it was pay day, he told me i worked my butt off and that i should get paid $10 an hour. Im a helper/apprentice and i do the same thing the other guys do cause im helping them. I think i should ask for a better pay rate... Any ideas if thats a good idea? i think i deserve more than $10 an hour. My boss is a really cool guy, hes not an ****, hes a really cool guy and funny guy too. He will let me take off any day i want to if i tell him in advance timing, we joke around all the time, and he just recently gave me a nice shop jacket for christmas.


Things i do- wet sand, buff, mix filler, apply filler, sand filler, pull dents with stud gun, assembling and disassembling parts, washing cars, drilling out spot welds. Theirs definitely more to list but i cant think out of my head right now, i can honestly paint good, i can mix primer, clear coat, and base coat. I can paint those as well, i can blend as well. And my boss doesnt know that i can do that too. I've been their for atleast a month and a half.

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PostPosted: Mon Dec 31, 2012 12:57 pm
welcome to the site.

A lot of what you are asking depends on the local market. I'm in Eastern NY, 90 minutes north of NYC.

The job you describe in an entry level position at a good sized collision shop in my town would be $12 to $15 an hour. Keep in mind, a cup of coffee here is $2.50 and rent for an 800 sq/ft apartment without utilities is $900 a month. So it depends on your local conditions...



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PostPosted: Mon Dec 31, 2012 1:38 pm
chris wrote:welcome to the site.

A lot of what you are asking depends on the local market. I'm in Eastern NY, 90 minutes north of NYC.

The job you describe in an entry level position at a good sized collision shop in my town would be $12 to $15 an hour. Keep in mind, a cup of coffee here is $2.50 and rent for an 800 sq/ft apartment without utilities is $900 a month. So it depends on your local conditions...


hey chris thanks for welcoming me here :) and responding to my thread. Yes i am a entry level tech but i am doing exactly what the other techs are doing there at the body shop. Its a small shop but we get work done as well. Their is 3 guys working there including my self and the boss does the hard body jobs. His shop is very busy, we have cars coming and going all the time thats why he hired me. What would you recommend asking him for a pay rate if you dont mind me asking?

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PostPosted: Mon Dec 31, 2012 2:22 pm
Give it 3 months,make yourself indispensable,find out what the other guys are on and then think about asking for a pay rise :)



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PostPosted: Tue Jan 01, 2013 11:17 pm
Daz_England wrote:Give it 3 months,make yourself indispensable,find out what the other guys are on and then think about asking for a pay rise :)



that sounds like a plan, i will probaly give it another 2 months.



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PostPosted: Fri Mar 01, 2013 8:20 pm
10-15 dollars at car dealerships.



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PostPosted: Wed Mar 13, 2013 6:45 pm
I have 23 employees at my body shop. I start them at 10 per hour and then offer them commission if I see that they can complete the job from top to bottom without the need of my more experienced guys. I have different pay scales based on experience and the size of the jobs they put out. I have an express shop that is mainly bumpers, mirrors, spoilers and minor repairs. They are paid by the hour. The main shop is where the big money is paid. I tend to use the express shop as a training center. They start on bumpers, when they impress me I send them down to the big shop. 10 per hour should only be training pay. Anyone worth their weight should advance quickly. Those guys are paid on a percentage of the job. I have 2 retired guys that I pay by the hour and all they do is help out the young guys. They are priceless and are paid accordingly.



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PostPosted: Mon Apr 15, 2013 3:46 pm
Might as well get my first post over with!

I am also looking into starting at a body shop locally, I've talked to an owner of a shop I can't work at (too far away) and he said I'd usually start as a 'prepper', which is masking, cleaning, etc... he said around here the pay would be between 13-17/h, depending on work ethic & experience.

I'm currently making $21/h in the wholesale industry, so it's going to be a bit tough for me to take that big of a hit financially...

Would a 'starter' that is proficient in wetsanding & polishing get paid more than one that isn't? I have 10+ years of wetsanding/polishing experience, just not in a bodyshop!

Thanks guys!

-edit-

WOW, I joined the site FOUR YEARS ago, and I am only now making my first post... crazyness :) :mrgreen:
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PostPosted: Tue Apr 23, 2013 3:54 pm
This is a good question I myself is a recent grad and I been Looking for jobs but they all seem to have on the application pay desire and Im not sure what to put down I dont wanna sell myself short one of my classmate was getting paid 8.00 no commotion to sand school bus to bare metal at maaco i just told em to get out of there and work at a local retail and get paid that much?
but what is a good pay you guys think?



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PostPosted: Wed Oct 22, 2014 6:00 pm
Ill say this if your starting out depending on your area your looking at $10.00 to $12.00 an hour. A lot of shops like to go cheap to save them money. Look out for yourself but give it time. Sometimes you don't want to seem overly confident based on what your doing. More pay always equals more responsibility. Learn and Learn some more! You will be looking back on your career in a few years wishing you could change things. Take your time and get used to the practices. If your looking to be a painter you can never learn to much. Show interest in learning products and how there used etc. Good body guys make good money but, try to understand most all process.

Good luck to you!
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