The numbers don’t lie—and they don’t look good for the automotive industry.

Brandon and Austin break down data comparing auto techs to other trades and discuss why technicians are often paid less despite increasing complexity.

We cover:

• The growing gap between trades
• Why automotive has no defined career ladder
• How that impacts technician retention
• Why labor rates don’t always match skill level
• And why AI and scan tools can’t replace experience

This episode pulls no punches.

In this episode, we talk about times customers were not fully honest, times communication was unclear, and situations where nobody was trying to cause problems but things still went wrong.

We discuss:

Stories of deceptive customer behavior shops sometimes deal with
How estimate misunderstandings happen more easily than people realize
Why clear communication matters before, during, and after repairs
How both customers and shops play a role in building trust

If you’ve ever wondered why some repair experiences spiral into frustration, this episode is for you.

Flat rate vs hourly—it's one of the most argued topics in the automotive industry.

In this episode, we dig into why technician pay is such a difficult problem to solve and why there’s no one-size-fits-all answer.

We discuss:

• Why flat rate can reward efficiency—but also create frustration
• Why hourly pay can feel stable—but sometimes lack motivation
• The unintended consequences of both systems
• What a better future for technician pay might look like

If you’ve ever questioned how techs should be paid, this episode is for you.