mechanical job question

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cthawes

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Jul 15, 2014
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Hi I am just trying to find out what a pay rate would be for a auto mechanical job in Santo Domingo ? and are these jobs ever available ?? I have over 13 years in the trade with specialty in HVAC , EFI , electrical , ABS ,
can work on any make or model anything from Audi to zonda
thanks guys
 
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tommeyers

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Jan 2, 2012
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I live in Santiago
You would be in awe if you could see the work environment, tools an training of Dominican auto mechanics. It is an absolute wonder that any auto runs. Combine that with the auto owner's inclination to repair rather than maintain. You would cry. And, new parts are defined as parts that have not been on you car in the recent past.

So what do you think auto mechanics get paid? Well, know this everybody is a house painter or car mechanic or ....and the list goes on. So, 6000 is the median income. Guess what side of thay you will be on.

I am sorry to have told you that; it is the truth/facts.
 
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Hernandez

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Feb 9, 2009
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Somebody has to open a repair auto shop in SD for gringos, with American prices and American quality of service, American/European mechanics working there and no Dominicans allowed to enter :)
 
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Hernandez

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Derfish said:
If you actually have tools and could gear your business to gringos who understand that proper tools are necessary you could maybe make $100.00 per week.
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My friend, a Dominican mechanic makes at least $50.00 per day, after paying something to his helpers. I believe he is able to make about 1500-2000 dollars per month. Not all of the mechanics are very poor here. Some have a lot of returning customers.

Derfish said:
Most of these mechanic shops don't have half the tools that the average American man has for himself for his own use, that I used to have.
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This is true, I have more tools at home than any mechanic here, including some special pullers, bearing installing/removing tools, ball joint press, etc.
 
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HUG

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Feb 3, 2009
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Depends where you live and who you live around. Making a name for yourself on the Eastcoast or suchlike would pay more than you ever could in Santo Domingo or Northcoast, central etc.

Saying that, ex pats always say they would rather pay for decent job and get it done properly, but why are so many of us so used to our mechanical experiences being bad onces? Just a thought.

When it comes down to it, if it is your money and the chance is there to save it, you probably will unless very wealthy or on business accounts.
 
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cthawes

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Jul 15, 2014
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Hi guys thanks so much for your answers
I must say I am a bit confused yes I am guessing that there may be a lot of poorer area in the DR but from all the pictures and videos I am seeing of streets and driving , with in particular Santo Domingo at least around 70% of all the cars are under 10 years old and not really cheap ones at that like prados , pajeros , Hondas , Lexus etc.
are the owner's not having these cars serviced or do they have to go back to the dealer ??
it just seems there is a bit of money around with all these newish cars being purchased and they seem to cost a bit more than what the would of in the US
have I found a untapped job there for people that want something done right and don't want to go back to the dealer ??
can anyone even tell what the dealership charge there for a minor service ??

just another thought if there is all these expensive cars running around everywhere what are these people doing for jobs ?? or do a family of 10 all put in money for one car ??
 
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fuchs4d

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Mar 7, 2004
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cthawes said:
just another thought if there is all these expensive cars running around everywhere what are these people doing for jobs ?? or do a family of 10 all put in money for one car ??
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This question I asked myself since my first visit in 1993.
The answers are obvious - same sources that drives construction, banking in whole latin america including Florida.

If you are a good mechanic and do honest service for sure you will need to put customers on a waiting list within 6 - 12 month, no advertising needed.
Reason is that the combination of good and honest is rare or might not even exist.

Once thought I found a good german mechanic in Sosua. Then I had to fix the transmission during a trip and replaced transmission oil with new one and saw myself that the new oil was filled in. Next day went to the mechanic to fix the fix. The german guy put new oil on the bill because the old was too bad.
Don't know why, but all the good guys coming down quickly turn to bad, get alcoholic, get murdered, commit sucide or leave, but no ones just stays here good.


Alexander
 
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sirlurksalot

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JDJones said:
You find mechanics do not charge by the hour, they charge by the job. It can be tough to get an estimate before the job, since most do not have enough confidence and skill to be able to determine how long or difficult it will be to fix.

Even folks that buy new are reluctant to take them to dealers for maintenance, due to waiting times and cost for even simple repairs.

As a result, many buy a vehicle and simply drive it until something breaks, then look for a mechanic that will get it back on the road as cheaply as possible.

Having said that, if you come and set up shop in a city like Santiago or Santo Domingo, if you are good, you'll have more work than you know what to do with. You'll also end up with a bunch of repaired vehicles the owners don't have the money to pay.

I once took my Land Rover to Auto Germanica for a repair job. When I went to pick it up, it was in their lot across the street. The lot easily had a hundred vehicles waiting for owners to pay.
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Timely payment and collections would be a major factor to consider in setting up any kind of private business.
 
Cdn_Gringo

Cdn_Gringo

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Apr 29, 2014
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I would think that having a customer sign a work order stating that he has 30 days to pay the bill or the garage will sell the vehicle will do nicely.
 
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cthawes

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Jul 15, 2014
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JDJones said:
You find mechanics do not charge by the hour, they charge by the job. It can be tough to get an estimate before the job, since most do not have enough confidence and skill to be able to determine how long or difficult it will be to fix.

Even folks that buy new are reluctant to take them to dealers for maintenance, due to waiting times and cost for even simple repairs.

As a result, many buy a vehicle and simply drive it until something breaks, then look for a mechanic that will get it back on the road as cheaply as possible.

Having said that, if you come and set up shop in a city like Santiago or Santo Domingo, if you are good, you'll have more work than you know what to do with. You'll also end up with a bunch of repaired vehicles the owners don't have the money to pay.

I once took my Land Rover to Auto Germanica for a repair job. When I went to pick it up, it was in their lot across the street. The lot easily had a hundred vehicles waiting for owners to pay.
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hi what model Land Rover do you have ?? what sort of repair did you have done and what did it cost ?
 
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cthawes

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Jul 15, 2014
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Well I hearing a bit of negative and positive here it seems like there would be quite a bit of work around it's just having customers that can pay
stupid question , does any body know what the legal rights ( if any :laugh: ) are with having a car that a customer can't pay for ( after singing a contract saying it needs to be paid for picked up by _____ etc. when dropping it off ) ? or do the shops just have to keep it till it is paid for ??
 
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tommeyers

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I live in Santiago
cthawes said:
Well I hearing a bit of negative and positive here it seems like there would be quite a bit of work around it's just having customers that can pay
stupid question , does any body know what the legal rights ( if any :laugh: ) are with having a car that a customer can't pay for ( after singing a contract saying it needs to be paid for picked up by _____ etc. when dropping it off ) ? or do the shops just have to keep it till it is paid for ??
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The rules of business/contractual behavior are not what you are used to. Others here can explain with a few examples.
 
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cthawes

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Jul 15, 2014
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cthawes said:
if the car owners there would be able to post on work they have had done would be good
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year , make ,model -
work carried out -
price paid -
dealership / private ?? -
thanks so much just so I can get a bit of a idea
 
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cthawes

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Jul 15, 2014
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Derfish said:
OK I recently had a head gasket replaced by a side of the road mechanic for 4000 pesos, just under $100.00 USD
Der Fish
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I hope he found why the head gasket went ?? as you need to find the cause not just fix the problem i.e. overheating , corrosion
what sort of car do you have ??
 
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