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Thread: The Official BMW STEP FAQ

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    The Official BMW STEP FAQ

    What is STEP?

    STEP stands for Service Technician Education Program. It is a 7 month course that trains and prepares students for a career as a BMW technician.

    How do I qualify for STEP?

    1. Have a valid driver's license and documented proof of a driving record acceptable to BMW.
    2. Have completed high school or GED and post secondary automotive education level acceptable to BMW.
    3. Attain a minimum of a 3.2 grade point average (3.5 preferred) in technical school.
    4. Achieve a documented minimum of 98% attendance during their post secondary education.
    5. Be willing to relocate within a region making the individual marketable to enough BMW centers to justify the expense of technical training for that person.
    6. Accept employment at a BMW center within 30 days of graduation from STEP for a period not less than one year.
    7. Have the financial means to support themselves during training with BMW.
    8. Pass a written test (general automotive, not BMW specific).
    9. Pass a personal interview by a BMW STEP administrator.
    10. Some professional experience "turning wrenches for money" is preferred.

    This list was taken from www.bmwstep.com

    Are you required to have your ASEs?

    ASE certification is not required, but it is encouraged. Obviously, the more you have on your resume, the better.

    Do I have to go to UTI or Wyotech, or can I go to a community college?

    As long as your community college has a two-year program, you should be fine. NATEF schools are the best bet. For a list of NATEF certified programs, visit www.natef.org.

    Do they look at your high school grades?

    No. High school grades do not matter, but they will look at your automotive school transcript.

    How important is my driving record?


    It is important to have a reasonably clean record (reasonable meaning one MINOR speeding ticket). They will request a copy of your DMV record, and usually the DMV will ask if you want a copy going back three years, or five years. Three years should be sufficient. They don’t need to know about the street racing ticket you got when you were 16 if you’re 23 now.

    Do they drug test?

    Yes. You will be required to pass a standard urine drug test within the first few weeks of your STEP training. Almost any dealership will require you to pass a drug test as well, many of which do hair testing.

    What are the interviews like?

    There are two interviews. The first one is a preliminary group interview where they outline exactly what they look for in a STEP student, and what they expect to see in your one-on-one interview. The one-on-one interview is usually the following day and is just like any other job interview. It has been rumored that they can take up to two hours, but on average, they only last about 30 minutes. The proper attire is business casual.

    Does STEP cost money?


    Yes and no. The training costs approximately $10,000, however the dealership that hires you picks up the tab. If for any reason you don’t complete the training, or don’t go to work at a BMW dealership, you pick up the tab. Because of the expense of hiring a STEP student, many dealerships will require them to sign an additional contract on top of their contract with BMW. Those contracts can range from one to three years, and typically with the longer contracts comes higher compensation.

    Can my dealership send me to STEP?


    Dealerships can sponsor STEP students, but it is rare. Usually dealerships will send their technicians to STEP II which is an abbreviated version of STEP.

    Is it true that they can make you work anywhere?


    Technically, yes. They can send you anywhere, but under normal circumstances, they won’t. Because they can’t guarantee dealerships in a certain part of the country will be hiring, they want students to be prepared to end up elsewhere. Over the course of the seven month program, you will spend several weeks researching, calling, visiting, and ultimately choosing your top few dealerships. From there, you choose which dealership you want to work at based on job availability, location, pay, benefits, and overall atmosphere. Many students join STEP with a certain dealership in mind, and 9 times out of 10, they end up working somewhere else.

    What’s the pay like?


    As with any profession, the pay varies from region to region. I have seen STEP graduates start at anywhere from $16-24 per hour. Usually dealerships will start new technicians out hourly, and move them to flat rate after they have acquired a few months to a year of experience. For what it’s worth, in May of 2004, median annual earnings for dealership based automotive technicians were $38,060.

    Do other car manufacturers have similar programs?

    Yes, but none are as long or as in depth as BMW’s program. The other programs are:
    Mercedes Benz ELITE
    Audi Academy
    Ford ASSET
    Volvo SAFE
    Porsche PTAP
    International ITEP
    Volkswagen Academy

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    Pep Talk

    The bottom line is that STEP is hard to get into because it is a hard course. If you are serious about STEP and the process, you need to have a long talk with yourself as to how you can attend and complete STEP. You must attend everyday, no tardiness, no excuses. You have to put STEP before everything. (Reasonable things of course) You must eat, sleep and breathe STEP. You should have wiring diagrams as table mats. You should read your text books like bibles. There are so many things you have to do to become a STEP graduate, its so overwhelming that you will probably loose sleep at night. Only because you are that worried about failing or passing.

    However, on the bright side when and if you do pass STEP, you become this person of infinate knowledge. You may not know everything about every BMW but you usually end up knowing more than most of the people around you. Because of all the hard work you did, you actually remember it when it needs to be remembered. You'll catch yourself saying, "Hey, I did this in STEP." And the job goes faster and easier because you've done it before. That is basically what STEP teaches. STEP teaches you how to approach a BMW. They teach you how to not be turned away by the fact that it is one of the most advanced automobiles on the planet. They teach you to conquer the vehicle and make sure its fixed the first time, on time, everytime.

    Please direct all questions, comments, concerns or massive complaints to Kellie or myself, we're here to help. We hope this thread will help produce future "STEP Kids."
    Last edited by nickdrivesm3; 05-11-2007 at 10:02 PM. Reason: forgot

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    Ok, I suppose I have a question.

    Does a dealer compensate you if you chose to go with them (Some kind of cash compensation)?

    You do start out hourly. So do you get to work full-time or can they throw you in part-time?

    If the dealer is slow on business, does it effect your salary?

    Do you have any kind of access to anything in the shop for any personal use (I'm sure there is some liability in this but just asking)?

    Edit: How many days a week are you in the program? ----> I'm assuming it viable to hold a job during it even though it is quite intense.
    Last edited by typeS4; 05-11-2007 at 11:03 PM.

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    The dealer might spot you some cash to help you move. It is possible, I've seen it done. That is something you have to negotiate with your dealer when you are shopping.
    Most STEP grads start hourly to build confidence and make them feel comfortable in the work environment. If they feel you are ready for flat-rate, they'll tell you.
    If the dealer is slow and you are a flat-rate tech, then yes it can affect salary. However, if it is busy you can exceed your minimum and make some extra $$$.
    Most dealers will let you work on your own car, on your own time. After work, Saturdays, etc. They usually let you work on family members cars only. No sneaking in your buddies car for a headgasket job. Unless they pay of course.
    STEP program is 7 months STRAIGHT. 5 days a week. Usually from 7:00am - 1:30pm. After STEP is when most people go to work for a few hours.
    Last edited by shogun; 03-17-2019 at 09:31 AM. Reason: unnessary quotes removed

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    i'd love to know this as well. I'm nowhere near STEP because well, i'm a junior in high school. It'll be about 2 years until i can apply for STEP.

    Edit: posted too slow. Question answered
    Last edited by shogun; 03-17-2019 at 09:30 AM. Reason: unnessary quotes removed
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    Thanks for the response Nick.

    I see you love your job, can you give like 5 reasons why?

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    Quote Originally Posted by typeS4 View Post
    Thanks for the response Nick.

    I see you love your job, can you give like 5 reasons why?
    Top 5 reasons why I love my job...

    The Cars: Being able to work on the various types of BMWs and then test driving them after they are finished is one of the best feelings in the world. Imagine doing a motor swap on a e46 M3 and taking it out after you just finished everything up. Its in amazing feeling.

    The Knowledge: Throughout all the training, you learn so much about how the cars work and and they're various features. I show people something new with their car almost everytime they bring it in. Most of the BMW owners I've delt with, dont even know how to use their headrest! They don't even know what a DSC light is, they think its a tire light or check engine light.

    The work environment: Working with other techs can be really really cool or really lame. However, I got lucky when I picked my dealer so most of my co-workers are pretty cool. Always there to help and point you in the right direction. At the same time, they trust your judgement when you suggest something about a car with a gremlin inside of it. You can actually learn more from your co-worker who has been there 5 years, than you would from learning it through trial and error.

    The Privledges: Once you're in the dealer environment you get the privledge of being able to basically jump into almost any car you walk infront of. As long as you have a legitament reason, you can hop into a new M6 and say to you're boss, I need to test drive this car for a comparsion to another car. (Thats a bad example but it can happen) Another cool thing is customer clientel. If a customer is really hapy with a job you did, they might request you to work on their car the next time it comes in. I have about 5 different people who do this with me. Most of them drive ///M cars so its a treat when they stop by. There are a lot more privledges you get, like being able to work on your own car and use shop tools to do so. The list goes on and on, but trust me you can get hooked up and save yourself some money.

    The satisfaction factor: After you just completed a car with a "laundry list" and you basically bring the car back to life, its one of the most satisfying feelings ever. You just FIXED a car, not just a car, a BMW. A very complicated car. After numerous times you fix BMWs your confidence builds and you become more and more comfortable bring able to diagnose what the vehicle needs. Soon, others will recongize your skill and ask you to look at their cars. (im talking outside of work) Over time, you become trust worthy and people will speard the word that you are the man and you are the person to take a car to.

    See these two threads...http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum...d.php?t=745712

    http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum...d.php?t=745929

    If you read through my thread where I thank 94is, you'll see a list of the cars and people I bailed out of trouble before bimmerfest. That right there is an example of what a STEP grad is capable of.
    Last edited by nickdrivesm3; 05-12-2007 at 11:57 AM.

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    Well said...I couldn't have said it better myself. One thing I think I should add...You should be willing to move (and the interviewer will definitely want to hear that you are willing to move if needed), but BMW won't just send you somewhere. In fact, when I graduated I did not get any assistance or directing from BMW or the STEP program in terms of where I should work. It was solely up to me to contact the dealerships I was interested in, and solely up to me to make the appointments and do the interviews, etc. I was pretty much applying to jobs on my own as anyone else would...I just had the benefit of having STEP credentials so that helps the hiring process. BMW had no say in where I was going, etc.
    Just thought i'd add that to the discussion...
    Last edited by shogun; 03-17-2019 at 09:34 AM. Reason: unnessary quotes removed
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    Yes! Alvin makes a very, very good point. I knew I'd forget something important like that. Just to add onto that, you may SAY you are willing to move and not mean it, but it's amazing how quickly things change. I was dead set on finding a job in Colorado, but I ended up in San Diego despite getting job offers in Colorado. I had classmates who wanted to work at certain dealerships or in certain states, and they ended up halfway across the country because they changed their mind. Sometimes the dealership that suits you best isn't where you thought it would be.

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    Sucker Technicians Education Program-STEP.

    I dont really regret joining step because i am making a decent living, but its just funny how they try to sell it to you, telling you you're gonna be so prestigious and make so much money and so on. blah blah blah. mechanics are mechanics. BMW techs make more, but we have to deal with more BS, between all the paperwork and covering every step so you can just get paid by the cheapskates in the warranty dept. on top of that it seems like the alotted times for each job are going down as additional crap that we're required to do increases.


    sorry i had to vent. it all depends on the dealer you work for, too. i'm at dave walter in akron, OH. anybody in the vicinity?
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    sounds like you get a real satisfaction out of your job, thats cool. are you happy with the money you make , though? you made no mention of that. when i first started working at BMW i was stoked about driving M3's and all that, but it wore off in time when i realized i wasted my time and money going to tech school. for the most part as long as you own some tools and have mechanical skills, you can get a job anywhere. I experienced this first hand at my first dealership, BMW of the hamptons. about a year or two after i started, they hired in two guys who never worked at dealers, one of the guy never worked at ANY shop!! he drove a towtruck!! and they hired these guys on at the same payrate i was getting. i spent 18 grand to go to ohio tech, and of course the bmw step after that is paid for by bmw, but still, what was the point? you do come out of there knowing alot of stuff, but i learned the most by just being out there working on the cars. You guys are probably thinkin i have such a negative outlook on this company and this job!

    but really i was living in an area where an average home costs over 500 grand, and as a master tech at my shop, i would have only made about 30 bucks an hour. i was just below that pay rate, about to move up before i decided to just get the hell out of that area. its frustrating when you start a career with the mindset that you will be sucessfull, but in the end you end up just making enough dough to pay the rent on a piece of crap house. (yes a 500,000 dollar house is crap in the hamptons)
    Last edited by shogun; 03-17-2019 at 09:37 AM. Reason: unnessary quotes removed
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    You're pretty right on the money with everything you're saying. It has been slow lately and I have been suffering financially. I'm at 23$ per/hour flatrate. I've been thinking it for the past year and STEP does sell you the STEP package. They build it up and make you think you're gonna be a hot shot when you're out on the field. come to find out its a different world. But because of STEP you can figure out your day so that you can come out on top at the end of the pay period. My dealer has hired people that suck. It happens, but thats just how desperate they are sometimes.

    Even though STEP builds up the training as this HUGE deal and that you will fail miserably in the field if you dont succeed and graduate and everything depends on you committing to BMW etc etc etc...The catch is that once you're out there in the field and you have BMW experiance, you can take that ANYWHERE. Even within BMW to a possible management posistion or another posistion else where. Meaning FSE, PuMA employee, anywhere looking for someone who has BMW training. Not to mention GOOD BMW training. Thats what STEP is for, to make a GOOD, properly trained tech. I'm going to post later about my current experiance. My dealer has something up their sleeve with me and its looking promising. Not to mention I get a 3$ raise once I complete E70 training and reinstate my lvl 1 status.

    to be continued...

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    Quote Originally Posted by StickSeven View Post
    Sucker Technicians Education Program-STEP.

    I dont really regret joining step because i am making a decent living, but its just funny how they try to sell it to you, telling you you're gonna be so prestigious and make so much money and so on. blah blah blah. mechanics are mechanics. BMW techs make more, but we have to deal with more BS, between all the paperwork and covering every step so you can just get paid by the cheapskates in the warranty dept. on top of that it seems like the alotted times for each job are going down as additional crap that we're required to do increases.


    sorry i had to vent. it all depends on the dealer you work for, too. i'm at dave walter in akron, OH. anybody in the vicinity?


    i agree with you, that was 70% of the reason i retired
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    BMW Options

    I was at work today and we got the new issue of "Link", its basically a BMW dealership magazine for employees at BMW. Talks about anything management, parts, technican related. However there was a few page article on BMW STEP. Talked about all the requirements and how to get it, and what happens during STEP and after graduation etc etc etc... Well there was a few things I didn't know about STEP and that was there are actually 4 different courses you can take. Here they are and a brief description from the article.

    STEP LVL 1 - a BMW-paid, 27 week intensive training program for top-level technical school graduates that encompasses almost all Master Technican-level training and provides a two-year credit toward the fire-year requirement for Master Technican status.

    STEP LVL 2 - a BMW-paid 8-week intensive training program for top-level technical school graduates and practicing professional service technicans with at least of 2 years of experiance on another manufactures product line. Typically for BMW center-sponsored employees, STEP lvl 2 comprises up to seven of BMW's core courses, and is designed to produce well-trained BMW technicans who are expected to eventually become full-fledged master technicans.

    MetroSTEP - Designed to help promote diversity in the automotive service industry, MetroSTEP consists of an intensive, 20-week rotation of classroom and dealer-in-services courses, after which graduating students recieve a full-time job at one of the participating BMW centers.

    BMW FastTrack - An elective, vocational-technical-school program in which student technicans can enroll after completing an automotive certificate program, BMW FastTrack is a student-paid elective program that spans approx 12 weeks and graduates students with a set of valuable BMW credentials.

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    fast track is what i took, in cleveland, OH. only because that was all they had at the time that i graduated my regular auto/diesel course
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    Quote Originally Posted by StickSeven View Post
    fast track is what i took, in cleveland, OH. only because that was all they had at the time that i graduated my regular auto/diesel course
    how did you like fastrack? would you recommend it as an alternative to STEP?

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    Nick = the best.

    Thanks for all the help with questions and what not.

    I think that I am going to do the FASTTrack and see how that goes...unless for som e swift act by god..I get hired at ASSAEL, SAVAGE, or PACIFIC BMW in the next month. My buddy at PACIFIC graduated UTI with a 3.6 (No fasttrack) and went to a dealer and worked for 6 months and got sent to STEP lvl 2 and is now making 30/hr flatrate. (Glendale, CA) Socal is rediculous cost of living..so dont think that high hourly counts the same in middle America. After he completes a couple more classes he says he will have all the credentials for Master, which will turn his a few more bucks an hour.

    Do you think that if I go to Fasttrack and get hired at a dealer, they would send me off for more training within a 6mo period or would it be longer? I am only afraid of fasttrack because I don't want to get stuck at 15/hr for 1 year and a half and then move up slowly...I WANT MONEY!!!!

    PS. Nick, thanks again!
    In reference to watching a clip of the BMW V12 powered McLaren F1 top speed run...
    My Gf: "You can't even hear the engine, it sucks..."
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    just keep in mind not every dealership is the same. some may need more masters, some may need more diagnostic, etc. there is a certain number of each level of tech that each dealership needs based off their size in relation to what bmw n/a wants. if you get hired at a dealer, you might want to discuss that in advance so you don't get screwed, and end up with no schooling.
    Last edited by shogun; 03-17-2019 at 09:38 AM. Reason: unnessary quotes removed
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    it was alright, you learn all the basics like all the bmw acronyms etc.. and a few of the first required courses, but i would rather be able to tell a manager at a job interview that i took the complete step instead of saying i just did the shorter one. anyway though its a nice way to get your foot in the door
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    Quote Originally Posted by replicat View Post
    Do you think that if I go to Fasttrack and get hired at a dealer, they would send me off for more training within a 6mo period or would it be longer? I am only afraid of fasttrack because I don't want to get stuck at 15/hr for 1 year and a half and then move up slowly...I WANT MONEY!!!!

    PS. Nick, thanks again!
    Money comes with time and patience, nothing happens in a day. I can't speak for every dealership, but USUALLY it takes longer than 6 months to get sent to training. Seniority plays a big part in who gets what class when, so techs who have been there longer will get priority. Not only that, but they want to know that you're serious about your job and your future with that company before they invest any money in you. If you aren't under contract, what sort of guarantee do they have that you'll stay with them after they fork over the cash to have you trained? See what I'm saying?

    Don't be afraid of FastTrack, it still gives you an advantage over any other tech who walks in off the street looking for a job with BMW. You'll be better off with it than without it if you're serious about working on BMWs.

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    yes , seniority does play a large role, but at the same time, managers are required to meet certian "cora" requirements for amount of techs and level of training for each tech, so sometimes they will send you even if they dont want to. and as far as investing money in the tech, i'm pretty sure BMW pays them all back for tech schooling.
    and yeah , every dealer is different. some, like the one i worked at first, dont even really care about Step training or Fast track. like i said earlier in this thread, BMW of the Hamptons Hired me in at starting pay (its pretty standard in NY to have three levels of pay for a tech: C tech, B tech, and A tech) so i started as a C even though i had Bmw training. this was mostly because i was young and my boss didnt think i was that good even with the bmw school. he was an old-school type of guy who seemed to feel more confident with guys who had years of experience, no matter what brand of cars. BTW, in NY we were i think the best paying dealer and it was C tech-18/hr , B tech-23/hr and A tech-28/hr (i think...they may have raised it) and thats with full benefits paid for and a 40 hr/week guarantee. that all sounds sweet probably but most of you probably dont know how expensive housing is in the hamptons!!
    Last edited by shogun; 03-17-2019 at 09:39 AM. Reason: unnessary quotes removed
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    I just want to clarify what I meant in my above post. I don't know how reimbursement for the dealer works when it comes to training, but when they send you to school, they're paying you to not be at work. You aren't producing any hours or making the dealership money, AND they're paying you for your time and any travel expenses. So regardless of whether or not BMW pays for the schooling, the dealership is still investing money in you.

    StickSeven brings up a good point about the Cora requirements. That can definitely work in your favor. Also, he's absolutely right about every dealership being different. His example was one extreme, but I know of a dealership that ONLY hires STEP grads, or techs with prior BMW experience and won't hire anyone off the street.

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    Pete you are very much welcome, I hope everything works out for you. And I hope to see you in dealer training someday. (If you ever complete all the classes I have )

    The bottem line is that once you're in the dealer and you have a job, tell them you want to go to school. Show enthusiasim and interest that you want to go. I can lend somone my STEP books to help in the mean time.

    BTW Kellie you shouldn't be posting during work hours...
    Last edited by shogun; 03-17-2019 at 09:40 AM. Reason: unnessary quotes removed

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    40MPG
    Happy B-day to me guys...! (today is my 21st)

    I talked to my buddy last night and he told me that a bunch of techs are leaving + the new shop is opening at the end of the year and that he says that hes 99.9% he can get me in..while im in FASTTrack (im signing up on Monday for the 1/28/2008 class, finishes in april) And he told me that the two fasttrack dudes at this shop got sent to STEP within 3-7months...and that his manager is huge on education (3.9, 99% att), so he thinks im a shoe in...

    Im praying for this here, so hopefully all goes well guys. Thanks for all ur help Nick, kellie, and Stickseven. You guys really helped alot.
    In reference to watching a clip of the BMW V12 powered McLaren F1 top speed run...
    My Gf: "You can't even hear the engine, it sucks..."
    Me: "No, the beauty is...that when you have a rear engine car, and your driving 240+ mph, most of the sound is left behind trying to catch up."

  25. #25
    Join Date
    May 2007
    Location
    Southampton, ny
    Posts
    261
    My Cars
    1990 Bmw 325i S50
    are you sure you wanna do this? maybe you should find out WHY those other techs are leaving, you know? like i said before, i love working on cars and making money doing it is great, but i'm just not sure anymore if BMW is the place to do it! too many hassles involved in the job in order to get paid for your time. like today i brought an X3 in that i ordered an upper windshield moulding for a wind noise, and a passengers seat track trim that was broken. The moulding only pays .38 hour warranty, and it took my much longer than that just to get that thing in there without breaking anything. and as far as the seat part, there is no time in KSD (bmw labor time guide) to pay for that part, so pretty much i spent over an hour the other day road testing the car with the customer, then driving it again, then removing parts and driving again, etc... until i found something. then you spend time ordering parts, etc.. and by the time its all said and done, you only get paid for maybe 1/2 the time you actually spent. and its not like thats time drinking coffee or goofing off. its actuall working time. this buisness is tough sometimes, man. just be aware that all the success stories you hear arent all that true. there are ups and downs. some weeks you walk out of there clocking 60+ hours, but then a week later there could be no work to do, or just crappy work that doesnt pay anything. You just have to go in there and do it i guess to find out what i really mean. every guy who decides to go into this trade thinks its the best thing out there and all the older techs try to scare them away or at least tell them to ask themselves is this really what you wanna do? i see it all the time. hell, i was that guy once upon a time. i even wasted 18 grand going to school for it!!

    Go to Dental school. or be a doctor. the human body never has updates. no new models come out. you work on the same thing all the time. you will actually HAVE the money to buy the cars that BMW sells, and you'll spend less money in tools, too (ha ha) BTW you WILL go nearly broke buying tools. So much stuff is needed today to fix cars, and it all is so expensive, too. and the snapon and mac guys come every week and basically try to force you to buy there stuff, sometimes its hard to get them to go away.

    anyway..........
    Certified BMW tech

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