I'm a technician with major automakers - I understand our 'stealership' nickname with pressure to beat clock on repairs

A TECHNICIAN with a major automaker has revealed he understands why they are given the nickname stealership.

Maybe your struts are really worn, you have a valve cover gasket leak, or your tires are bald and they need replacing.

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Before you know it, you're roped into a bill running well over $400 after the mechanic threw a bunch of lingo at you, some concerned facial expressions, and then they offered you a "deal."

At dealerships, technicians are paid on commission as opposed to an hourly rate system called a "flat-rate."

The more jobs they recommend to a customer's car, the more money they'll make, pushing some techs to recommend jobs that don't need to be done - costing the customer a lot extra, according to one flat-rate tech.

Speaking anonymously to The U.S. Sun, "Steve" said he and other technicians affectionately coined the term "stealerships" as being flat-rate adds a lot of pressure to beat the clock.

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"With flat rate, you're paid based on how long the computer tells you a job should take," said Steve.

"If a job is rated for four hours and it takes you six hours to finish it, you're only paid for four hours."

Since flat-rate techs aren't paid hourly, this can push some techs to cut corners to beat the projected rate of the job, he said.

Additionally, if they're able to finish jobs quicker, they can work on more cars, making more money overall.

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"I know plenty of techs that skip certain parts of a job, like changing fluids on newer cars, to save time and beat the clock," Steve told The U.S. Sun.

Finally, a flat-rate tech may recommend additional work to increase the number of hours on a work order - only to not perform the extra jobs, like fuel system cleanings, fluid swaps, changing out air filters, or tire rotations, he claimed.

Steve said a majority of technicians are honest people with good intentions, but many are under pressure from their bosses.

Ways to avoid being cheated is to be educated, he advised, and the best way to be educated is to read your owner's manual.

An owner's manual would tell you the correct intervals for fluid changes, and provide a base level of information on how your car works.

Another way to avoid additional charges would be to seek a second, or even third, opinion - ask your coworkers, your mechanic friends, your dad, or even internet forums could provide more information.

If you have the time and energy, even taking a few automotive technology courses would definitely give you an edge over mechanics who might assume you're ignorant.