[lucideng]

As the son of a mechanic, I was explicitly barred from becoming a mechanic. The hours can be long, but they are more inconsistent than anything. In the summer it's hot and even hotter under engine bays, in the winter it's cold and melting snow/ice cause constant drips from cars.

The physical demands are real, you will likely have back/neck problems from leaning into engine bays, looking up constantly, contorting your body to get at a bolt or connector.

You are constantly exposed to toxic fumes and chemicals in the air and on your skin. You will be burned from hot exhaust, cut open on dirty rusted metal, bruised from impacts or falling objects, hearing loss from air lines hissing, air tools and hammering on parts. Those are the lucky ones... unlucky ones get eye injuries (even with 'safety' glasses), severe burns or cuts and broken bones from crushing injuries or even death from a variety of sources.

The pay structure promotes cutting corners and speed. You are paid X hours for a task even if it takes you X*2 (oh no!) or X/2 (oh yeah!) hours. You don't get extra time and pay to clean dirt and mud from an area to prevent contamination or just do a good job in general.

Vehicles are generally designed to be easy to assemble, not repair. This is why a mechanic may spend 5 minutes cutting a hole in a plastic fender well to access a bolt and plug the hole afterwards. That bolt is easily accessible when the engine is removed, but dropping an engine (they come out the bottom easier) can take 2 hours. With a shop rate of $100/hr+, you'll want the quick hacky fix to replace that $10 gasket.

Often, there is no workaround like that, so you're racing the clock... hoping something else doesn't break along the way or you get hung up on a rusty bolt. And when something does break, you hope to any god that will answer you that you can get the part in a short amount of time.

$160k is not enough for some of those talented guys... they are like professional athletes in the sense that it's a young man's game and your body is getting used up every day you're in there wrenching.