tire technician

automotive technician

service writer

automotive service advisor

mécanicien automobile

Fountain Tire

Shop POV!!

Typical Day:

As soon as you’re on the clock it’s go time. you jump in and assist with whatever’s on the go instantly. if you’re opening, open the shop as fast as possible cuz there’s always customers waiting for those doors to open or are already on their way. You’ll be doing apportionments mainly as they’re priority and walk-in’s secondary to that. They take customer satisfaction very seriously and being efficient and quick is a must. If you’re in the busier season (winter rush (mainly passenger), mid summer (commercial) you won’t be taking a lunch. Maybe a 30 min if they can allow it. And if they need you to work late, you will be. But they never try to get free labour, they will pay every step of the way. Including serious OT if required.

Management:

Don’t have much to say only that they’re very stuck in their way of doing things. If you have some ideas on how to make the shop run smoother they will take the considerations under advisement but the likelihood of them actually doing it is very slim. depending on severity. All around, good guys, that’s kind of the only kicker and it can be frustrating, sometimes it isn’t, depending on the person you are and your ability to adapt to their way of doing things. if you need personal days for loss of a loved one or medical, etc. they’re pretty good at accommodating your request so long as it’s not strictly a vacation which they need 2 wks notice for.

Environment:

Very Raunchy “guys club” type of environment. if that’s your vibe, you’ll fit in perfectly at a personal level. They love to joke around in the most controversial ways and they can make it a blast working there if that’s your type of scene. With that being said they’re also very understanding of those who do not like that scene. Yes you will still hear it, but they won’t rub it in your face and make you be apart of it if that’s not what you’re into. They’ll chose their words more carefully and try to make you feel more comfortable, but, you will likely feel like an outcast because everyone there operates like that. If you have a genuine issue or complaint they will do something about it, but yes it will cause whispers and I won’t lie, they’re pretty good at hiding it. They’re a very old school type of shop so if that’s your scene you’ll love it. 

From a working perspective the senior guys are really good at what they do. the middle aged ones who can still do the job are very efficient at what they do and will more than willingly train you along the way and the older guys who can’t flip a bar anymore due to physical set backs, will still try to help you the best way they can. You will be overworked though for the pay. Getting a raise is impossible unless you’re the foundation on how that place runs and even then, it’ll be so small for the back breaking work you’ll do. When the rush starts you’ll have like 20 hours of OT on your cheque or more, so it will be very rewarding on payday, but during that time you’ll be super exhausted and the work life balance during that time is awful, and again, you won’t be paid enough for it. 

Best and the worst:

Best part about this job is if you have no experience going in about anything car related, they will teach you anything you need to know and it will greatly build up your resume. The bonds you create can be amazing too, i’ve gained outside of work friends working here. 

The worst part is the pay. it’s just not enough for how hard it is on your body and mental health. it’s a good job till you figure out what you wanna do but I wouldn’t suggest settling here. Second to that would be the war between sales/front end and the shop/road guys. counter staff think we’re too slow and don’t have valid reasons why things take so long. Shop guys think the front counter needs to be more clear on what and how a job needs to be done. the tension is always there and the second you think everyone’s working great together, another issue arises. thirdly would be management. you have to do it how they wanna do it and when they want you to do it in the time they want you to do it and if you don’t check all those boxes, they will not be understanding. at all. so if you know what you’re doing, it’ll be completely fine. if you’re new, you’ll struggle. 

Lastly, a huge note is most winters after the winter rush is over it gets really dead. like a job or 3 at max that day. so during that time, layoffs are very likely for newer/less experienced technicians 


 



Not even worth applying here - you will regret it! The shop building itself is falling apart; supports on the walls are not even attached to the walls, for one example. All the tire work is done outside in the rain and sun with trolley jacks, rolling tires 50 feet to the back of the shop for tirework (rain gear NOT covered by the company - only 2 blue company shirts provided) and the lunch room and office stink of dead rotting rats and fill up with flies on a regular basis. Rats are in the lunch room crawling on the table, fridge, washer/dryer, getting into lockers and eating food straight out of lunch bags! There is a couple new tools there but the majority of it is old and doesn't work properly; the alignment hoist is practically condemned. As for wages, after several years of dedicated hard work wages are disappointing to say the least. The manager is a real piece of work as well. Goes on hiring sprees for busy seasons and promises guys full time work then sends people home on a daily basis so he doesn't have to pay them. Even going as far as firing not one, not two, but three (and possibly more) employees without just cause just for the sake of cutting costs and not even going about it properly. I was fired with no just cause on my day off, and then replaced with his daughter's boyfriend within a week. I will never support Fountain Tire in Courtenay again, and I will be telling everybody I know to do the same.

Pros:
- free parking
- benefits (exist, not great, but help)
- good experience, you typically wear a couple of different hats for a given job title 

Cons:
- no pension
- false promises by management (drink the Kool-Aid and promote it... clearly HR promoting hard here)
- lack of management (slim to nil leadership ability by all levels of management, maybe except Mr. CEO, haven't interacted with that guy too many times but seems like a nice guy)
- training... what training? fake it till you make it and have seen success if you tried
- bullying and disrespect: indulged in even at the VP levels, nuff said
- rolling problems downhill to see who the snowball hits doesn't actually solve the issue, again... management
- business practices: depending on department, questionable

Conclusion: 
It's not Fountain Tire's fault, it's just the people who manage it, and there aren't enough good ones. Obviously there are exceptions given different departments which the experience will depend on who your boss is, or who your boss' boss is. Some will bat for you and some will throw you under.
Being a 60 year old company, come on... get it together. We ARE NOT on this road together!

Working at Fountain tire taught me how to work and taught me a lot about vehicles, I enjoyed the fast paced work and hours I was getting. I worked at 2 fountain tire stores. This store made me feel happy at first, they bought me food, we’re nice, decent pay… but this all changed after my first month or two at this location I realized how much this location suffers from poor management, the workplace is riddled with horror stories about how the previous workers were treated, we never got praised for any of our hard work, only threatened that if we didn’t learn how to do something or couldn’t do something that they would find someone else that could. Being a tire technician is an awesome way to develop a good worth ethic and to move up in the company, but I do not recommend working at this specific location.

Over my time here I have realized that management, bar a select few, have emotional reasons for all decisions made and not logical ones, you will be blamed for all incidents and the CYA principle (cover your a**) is a necessity unless you take the heat of something that barely involved you. All employees are in such stress under this management style that they will throw you to the wolves at the slightest mistake and you will be written up for it. Gaslighting and write up based punishment leads to a “my way or the high way” leadership followed by a strong “you will do last minute overtime if I say so and question me about it and you will be punished” environment. This job also keeps to a forced skeleton crew and will only hire when somebody leaves, but also will fire anybody who they deem lazy or careless on the spot regardless of their precious amount of write ups or how if the week that person was fired, they will be slow to act and hire another temp or employee. 

This is a giant company that gives 0 cares about its employees. Wether you just stepped into the tire industry or you’ve been in it for 20years you will be payed the same. The chances of getting a raise unless mandated by the government because of a minimum wage hike is very low. Like one in 10years and don’t expect much.If it weren’t for the guys in the shop and on service trucks you would not have a company yet they are treated as the lowest of low and the guys behind the counter are treated like gold. Fountain tire needs to reevaluate how they pay their employees and treat them as individuals not as a whole. There are a lot of bad tire technicians out there it’s worth paying more to keep the ones with experience, passion and good work ethic then hiring a bunch of idiots at a lower wage that usually don’t know what they are doing and can’t show up on time let alone work well. Oh and don’t expect all your after hours calls to be paid out on time if at all. 

the management is unorganized and lazy they rip you off on pay cheques and do not pay out full amounts for jobs they also fire people after probation period with no notice no pay out and illegal reasons. the company and management does not care about the safety or well being of their employees in any way shape or form if you injure yourself at work they will threaten your job over it to keep you from saying it happened at work. and if you do have medical side effects from said injury they will fire you over it.  the work place is a mess and unsafe. you are required to use broken tools and to complete jobs without tools or with wrong tools. all around worst work experience of my life. hands down the worst managment i have ever had to deal with i wish i could give a negative star rating

I began my job with no experience, no problem!, The team was happy to help and were happy to assist in any questions I had along the way. Management was fair and respectful, until about a month later, when I was suddenly called into the office with the chief mechanic, I was told that a buisness decision had been made and they needed to let me go, effective immediately. This was upsetting and disappointing, as most people I have bills and require work to pay them, this has made my personal life very stressful and have been forced to find work while unemployed, no EI(not enough hours). When I asked if it was a personal fault or mistake that might have reflected poorly on myself, I was assured that it was strictly as buisness decision. 

I hope no-one experiences this, and I hope your career with fountain tire begins and ends on a positive note.

Working here taught me some new things like how to manage a construction project that we were not the owner of, but the tenant. This was the hardest part of the job for me because the contractors that I was trying to hold accountable were not working directly for us, but rather for the landlord.  
This job also honed my skills of working with the customer directly to develop the plan and implement it.  
The most enjoyable part of the job was being part of the new projects from the start, having solid input into the planning process and working directly with the store owners to get the project done.  I enjoyed the travel to the sites and my role as the investigator and evaluator of potential new projects.

What is the best part of working at the company?
Family oriented and the owner is very  good person to work with

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
When small job turn into big job 

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
supported and engaged. It's also important to remember that your perfect work environment may change over time with your skills, any positive or negative experiences, and preferences.

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
responding to emails and engaging in meetings with colleagues and clients. 2) Project Work: Focusing on tasks and projects specific to their role, such as mechanic , planning, or sales.

Top Job Titles	Average salary
Tire technician 10 salaries reported	$24.75 per hour
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Automotive service advisor 1 salary reported	$25.00 per hour
Mécanicien automobile 5 salaries reported	$33.00 per hour

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