Urban Classics Auto Repair - Technician Jobs in Brooklyn, NY

About Us

We are a fully modern, clean and well equipped shop. We are the "neighborhood alternative for dealer quality service." We believe high performing and knowledgeable techs in our industry deserve excellent pay and benefits. We service all makes and all models but specialize in many European brands. We strive as a team with a "feel like family" to provide a high level of service to our customers as we diagnose, repair, and maintain their vehicles.

Photos

  • The Shop
  • We do alignments!
  • Customer Counter
  • The Service Writer's Desks
  • Main Bay Doors and Office Entrance
  • Mark: Our Shop Floor Manager with techs Mo and Serge at the Tech's Work Order Dispatch Racks
  • Customer in the waiting room
  • The entire Urban Classics Auto Repair Family
  • Palesa: Our Receptionist / Office Assistant
  • Guang: One of our lead diagnostic techs
  • Serge: Lead tech at work!
  • Vitalijs: Master Tech....can fix anything!!
  • The Management: Max (lead Service Writer), Velma (Office & General Manager), David (The Owner)
  • Guang's Work Bay
  • The cars keep on coming at morning drop off!
  • Promotional Post Card
  • The Support Staff: Mark, The Shop Floor Manager (on the left) with the Valet Drivers and Parts Managers

Under The Hood

Is the shop heated? Air conditioned?

The shop is well heated for Fall and Winter. We use large industrial shop fans during the Summer

What is the size of the team I’d be working with?

* We like to have 6-8 techs working on the shop floor. * We have 2 highly skilled and professional Service Advisors at the front counter who are assisted by a full time receptionist and our General Office Manager. * We also employee a person who calls all of our customers after every visit to get feedback and make sure they are happy with the service we've provided. * We have Shop Floor Manager, who dispatches the work and the parts to the Techs. * The Shop Floor Manager has 2-3 Valet Drivers who work with him to get the vehicles to the techs. * Total staff usually equals about 18 or 19 people. We are really into working as a team!

What are the shop hours and what are the shift timeframes?

We work 5 days a week. Monday through Friday. The shop is open from 8 am to 5 pm. We try to be flexible if we can with our staff with their work schedules to accommodate kids in school, rush hour traffic, etc.

What tools does the shop provide that are available for all technicians to use?

We provide all factory and aftermarket scan tools, all large hand tools and specialty tools required to repair todays modern vehicles. We are in the process of working as a totally paperless shop utilizing the Auto Vitals tablet based Smart Flow system.

What type of break room facility is provided?

We have 2 shop refrigerators and a microwave.

How many bays does your shop have?

11 bays and plan to expand to 12

How many repair orders do you average per month?

325

What is your parts ordering process?

Parts are ordered by the Service Advisors

What is your policy on side work?

After work hours are available for repairs on personal vehicles or family members

Are there any other unique features of the work environment worth noting?

Our services are in high demand. We work together to provide a high level of customer service. We work as a team. We have regular shop meetings that help keep our group working together effectively. We value everyone's input. We strive to maintain state of the art equipment and provide our staff with access to multiple technical support hotlines. We also encourage and pay for tech training.

Do you offer any skills training or continuing education opportunities?

We strongly encourage training and support our service team with many opportunities to advance their knowledge. We require a minimum of 36 hours of training per year. We are are a Technet shop and our techs have access to a huge array of tech training classes that can be live, virtual and online recorded. We also are an AC Delco Master Tech Shop: Our techs have access to all the online and in person all makes/all models training provided by AC Delco We are a AAA Authorized Repair Shop which also provides tech and service training. We also provide full access to all AVI and Bosch Training courses We pay for all training and ASE Certificate Testing Fees

Can you describe opportunities for career growth at your business?

We firmly believe that to be truly happy every person should have goals. We always support the employee that wants to expand their knowledge and skill set and we are happy to discuss advancement opportunities during performance reviews.

Can you describe your performance review process?

Performance review is done annually. You grade yourself and your Supervisor grades you. Things looked at are productivity, efficiency, team contributions, and overall attitude, and career path opportunities.

What type of safety training is required?

Safety training is performed during onboarding process. Safety training is also provided when relevant.

Can you describe how Techs work with and mentor younger techs?

Technicians are compensated for time spent with apprentice technicians. They are available to answer questions, and work through repairs when time permits.

How does your shop get involved with the local community?

We strongly believe in supporting activities that improve our local community. The owner of Urban Classics Auto Repair served as President of our local Community Education Council for 6 years. We continue to help connect our customers with our local public schools. We also perform free vehicle service for The Campaign Against Hunger which feeds daily 15,000 needy families in Brooklyn.

Do you do anything with local high schools or tech schools to encourage more students to enter the profession?

The owner of the business used to teach in the Automotive Department at Bronx Community College. He maintains strong connections with various automotive tech schools. He also had been a member of the Consortium for Automotive Education for over 30 years. David was a regular on The Auto Lab Radio Show sponsored by the Consortium.

Where do you see the shop in five years?

The owner realized his life long to own the building that houses the shop. Urban Classics Auto Repair has a permanent home. Our plan is to continue to grow our business in service to our community.

Is there anything else you’d like to mention about career development and community?

We work together as a team and like family. We support each other, and most important, every employee at Urban Classics cares about people. Not only do we strive to treat each other like family we treat our customers like family. We believe in "the care factor" as the main reason for our success.

Do you have an application form and how long does it typically take to complete?

Yes we have application form. It takes approximately 15 minutes to complete

Do you phone screen applicants before doing in-person interviews?

We like to do a light phone screen to do a quick touchpoint on the candidates background, qualifications, what they are looking for and if we are the right fit.

What do your in-person interviews entail?

Most of our employees have been with us for many years. We like long term relationships with employees. Therefore the interview is casual and is used as an opportunity for us to get to know a potential new employee. We also want the potential new recruit to use the in person interview as an opportunity to ask us questions and get to know what we are all about.

Do you perform background checks, drug screening, or personality tests before hiring an applicant?

No

Do you perform a skill assessment before hiring an applicant? If yes, what does it entail?

No formal skills assessment. We do like to review any certifications a future employee might have.

After an in-person interview, approximately how long should I expect to wait for a rejection or an offer?

One to two weeks

Approximately how long does the full hiring process take from submitting the application to the time of the hiring decision?

Two weeks Our company considers any new hire to be categorized as probationary for the first 3 months of employment.

Is there anything else you’d like to mention about your hiring process?

We like to do working interviews. If we feel a person might be a good fit as an employee and that person feels the same way, whenever possible, we think it's always best to have someone come and work with us with pay for at least a few days before someone is officially hired. We have found this to be a great way for both us and the new employee to really get to know each other.

A Level Technician
A Level Technicians are highly skilled technicians that have strengths in their diagnostic and mechanical ability. This level of technician typically has many years of experience and education. We view an A Level Technician as the highest skilled technician in a shop
Pay Range: $90,000 - $160,000/year

Flat Rate Pay Structure based on experience, ASE as well as other certifications and tenure.

B Level Technician
B Level Technicians are skilled in mechanical repair and, while not their specialty, have some diagnostic skills. B Level Technicians generally have a fair amount of experience and can be trusted to handle most repairs.
Pay Range: $65,000 - $90,000/year

Flat Rate Pay Structure based on experience, ASE as well as other certifications and tenure.

C Level Technician
C Level Technicians are more of entry level technicians. C Level Technicians’ responsibilities typically include basic maintenance, alignments, brake and suspension work, along with other base level repairs.
Pay Range: $45,000 - $65,000/year

Flat Rate Pay Structure based on experience, ASE as well as other certifications and tenure.

Lube Technician
Lube Technicians are entry level technicians that focus on routine maintenance such as oil changes, changing tires, and inspections.
Pay Range: $32,000 - $42,000/year

Hourly Employee

Service Advisor
Service Advisors are primarily customer focused and, as one of the faces of the shop, they are critical in keeping customers happy. Service Advisors are frequently focused on taking customer calls, relaying information to technicians, and selling repair jobs. Both technical and sales experience are helpful for this position.
Pay Range: $52,000 - $140,000/year

Base Pay plus Bonus calculated on Gross Sales and Gross Profit.

Health Insurance Offered
United Healthcare Plus: Shop pays 100% for the employee. Family members can join our plan but employee pays for them. Healthcare Insurance available after 90 day probationary period.
Dental Insurance Offered
Offered via our health insurance plan paid for by the employee.
Vision Insurance Offered
Offered via our health insurance plan paid for by the employee.
Retirement Plan Offered
Fidelity Simple IRA Plan available to all employees. Shop contributes to the plan.
Sick Leave Offered
4 paid Wellness Days per year. If employee does not use them they receive pay for those sick days not used.
Vacation Offered
For first two years: One full week paid vacation per year After 2 years: Two full week's paid vacation per year After 5 years: Three full week's paid vacation per year
Paid Holidays Offered
New Year's, Memorial Day, Fourth of July, Labor Day, Thanksgiving and Christmas
ST / LT Disability Offered
Short and Long Term available from AFLAC: Paid for by employee
Life Insurance Not Offered
Uniforms Offered
Provided by the shop
Other Offered
Advanced technical training available and paid for by the shop

Shop Talk

Our owner, David Goldsmith, discusses employee recognition and the admiration he has for technicians.

All the techs are really excited about the new upgrade in shop equipment we got this month.