A mechanic who worked for a shop made famous on TikTok, Dave’s Auto Center, is sharing the story of why he left—perhaps adding to its online lore in the process.
Creator Spencer Ellis, who is better known on TikTok as Metal Man Online (@metalmanonline), posted the video to his account on Tuesday, touting Part 2 of his appearance on the Jaded Mechanic Podcast. As the video shows, this mechanic is most definitely jaded after his experience working for Dave’s Auto Center, a Centerville, Utah, auto repair shop that has gained popularity with its TikTok videos.
Dave has had mechanic beef before
Those videos mostly feature the shop’s namesake talking about car issues, and they’ve been the subject of numerous Daily Dot articles. Though Dave did stray into some mechanic beef earlier this year with another online mechanic, Mr. Subaru, he’s largely maintained an understated, affable personality online, contributing to his appeal.
However, Ellis contends that “disrespect and scammy behavior” led him to leave the TikTok-famous shop.
Ellis’s story
“There has been a significant amount of fear surrounding what I’m about to tell you guys,” he begins his video. “If you guys have been following me for at least the last four or five months, you’ll know that I just recently quit my job working at Dave’s Auto Center, and a lot of people have had questions as to why.”
Though he’d initially said he needed a change, this video delves a little more into the story. “In this second episode, I hope to shed light on why I left. I know that several people that work at that shop do follow me, and they are going to see this, but I felt that I just can’t hide this. I need to let people know why I left because I feel if we are to change this industry for the better, we need to be having these difficult conversations. Like, just because something works, doesn’t mean that it needs to be that way forever. Continuous improvement is important.”
He goes on to hint that a pay dispute is at the center of his leaving Dave’s but also alludes to something more insidious.
“I just want to be able to show people that I fell victim to what I saw on the internet, and it bit back hard,” he says toward the end of the video. “And from that experience, I have become an even bigger advocate for mental health awareness and anti-bullying.”
@metalmanonline Special thanks to @Brandon Sloan and @checkenginechuck for their support, Posting this has been one of the hardest things to do. Please go listen to my story on @The Jaded Mechanic Podcast where I discuss why I left Dave’s. #mechanic #davesautocenter ♬ original sound – metalmanonline
Flat rate vs. hourly rate
One commenter noted, “Dave knows his stuff but it sucks to see he runs on a old system. Guaranteed Minimums are needed in the industry.”
As Universal Technical Institute explains, “Auto technicians may get paid in a variety of ways. Two of the most popular forms of auto mechanic payment are flat rate and hourly rate.”
Hourly rate is what it sounds like: Getting an agreed-upon amount of money for each hour working on a car. By contrast, “A flat-rate mechanic is paid based on each job that’s completed. An employer or manufacturer estimates the amount of time a job should take. The employer pays the technician a predetermined amount for that job, based on the expected time.”
The article explained that if a job is estimated to take two hours and the mechanic completes it, then the mechanic gets paid for two hours’ worth of work, regardless of whether it took one hour or three hours to do what was predicted to be a two-hour job.
“A disadvantage of a flat rate pay system for technicians is its unpredictability,” it points out. “If a shop is slow and jobs aren’t coming in, a paycheck won’t be as steady. If you’re waiting on parts to get the job done, that can also stall flat rate work.”
What commenters thought
The video drew other jaded mechanics to the platform.
“I think it’s best we self brand/self employed based on our skills,” one observed, “but then the over saturation of freelance techs is…”
Another complained about a dealership not giving mechanics gloves, leading to a discussion about a relevant OSHA requirement.
One shared, “Left the automotive industry for nursing after 10 years. This industry is broken enough for me to switch for NURSING. Flexibility is all I asked for but not available.”
The Daily Dot has reached out to Ellis via TikTok direct message and to Dave’s via online contact form.
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