Low pay, unsafe repairs - Auto Technician CarMax Employee Review

1.0
21 Sept 2020
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

air condition, free food, easy work

Cons

do others jobs, do unsafe repairs, leads pass defects to get cars out, glue is carmax friend. install junk yard parts even if they have been in accident, leads have favorites and will throw other under the bus if you stand up to their bullying, managers lie and have favorites, you cannot work their if you have a DUI but if your a favorite of managers they will let you stay, they order used carpets and if they do not match the same color they have paint department paint it black, alot of repair lines are canceled cause techs not want to do the work, lube techs do not change oil filters on some cars cause they are scared, majority of the cars have bent wheels but leads will say balance and move path, if you go to management with issues they pretend to care but do nothing, carmax pays the lowest to their techs in the industry, they glue boots on suspension parts instead of replacing at times. if tire has side wall damage leads tell techs to turn it inside out, wheel repairs are done very bad, often leads will tell tech to move path and if customer notices they will bring it back to let retail deal with it, managers will judge employees all the time. saw manager cut a wrong seat frame and drill holes to make it fit on current seat. air bag wiring is repaired, your told to replace one brake rotor and resurface the other to save money, i been told to shave down brake pads to make it fit in caliper by leads, managers see damage and say its fine specially if its Friday, leads will tell you to drill holes on tail lamps to drain water and glue it back, tail lamps that are broken are glued back together,

Explore other reviews about CarMax

5.0
3 May 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

You are your own boss

Cons

Slow days can be demotivating.

4.0
13 Jun 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

The perks of working at CarMax are quite extensive. Associates are offered an aggressive 401k program, Stock Purchasing Plan, in store discounts on sales and service, access to the CarMax Wholesale system, excellent healthcare, plenty of PTO, and at my location we are given as much OT as we want. My coworkers are generally good people, that I enjoy being able to work along side day in and day out. Management is very understanding in regards to calling out sick family emergencies, and schedule requests.

Cons

Despite doing the work of 5 people, and very politely asking for a raise management will not give me more than my 3% annual raise which is the single biggest let down. The bonus change of 2025 being labeled as "exciting" was straight corporate gaslighting unlike anything I've ever seen. Since the start of 2026, as of this review being written we have lost 7 associates largely due to pay, and I am soon to join those associates. Management from the store level up to corporate needs to understand that to retain their top performers they need to be compensated like a top performer. Some members of management are cliquey and moody which is very frustrating to deal with. Quality of Management varies wildly from store to store as well

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