Though mechanics can make good money, there are other factors that make the job unpleasant, especially health and safety concerns. The conditions of the actual repair shop can vary greatly. Some are fairly nice, while others are dark and lack effective climate controls. Regardless, fixing cars is often straining work. Mechanics often slide under cars, work with small tools and parts that are hard to maneuver and get grease all over their hands. This career path isn’t a good fit if you don’t like to get dirty.

Experienced automotive technicians should expect a median pay rate of about £35,790 annually, which translates to between £17 and £18 per hour. The top 10 percent of mechanics made £59,590 annually with the bottom 10 percent earning £20,200. many auto mechanics also collect a commission depending on the volume of work completed for the week, so experienced workers can bring home a much larger paycheck than inexperienced workers who require more time to complete a task.

At the end of the day manual labor jobs can leave you with very dirty clothes, especially if you are a mechanic, Since grease stains are such a common occurrence, there are a wide variety of methods available for treating them. You may have heard that dishwashing soap, like Dawn, cuts the grease on dishes, and some people swear by it for work wear as well. Simply work the dishwashing soap into the grease stain on your work shirts, work pants, etc., and then wash as directed by the manufacturer. Air dry to see if the stain removal was complete. Other creative solutions to remove grease stains include hair spray and aloe vera. Simply spray hair spray onto the grease stain, and then wash normally. Air dry to check stain removal. Try working aloe vera into the stain, and then wash normally. Air dry to check stain removal. If the stain has set, try spraying WD-40 on the stain, and the treating as a fresh grease stain. The powder method is probably your best bet for that one. As always, air dry to make sure that the grease stain has been completely removed from work clothing items.

Creative solutions for removing grease stains is all about what you have on hand. Presoaking your work wear with a stain remover item is generally the best way to remove recent grease stains. If you can catch the grease quickly enough, using powder is your best option. Remember, always air dry your uniforms after washing to check for stain removal before using a hot dryer.

Taking care of your uniform and washing it may take a lot of time and additional work that you are not even paid for, but the good news is that if you are a mechanic in the UK you may be entiled to a tax refund from the HMRC, for all that unpaid labor.

Also you can claim a refund for the significant amount of money you spent on tools to do your job; including many sized spanners, sockets, wrenches, jump leads, spark plugs and other accessories.

You can usually claim 20% of the cost of these items back in tax.  You can backdate your claim to the previous 4 tax years.

There are two ways to get your tax rebate entitlement and it all depends on whether or not you have any receipt evidence to prove your purchases.

If you do not have any receipts, then you can make a ‘flat rate expense’ claim which is currently valued at a £120 per year spend on tools for mechanics. So this becomes worth 20% of that at £24 per year. Bear in mind that you can backdate your claim for four years. This is also known as a ‘tool allowance’.

If you do have receipts to support your claim then you can get back the tax on the actual amount you spent. This usually works out at a higher amount than the flat rate figure, at 20% of your total spending cost on tools. This sort of claim goes back as far as your receipt history, as long as the tools are still in use.