>(albeit a long time ago)
This probably matters a lot depending on what 'long time ago' means.
Like when you hear old timers say "When I was a kid I bought X for Y" where Y is something like 10th the cost it is now. The push for profits has squeezed every section of the economy and it sounds like (dealer) mechanics are not escaping.
A long time ago was in 2002 or so. But warranty work still drove most of dealer profits back then, so I suspect there was still the same push.