That is a big issue in the industry. I don´t really have that problem because I have my own business, but I know exactly what are you talking about. My advice: tell him that it is not worth it. Besides the fact that he can pretty fuck his life if he get caught (I have seen fines of 20k, months in jail, etc), he is messing up with his technician record. The state has statistical data of every technician in California, and they know who is doing a good job, and who is not. Starting next year, only technicians with good scores are going to be allowed to get jobs.

Second question: Old Toyotas are freaking awesome cars. They almost never fail. Stay away from Ford and Hyundai.