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Taking the Guesswork Out of Finding a Good Auto Technician
05/21/12
by: ARA Content
(ARA) - Finding a competent auto technician need not be a matter of chance.
Much of the guesswork has been eliminated, thanks to the national program conducted
by the non-profit National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence (ASE).
ASE tests and certifies automotive professionals in all major technical areas
of repair and service. With more than 430,000 currently certified professionals,
the ASE program has industry-wide acceptance and recognition. ASE-certified
technicians and parts specialists can be found across the nation at every type
of repair facility, from dealerships, service stations and franchises to parts
stores, independent garages and even municipal fleets.
Certification Benefits Motorists
ASE certifies the technical competence of individual technicians, not repair
facilities. Before taking ASE certification tests, many technicians attend training
classes or study on their own to brush up on technical information. By passing
difficult, national tests, ASE-certified technicians prove their technical competence
to themselves, to their employers and to their customers.
What's more, because the ASE program is primarily voluntary, ASE-certification
becomes a self-selecting credential that weeds out those who may be incompetent.
And while ASE does not certify repair shops or police individual business practices,
it stands to reason that those shop owners and managers who support their service
employees' efforts to become technically certified will be concerned about other
aspects of their business as well.
How Certification Works
About 100,000 technicians take ASE tests each May and November at more than
700 locations. Technicians who pass at least one exam and fulfill the two-year
work experience requirement become ASE-certified. Those who pass a battery of
exams and fulfill the experience requirement earn Master Technician status.
The tests, developed by industry experts with oversight from ASE's in-house
pros, are administered by ACT, the same group known for its college entrance
exams.
There are specialty exams covering all major areas of repair. There are eight
tests for auto technicians alone: engine repair, engine performance, electrical/electronic
systems, brakes, heating and air conditioning, suspension and steering, manual
drive train and axles, and automatic transmissions. (There are also exams for
collision repair technicians, damage estimators, parts specialists and others.)
ASE certification is not for life. ASE requires technicians to re-test every
five years to keep up with technology and to remain certified. All ASE credentials
have expiration dates.
Finding ASE-Certified Technicians
Repair establishments with at least one ASE technician are permitted to display
the ASE sign. Each ASE professional is issued personalized credentials listing
his or her exact area(s) of certification and appropriate shoulder insignia.
Technicians also are issued certificates that employers often post in the customer-service
area. And employers often display the blue and white ASE sign as well.
Businesses with a high level of commitment to the ASE program (75 percent of
service personnel certified) are entitled to a special "Blue Seal of Excellence"
recognition from ASE. These elite facilities are among the best in the nation.
More than 1,500 businesses participate in this growing program.
Choosing the Right Technician
As with other professionals, such as physicians, automotive technicians often
specialize. So it's wise to ask the shop owner or service manager for a technician
who is certified in the appropriate area, for example, brakes, engine repair
or air conditioning.
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