6 Things You Will Not Learn In Automotive Tech School

If you are thinking about going to automotive tech school, that is awesome. You will learn about how cars work, and some about fixing cars. But you need to understand that you will not learn everything it takes to be a mechanic, or a technician. Today we look at the things that you will not learn in automotive tech school

Join me today as we discuss:
~A little about my time at automotive tech school
~How to buy tools responsibly
~Working with customers as a mechanic
~Selling work to a service advisor
~Diagnosing cars
~and more

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[sirhousecat]

I went to a decent tech school and got about 4 ASEs and I am now working at a Nissan dealership. I was just promoted to a level 2 tech from a lube tech the idea is to do serpentine belts, alignments, tie rods, brakes, fluid services and other jobs short of advanced diagnostics, transmissions and engines. At my dealership, I have a 30hr pay minimum guarantee at $17 per hour.
As per the tool truck, I will buy something if I need to. I have only purchased an impact wrench, sprayer, and a stud installer. I will generally pay in major chunks or at one time.
I am excited to start with a variety of work and move up from a lube tech. Saturday was my first day working as a tech and I put on a rear tie rod, did a brake fluid flush and a cvt transmission fluid change, and an alignment; pretty basic work, I know, but It is much more satisfying than just changing oil.

This has been pretty long winded, but I just wanted to share.

[davidreynolds]

Something I didn’t learn in tech school is just how much interior work I was going to be doing once I went to the dealership. I did one door latch in school and hated it, but I have had to remove multiple headliners and other things that is just a little too fragile for my liking. So that’s the story of how I chose to be a diesel mechanic 😂

[mikejens]

The biggest problem is older techs refuse to teach the new techs, plus they are set in their ways for the most part which is no good.

[chevelle]

The best way to buy tools is to pay for them and not finance anything.

[MobWithGuns]

adam savage of mythbusters fame said it best in his youtube Tested series, buy the cheap tool first, and if you use it enough to the point that it breaks/wears out, then buy the expensive too because you have warranted that owning the expensive version will last longer.

[TheEgg]

Tech school didn't teach me how to sell drugs behind the garage.

[ali]

im.a ford tech been working on cars for about 4 years im 5 min into this video and I think this is the best video some one.starting out as a tech can watch

[CabrasLocas]

Can't help but question the intelligence when I see shop guys with full custom Snap On / Matco tool box's. And they actually brag that the box alone was $10-$15k!

[rhkips]

Wow, are schools really not teaching this stuff? I feel lucky now...

I did my automotive training at my local community college, which has a great reputation with all the local dealerships for producing competent techs. Part of the curriculum was a semester-long course of Service Writing, and a semester-long course of Shop Management. Beyond that, the school held the belief that anyone can turn a wrench, and instead focused on core knowledge and diagnostic process, often with more hands-on lab time than classroom time. How and where to buy tools was discussed in the first week of every class, and the ups and downs of a mechanics income were frequently brought up as well.

My favorite bit, though, was that each student had to teach 2 hours of each class they took, during the semester they took it. It forced us to really familiarize ourselves with the material, to interact with other people, and to answer questions. Afterwards, we'd get a peer review, as well as input from the instructors.

[juancabeza]

I went to tech school out of my pocket for a month!... It was too expensive for me to continue but I tell you I learned a LOT in that single month asking all kinds of automotive questions!. I even contributed my Mazda 3 for the car inspection lab!!!

[chevycapriceSS]

Great points brought up about the communication between tech and advisor. I never learned this in school, only through experience I found this out and being in both roles during my career.

[MikeSmith-vequ]

I start in September at 38 years old never to late lol

[journeyfurthur]

I started out in a shop 6 mo. ago (with some personal experience under my belt) and I just enrolled in Penn Foster's online auto tech program and it's going really well for me! This online career degree program is giving me basic fundamentals on engines and auto repair. Some of the guys at the shop are bashing it, "you need to go to CC because you get the lab and learn it all there" Well, the shop is my lab along with my project car, and the online courses are my teacher. I can't afford to work part time and go to school like some of those kids can, let's face it...classes and lab take up so much time. Anyways, whatever works. I'm just happy I'm getting some formal education now 👍👍👍

[dieselgod]

Great video bud. I'm a UTI grad as well (Phoenix, 2001). You bring up some great points in your video. I have been in the industry a long time (mainly construction equipment side) and feel as though these shops have unrealistic expectations of entry level techs coming out of school. Like you mentioned the greatest learning comes with experience, but many places expect immediate performance level and then go around bashing the tech schools. I interviewed with a International Truck dealer and the service manager told me he was only interested in me for my experience and that he hated my school because, in his words, "I've hired grads from there who couldn't tell the difference between a metric and standard wrench."
I just don't know the answer to changing this. Oh, currently teach high school diesel shop class and love it. I'm going to add this video into my talk about further education.

[jackbteaching]

I'm 52, always liked toying around my cars, but don't have any serious training. I want to learn from online resources and tech schools for my own knowledge, to help me work on my own vehicles.

[Jake.of.All.Trades]

Nicely done! As a former tech you are right on. As a auto teacher I need to be reminded to be sure my students know this before they begin their career. Keep it up!

[michelledarkling]

YES! The mechanics having a working relationship with customers is crucial! I have a guy I've been going to for over 10 years now. The shop owner is on my speed dial. His mechanics are all on my speed dial. I've even stayed at the shop for periods of time explaining, in profound detail, whatever my car is doing that has me worried. They always treat me really well, and I'm convinced it's because I'm so eager to engage with them and LISTEN to what they say. Letting mechanics TALK to customers is worth its weight in GOLD, because it builds the customers' understanding of procedure.

[TheKsurf]

as a seasoned tech of 23 years, master, i want to add watch out for your advisors and dispatchers, that job you can do fast, they want to pay you less for.

[gerardtrigo]

I did not have the advantage of Tech School, I started out working as a mechanic's helper at a gas station at the age of 14. I quickly observed that the mechanic, who was the owner's brother in law, was not very good at the job and I later learned he was an alcoholic. O worked from 3 to 6 on weekdays and from 8 to 12 on Saturdays. The station was closed on Sundays because of "blue laws, " that have since been repealed. I would go home after work, clean up and go to the library to do homework and also to read up on car repairs, of which there was very little besides how to install and remove parts, so I would read up on how transmissions, brakes, engines, fuel systems, ignition systems etc worked. And by the time I was there a year, I was a better worker than the "mechanic, " and he was getting nervous, I left there and worked at another gas station as a mechanic for a few months before landing a job as a mechanic at a car dealership. I loved it because every year, before the new cars came out, there were teaching vans that would come by and teach us about the new cars, expected problems and new items and how to diagnose problems with those new items. They also provided a wealth of information about ordinary repair tricks and techniques that helped us work smarter and better. I went from being the king of comebacks to rarely getting a come back. By the time I finisher putting myself through college, I was a licensed master mechanic and was being groomed as shop foreman for all of Mr. McDonald Steven's auto dealerships, a job I turned down as I preferred working as a geologist. I passed my last certification tests in 1983 and did not renew after that. I do not consider myself qualified to work on modern cars and have forgotten much about the older cars I did work on.

[HugeVictor]

The importance of doing a job properly! I've seen too many VW techs do timing belts with white out as their favorite tool...