I walk in the parking lot of an apartment complex where I see a couple of legs sticking out from underneath a car. No, it is not the mafia’s latest place to hide a body; it is simply an apartment dweller trying to fix his car without having to pay an auto mechanic. He is what we refer to in America as a “shade tree” mechanic. In other words, someone who does not work in or have his own car repair garage and so, must work in the most comfortable place possible — under the shade of a tree. I do have a lot of admiration for those who understand the ins and outs of any vehicle. I have replaced fuses, headlights (twice), tires, oil, automatic transmission fluid and the cabin air filter. The easiest is the oil and the transmission fluid plus the cabin air filter which only requires dropping down the glove box to reach it. Finding the right mechanic is like finding the right babysitter for your children; you have to find someone who is both strong and gentle. Being a great car mechanic does require a deft touch and a particular skill set, and not everyone has it. Let’s explore the world of the auto mechanic.
An auto mechanic — automotive technician in most of North America, light vehicle technician in British English and motor mechanic in Australian English — is a mechanic with a variety of automobile makes or either in a specific area or in a specific make of automobile. In repairing cars, their main role is to diagnose the problem accurately and quickly. They often have to quote prices for their customers before commencing work or after partial disassembly for inspection. Their job may involve the repair of a specific part or the replacement of one or more parts as assemblies.
Basic vehicle maintenance is a fundamental part of a mechanic's work in modern industrialized countries, while in others they are only consulted when a vehicle is already showing signs of malfunction. Preventive maintenance is also a fundamental part of a mechanic's job, but this is not possible in the case of vehicles that are not regularly maintained by a mechanic. One misunderstood aspect of preventive maintenance is scheduled replacement of various parts, which occurs before failure to avoid far more expensive damage. Because this means that parts are replaced before any problem is observed, many vehicle owners will not understand why the expense is necessary.
With the rapid advancement in technology, the mechanic's job has evolved from purely mechanical to include electronic technology. Because vehicles today possess complex computer and electronic systems, mechanics need to have a broader base of knowledge than in the past.
Due to the increasingly labyrinthine nature of the technology that is now incorporated into automobiles, most automobile dealerships and independent workshops now provide sophisticated diagnostic computers to each technician, without which they would be unable to diagnose or repair a vehicle.
The National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence or ASE is a professional certification group that certifies professionals and shops in the automotive repair and service industry in the United States and parts of Canada. It is an independent, nonprofit organization created in 1972 in response to consumers needing to distinguish between potentially incompetent and competent automotive technicians. The organization aims to improve the quality of vehicle repair and service through the testing and certification of repair and service professionals.
ASE offers certification tests for automotive professionals through Prometric Test Centers. These involve several exams, the passing of which — added with two years of relevant hands-on work experience — will merit certification. The required experience can be substituted by one year of on-the-job training and a two-year training degree. A recertification track is also offered for those who have had previous certification. Upon certification, the certified applicant will also receive an ASE shoulder insignia, wallet I.D. card and a wall certificate suitable for framing. As of January 2020, the wallet card is again available after being retired since June 2016.
ASE certification is usually required by employers for those interested in pursuing a career in professional automotive service. Some municipalities require ASE certification in order to be licensed for motor vehicle repairs, such as Broward and Miami-Dade counties of Florida.
USA
In the United States, many programs and schools offer training for those interested in pursuing competencies as automotive mechanics or technicians. Areas of training include automobile repair and maintenance, collision repair, painting and restoring, electronics, air-conditioning and heating systems and truck and diesel mechanics. The National Automotive Technicians Education Foundation or NATEF is responsible for evaluating technician training programs against standards developed by the automotive industry. NATEF accredits programs in four different categories: automotive, collision, trucks — diesel technology and alternative fuels. NATEF lists secondary and post-secondary schools with accredited programs on its website.
Some mechanics are ASE-certified, which is a standardized method of testing skill and knowledge level. While it's not required by law for a mechanic to be certified, some companies only hire or promote employees who have passed ASE tests. The technology used in automobiles changes very rapidly, and the mechanic must be prepared to learn these new technologies and systems. The auto mechanic has a physically demanding job, often exposed to extreme temperatures, lifting heavy objects and staying in uncomfortable positions for extended periods. They also may deal with exposure to toxic chemicals.
The internet is being applied to the field increasingly often, with mechanics providing advice online. Mechanics themselves now regularly use the internet for information to help them in diagnosing and/or repairing vehicles. A popular resource for this type of research is the video website YouTube, where professional and do-it-yourself mechanics alike film and share their experiences on vehicle diagnostics and repair. Well-known YouTube car mechanic channels include Scotty Kilmer, Chrisfix and EricTheCarGuy, among others. Paper-based service manuals for vehicles have become significantly less prevalent with computers that are connected to the internet taking their position, giving quick access to a plethora of technical manuals and information. In addition, online appointment platforms have surged allowing customers to schedule vehicle repairs by making appointments. A newer method of mobile mechanic services has emerged where the online appointment made by a person seeking repairs turns into a dispatch call, and the mechanics travel to the customer’s location to perform the services.
Scotty Kilmer
Automotive garages and repair shops
Auto parts stores also maintain service operations. This is not common in the United Kingdom but more common in the US.
Automobile repair workshops are independently owned and operated businesses. These may also include regional or national chains and franchises including original equipment manufacturer repair sites such as in car dealerships. In the United States, these sites are commonly certified by their respective manufacturer to perform warranty and recall repairs by that manufacturer or distributor such as oil changes and other preventative maintenance items. Independent automobile repair shops in the US may also achieve certification through manufacturer sponsored programs.
European Union law —EC Block Exemption Regulation 1400/2002 in October 2003 — permits motorists more flexibility in selecting where their car is serviced. Maintenance and service work does not have to be done by the main dealer, providing the garage uses original equipment “matching quality” parts follows the manufacturer's service schedules. The Block Exemption Regulation or BER covers service and maintenance during the warranty period and prohibits vehicle manufacturers’ warranties from including restrictive conditions.
Specialty automobile repair shops are shops specializing in certain parts — such as brakes, mufflers and exhaust systems, transmissions, body parts, automobile electrification, automotive air conditioner repairs, automotive glass repairs and installation and wheel alignment — or those who only work on certain brands of vehicle or vehicles from certain continents of the world. There are also automotive repair shops that specialize in vehicle modifications and customization. Oftentimes, various specialized auto repair shops will have varied infrastructure and facilities for specific jobs or vehicles, as well as technicians and mechanics with different qualifications.
Online automobile repair shops or mobile mechanics provide doorstep repair services and home delivery of new and used auto parts of different late model and classic cars whose parts are not widely available in the market.
In countries such as the UK, the mobile car body repair sector has experienced high growth by way of mobile SMART repair companies providing mobile car body repair services, such as bumper repairs, auto body repair, paintless dent repair and paintwork defect repairs to private and commercial consumers, typically within the industry framework of refinishing vehicle damage on a localized basis, where the area of damage being repaired is not in excess of an A4 sheet of paper.
Auto body repair
Some repair shops offer both mechanical and body work repair. Automotive repair shops that specialize in body work repair are known as body shops. They offer paintwork repairs to scratches, scuffs and dents, as well as repairs to the bodies of vehicles damaged by collisions. Many body shops now offer paintless dent repair.
Paintless dent repair or PDR — also known as paintless dent removal — describes a method of removing minor dents from the body of a motor vehicle. A wide range of damage can be repaired using paintless dent repair, as long as the paint surface is intact. Paintless dent repair may be used on both aluminum and steel panels.
The most common practical use for paintless dent repair is the repair of hail damage, door dings, minor creases, large dents and bodylines damage.
The method can also be utilized to prepare a damaged panel for repainting by minimizing the use of body filler. This technique is currently known as "push to paint" or "push to prep."
Limiting factors for a successful repair using paintless dent repair include the flexibility of the paint — most of today's refined automotive paint finishes allow for successful PDR — and the extent to which the metal has been stretched by the damage, which depends on the thickness of the metal, the curvature or flatness where the damage occurred and the intensity of the impact. Generally speaking, the shallower the dent, the greater the likelihood of paintless dent repair being a suitable option. Even dents several inches in diameter can be repaired by this method, as long as the metal and paint are not stretched. It is possible to repair a shallow large dent or crease to an acceptable level, but very sharp dents and creases may not be suitable for paintless dent repair.
Paintless dent repair can tie its origins to metalworking techniques repoussé and chasing, which in antiquity can date its origins back to the 3rd century BC with gold, silver, copper and tin.
Paintless dent removal was started by Frank T. Sargent in 1931, when he wrote a groundbreaking work "The Key To Metal Bumping." This book describes the tools of paintless dent repair, how to use them and even gives illustrations on how one might predict the metal to move.
Almost 20 years later, Oskar Flaig made the first public display on record in February 1960 during the "International Motor Sports Show" in New York City.
He was an ordinary member of the staff at Mercedes-Benz. His job was to take care of the paintwork of all the show cars presented at trade fairs. Damage, scratches on the paintwork and small dents — produced by the public during the day — needed to be repainted at night, so the vehicles would be in perfect condition the next day. At the trade fair in New York City, he used a hammer handle to push out a small dent, so he would need to apply less filler before painting. Nevertheless, the result already looked perfect after pushing. After the show, Flaig returned home to Germany and started developing techniques and tools to repair dents. He was eventually promoted to foreman at the Mercedes Sindelfingen plant where he was known as the “golden tinsmith” and started PDR training programs at all branch plants. These techniques were used in Germany for a long time before finally being promoted as a successful way to repair dents in the United States in 1979-1983 when Juergen Holzer moved from Germany to Minneapolis, Minnesota and started Dent Kraft, the first recorded business in the United States to use paintless dent repair.
In other forms of metalworking, similar techniques of paintless dent removal may have been employed as early as the 1930s in automotive assembly plants and was popularized much later.
Auto mechanics in popular culture
Cooter Davenport is the Hazzard County mechanic who owns Cooter's Garage. He is an "Honorary Duke" because he helps the Duke boys escape Sheriff Rosco and thwart Boss Hogg's schemes.
The "Fonz" was a high school dropout and was seen as a bad influence. However, he did end up going back to school and earning his high school diploma. Not bad for a 1950's mechanic.
Goober Pyle was the country-bumpkins auto mechanic on the Andy Griffith show for six years.
In 1977, radio station WBUR-FM in Boston scheduled a panel of local car mechanics to discuss car repairs on one of its programs, but only Tom Magliozzi showed up. He did so well that he was asked to return as a guest, and he invited his younger brother Ray — who was actually more of a car repair expert — to join him. The brothers were soon asked to host their own radio show on WBUR, which they continued to do every week. In 1986, NPR decided to distribute their show nationally.
“Car Talk” was presented in the form of a call-in radio show: listeners called in with questions related to motor vehicle maintenance and repair. Most of the advice sought was diagnostic, with callers describing symptoms and demonstrating sounds of an ailing vehicle while the Magliozzis made an attempt to identify the malfunction over the telephone and give advice on how to fix it. While the hosts peppered their call-in sessions with jokes directed at both the caller and at themselves, the Magliozzis were usually able to arrive at a diagnosis. However, when they were stumped, they attempted anyway with an answer they claimed was "unencumbered by the thought process," the official motto of the show.
In 1989, the brothers started a newspaper column “Click and Clack Talk Cars” which, like the radio show, mixed serious advice with humor. King Features distributes the column. Ray Magliozzi continued to write the column, retitled “Car Talk,” after his brother's death in 2014, knowing he would have wanted the advice and humor to continue.
In 1992, “Car Talk” won a Peabody Award, saying "Each week, master mechanics Tom and Ray Magliozzi provide useful information about preserving and protecting our cars. But the real core of this program is what it tells us about human mechanics ... The insight and laughter provided by Messrs. Magliozzi, in conjunction with their producer Doug Berman, provide a weekly mental tune-up for a vast and ever-growing public radio audience."
Comments