In my world of automotive repair I talk a lot about Automotive Technician Certification or ASE Certification.
Since I bought our shop I've been making a stir in our local area and some don't understand exactly how it can affect them. So I'm here to explain exactly that and hopefully you will be able to take this knowledge and pass it on to YOUR friends and family as well as protect yourself next time you have your vehicles repaired or serviced...NO MATTER WHERE YOU ARE AT OR WHERE YOU GO.......
What I've been stressing is simply this....your hairdresser, doctor, dentist, groomer for your pets, etc....have to have a LICENSE/CERTIFICATION to do
their jobs. They have to pass a series of tests to cut your hair or see you, and they are held by strict standards set by the state, etc.
But, YOUR MECHANIC DOES NOT have to have a license to work on your vehicle - plain and simple - and THIS is what the Auto Repair Industry has hidden from the consumer FOR YEARS and they don't want you to know.
Everyone from the dealerships to independent shops have MANY within those shops that have NEVER been trained to do the job they are doing.
More often then not many have gained their experience working on their own vehicles or friends vehicles from their garages....but are now gaining MORE experience on YOUR vehicle. (Kind of "On The Job Training!")
How do repair shops and dealerships get away with this - it's fairly simple. I have driven all over the country and have seen many shops - (especially the ones that love to advertise the $13.00 oil changes) with ASE Certification in their windows.
While you are there they tell you ALL kinds of things THEY THINK are wrong with your car. MOST of those people aren't even trained TO KNOW what to look for, nonetheless tell you it needs fixing. How can they get
away with ASE advertising?
Here is How:
ASE has STRICT Testing you must take to be considered certified. But there is a glitch...they have a total of 8 different tests.
1.Engine Repair
2.Automatic Transmission/Trans Axel
3.Manual Drive train/Axel
4.Suspension & Steering
5.Brakes
6.Electrical/Electronic Systems
7.Heating & Air Conditioning
8.Engine Performance
All that one shop has to do is have ONE of his technicians pass ONE test to advertise as being ASE CERTIFIED! After that one test is passed ASE allows you to advertise assuming your being honest about what you can and cannot do as far as repairs are concerned!
Where is the danger? Well if that ONE tech could only pass ONE test - lets say for Brakes - the shop is advertising ASE and tells you that you need a new transmission - how would they know what they were talking about? They are only certified for brakes!
What happens is that most consumers see the ASE Certification in the windows of shops or on their yellow book advertising and think that everyone within the building is certified to work on your vehicle - that couldn't be further from the truth. (Also is the certification CURRENT?)
At one time when my husband was working at a local shop before we opened our business - he was the ONLY ONE within the shop that was certified!
Not the owner, manager, and NONE of the techs held a certificate. The techs had only gotten their experience from working on cars at their own houses! My husband ended up showing these goofballs on a daily basis how to fix the cars and do you think they cared or appreciated it? Heck no - they were still making their money off you with no thoughts as to what may or may not happen to you after you left.
I can't tell you how many times I've heard people say - well then I'll just sue them if something goes wrong with my repair or turn them into the BBB or Bureau of Automotive Repair - aka BAR.
First off - that's fine as long as your okay to do that after getting on the freeway at 75+mph and having your car fail. Second - most suits don't even get to a settlement because YOU signed Okaying the repair and they count on that.
AND the shop HAD the certificate hanging on the wall clearly showing you that only ONE of their techs were certified and that was for ONLY brakes and since there is no standard that they HAVE TO FOLLOW then it falls back into your lap.
The next thing I love to see that makes me laugh and feel bad for those that don't know is when I go into lets say the dealership or chain repair store. They LOVE to have all kinds of certificates hanging on the walls - but notice they aren't ASE...they say "store" trained - well that's nice. Most of those places don't just sell that ONE make and model of a vehicle - and how many times have you purchased an extended warranty? Or the chain store....they say that THEY trained them....okay and who knows what they are doing? (They Who?!)
Why am I so passionate about ASE - it is because those tests are across the board for EVERY make and model of a car. Now lets think about that for a minute. How many makes and models of cars are there out there?
THOUSANDS.
That's why MANY cannot PASS MOST of those tests -they are HARD. THEY ARE SUPPOSED TO BE HARD! Brakes are one of the easiest because brakes can be pretty standard.....sometimes. But transmissions, engine repair - etc. ??? That my friend is a whole different story.
If you are in the chain store or dealership look for the ASE certificates and LOOK for what they are REALLY trained for - I think you'll be surprised.
(Did you know?.....Dealerships Techs ONLY get training when the Dealership is willing to pay additionally for training - SURPRISE!)
The other way they get away with it? How often do you know that the person actually working on your vehicle is trained? Do you get to meet him? Talk to him? Nope. You just assume that EVERYONE back there is trained and all is well. Can you ask for someone trained to be working on your vehicle - sure you can ask - but you don't really know for sure -because if everyone asked, nothing would get done!
Most times there isn't anyone that's actually qualified to do the job or they don't have enough people trained at all......
Another reason many don't care if they employ certified ASE mechanics is because they are EXPENSIVE. Testing is expensive for the technician if they have to pay for it themselves and they are expensive for the shops. A guy that's trained means having to pay MORE money to hire and keep him on staff.
To keep up with industry standards with machinery, training, etc is VERY COSTLY - I know. But YOU don't know if they have the latest equipment or not - or if they have trained people on staff AND no one is checking to make sure....it's always kind of been left up to YOU.
Unfortunately the ONLY time you find out these harsh facts is when something does go wrong and by that time it's too late. You're out either a vehicle or lots of money on a repair that NEVER fixed what you
brought it in for.
I don't know about you but I think that's PRETTY SCARY!
You can check out any time the ASE standards and see for yourself how many repair shops have gotten around a great organization to make it appear like they are apart of something great when they really aren't - not to the degree that YOU think they are.
Ask to see their certificates - make sure they are current and not expired.
To have a "Master Technician" in any shop is rare. What is a Master Technician? That is someone who not only took the tests listed but passed them ALL...not just one.
Again, ONE MASTER technician in ANY shop is rare not to mention ANYONE who has adequate training. How about the owner being trained - again most aren't but they are running the business ...... odd don't you think that THEY don't know about the very thing they say they specialize in?
So now you know and it is up to all of us to hold these unethical shops accountable.
Together - we can all put a stop to unethical repairs and shops out there that don't care about you or your SAFETY.
One more story before I let you go:
True story by the way......
An elderly woman on limited income went in to get a transmission flush at a local shop where we live. They took the pan down threw some metal shavings into it - went out into the waiting room and told her she needed a new transmission. She just now went from a $69.95 job to a $1700.00 job. They cleaned up the bottom of the pan - cleaned off the transmission - sprayed a little spray paint on it to make it look new - did the flush ONLY and a few days later gave her car back. Same old transmission - and made close to $1730.00 profit.
She had originally come in with the great little "coupons" you get in the fliers every week in the mail for a transmission flush special....aka (bait) and she
was taken advantage of hook, line and sinker.
This is why I do what I do now - I advertise that they don't have ASE Certificates - I advertise how they get away with it if they do and I tell anyone who will listen what I've seen and how to avoid the pain of being taken advantage of in the auto repair world.
Be safe out there!
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