Training Received by Technicians

 

When your car breaks down or just needs some routine service, it can make you a little nervous. Because your car’s so important to your life, you need to be back on the road as soon as possible and with the problem fixed right the first time.

We’ve been checking into some of the training our technicians receive, and we’re very impressed. It’s amazing how much knowledge and skill goes into diagnosing and repairing a modern car. So it’s not like when your uncle worked on his hot rod over the weekend.

Today there are four cylinder engines that make more power than the V-8’s in luxury cars did 20 years ago. A new V-6 Toyota Camry could beat an old Ferrari in a race to 60 mph.

Our engines are more and more powerful and also very reliable. This is all due to engineering. But the benefits come drivers at the price of simplicity. Modern cars are so much more complex from a mechanical standpoint that it makes your head spin.

Then there’s the electronics. Some cars now have several networked computers controlling most of the engine functions and many other vehicle functions as well. We tend to  take all of this sophistication for granted – but somebody has to fix it when it breaks.

It’s a real challenge for the Automotive Service Centres to keep up. It requires a high level of commitment on the part of the Technician and the service centre as well. In addition to the training, there’s the financial commitment to purchase the diagnostic and repair tools as well.

So where do New Zealand technicians go for training? There are many sources. It’s usually a combination of formal classroom training, training provided in the service centre by Automotive parts and equipment manufacturers, on-line courses and home study courses. There are many independent certifications available all the way up to Master Technician.

Service centers also have a lot of other resources available as well. No one can know everything, so service centers like Oil Changers subscribe to data services, technical libraries and even on-line communities that can help them with they run into a difficult problem.

It’s like those medical diagnosis shows on TV. Here are the symptoms – what’s the diagnosis and treatment. Diagnosis is every bit as much an art as a science. We all want everything to be simple, straight forward and cheap – and sometimes it just isn’t.

So, be more relaxed next time you take your vehicle in. You can trust the professionals at Oil Changers. You’re in good hands. The more you know, the more comfortable you can be with your automotive service decisions.

Oil Changers
www.oilchangers.co.nz