Major Automotive Service Technician Tools Found In Every Garage

When embarking on an auto career, the first things you learn are the ins-and-outs of using the most popular industry-standard tools. In addition to these, however, there are other major tools not usually found in the garage of the hobbyist, but are absolute necessities for the automotive service technician. These tools are indispensable to building up your business from the ground-up, or becoming a valued member of a pre-existing team.

Tools You Can’t Do Without

Early in your auto career, you’ll come across the full range of electrical issues with the parts of a vehicle. As such, a voltmeter is an essential piece of diagnostic equipment, which drastically cuts down the amount of time you would otherwise spend trying to find shorted wires and faulty connections. Often sold together, a multi-meter for the checking of amperages is just as important.

Because a busy automotive service technician can easily encounter tens-of-thousands of bolts, screws and holes in a short period of time, you’ll find air-powered ratchets, ball drivers and power drills to be merciful instruments of construction and disassembly. They save your joints from inflammation and injury and allow you to easily tighten and loosen disagreeable bolts and screws.

For big jobs that involve razing down the thick metal of a car, cutting and making adjustments are easily handled by this next popular tool of the automotive service technician: the plasma cutter. Reaching temperatures hot enough to ionize the surrounding air, this is essentially the perfect knife and slices through hardware like butter. The plasma cutter is an indispensable welding tool that will serve you well in your auto career.

A work light is an absolute must. Even during the brightest day, there are nooks and crannies in the back of the garage where darkness dominates, and it is crucial that you see what you’re doing. Work lights come in super-bright halogens and low-energy LEDs, where the lack of an extension cord and power adapter proves handy.

Extensions and swivels are mechanical tools that allow you to reach and manipulate hard-to-reach bolts, which are either deeply-embedded in some corner of the car, or surrounding by too many other machine parts at an awkward angle.

Jacks and jack stands are instruments of dual-importance, so much so that they’re sold as the feature of many starter packages for the beginning auto mechanic. The jack is for removing car wheels safely, by allowing you to slide underneath the multiple-ton vehicle to inspect the underbelly.

These represent just slightly more than a handful of the essential tools you’ll encounter in auto careers, and serve as the bare minimum for a serious mechanic. Vehicles develop all kinds of problems through wear-and-tear, and these tools help you effectively apply your knowledge in finding solutions for satisfied customers as an automotive service technician.

Need Auto Repair Where Do You Go For Automotive Repair

When you are asked where you go for your vehicles auto repair, what words come to mind to describe your auto shop? How about, qualified, trustworthy, friendly, and certified? Our trained mechanics are qualified to perform all types of automotive repair on any make or model of vehicle, domestic or foreign. If you dont want to spend your valuable time going from one auto service center to another just to have all the different maintenance and repair issues taken care of, then check out the automotive services offered at Garys Quality auto shop.

Garys professional technicians specialize in complete car care for all forms of vehicle maintenance and automotive repairs. Our customers choose our shop and keep returning because:

Our mechanics are ASE Certified Technicians

Our auto shop is AA Approved

We offer 2 Year / 24 Warranty for your peace of mind

Free Shuttle to where you need to go

24 Hour Towing when you are stranded

Friendly Staff who are committed to helping you

Complete Auto Repair service at just one auto repair shop

Because technology is forever changing in the auto industry and the systems in vehicles today are more complex than ever, our mechanics are in a constant mode of training. Our factory-trained technicians keep current with up-to-date new technology so they can stay knowledgeable and qualified to perform repairs or maintenance on any type of vehicle.
So, where do you go for expert automotive repair advice? Your answer should be Gary’s Quality Automotive! Get professional advice on your next auto repair by calling our ASE Certified Technicians at (308) 381-2295 or go to http://www.garysautoinc.com/ for more information. Our Grand Island auto shop proudly serves vehicle owners in Grand Island, Wood River and Doniphan, NE.

Headed For Transmission Repair Read The Signs!

Transmissions are complex machines buried deep in the chassis of our vehicles. Regular transmission service will help post-pone or eliminate some problems, but when a transmission begins to malfunction, there are specific signs that the average vehicle owner can recognize.

Know the three common signs of transmission problems:

*Fluid leaks under the car — If there is a persistent red leak under your vehicle, is it coming from the transmission or from the power steering system? It is difficult to determine, as most power steering systems also use transmission fluid. Thus, leaks can appear on the ground in roughly the same areas as transmission leaks. If the leak is fairly small, you may be able to postpone a transmission repair as long as the fluid level is checked regularly. However, when the fluid level falls below the minimum required level, a transmission repair is inevitable.
*Color and odor of fluid Check the fluid level when the vehicle is running and on level ground. The fluid should be red and transparent. If it is cloudy or muddy looking, or if it smells burnt, take your vehicle to a transmission repair technician. They may recommend a transmission service to drain and refill the fluid, as well as replace the filter. Some transmissions may require a computer program updating.
*Noises, vibrations and irregular shifting — Modern transmissions typically shift smoothly and quietly under light acceleration. Heavier acceleration should produce firmer shifts at higher speeds. If shifting points are erratic, if there are strange noises when shifting, or whining noises that come from underneath the car, are causes for concern.

Note: Look and Listen to your transmission. If problems are taken care of early, they can often be resolved without a costly major transmission repair.

** Did You Know? — With gas prices down to less than $2.00 a gallon around the country, a growing number of motorists have been flocking back to showrooms for pickups, SUVs and muscle cars. Yet, despite that sudden surge, the days of the classic V-8 and V-6 may be coming to an end. A new study suggests that less than half of the vehicles that will be sold around the world by 2017 will be powered by conventional gasoline engines. Alternative fuels (such as diesel, ethanol, and hydrogen), hybrid-electrified vehicles and more advanced internal combustion systems will make up the majority of the global mix, according to a new report from Navigant Research. Hybrids, plug-ins and pure battery-electric vehicles still account for less than 5% of the U.S. market, but demand is expected to grow exponentially. That said, a summary of the new Navigant report notes that, “gasoline is anticipated to remain the leading fuel in the coming years, albeit in unconventional vehicles that employ a range of fuel-efficiency technologies, such as smaller engines and turbo-charging.” A growing number of vehicle manufacturers will opt for either alternative fuels or advanced technologies designed to squeeze far more mileage out of every drop of gas.**

For expert advice on transmission repair, contact our ASE Certified Technicians at Clausen Automotive by calling (608) 221-8321 or go on-line at http://clausenautomotive.com for more information about our transmission service. Since 1975, our family-owned auto shop has proudly served vehicle owners in Madison, WI, and the surrounding communities.

Increasing Automotive Performance

The automotive performance of a car is always related to the amount of fuel consumed by it. However, a cars performance can be increased in certain ways without negatively affecting the gas mileage of a car. Given below are few tips:

Performance chips: Computer chips that operate most new cars these days keep track of how much horsepower and torque can be displaced. Using performance chips or recalibrating the current chip used in a car can help in increasing the torque and horsepower to a great extent.

Cold air Intake: Power of a car engine can be increased if the temperature of the air that enters the car can be reduced. An under the hood modification in the form of cold air intake can help in this. Such an enhancement also beautifies the engine bay by making it colorful and attractive. Such a unit will also make an appealing sound.

Reusable air filters: Throughout the life of most of the cars, about 6 to 12 auto air filters are used without facing any problem, but when not in use most of them end up at the landfills for waste materials. Even though reusable air filters cost thrice as much as normal air filters, they are washable and last much longer than the regular ones. In fact, when you buy a reusable air filter for your car, it is actually the last one you will be ever buying for it. These air filters help you to increase acceleration and horsepower, besides having a very positive impact on the environment.

Performance exhaust systems: Another way to unleash horsepower, trapped up torque, and improve the overall automotive performance is by using “catalyst-back exhaust systems” (cat-back) for cars. Such a system installed in a car reduces exhaust back pressure by using low restriction performance mufflers and large width exhaust pipes while keeping all the important emission parts in their proper place. In addition to better performance, the exhaust system emits awesome sound.

To improve the automotive performance of your car, you may have to bear additional costs. While shopping online for the auto aftermarket products always opt for a trusted wholesaler. That way you will be able to acquire good quality automotive parts at very low prices. The auto aftermarket products/ services for increasing automotive performance of cars include accessories, replacement parts, appearance products, lubricants, various tools and equipments required for repair and service repairs. If you do the shopping yourself, you will be able to save a lot.

In 2007, the auto aftermarket had done better than in 2006, with a total sale of $285.5, which is a 4% increase from the previous year. In the light truck and car section alone the auto aftermarket experienced $211.4 billion sales while in case of heavy duty vehicles the aftermarket sales figure stood at $74.1 billion.

Centennial Colleges Automotive Service Technician Apprenticeship Focuses On Canadian Tire Employm

If there is one brand that is recognizable across Canada, it is Canadian Tire. Founded in 1922, this store is not only known for its loyalty reward program and great prices but also its automotive services. As an automotive technician who wants a clear advantage over the competition, the only program you should consider is the Automotive Service Technician apprenticeship at Centennial College. Thats because this offering, officially known as Automotive Service Technician Canadian Tire MAP 32, is actually partnered with the store. As such, you will be employed or sponsored by Canadian Tire stores and receive all the in-school training necessary for your apprenticeship as an automotive service technician.

Applicants to this automotive service technician training are required to have completed an Ontario Secondary School Diploma (OSSD) or equivalent, or GED (General Educational Development). Additionally, applicants must be employed by a Canadian Tire dealership or be selected through an advising/interview session; and they must also be able to legally work in Canada. It is worth noting that when space permits, additional applicants are selected through an interview process. If the college determines there are additional seats available, applicants will receive a letter and questionnaire with instructions on how to request a program interview. Admission is on a first come first served basis. Lastly, students enrolled in a Centennial College Modified Apprenticeship Program (MAP) are Registered Apprentices, in accordance with the Apprenticeship Branch of the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities.

The structure of the automotive service technician apprenticeship sees students experience more in-depth automotive service technician training that includes 32 weeks of in-class training. During this time, students complete five courses, which are part of a provincial automotive curriculum and satisfy the knowledge necessary to become a licensed technician. These courses are: Drive train Systems, Electrical/Electronic & Emission Systems, Engine Systems, Work Practices and Procedures, Suspension/Steering and Brake System. All of these automotive service technician apprenticeship courses are facilitated from Ashtonbee Campus. As Centennial Colleges transportation training hub and the largest facility of its sort in the province, it is fully equipped with product-generic tools and includes a broad range of makes and models from the automotive industry. It is worth noting that automotive service technician training students may be eligible for EI (employment insurance) during the in-class training.

Students of this automotive service technician apprenticeship also obtain four weeks of On-the-job experience at one of Ontarios over 190 Canadian Tire stores, which leads to a high placement rate for candidates. At Canadian Tire locations, automotive service technician apprenticeship students work alongside automotive service professionals, applying what they have learned during their in-school sessions, gaining new knowledge and getting to know the company. It is a chance to show off their newly acquired or developed skills. During the employer sessions, Automotive Service Technician Apprenticeship are compensated.