Unsettling Repairpal Consumer Survey

Here again I will say it. Until we have a unified system of being PROFESSIONALLY CERTIFIED that is recognizable by the public we will continue to fight this stigma. I recently debated the real worth of ASE certs in another forum. I was Master certified. When they expired I was struggling to pay bills and recerts were not top on my list. Now if the ASE people were to push certification nationally in places where the motoring public would learn of it I would be more encouraged to recert. But where do they promote certification? In the trades that are targeted to the auto industry. WE ALREADY UNDERSTAND!!! Take that money and put ads in Ladies journal, Field and Stream, Bicycling Weekly, etc and explain to those people the importance of finding and using an ASE certified mechanic. When I explain to someone the ASE process it goes in one ear and out the other. Now if they read that same explanation in a rag they read regularly and whose content they take interest in, and articles they will use in their daily life, then the real benefits of ASE Certs would be realized. In Florida and schmo can buy a tool box, hang out a shingle. advertise the cheapest rates in town, and call theorems a mechanic. And in my area there is little to no investigation into "under the radar" shops. These guys will plunder till the well is dry and move on to another warehouse, change their name and start over! There is currently an ad running on TV here now that promotes a self service AC recharge. Can get your air cold again in 10 minutes. I have to have an AC recovery machine, account for every ounce of 134, and the consumer can go to the DIY stores and buy this set up and if it blows off to atmosphere or leaks out again in a week its OK!!

There is not enough value put on the training and experience it takes to repair the modern car. Until that changes we will continueto face these cahllenges!

Thank you, I agree 100%. But just today I have read two other threads ranting about government intrusion. Well we as an industry want to whine and cry about how we are not respected, but we don't respect ourselves enough to impose regulations upon ourselves, and we don't want "nanny government" involved. Well guess what, we can't have it both ways. It is not working. Yeah ASE is a great idea, but until we allow ourselves to be "regulated" ASE is only a piece of paper. Maybe it's because I live and own my shop in Michigan and Michigan is one of only a couple states that requires licensing of mechanics I have a different viewpoint. And even at that repair shops whine and cry about taxes and facility licensing fees that could go to investigating and cracking down on "Craigslisters" operating under the radar. We, a collective "we", won't pay to support the government services we want to complain about others not adhering to. Well if we won't police ourselves and demand accountability within our industry, then it falls to government to protect the consumer from the very same crooks we complain about. We have met the enemy, and it is us. As for the ASE certifications, I refuse to renew mine until they stop treating test takers as criminals. Near strip searches before you can enter the testing room. BS is the only way to explain it. Perhaps if I heard more interest from the motoring public regarding ASE certification it would be more incentive to subject myself to ASE's abuses but I don't need it. i cna go to the Secretary of State's office and take my state licensing recert test just fine and simply have a proctor watch me to make sure I don't use my cellphone. I don't need ultra-level security clearance to see the "Technician A says" questions.

Sadly until we are willing to agree to live up to the higher standards we want all shops to meet, and we are willing to be held accountable to those standards, and we are willing to pay for enforcement of those standards, there will always be distrust, abuse and crooks in our midst.