Regional Qualifying Event Will Determine Top Auto Technician Professionals and Students in National Competition, Culminating with Championship Event in Nashville in December to Compete for Over $200,000 Cash and Prizes

SYCAMORE, Ill., Sept. 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- IDEAL INDUSTRIES, INC., a family business that designs and manufactures products for the professional trades, and Intersport, and independent award-winning marketing agency headquartered in Chicago, have announced the inaugural U.S. Auto Technician National Championship (USATNC) competition. The competition was created this year to celebrate and showcase the incredible skills of auto technician professionals and students across the country. The program centers around a one-of-a-kind competition series, including four months of online and live qualifying challenges across the country to find the best 64 professional (32) and student (32) auto technicians, and brings them together for a national championship event scheduled to take place December 13-14, 2021, in Nashville, TN. A regional qualifying event is open for registration and will take place in Southfield, MI September 23^rd – 25^th.

What: US Auto Tech National Championship Qualifying Event
Who: Professional Auto Technicians and Students/Apprentices
Where: Garage Gurus 27300 W 11 Mile Rd. Southfield, MI, 48034
When: Thursday, September 23^rd – Saturday, September 25^th

The regional tour qualifying event is one of seven that will determine the 64 finalists who will be invited to Nashville for the Championship event. From the finalists, three professionals and three students will be crowned first, second, and third prize winners, and will divvy up $200,000 in cash and prizes. Sponsors for the USATNC include 7-Eleven, Discount Tire, Duluth Trading, Garage Gurus, Little Giant Ladder Systems, Lucas Oil, ServiceTitan, and the University of Northwestern Ohio.

Registration for the competition is open at: www.usatnc.com

For a list of rules, see: https://www.tradesnation.com/us/en/etcs/autotech/official-rules.html

For additional information, visit: www.usatnc.com

SOURCE Intersport Inc

He had replaced the o2 sensors two weeks ago on a Saturday a day I don't work.. The customer came back with the same code IMAGINE THAT ! So they asked me to take a look at it with the other mechanic, I had shown this guy about fuel trims a few weeks ago. I hooked my scanner up looked at 02 data , maf , long and short term fuel trims.. at idle the LTFT was high 19 not high enough to set the code, and the O2 showing what you would think low voltage (lean). 

I raised the rpms and noticed the maf readings still low and the LTFT rising. At which point I put the car in drive and the LTFT really started to rise at idle and maf stayed low, I raised the rpms the car hesitated and the LTFT kept climbing.. 

I asked the guy what he thought he had no Idea.. So I told him pop the hood the air induction hose is broken between the maf and the throttle body.. He thought I was joking, He opened the hood and was in shock "how did you know that"? I told him simple I know what I am looking at and how things work, but my question to him was how come he did not know that. He looked like a deer in headlights.. 

He replaced the induction tube, at which point I hooked the scanner back up to show him that now we can prove our repair was good.. I asked him what he would think would happen he had no Idea. so I pulled up all the same items and told him to watch the LTFT and that it will fall quickly and the O2 would come to life.. Sure enough it did in fact the LTFT went a little negative -5 I asked him why he thought that happened he had no Idea, I explained it had been adding fuel for so long it is probably saturated and there is probably a lot of fuel still in the engine and exhaust manifold.. it would clean out as time goes by but that proves the repair is good. At which point I unplugged the scanner and that was that..

now today same lean code on a different car the guy looked at me I said remember what we did ? He said yea, I went over after about half an hour and he had not figured anything out.. in fact he had all kinds of not needed data up on the scanner.. I shook my head pulled up the fuel trims did a few easy checks noticed that the fuel trims went back in the good range with the rpms raised told him to look for a vac leak . HE found one I showed him the fuel trims again and how it verified the repair was good... 

He still has no Idea of what we went over! is it me or is there a need for a lot of learning to be done .. do some people just have the knack and others are just destined to be guessers and parts changers? 

I AM NOT posting this because I make a practice of replacing only one brake rotor or because I want to argue a case in favor of such practice. I, like most of you I imagine, have always been taught and trained to replace/refinish brake rotors ONLY in pairs. NO EXCEPTIONS. Or else the world will explode! haha...ok, well, maybe not the world I guess. But presumably something really bad will happen.

But do any of you ever get asked by the customer WHY you had to replace both rotors when only one was "bad"? What do you tell them? Do you just make something up, spout off the same generic response that your old boss/instructor/teacher/mentor, etc. told to you about how you need rotors of the same thickness for equal stopping force blah blah blah or do you actually KNOW the concrete scientific reasoning behind this "universal truth"? I myself am a little fuzzy on the details. It seems like I am constantly having to explain to customers that I had to replace BOTH brake rotors, but when they ask me why, I don't really know exactly. I'm hoping you guys can help me out with either a detailed explanation or a link to some technical artical that will explain it.

I will also accept personal experience as evidence such as "I tried replacing only one rotor one time and the customer was back the very next week in a full body cast with his lawyer pushing the wheel chair."

Ready: GO

Here is the story:

Young man comes in for an oil change and tire rotation. We perform these services, wash and vacuum the car and off he goes. 30-40 minutes later we get a call from this young man saying his car won't go. He drove the car about 15-20 miles. So I have it towed in. The next morning I start the car right up. It ran great but I noticed the high voltage battery was at 1 bar. After reading Identifix I ran the car with the ac on high for a couple of hours. The battery stayed at 1 bar. I have the customer take the car and on the way home it charges fine. I recommended for him have the car checked and she was told that the only thing that can do that is leaving the key on.

Could this be possible?

He is looking for me to refund his $90 tow.

TYIA

I have come across the other "techs" cards (none of which are certified or have any licenses) one has the station name, his name followed by certified technician . On his card he has the ASE certified logo and then just his personal cell phone number. He is not certified nor does he have the stations number on it. The other guys card has the station name, his name followed by Technician specialized in all automotive repair. Followed by his cell number, the station number no where to be found on the card. This guy is very young has no training or schooling in fact is the first guys helper so to speak, he has a uniform but is paid by the other "tech" as his helper. Which in my mind brings up a whole other set of problems possibly legal, but I won't get into that.

Any way my thoughts are that these cards they are handing out are a conflict of interest and should not be allowed by any means and if continued the employee should be cut loose. What are you thoughts on business cards, mine are as such .. The way I have my card and hand the customer the service writers card first, I think is acceptable, or have the owner make the business cards for the "techs" with the information that he feels should be on the cards. I don't see a problem handing out the cards as long as the business's name and number is prominent on the card and the techs number is not on the card at all, and his or her qualifications can be and should be on the card. I also think that the service writers card needs to be handed out by the tech along with his or her card.

What are you practices or thoughts on the matter of business cards?

Just finished this article

It's an easy simple test for a faulty MAF

So simple I usually start with this test even before I pull out the scopes or scanners.

For management it's great, here is a guy we can pay 10.00 per hour, that does nothing but flushes, alignments and brake jobs, and makes the shop profit. For us technicians, it's being stuck with the nightmare electrical problems and diagnostic problems, trying to scrape up every possible hour to make ends meat.

I'm not really directing this to the younger guys that are just starting out in there career, but the guys that have been doing this longer than me, or even longer.

How do you guys handle these kinds of employees, to me it just seems like they will never change and always get away with the way they work.

Secondly the converter we sold her was in the $590 range OEM is over $1,000. Only lasted about 1,000 miles.

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What are the pros and cons?

“Each year, millions of consumers turn to professional automotive service providers to help restore the safety and reliability of their vehicles,” said Dan Ninivaggi, CEO of Federal-Mogul Motorparts. “Garage Gurus is an important new investment in the future of these vital local businesses and in the thousands of technicians and other professionals who help keep motorists safe behind the wheel.”

Garage Gurus is part of the company’s Tech First initiative aimed at strengthening the automotive service industry’s support of the front-line professionals who repair and maintain vehicles.

Each Garage Gurus training center will include multiple vehicle repair/training bays equipped with the latest tools and will be staffed by more than 100 ASE certified Gurus, Federal-Mogul said. Operating out of these garages will be Gurus-On-The-Go product technology vans that will visit repair shops and technicians throughout each region.

The first four Garage Gurus regional training centers will open in April in Bronx, N.Y., St. Louis, Mo., Skokie, Ill., and Van Nuys, Calif. The company expects to have 15 training centers open by the end of the year.

Source: http://www.tirereview.com/federal-mogul-launching-garage-gurus/

Thanks any help would be appreciated.

Kevo

I am generally not an additive kind of guy as I have seen all too many times the horrific issues "stop leak in a bottle" type additives cause. I have heard, though, when it comes to transmissions that some non-stop leak type additives can actually help free up valves and such in an old transmission. Some of the names I have heard good things about specifically are Trans-X and SeaFoam Trans. additive.

I really have a very limited experience with automatic transmission and to be honest don't understand them that well, I was hoping some of you transmission re-builders/gurus could help me out on this one.

Is there any that you would wholeheartedly recommend or am I better off not adding anything at all?

Thanks in advance,

Joe

I've got to be honest though something is happening with advance auto and product quality. Maybe product quality as a whole.

Our town has 3 non oem stores, AAP, NAPA and a small local store. The local advance stocks more parts and their much more efficient and organized than the local napa.

Recently I've filed 5 labor claims to Advance.

1. Starter on pontiac vibe, installed and randomly clicked with no start. Installed a new one, today customer calls back its been clicking two weeks now it wont start at all. (Starters 3 weeks old) (3 labor claims)

2. 98 astro radiator - first one bent in u shape when I opened the box, installed second and it had 3 pin holes that were found in vacuum filling.

3. Same astro - new fuel pump for level sensor now the pumps drawing high amperage and vehicle will occasionally not start. Not filed a claim yet - still intermittent failure and not confirmed.

Obviously the staff has been very helpful yet they say "no one else is having problems" but thats not what I'm hearing around town. The staff at the store is the reason we've haven't gone elsewhere. They're great to work with.

Anyone else had any issues? Looking like a real idiot to my customers and of course we go above and beyond to handle it but its a consolation prize if anything to the owners.

I personally diaged all of the issues myself and I feel confident in the diags.

Any input is greatly appreciated!

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Brian

My coverage this year was on the heavy duty (Semi and RV) and Mining equipment section. I have a very strict word limit each year and this one was a toughy. 8 Instructors, 8 hours of classes and a 1200 word limit. Believe me, 1200 words goes fast. So I really...REALLY...had to nip this one down a lot.

Here's the link to the unedited version on my website. Read it and I sure would like to hear some feed back if you think there is enough "overview" of the subject lines in the article. (Friggin hard to put it all in... geez...these editors can make it tough on a guy)

http://www.gonzostoolbox.com/KnowledgeFolder/MACS2013.html

Now, to get on topic...

I have a 2003 Kia Sedona that the customer reported random stalls and mild engine knock/rattle on startup, as well as "funny" engine sounds. I myself did not hear the "rattle", but the engine ran poorly when I brought it in and sounded "gurgly". The customer requested a basic tuneup and diagnostic, which I agreed was a good place to start since it was VERY overdue for this kind of service anyway. When I pulled the plugs, they were so worn I was amazed they would still fire at all.

I finished the tuneup and re-fired the engine to check my work. After a few seconds, I was greeted with a loud rapping sound. I immediately shut it off and began going back through my work, making certain every bolt and nut were accounted for in case I had dropped something into the engine. Everything was present and accounted for, so I am very certain I did not drop anything into the motor. Then I discovered that Kia had issued a bulletin regarding parts of the variable intake system falling into the engine and causing loud noises and damage. After tearing down the upper intake, I discovered the intake butterlies were still intact, but the anti-rattle parts seem to be missing. Must have been loose already and became disloged inside the intake plenum while moving it around during the tune-up (I had tipped it over 90 degrees several times, but had not taken anything apart in the upper plenum at all). Sartup would have sucked it right into a cylinder. Ruh-roh...

I explained the situation with my customer and got the approval to dig deeper and find out the full extent of the problem. The customer at this point does not think I am at fault, but has hit his financial limit with this vehicle. It has 185k and nearly worn out already.

Now the quandry... The customer contacted me today and had discovered he had bought some of the faulty BP gas sold in Northern Indiana (as well as Chicago, Milwaukee, and parts of Ohio) shortly before bringing the vehicle in. The faulty gas has been rumored to cause loud knocking in some cases, but I cannot be sure because BP is keeping their mouths shut and just addressing the claims as they come in without acknowledging what the possible damages that could occur are.

I think this vehicle has had the "Kia intake problem" and the bad gas issue almost simultaneously. I'm afraid BP will reject his claim if they know other circumstances are involved, but I'm certain now that the original symptoms were most likely from the bad fuel and the rest has been a chain of misfortune for my customer. I really want to help this guy. He has been very patient and has even offered an apology for bringing in such a difficult vehicle!

My reputation is my livelyhood here, so any sage advice out there for a troubled newbie?

Rob Ostrom

Ostrom's

Minong Wi

715-466-2377