The document discusses the career of an automotive service technician (AST) and some of the challenges of working in this field. It notes that one challenge is not having the proper tools or certifications needed to complete certain jobs. The document provides an overview of the history of the automotive industry and the role of early ASTs. It also describes some of the technical skills and knowledge required for different specializations within the AST field like diesel mechanics, transmission technicians, and automotive body repair.

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Everyone loves cars because cars help us. There are challenges of being an automotive service
technician (AST). At some points it can be “feast and famine” if you work for yourself. One of the
challenges of being an AST is if you don’t have the right tools or the right certifications to do that job.
Even in today’s job market you don’t need only a certification; but also knowing the history/components
of automobiles can help with owning a business.
Before you deal with the challenges you should know the history of the automotive industry first.
The first AST began in 1908 as well as the big three American auto makers Ford, Which was founded in
1908 by Henry Ford; General Motors Corporation (GMC) which was founded by William C. Durant in
1908; and Chrysler, founded by Walter Chrysler in 1925 (Ferguson). The First American auto makers
originally had to teach people how to build the vehicles that were made in their time as well as even now
people go to school to become AST’s.
The people always ask when they are at a dealership, there are many challenges, some of the
challenges of auto electricity and electronics deal with the AST field majority of the vehicle. Everyone
uses computers every day because computers are in everything. “Most electronics run on 12 amperages
(amps) which is the current of energy flow to an object from an energy source” (Duffy). Even with the
computers in the car, truck, and van. All can or are tied into the engine, fuel system, ignition system,
emission systems, brakes, suspension, transmission, and many other systems, The electrical VS electronic
parts of the vehicle operate on 10 Watts (W) and Voltage (V) (12 Volts). With dealing with electrical a
wall outlet or any appliances run much higher than 120 Volts. Some of the more conventional
components are the electric motor, mechanical switch light bulb. Some of the more modern components
are the transistor, diode, vehicle sensors, and the computer (Duffy). My opinion on the changes that have
happened from the cars from 1908 until present day vehicles is that when it came to the vehicles back in
1908 – 1970’s the vehicles changed through that amount of time to where it went from mechanical to
electrical.

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For The people who drive Hybrid cars, some of the pros and cons of the Ethanol fuel (E85) is the
gasoline made from corn oil. Some of the down falls of using Ethanol are: E85 is mainly available in the
Midwest there are more than 150,000 stations nationwide that sells E85. “E85: 9.7 cents/miles vs. 8.4
cents/miles for regular gas”. Ethanol gas can be more expensive depending on the car truck or van as well
as the year of the vehicle and the size of the gas tank depending on the gas mileage than gasoline for most
vehicles. E85 contains less energy regardless of the price you pay than gasoline. The upside to Ethanol
fuel is it is more ecologically friendly because it is made from corn instead of the gasoline made from the
fossil fuels, which ethanol reduces moderate greenhouse gases by 13% in the greenhouse emissions. More
upsides to E85 is that when using ethanol particularly E85 also will result in less pollution in the
environmental as well as reducing the smog- forming emissions by 50% relative to the original gasoline.
Some might expect that by using E85, net carbon dioxide would be almost zero (pros & cons).
Another part of the AST field is known as an automotive body & related repairers are found all
over the place. Some of their tasks may seem small but they make a big difference like: “files, grinds,
sands, and smoothes, as well as fills, repaired surfaces using power and hand tools, and sand down the
body and repaint it”. They follow supervisors instructions removed the damaged sections and tape plastic
prime and paint and repair, inspect it, and mix the polyester. Some of the other tasks this career that deal
with the AST are they repair and refinish automotive vehicle bodies & straighten vehicle frames. The
skills they need all depend on the equipment they have it all determines on the tool selection and
equipment selection needed to do the job at hand. There are a lot of similarities between an Automotive
service technician and an automotive body & related repairer one of which is they are all skilled in trouble
shooting determining the cause of the operating errors and decide what to do about it. As well as using
machines or operating systems to show a visual and which tool would be needed for the job (body and
related repairs).

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Has anyone ever tried to find the right garage that you just need to get your oil changed or tires
rotated…? A mechanic opened up a new service center in the town of Wilson. Aycock said that “I could
work on any car on the road”. Most people think that a car is something you don’t have to take care of it;
but that isn’t what Aycock said he said “In my opinion is that a car is a car. I’ve also got diagnostic
equipment to work on my car”. Aycock worked at a GMC dealership from 1987 – 1999. It is easier to
work under someone than to go out there without proper training. Like some mechanics vary in year of
training and experience and knowledge. Some of the services an AST might include with their work
ethics are: “towing, air conditioning, heating repair, transmission work, diesel, diagnostics, shocks and
struts, brakes, engine repair, radiator work, tune-ups & oil changes” (wise owl).
In my shadowing experience I learned about what the AST really did every day most people think
that it’s a lot easier than it looks when it’s not. Some of the work an AST would be back breaking some
AST’s get up at 4 am in the morning and work until 12 am at night just to make sure what they were
working on got done. When I shadowed at Ray’s Garage I shadowed Morris, Dale, Roger, and Ray the
owner of Ray’s Garage. On October 14th, 2012 I shadowed up at Ray’s garage at 9 am and I did work
hands on; on a Volvo that needed its timing belt fixed as well as replacing a piston. One of the things that
Morris asked me when I was shadowing him was “what field in the automotive service technician world
do you want to specialize in?” I told him I really love cars, and I always wanted to specialize in all of it.
Morris told me “Those are great goals but, think about it like this. If you specialize in all three fields you
might not get as many customers or you might get too many. And if you don’t have the right certifications
for the job it can be complicated just like if you don’t have the right tools for the job.” At Ray’s Garage
they charge a $30.00 lot fee to anyone who leaves their car there for over 10 days after it gets fixed.
Roger told me that I shouldn’t wear jewelry when working on a vehicle because he showed me the effects
of what happened if you work on a vehicle when wearing jewelry you can get your fingers lacerated off if
you wear rings when working on a vehicle (Shadowing).

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Another challenging task of being an AST would be the field of Diesel Mechanics. The
Requirements for the Diesel mechanics field are: you need the class A; license; you need the right
certifications as well as the right tools for the job. The salary is you can make over 60,000 a year if you’re
good enough at the trade. The certifications are in diesel mechanics like: 18 wheelers, 16 wheelers, dump
trucks, & garbage trucks. The automotive field for diesel is a complicated task if you jump straight into it
but if you take your time in learning the field of study you can make a lot of money. The job consists of
repairing, replacing parts, changing the fluids to the vehicle, & driving it out of the garage and off of the
lifts when it’s finished being fixed (Ferguson – Automotive).
Some of the other career opportunities for an AST in the automotive industry go along with the
challenges of being a transmission technician. Like the special requirements for being a transmission
technician are: you have to know your field as well as the transmission, you have to know the timing for
the transmission as well as how the gears go into place, as well as the parts management of the
transmission. My grandfather Delbert George Lounsbery is a transmission technician he has worked on
the corvette circuit and has worked on cars since he was a child. I asked him one time when I was a child
“how hard is it to become what you are? And He told me that it was a lot of hard work to become a
master transmission technician and that it takes years of studying to become one and he also told me to
stay in school if I ever wanted to reach my goal of becoming one” (opportunities).
If you want to go to school to learn the trade the best school to go to is the National Automotive
technician education foundation (Natef). The history of Natef began around the time the first vehicle was
built by Henry Ford in 1908 and William C. Durant in 1908. Natef trains people to deal with the engine as
well as the automotive body of the car truck van etc. That are where the automotive collision repair career
technician comes into effect. When a person gets into a car crash and their car gets wrecked people with
the certifications from Natef. The technicians at Natef are extremely nice and will teach you what you
need to know about the field of what you are learning what you need to know to become an AST. The
skills you need to become anything in the AST field are good communication skills, good computer

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skills, knowledge of the components of the vehicle, above average mechanical aptitude, and excellent
listening skills instructional & manual dexterity. The profession can make you more than 60,000 a year.
And the ASE certification are what you get after you learn the history schooling and classes you get the
certificates of the fields you learned (Natef/ ASE certifications).

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Junior Paper Outline
Introduction
Thesis: One of the challenges of being an AST is if you don’t have the right tools or certification to do
that job.
I. Ferguson – Mechanics
A. Challenges
B. History
C. Big Three (Ford, GMC, Chrysler.)
II. Auto Electricity (Duffy)
A. Challenges
B. Electrical vs. electronic
C. The electrical revolution
III. Pros & cons Ethanol
A. Cars (hybrid)
B. Downside
C. Upside
IV. Body and repairs
A. Tasks
B. Job description
C. Skills
V. Wise owl
A. History
B. Knowledge
C. Tasks

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VI. Shadowing
A. Answers/ asked questions
B. Certifications
C. Hands on experience
VII. Ferguson – Automotive
A. Diesel mechanics requirements
B. Salary
C. Certifications
VIII. Career opportunities in the automotive industry
A. Transmission technician
B. Special requirements
C. Parts management
IX. N.a.t.e.f.
A. History
B. Career options as an AST
C. Career opportunities
X. ASE Certifications
A. History
B. Schooling/classes